How busy is it out there?

[sam pig]

Thinking of heading off from our mooring at Anderton early on Wed in the general direction of Llangollen..

 

Anyone in the area at the moment? Is it carnage out there? Is Grindley Brook in its usual chaotic Easter state?

 

So many negatives (apologies) but it does get somewhat congested round these parts at this time of the year..

 

Thanks

[cotswoldsman]

I should stay where you are if I was you, best come out in January.

[sam pig]

I should stay where you are if I was you, best come out in January.

 

 

Thanks. Constructive and useful...

 

As I should have expected from this forum..

 

Thanks again.

[canaldrifter]

Thanks. Constructive and useful...

 

As I should have expected from this forum..

 

Thanks again.

 

.... or November. That would be good....

 

Tone

[sam pig]

Thanks

[cotswoldsman]

Thanks. Constructive and useful...

 

As I should have expected from this forum..

 

Thanks again.

 

Thanks I thought it was a useful piece of advise to a rather patronizing question.

[stewey]

Thanks I thought it was a useful piece of advise to a rather patronizing question.

What was patronising about it? Sounded a fair question to me.

 

Stewey

[sam pig]

What was patronising about it? Sounded a fair question to me.

 

Stewey

 

Thanks Stewey, I thought it a fair question also. I must not have grasped the forum etiquette fully...

 

Will still head that way anyhoo and may just meet the In-laws at Wrenbury as it is better for disabled access.

[cotswoldsman]

What was patronising about it? Sounded a fair question to me.

 

Stewey

 

Because the post included the question and the answer.

 

but it does get somewhat congested round these parts at this time of the year..

 

[canaldrifter]

Thanks

 

No problem!

 

But.... what is really behind your question? What did you expect? An answer that says, "No don't go, it is far too busy," or "Yes, go for it. There is no-one else on the cut,"

 

Maybe the question was somewhat unreasonable?

 

Of course, there will be others out there boating too.

 

Of course, on the more popular routes and in the more popular months it will be busy.

 

Maybe a better question would have been, "If I go boating now can I guarantee not to be held up by other boaters?"

 

The answer to which must be, "No."

 

Tone

Edited April 26, 2011 by canaldrifter

[cotswoldsman]

I wonder why there was a 4 hour gap between the question being asked and my answer. I notice that no one has yet given a real answer.

The Llangollen is one of the most popular canals on the system so I would have thought that asking how busy will it be on a Bank Holiday Weekend was a little pointless

[sam pig]

To be honest, I was hoping that there may have been some comment from folk who had recently passed along the route and may have been able to pass on how busy they had found it. That was all.

 

It was not meant to be some sort of, duh, ask the flaming obvious opportunity..

 

Are you in the area at the moment? If not, why comment?

 

Just forget I asked..

[canaldrifter]

Um.... exactly... forget you asked....

 

edited to add:

 

Maybe you could report back on how busy it was?

 

That would be useful (to some, perhaps. Not that I'm going there).

 

Happy boating (it's only cyberspace here, not real life).

 

Tone

Edited April 26, 2011 by canaldrifter

[sam pig]

There are some cheery helpful characters on here. Unreal

 

It can be nice to be nice. I find it less stressful..

 

Edit: I will gladly share how it was as long as it is not taken as some opportunity for further unhelpful facetious grumpy old toad comments..

Edited April 26, 2011 by sam pig

[Jo_]

Hey Sam

 

I'm cheery and helpful!! We're on the wrong route for you but nevertheless I've spoke to other boaters and a couple of hire companies along the way so can feed in a bit about what our last ten days has been like.

 

We've come down from Mercia (on the T&M) and are doing the Warwick Ring before getting home on Friday or Saturday. With the exception of the Napton to Rugby stretch, we are astonished at how quiet it is. Some hire boats out, certainly, but not in great numbers. Hire boat companies say the kids' holidays are all over the place this year so they've not had a glut of bookings for one particular period. And all the other private boats say the same about the lack of big traffic. And this IS a popular route so must have some hints about what it may be like on the Llangollen.

 

The weather has made it even more spectacular of course - although that's meant that many boats (us included) travelled for a few hours a day and then sat and enjoyed the sun, chatted to neighbouring moorers and shared a few drinks.

 

Enjoy

 

Jo

[magpie patrick]

There are some cheery helpful characters on here. Unreal

 

It can be nice to be nice. I find it less stressful..

 

Edit: I will gladly share how it was as long as it is not taken as some opportunity for further unhelpful facetious grumpy old toad comments..

 

 

Please do, because my information is out of date. What I can suggest though is that the problems you encounter will depend on the timings as well as the season. It is a fair bet you can get through Grindley Brook three rise at either 7am or 8pm with no queues not matter how busy the canal gets, and it probably won't be too bad on a Saturday either as a lot of hire boats are back in base then.

 

It cuts both ways as well, I'm fairly confident I could get Juno from Bath to the top of Caen Hill without working a lock in August, just by hanging around waiting for someone I can nip in with. No, I'm not intending to try this but when my elderly parents wondered if they could cope with Bradford Lock on their own this was the advice I gave them

[sherbert]

went up to llangollen and back in to last couple of weeks and it was a lot quieter than I expected only 8 other boats in the marina (wed/thurs night) Going up if you miss Middlewich on Sat and Hurleston on Sat/Sun it is a lot less busy the same with Grindley Brook on Wed It is all in the timing and depends how long you have got to do the trip If it is only a week then you cannot pick the quiet times but if you have 10-12 days then it is ok Went through Northwich on Sun and it was very busy with boats from the Bridgewater but as ther are no locks it was ok So pick your day and go for it

[mark99]

I wonder why there was a 4 hour gap between the question being asked and my answer. I notice that no one has yet given a real answer.

The Llangollen is one of the most popular canals on the system so I would have thought that asking how busy will it be on a Bank Holiday Weekend was a little pointless

 

 

This is quite hilarious and sums up a lot of the attitude on this forum. You should look at why you feel the need not to answer the question before you fill up this post with a load of drivel viz;

 

1) you question the motives of the OP

 

2) you criticise her writing style and then

 

3) you speculate about the timing of the response or otherwise to the question?

 

As regards your other assertion that the question was pointless well it gave you a little stage to spout off and waste everyones time. If you got nothing to say, best to keep quiet. It all makes you comes across as pathetic and bitter. Now do the honourable thing and apologise.

 

 

Mark

Edited April 26, 2011 by mark99

[sam pig]

Folks, Useful info. I was wondering what the impact of the longer school holidays has been, as we have been to some busy places in the last week or 2 (Blaenau Ffestiniog - spell check - railway, Porthmadog etc) and it was not very busy at all.

 

I am also thinking that the hire boat companies in this area tend to turnaround on Fri through to Mon/Tue so the fact that we are leaving on a wed may mean we are out of sync with some of boat companies (a good thing)..

 

Of course, we are expecting traffic but am really trying to gauge where we could aim for by Thursday evening in order to pick up disabled mother in law. all depends on Middlewich, Hurleston Junction and Grindley Brook..so I guess I should tell them to be prepared to meet us anywhere between Wrenbury and Ellesmere...

 

Cheers

[RLWP]

<snip>

 

2) you criticise her writing style and then

 

<snip>

 

Mark

 

Her?

 

Richard

[sam pig]

I am a he, Not that it matters in the slightest I hope..

 

That said, My other half (she) can reverse a boat better than anyone I have seen (apart from maybe Chris Fenny when he was still delivering fuel)..

[nicknorman]

We just did Fazeley to top of Ashby canal and back - pinch point is Atherstone locks (very slow fillers) but we were lucky (or clever?) and went up with no queue (lots of boats queueing to go down though) and went down 5 days later with no queue (started at 6 pm) to 2nd from bottom lock (long pound OK for mooring). Next morning leisurely start and met some folk who had started from top at 7am but still taken 3 hours to get where it had taken under 2 hours for us to get the previous evening. So what I am saying is that there can be massive variations in "busyness" depending on the exact timing and day of arrival at pinchpoints. Getting it right is a combination of judgement and luck, but if the gods favour you it can work well! Alternatively just make tea until it quietens down a bit!

 

Nick

[RLWP]

I am a he, Not that it matters in the slightest I hope..

 

That said, My other half (she) can reverse a boat better than anyone I have seen (apart from maybe Chris Fenny when he was still delivering fuel)..

 

I thought you were

 

Richard

[romarni123]

We just did Fazeley to top of Ashby canal and back - pinch point is Atherstone locks (very slow fillers) but we were lucky (or clever?) and went up with no queue (lots of boats queueing to go down though) and went down 5 days later with no queue (started at 6 pm) to 2nd from bottom lock (long pound OK for mooring). Next morning leisurely start and met some folk who had started from top at 7am but still taken 3 hours to get where it had taken under 2 hours for us to get the previous evening. So what I am saying is that there can be massive variations in "busyness" depending on the exact timing and day of arrival at pinchpoints. Getting it right is a combination of judgement and luck, but if the gods favour you it can work well! Alternatively just make tea until it quietens down a bit!

 

Nick

Ahhh it was you who woke me up

[david and julie]

Went through Northwich on Sun and it was very busy with boats from the Bridgewater but as ther are no locks it was ok So pick your day and go for it

 

Sale Cruising Club had a meet at the Salt Barge at the weekend which probably explains why there were more Bridgewater boats in Northwich than usual.

 

I live next to the T&M in Northwich and I'd say there isn't that much traffic in either direction at the moment - hope its not a sign of the times.