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Summer 2013

Dr Bradley

By Dr Bradley
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Dr Bradley Rising Star

Dr Bradley

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Having finally achieved a booking for the Ribble Link, I am now finalising plans for this year. Here is a rough itinary.

 

Leaving the Calder Valley early March. If the canal at Sowerby bridge is open I'll be going the Leeds and Liverpool route, otherwise the shorter but harder Rochdale, to arrive at Tarleton in time for the Link on the 7th April. Three weeks on the Lancaster before heading to Liverpool and across the Mersey first or second week of May. By the end of May I'll have been to Llangollen and a few days on the Montgomery Canal.

 

Then its off to the midlands, calling at the Anchor of course and joining in the Lapworth banter if that occurs this year. On to Statford and then the Severn ready for a trip down the estuary to Bristol. July will see me along the K&A and the Thames to London, with a trip down the Wey to Godalming. I quite fancy heading down the estuary to the Medway, but that may prove a bit too adventurous. Next it will be back up the Thames to Lechdale and back to Oxford then north up the South Oxford, the GU and the Northampton arm before heading to Cambridge before finding somwhere called East Brandon or something. By this time it will be September.

 

Late September or early October I will cross the Wash to Boston then head for the Trent. I intend to go round Trent Falls and depending on time and weather may have a trip down to the Beverley Canal before returning home to Sowerby Bridge and putting the boat up for sale.

 

Besides travelling the length and breadth of the system, covering all the main canals I have not yet covered I'd like to meet as many forum members as possible so let me know if I'm passing near you and you'd like to spend an evening trying out the local beer.

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Old git Engager

Old git

Posted
Posted

Having finally achieved a booking for the Ribble Link, I am now finalising plans for this year. Here is a rough itinary.

 

Leaving the Calder Valley early March. If the canal at Sowerby bridge is open I'll be going the Leeds and Liverpool route, otherwise the shorter but harder Rochdale, to arrive at Tarleton in time for the Link on the 7th April. Three weeks on the Lancaster before heading to Liverpool and across the Mersey first or second week of May. By the end of May I'll have been to Llangollen and a few days on the Montgomery Canal.

 

Then its off to the midlands, calling at the Anchor of course and joining in the Lapworth banter if that occurs this year. On to Statford and then the Severn ready for a trip down the estuary to Bristol. July will see me along the K&A and the Thames to London, with a trip down the Wey to Godalming. I quite fancy heading down the estuary to the Medway, but that may prove a bit too adventurous. Next it will be back up the Thames to Lechdale and back to Oxford then north up the South Oxford, the GU and the Northampton arm before heading to Cambridge before finding somwhere called East Brandon or something. By this time it will be September.

 

Late September or early October I will cross the Wash to Boston then head for the Trent. I intend to go round Trent Falls and depending on time and weather may have a trip down to the Beverley Canal before returning home to Sowerby Bridge and putting the boat up for sale.

 

Besides travelling the length and breadth of the system, covering all the main canals I have not yet covered I'd like to meet as many forum members as possible so let me know if I'm passing near you and you'd like to spend an evening trying out the local beer.

 

 

Hi,

Please tell me you are going to write a daily blog and turn it into a book of some sort.

 

Old Git

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Ange Veteran

Ange

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Sounds like a grand plan! I'm sure our paths will cross so you can thrash us at Risk yet again!

 

I'll keep a close eye on your whereabouts.

 

(I must admit we're always tempted by the trip to the Medway, taking us very close to "home", but also always daunted)

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Dr Bradley Rising Star

Dr Bradley

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Sounds like a grand plan! I'm sure our paths will cross so you can thrash us at Risk yet again!

 

I'll keep a close eye on your whereabouts.

 

(I must admit we're always tempted by the trip to the Medway, taking us very close to "home", but also always daunted)

Well why not do it together?

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chrislyn Contributor

chrislyn

Posted
Posted

Having finally achieved a booking for the Ribble Link, I am now finalising plans for this year. Here is a rough itinary.

 

Leaving the Calder Valley early March. If the canal at Sowerby bridge is open I'll be going the Leeds and Liverpool route, otherwise the shorter but harder Rochdale, to arrive at Tarleton in time for the Link on the 7th April. Three weeks on the Lancaster before heading to Liverpool and across the Mersey first or second week of May. By the end of May I'll have been to Llangollen and a few days on the Montgomery Canal.

 

Then its off to the midlands, calling at the Anchor of course and joining in the Lapworth banter if that occurs this year. On to Statford and then the Severn ready for a trip down the estuary to Bristol. July will see me along the K&A and the Thames to London, with a trip down the Wey to Godalming. I quite fancy heading down the estuary to the Medway, but that may prove a bit too adventurous. Next it will be back up the Thames to Lechdale and back to Oxford then north up the South Oxford, the GU and the Northampton arm before heading to Cambridge before finding somwhere called East Brandon or something. By this time it will be September.

 

Late September or early October I will cross the Wash to Boston then head for the Trent. I intend to go round Trent Falls and depending on time and weather may have a trip down to the Beverley Canal before returning home to Sowerby Bridge and putting the boat up for sale.

 

Besides travelling the length and breadth of the system, covering all the main canals I have not yet covered I'd like to meet as many forum members as possible so let me know if I'm passing near you and you'd like to spend an evening trying out the local beer.

The Beverley Canal? Do you mean up the River Hull and on to Beverley Beck?

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Dr Bradley Rising Star

Dr Bradley

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Hi,

Please tell me you are going to write a daily blog and turn it into a book of some sort.

 

Old Git

Yes wasn't much of an answer, but I have a friend who is going to set a website and then I do intend to write a book. Question is has anybody done a trip encompassing north. west, south and east of the canal system and including all the estuary and sea passages possible in a narrowboat in one year. I know that individually they have all been done, but in one trip?

 

Hmm will definitely give that some thought. What do you reckon your time frame would be?

August

 

The Beverley Canal? Do you mean up the River Hull and on to Beverley Beck?

Yes

 

If you do decide to go via the Rochdale Canal and Bridgewater Canal don't forget the annual maintenance closure of Barton Aqueduct from Sunday 10th March at 4.30pm to Saturday 23rd March 2013 at 12.00 noon.

 

Steve

That could be a problem I did not know about. However it will still give me time to get to Tarleton, but I'd prefer to go L&L as I'm pretty fed up of the Rochdale

 

If your longer than 40ft, You be unalbe to pass through Brandon lock. It's a two mile walk in to the centre of town from the moorings below the lock.

So what is the furthest east I can get in a 57ft boat.

Edited by Dr Bradley
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Neil TNC Rising Star

Neil TNC

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I intend to go round Trent Falls and depending on time and weather may have a trip down to the Beverley Canal before returning home to Sowerby Bridge and putting the boat up for sale.

 

 

 

If you are going to the River Hull / Driffield / Beverley Beck, the timing for the tides when coming back, exiting the River Hull, make for an easy passage across to the Ancholme and then Market Weighton Canal, so why not include them?

TNC 2002 Tour

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jami dodgers Contributor

jami dodgers

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We live half way between the Gloucester & Sharpness and Bristol, so please keep a note and drop us a pm when you get close by to one or the other and the wife and I will certainly meet up and buy you a beer.

 

PS. We have the house on the market and who knows it MIGHT have sold by then, in which case we'll be on our newly purchased boat :captain: somewhere on the system.

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Black Ibis Proficient

Black Ibis

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So what is the furthest east I can get in a 57ft boat.

 

Brandon Lock. There are moorings below it. We've been through it in a 48ft boat but it was tight and we had to come back through backwards!

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mykaskin Experienced

mykaskin

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I would repeat what Neil said about doing the Driffield Navigation while you're up the River Hull. It's Beverley Beck BTW, not Beverley Canal. Timing are fun for the River Hull, talk to a local who is used to narrowboats. You also need your wits about you, and to understand how to deal with fast flowing tidal rivers of which the Hull is often narrower than many canals. Along with an anchor at the bow, having a mud weight at the stern would also be advisable.

 

Have a read of my trip here:

 

http://hnbc.org.uk/sites/default/files/newsletter/2010-1-page4-hull-high.pdf

 

Not a trip to be made lightly, but if you know your onions then it's an interesting run.

 

I'd also advise that weather will be against you at that time of year, and waiting for a weather window isn't always easy for a Humber crossing. If in doubt night time crossings are often calmer, but then you have more navigation to worry about (counting flashing rates and looking for light ships against the bank lights takes some doing even when you know the area!).

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

Edited by mykaskin
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Neil TNC Rising Star

Neil TNC

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I would repeat what Neil said about doing the Driffield Navigation while you're up the River Hull. It's Beverley Beck BTW, not Beverley Canal. Timing are fun for the River Hull, talk to a local who is used to narrowboats. You also need your wits about you, and to understand how to deal with fast flowing tidal rivers of which the Hull is often narrower than many canals. Along with an anchor at the bow, having a mud weight at the stern would also be advisable.

 

Have a read of my trip here:

 

http://hnbc.org.uk/sites/default/files/newsletter/2010-1-page4-hull-high.pdf

 

Not a trip to be made lightly, but if you know your onions then it's an interesting run.

 

I'd also advise that weather will be against you at that time of year, and waiting for a weather window isn't always easy for a Humber crossing. If in doubt night time crossings are often calmer, but then you have more navigation to worry about (counting flashing rates and looking for light ships against the bank lights takes some doing even when you know the area!).

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

The timings are even more difficult if you want to coinside with your personal Red Arrows display! ;)

RA.jpg

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Dr Bradley Rising Star

Dr Bradley

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Good reads about the Humber/River Hull trips and useful info. I agree with Myaskin that by the time I get there it will be late in the year and not easy to find a weather window. This bit of the trip is probably the least likely to happen so perhaps next year if I haven't sold the boat.

 

As for traavelling the Humber at night I think that's a no no. Although I have sailed quite a bit at night and am confient of my navigation, solo on a narrowboat would be pushing adventure a bit far.

 

 

our paths might cross or should I say you will be overtaking me....I will be starting from Tarlton end march and heading to Gloucester and Sharpness but planning on spending quite a bit of time in Birmingham area.

 

If your in the Birmingham area in June keep watch for the Lapworth banter if it occurs this year. Are you heading down the BristolChannel?

 

I've passed your boat before but you didn't appear to be around.

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MoominPapa Veteran II

MoominPapa

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... the GU and the Northampton arm before heading to Cambridge before finding somwhere called East Brandon or something. By this time it will be September.

Whilst you're passing, come and visit us at the unfashionable end of the Middle Level.

 

MP.

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