Braunston Locks

[Domino_2]

From today Braunston locks have 1 lock keeper who is trying to make sure that boats only proceed through the locks in pairs. He only expected us to wait up to an hour for a boat to join us before we started down the locks today.

[Ray T]

From today Braunston locks have 1 lock keeper who is trying to make sure that boats only proceed through the locks in pairs. He only expected us to wait up to an hour for a boat to join us before we started down the locks today.

 

 

If conservers water and allows others the enjoyment of the canal because there is water to boat on - what is the issue?

 

I've always said "If you're in a rush what are you doing on the canal?"

[Domino_2]

If conservers water and allows others the enjoyment of the canal because there is water to boat on - what is the issue?

 

I've always said "If you're in a rush what are you doing on the canal?"

 

 

There is no issue - i was just letting people know.

[BlueStringPudding]

Only a short walk to the pub. Problem solved?

[NBchildsplay]

From today Braunston locks have 1 lock keeper who is trying to make sure that boats only proceed through the locks in pairs. He only expected us to wait up to an hour for a boat to join us before we started down the locks today.

 

Thanks for letting us know and great to see that BW have taken control of the situation to manage the water so we can enjoy our boating.

Happy boating Domino 2

Jx

[sueb]

Thanks to BW for the lack of maintenance for allowing this to happen. I wonder if their properties suffer from the same lack of maintenance.?

Sue

[Proper Job]

Thanks to BW for the lack of maintenance for allowing this to happen. I wonder if their properties suffer from the same lack of maintenance.?

Sue

? ! ?

 

I think you'll find it's more to do with a complete lack of the wet stuff falling from the sky

[mikevye]

Have the recent rains made any difference to the restrictions on the Leicester section? The Ashby which was down is more or less back to normal.

[alan_fincher]

Thanks to BW for the lack of maintenance for allowing this to happen.

I really don't understand why so many people who claim to have been associated with the canals for years really don't get it.

 

This has been the driest summer in the UK since 1976, and there are more boats trying to use the canals today than at any time in their history.

 

Canals rely on water supply, and if there is insufficient, then restrictions are unavoidable, whoever is managing the canals. This has been a constant issue on many canals since the very first days they were built - engineers have grappled with it for over 200 years, and it is no way contained just to modern times.

 

Have you not seen the pictures of near empty reservoirs - this has little to do with mismanagement, and all to do with not enough water falling out of the sky.

 

I'll bash BW over many things, but blaming them for a very dry summer seems highly bizarre!

[n.b.Goldie]

I really don't understand why so many people who claim to have been associated with the canals for years really don't get it.

 

This has been the driest summer in the UK since 1976, and there are more boats trying to use the canals today than at any time in their history.

 

Canals rely on water supply, and if there is insufficient, then restrictions are unavoidable, whoever is managing the canals. This has been a constant issue on many canals since the very first days they were built - engineers have grappled with it for over 200 years, and it is no way contained just to modern times.

 

Have you not seen the pictures of near empty reservoirs - this has little to do with mismanagement, and all to do with not enough water falling out of the sky.

 

I'll bash BW over many things, but blaming them for a very dry summer seems highly bizarre!

 

Well said Mr Fincher, have a 'greenie'.

 

Regards

Ditchdabbler

[mayalld]

Thanks to BW for the lack of maintenance for allowing this to happen. I wonder if their properties suffer from the same lack of maintenance.?

Sue

 

Do you have evidence that a lack of maintenance is at fault, or is a significant contributory factor?

 

Or is it equally possible that lack of sufficient rainfall and profligate use of water early in the season is the primary cause?

[Tim]

I really don't understand why so many people who claim to have been associated with the canals for years really don't get it.

 

This has been the driest summer in the UK since 1976, and there are more boats trying to use the canals today than at any time in their history.

 

Canals rely on water supply, and if there is insufficient, then restrictions are unavoidable, whoever is managing the canals. This has been a constant issue on many canals since the very first days they were built - engineers have grappled with it for over 200 years, and it is no way contained just to modern times.

 

Have you not seen the pictures of near empty reservoirs - this has little to do with mismanagement, and all to do with not enough water falling out of the sky.

 

I'll bash BW over many things, but blaming them for a very dry summer seems highly bizarre!

 

Bang on.

[David Schweizer]

[quote name=alan_fincher' timestamp='1314866275'

post='741627]

Thanks to BW for the lack of maintenance for allowing this to happen. I wonder if their properties suffer from the same lack of maintenance.?

Sue

I really don't understand why so many people who claim to have been associated with the canals for years really don't get it.

 

You should know by now Alan, that SueB works tirelessly to ensure that there is a harmonious relationship betweeen BW and NABO!!

Edited September 1, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Proper Job]

Mad as a box of frogs

[Secret Garden]

If conservers water and allows others the enjoyment of the canal because there is water to boat on - what is the issue?

 

I've always said "If you're in a rush what are you doing on the canal?"

 

Hi Ray, not sure whether or not to cancel / postpone my sep 8th trip out of Ventnor Farm yet, was planning to go Northampton.

Reckon there will be enough water left ?

Steve

[mayalld]

You should know by now Alan, that SueB works tirelessly to ensure that there is a harmonious relationship betweeen BW and NABO!!

 

[alan_fincher]

Hi Ray, not sure whether or not to cancel / postpone my sep 8th trip out of Ventnor Farm yet, was planning to go Northampton.

Reckon there will be enough water left ?

Steve

FWIW we passed up through Calcutt, (where there have introduced time restrictions since) on Sunday, and out of Braunston on Monday.

 

The canals themselves looked fine, with no significantly low water levels, but obviously I'm not privy to information about water reserves to actually feed the summit.

 

My guess is that as the season starts to quieten down, actual closures here may be avoided, but that is purely a guess, I'll freely admit.

 

We have actually managed to complete over 400 miles in three and a half weeks, without seeing any obvious water issues at all. To some extent that has been by trying to pass through the places where it is still fairly plentiful, (e.g. water cascading over all bye-washes down the "Shroppie" still), and actively avoiding the bits known to have the most severe problems, (we were originally planning to include the Leicester, but it seemed prudent to stay away). We have no choice to not pass through Braunston, though, so are relieved not to have found restrictionsappear in the weeks we have been north of it.

[Keeping Up]

We came down Braunston yesterday, and will be going back up again on Monday (hopefully). In the past, it has always been noticeable that the majority of boats use these locks singly, often in a queue, with a variety of excuses such as "we don't like sharing" or "we waited for ages but nobody came along" (when there is a single boat in the lock ahead of them and another in the lock behind them). Even yesterday morning, the boat in front of us insisted on going down alone because his boat was GRP and therefore might get damaged by a steel boat.

 

It is excellent that people are made to share when it is practicable to do so without an undue wait (which I take to be about 30 minutes).

 

The water levels are low, but not so low as to be problematic - although as with Alan, I cannot comment on the reservoir levels.

[Guest]

Does any-one know what was done differently on the Leeds Liverpool this year. Last year it closed as we know and I don't recall as many restrictions down south/in the Midlands due to lack of water last year as this.

 

I don't think the differentials in rain fall has been huge between North and South - so BW must be doing something right up here....

 

"we don't like sharing"

 

People who say that are just pathetic IMHO - totally inexcusable, they should have their boats confiscated and broken up for scrap....

 

Whilst I admit we found it much easier coming down from the summit of the Pennines on our own in a longish boat as Jan could pick which side tipped less water from the leaky gates on the counter as the level in the lock fell - BUT if there had been another boat with us (there was for some of it) we would just have to concede two boats in the lock is better....

Edited September 1, 2011 by MJG

[David Schweizer]

We came down Braunston yesterday, and will be going back up again on Monday (hopefully). In the past, it has always been noticeable that the majority of boats use these locks singly, often in a queue, with a variety of excuses such as "we don't like sharing" or "we waited for ages but nobody came along" (when there is a single boat in the lock ahead of them and another in the lock behind them). Even yesterday morning, the boat in front of us insisted on going down alone because his boat was GRP and therefore might get damaged by a steel boat.

 

It is excellent that people are made to share when it is practicable to do so without an undue wait (which I take to be about 30 minutes).

 

The water levels are low, but not so low as to be problematic - although as with Alan, I cannot comment on the reservoir levels.

Interestingly, we have found the opposite to be true, in fact it is quite rare for us to go though the flight on our own.

 

Quite frankly, if the next boat in the queue did not wish to lock with us, I would automaticly offer the space to the boat behind them in the queue. I once went from almost last in the queue at Brentford to first in the queue, because so many boats in front of me wanted to go with their friend, but the first boat was on it's own.

[Ray T]

Hi Ray, not sure whether or not to cancel / postpone my sep 8th trip out of Ventnor Farm yet, was planning to go Northampton.

Reckon there will be enough water left ?

Steve

 

We're planning to take the boat to Hillmorton on the 7th so I am hoping there will be water too.

 

I don't know about the South GU, Alan F's knowlege will be better than mine as he's just travelled along it.

 

We went up The Ashby a couple of weeks ago - no issues on the north Oxford (all locks at Hillmorton were open) or Coventry.

 

The Ashby was low along the majority of its route. Ok if you stuck to the middle, passing other boats tested your boating skills though.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Ray T

[PeterG]

I once went from almost last in the queue at Brentford to first in the queue, because so many boats in front of me wanted to go with their friend, but the first boat was on it's own.

 

I cannot understand this going with your "friend" through a flight of locks, people should just join up with the next boat.

[alan_fincher]

I don't know about the South GU, Alan F's knowlege will be better than mine as he's just travelled along it.

We have travelled the GU from Birmingham down as far as (nearly) Marsworth in the last 6 days.

 

We experienced no water shortages of any significance in long pounds throughout. The vast majority were at or near weir level.

 

A few of the short pounds were seriously down, the worst we saw being below the Bascote staircase, although the one between the two Ivinghoe locks was also very depleted.

 

I don't think those anomalies were down to the drought conditions though - more just the usual things to do with leaky gates.

 

Of course the real issue is how much remains in reservoirs or underground bore holes - I simply can't answer that bit.

[mayalld]

I cannot understand this going with your "friend" through a flight of locks, people should just join up with the next boat.

 

People may be travelling in company with friends. they may prefer to pass through broad locks with them because they have a shared understanding of the each others lock operating practices that makes it easier.

[NBchildsplay]

I really don't understand why so many people who claim to have been associated with the canals for years really don't get it.

 

This has been the driest summer in the UK since 1976, and there are more boats trying to use the canals today than at any time in their history.

 

Canals rely on water supply, and if there is insufficient, then restrictions are unavoidable, whoever is managing the canals. This has been a constant issue on many canals since the very first days they were built - engineers have grappled with it for over 200 years, and it is no way contained just to modern times.

 

Have you not seen the pictures of near empty reservoirs - this has little to do with mismanagement, and all to do with not enough water falling out of the sky.

 

I'll bash BW over many things, but blaming them for a very dry summer seems highly bizarre!

 

well said my man