7 months trip of a lifetime!

[wordnerd]

Hello all,

 

After tons of research, daydreaming and a couple of hire boat holiday test runs, we have finally bought our narrowboat! We leave our jobs at the end of March and start our trip. We probably have a year off before work calls once again. Our plan is to continuous cruise at least until end of October.

 

It would be great to get people's tips. We've read a lot of Pearson's and so forth, so have identified many places we want to go. Pearson is too good a writer though and consequently we want to go everywhere! So rather than tips on specifically *where* to go, it would be interesting to know *how* to go about it.

 

One way would be to plan it rather meticulously with a schedule and dates and stuff. Nice for telling guests where we'll be and when... but rather seems to take the fun out of it! On the other hand, just tossing a coin at every junction seems a bit aimless. One way might be to aim for a few areas: south for a couple of months, midlands for a couple of months, Pennines in high summer away from the busy midlands...? Etc.

 

What do you reckon?

 

Also, what do other CC-ers think is a reasonable number of hours cruising each day? On our hire boats, we've done 8 or more hours per day... but I suspect when we are CC-ing we will have some days on, some days off - maybe 3 hours travelling each day, on average? We are not averse to spending a few days moored up somewhere if we really like it.

 

And finally, for two relative rookies who've only seen a bit of the K&A, Stort/Lee, and Oxford - what are the one or two hidden gems you'd recommend? Things like the Seven Wonders are well-publicised and we'll try to see most of them - but what other lovely bits should we definitely see?

 

Thank you!

 

Tom & Em.

 

P.S. Felucca is 53ft so can do things like the Calder & Hebble.

 

P.P.S. Starting from Crick, near the junction of the GU mainline and the Leicester branch.

[mrsmelly]

Hi

 

Over the past 23 years my wife and i have taken several 3/6/12 month holidays because quite simply we could. My advice would be to stick the pointy end in the direction you initialy want to go and go at whatever pace you see fit to wherever you fancy on a daily basis. You have got rid of the need to follow a timetable or itinery so just enjoy yourselves while you can. It realy is the way to do it, oh and forget the silly terminology " canal rings "

 

Tim

[johnmck]

Enjoy without any agenda.

[CHUGALONG HIRE COMPANY]

Agree, just go.

Have a bucketlist of a few must sees if you like but don’t stress over it. For me the Llangollen, Anderton lift and Shropshire Union sandstone cuttings would be high on the list but there’s so much to see.

Don’t worry if you have a few ticks still to get in the future. Only do 8 hrs in a day if you wake up and feel like it, otherwise you will not enjoy the freedom, escapism, countryside, wildlife, to the full.

Just a bit jealous…enjoy!

[Alanji]

Hi

 

Over the past 23 years my wife and i have taken several 3/6/12 month holidays because quite simply we could. My advice would be to stick the pointy end in the direction you initialy want to go and go at whatever pace you see fit to wherever you fancy on a daily basis. You have got rid of the need to follow a timetable or itinery so just enjoy yourselves while you can. It realy is the way to do it, oh and forget the silly terminology " canal rings "

 

Tim

 

 

Have a greenie, Tim - exactly what I intend to do come March. I do have a bit of a schedule - Easter banter at Gnosall and as I am in that neck of the woods a look at the LLangollen before heading North.

 

Hope to be up first week in February for the RCR maintenance course but the boatyard schedule has been completely disrupted by the weather. Will pm you once arrangements confirmed.

 

Enjoy your trip Tom & Em - wherever it takes you

 

Alan

Edited January 22, 2013 by Alanji

[Dave_P]

If I was in your position I'd be pencilling in certain events and aiming to reach them at the right times, e.g. Cropredy festival, Braunston Show etc. Other than that I'd be following my nose! I'm almost bursting with jealousy that my circumstance don't currently allow for this. I might be lucky enough to get a month in the summer. Fingers crossed!

[rgreg]

I did a 6 month cruise through the following route. Lancaster - Manchester- Llangollen- Birmingham- London via Grand Union - London to Oxford via Thames- Oxford to Nottingham (stopping off for Cropredy festival)- Nottingham to Keadby via Trent- Keadby to Liverpool via Leeds- Liverpool to Lancaster.

Just over 1000 miles and 600+ locks. I think the route was perfect - never felt rushed with time to stay and visit where I wanted, and I was single-handed. Looking back I wouldn't have changed the route.

[lewisericeric]

Hello all,

 

After tons of research, daydreaming and a couple of hire boat holiday test runs, we have finally bought our narrowboat! We leave our jobs at the end of March and start our trip. We probably have a year off before work calls once again. Our plan is to continuous cruise at least until end of October.

 

It would be great to get people's tips. We've read a lot of Pearson's and so forth, so have identified many places we want to go. Pearson is too good a writer though and consequently we want to go everywhere! So rather than tips on specifically *where* to go, it would be interesting to know *how* to go about it.

 

One way would be to plan it rather meticulously with a schedule and dates and stuff. Nice for telling guests where we'll be and when... but rather seems to take the fun out of it! On the other hand, just tossing a coin at every junction seems a bit aimless. One way might be to aim for a few areas: south for a couple of months, midlands for a couple of months, Pennines in high summer away from the busy midlands...? Etc.

 

What do you reckon?

 

Also, what do other CC-ers think is a reasonable number of hours cruising each day? On our hire boats, we've done 8 or more hours per day... but I suspect when we are CC-ing we will have some days on, some days off - maybe 3 hours travelling each day, on average? We are not averse to spending a few days moored up somewhere if we really like it.

 

And finally, for two relative rookies who've only seen a bit of the K&A, Stort/Lee, and Oxford - what are the one or two hidden gems you'd recommend? Things like the Seven Wonders are well-publicised and we'll try to see most of them - but what other lovely bits should we definitely see?

 

Thank you!

 

Tom & Em.

 

P.S. Felucca is 53ft so can do things like the Calder & Hebble.

 

P.P.S. Starting from Crick, near the junction of the GU mainline and the Leicester branch.

 

So jealous! Wish we could leave our jobs and just CC for seven months

 

Enjoy it ! It'll be absolutely great!

[dmr]

The Thames, especially Reading to London

The entire K&A, including Bristol

The River Weaver

Liverpool (via Manchester)

Hatton Locks

The last bit of the Llangollen canal

 

You will see quite a bit of the system as you travel between these!

Some long days, some short days, stop for a day or two here and there.

 

............Dave

[Ange]

Hi

 

Over the past 23 years my wife and i have taken several 3/6/12 month holidays because quite simply we could. My advice would be to stick the pointy end in the direction you initialy want to go and go at whatever pace you see fit to wherever you fancy on a daily basis. You have got rid of the need to follow a timetable or itinery so just enjoy yourselves while you can. It realy is the way to do it, oh and forget the silly terminology " canal rings "

 

Tim

 

That's top advice! Just follow your whim and amble. It's the best way to enjoy the canals. Have fun!

[Graham Bowers]

I just love setting off in the morning secure in the knowledge I have no idea where I'll be sleeping that night.

That works for cycle touring, backpacking and BOATING (and probably loads of other adventure genres).

You are best placed to decide what will suit you.

I was thinking "lucky bar stweards", but you made your own luck,

Graham

[Keeping Up]

When I retired unexpectedly in 2003 we set off for 3 months on the boat, and during that time nobody at all knew where we were - mobile phones were off, no computers were allowed, we didn't even speak to the family except to reassure them once a week to say we were still OK.

 

After a couple of months we got back to Braunston (2 or 3 days from home at Milton Keynes) and decided we didn't want to go back yet.so we literally just tossed a coin there and at each subsequent junction. After a little while we found ouselves at Newark, and then we turned around and spent a few weeks mor travelling home by a different route. It was wonderful, and we now spend about 6 months every year with a vague idea in mind but always with a couple of "coin-tossing" junctions thrown in for good luck.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Victor Vectis]

Wot they said!

 

Its your boat. You can please yourselves. That's the joy of it.

 

Or, to quote from 'The Wind in the Willows', Ratty extolling the joys of boating to his new friend, the Mole:

 

"Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

 

A wonderful book. I suppose we all read it as children. I went back to it recently and saw the story through older eyes. I missed this sentence when young but as an adult I just love it:

 

"After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working."

 

SAM

Ryde

IOW

[wordnerd]

Brilliant advice all, thank you. It's made us even more excited, if that were possible!

 

 

P.S. Couple of extra questions the missus is pondering: 1. Should we go from Bristol to Sharpness, with pilot of course? Is the hassle worth it? 2. Is there such a thing as a collapsible broom? She thinks it'll save space.. ?! Obviously we are considering all aspects of our trip very carefully...

[nebulae]

Strongly recomend Godalming on the Wey.Ripon is a must.Boston and Llangollen are definately worth a visit.Enjoy.

[Keeping Up]

Brilliant advice all, thank you. It's made us even more excited, if that were possible!

 

 

P.S. Couple of extra questions the missus is pondering: 1. Should we go from Bristol to Sharpness, with pilot of course? Is the hassle worth it? 2. Is there such a thing as a collapsible broom? She thinks it'll save space.. ?! Obviously we are considering all aspects of our trip very carefully...

 

1. Definitely worth it, it was something we included on our first full summer of cruising (linky), but it can pay to plan so that you go in the opposite direction, Sharpness to Bristol. You can wait for fine weather in Gloucester and on the lovely G&S canal for as long as you like, whereas waiting in Bristol can be very expensive (I heard it was £20 a night)

 

2. Yes, it's called a brush, and they even come with handy little dustpans.