BW Facilities With Showers

[Chickadee]

Gloucester and Saul are both ok. Saul is actually lovely and constantly hot and cleaned once if not twice a day. Gloucester clean to and warm but that horrible blue light to stop the junkies.

[OldGoat]

Tried 3 BW showers so far. The following is typical.

You enter the shower and get undressed. Not too bad so far. You have done this before.

You then push a button on a switched box which gives you shower power for a fixed unknown number of minutes.

You then experiment with the heat control until the water temperature is just right.

You will know when this point is reached because at this precise moment somebody nearby will flush a toilet and the water pressure will drop to zero.

The temperature of the remaining water rises rapidly and you quickly spin the control to reduce it but you are too late. The overheat preventer cuts in and cuts off power to the shower.

You now stand, wet and cold for several minutes until the cutout thinks you have suffered enough. Then it warms up again.

You get in again and get soapy - and another toilet is flushed.

While you wait for the cycle to repeat, this time cold, wet and soapy, the lights go out.

There are no windows. It is pitch black. You hold a towel around you and creep out of the shower and push the lights button again.

And so it goes on...

When you emerge you are not very clean, very cold, and ready to kill somebody.

 

There is NO point in building any facilty that is not "owned" and managed by a local body. Unmanned facilities are in no-mans land and will NOT work (for very long).

 

My experience is that it is unrewarding to depend on BW showers. But this is based on a small sample and I may have been unlucky.

 

 

 

 

Never mind when CART gets into full swing there'll be a whole load of volunteers keeping everything up to scratch.....

[bizzard]

Hertford is a beauty,open air,just a latticed fence around it.

[Catrin]

Doesn't your other boat Chalice have a shower? If so, wouldn't you'd be better off taking Chalice rather than being dependent on BW showers which may or may not be open, working or just be too busy (or dirty!) when you get there?

 

Or you could follow Bizzard's advice and just do a Bear Grylls!

Mike, we need to get Sickle to the Midlands for the Tug weekend at the Black Country Museum over the bank holiday weekend at the beginning of May. Given the restrictions on lock opening we can take either Sickle or Chalice, but not both. If Sickle doesn't go, then she doesn't go to the tug weekend.

 

I've spent ages looking at whether getting to the banter is possible by boat, and have concluded that we can do it, just about.

 

Sickle, at Fenny Stratford, is a day further north than Chalice, and even then Alan will have to set off early, and I will travel up by train to meet him after work on the last day of term.

 

We have got a couple of those black bag showers that sit on the top of the cabin, but they don't seem to get very warm. We are also very restricted for space to be showering, so if we can find BW showers, then we will use them.

 

Yesterday we were still wondering if we would be better to take Chalice, but to be honest, I'm quite looking forward to the challenge of living in Sickle for a couple of weeks.

[TimD]

Shame you're not asking about Yorkshire waterways or the Trent as I've had lots of experience of them over winter.

 

@system 4-50: this has not been my experience at all. In most showers the biggest problem is drying and dressing before loosing all the heat gained from the hot shower. I have come across a couple that didn't work though.

 

@alan @jelunga Fradley shower does work, and has plenty of hot water and space. I used it just a few days ago.

 

slightly off topic, I dislike Nicholson's using a just a house symbol for any combination of toilets, showers, elsan and rubbish as it means you have no idea until you get to that place what's actually there.

[alan_fincher]

Tarp it up, temporarily, and sit a solar shower bag on your top plank?

Definitely in no way equipped for a top plank, (hasn't been since 1942....)

 

BUT SERIOUSLY:

 

For the reasons "Catrin" has described, "Sickle" is the boat likely to be in use at Easter, (despite the obviously greater comforts of "Chalice"), so we really do want to understand our options for use of canal-side facilities, (and to identify any complete duffers, or ones no longer existing!).

 

We have never done more than about 3 consecutive days together in our 8 foot long box, so it is possible this whole "adventure" may avoid the need to have to make decisions about that 25 year wedding anniversary banter, (as we could be divorced before then!).

 

What I don't think we have factored into our travel timings is the "Sickle" factor. In our "Clonecraft" we just slip through the busy spots unnoticed. With our "floating patio" we are regularly delayed by people wanting to know more about it - we are truly stunned how much interest she can generate.

 

There are extra pleasures to be derived in travelling on a boat with Spartan facilities, but I'll let you know in a month if it is something we will do regularly!

[Midnight Rider]

I notice that the Waterscape details say that the Swan at Fradley has launderette facilities available.

 

Does anyone know if these are still available/working?

 

Also, has anyone tried the BW showers that are there?

Cheers

Cath

That's a 'yes' to all your questions.

[Guest]

Never used the showers at Fradley - but the loos were clean enough, despite being open to the general (ie non BW key holding) public. This was due to the cafe in the vicinity.

 

That said it's a good while since we were there (last summer) so things may have changed.

[LoneWolf]

If you get as far as the 4 counties (go Alan go!) then Nantwich is a bit rank apparently but the one at Calveley (up towards Chester only about 5miles detour there & back) is nice.

It's a lot less busy & cluttered than the Nantwich services as well and a nice detour

 

 

Should our paths cross then you'd be more than welcome to shower on my boat.

[Davidss]

Spotted in passing ... "then the three of us called in at the BW facilities in Tipton for a shower ".

From Captain Ahab's Watery Tales.

[john6767]

Lapworth Locks Shower Facility

 

You would have enjoyed a visit to this when first opened (specially built) as you could have done your washing and had it tumble dryed before taking away. Also, the shower room was of the luxury variety with much space to pamper yourself afterwards.

 

There was always the question of why clothes washing facilities were added in the first place as the moorings in the lower reservoir are for pleasure and do not include any planning permission for people to stay on their boats for any extended period

 

The washing facilty was vandalised and has now been removed and the shower block has today a notice saying shower closed - there is no knowledge locally that it will reopen at any time

 

Are you certain about Lapworth. I used the toilet there yesterday, and the shower looked to be in use. There was an issue with the drains I think that had this closed, but that was resolved some time ago. Clothes washing facility has been removed of course.

 

 

 

[classicstove]

The small building on the southern Stratford just above lock 22 contains a toilet emptying facility and pumpout

 

The new building on the land between the southern and the link arm, had a notice on a week ago to say shower not in use but perhaps its been fixed

 

The drain from the new building blocks reguarly so it may go out of use soon

 

Are you certain about Lapworth. I used the toilet there yesterday, and the shower looked to be in use. There was an issue with the drains I think that had this closed, but that was resolved some time ago. Clothes washing facility has been removed of course.

[john6767]

The small building on the southern Stratford just above lock 22 contains a toilet emptying facility and pumpout

 

The new building on the land between the southern and the link arm, had a notice on a week ago to say shower not in use but perhaps its been fixed

 

The drain from the new building blocks reguarly so it may go out of use soon

 

 

 

It is the new building I am talking about, there was no sign there yesterday.