May Bank Holiday

[Naughty Cal]

The bank holiday weekend is almost upon us and the weather looks good for a change. So what are your plans for the weekend?

 

We are heading out on a cruise with the Lincoln Boat Club. We are all heading to the White Horse, Dunsten Fen on Saturday for dinner and rumour has it they have some live music. Followed by a short hop back to Bardney Village on Sunday night for a BBQ and party.

 

We plan to try and get up the old Witham to the pub at Short Ferry for a couple of beers during the day before heading back to the others at Bardney. We have tried this before and almost got there but turned back as the water was running out. We have been by dinghy but this time plan to try and get big boat up there again.

 

On Monday it will be a quiet plod back into Lincoln. We expect it to be fairly busy on the river on Monday so wont be in any rush to get back.

[Suzie_q]

For a host of reasons only our second trip this season, but plan to go down towards the Loughborough boat festival and our first trip down the Soar. Not that bothered if we don't get all the way there but we'll see.

Weather looks almost too good to be true.

Can't last. :-)

[Berengaria]

Might take Beren into Banbury for the weekend and sample the delights of whatever pubs are still open!

[Barry]

The bank holiday weekend is almost upon us and the weather looks good for a change. So what are your plans for the weekend?

 

We are heading out on a cruise with the Lincoln Boat Club. We are all heading to the White Horse, Dunsten Fen on Saturday for dinner and rumour has it they have some live music. Followed by a short hop back to Bardney Village on Sunday night for a BBQ and party.

 

We plan to try and get up the old Witham to the pub at Short Ferry for a couple of beers during the day before heading back to the others at Bardney. We have tried this before and almost got there but turned back as the water was running out. We have been by dinghy but this time plan to try and get big boat up there again.

 

On Monday it will be a quiet plod back into Lincoln. We expect it to be fairly busy on the river on Monday so wont be in any rush to get back.

 

There's a good chance you'll need a boarding plank Rachael

[paddy r]

There's a good chance you'll need a boarding plank Rachael

or a couple of narrowboats Baz

[Naughty Cal]

There's a good chance you'll need a boarding plank Rachael

We plan to stick the bows into the bank to make it easier to get on and off with the stern out into the river. I dont expect there will be much/any boat traffic to worry about

[Barry]

or a couple of narrowboats Baz

 

 

True

 

But one boarding plank is a lot easier to carry around

 

I still haven't got one yet

[Athy]

Might take Beren into Banbury for the weekend and sample the delights of whatever pubs are still open!

So the Brasenose ain't good enough for you, huh?

We are coming over to 'Trojan' ;later today, but I suspect that the weekend will be more about cleaning and painting than actually going very far.

[alan_fincher]

I think we will probably go and take a look at the London Cavalcade, but it will be "without boat". Saturday probably.

But we also need to start our weekend positioning moves to get "Sickle" to the Ricky festival, so having not really thought things through when we boated her North up to her home mooring only last weekend, I feel sure we will start bringing her South again. Actually that way at least we get to do some boating! Monday, probably.

 

Apart from that "herself" is just entering the thick of the most demanding part of a teacher's year, and will no doubt be working her but off going through massive files of student's course work, so it will not be all pleasure, unfortunately.

[PaulG]

SWMBO is currently nurturing a cold, so it depends on the state of her health, really.

If she's feeling better, it'll be up the Severn to Worcester and then a potter up the W&B.

If she's still feeling grotty, it's down to Glawster and the G&S (where SWMBO can relax while nice men in blue shirts open the bridges to let us pass).

[Alanji]

After the busy Llangollen today (queue of 7 boats at Marton lower lock) I have booked passage on the Motgomery for tomorrow.

[john6767]

Nice day coming down to Leamington from Calcutt. Hatton tomorrow.

[Naughty Cal]

Sunset over the Fossdyke

 

Bardney Lock

 

 

 

The White Horse, Dunston Fen

 

 

 

Short Ferry, Old River Witham

 

 

 

Bardney Village

 

 

Busy Stamp End Lock

 

Sunset over the Fossditch

[Guest]

Nice pics.

 

- we are off to the boat today, first time in a short while we have been able to get to it after a couple of false starts so really looking forward to it....

[mrsmelly]

Nice pics.

 

- we are off to the boat today, first time in a short while we have been able to get to it after a couple of false starts so really looking forward to it....

 

Hi Martin

 

A very sensible day to set off mate. Bank holiday weekends are deffo the time to stay securely alongside !!

 

Tim

[alan_fincher]

Hi Martin

 

A very sensible day to set off mate. Bank holiday weekends are deffo the time to stay securely alongside !!

 

Tim

Seems to depend where you are.......

 

Worked "Sickle" South from the Milton Keynes area yesterday, (Bank Holiday Monday) in some of the nicest boating weather I have seen, but really passed very few boats all day.

 

At least two thirds of the local hire fleet were tied up three abreast at base, out of use.

 

I don't think I have ever seen it so quiet on a weekend that you might have expected to entice many to their boats.

[alan_fincher]

Some pictures from a cracking day's boating yesterday.

The hire boat in the first one is the only one we saw away from its base.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2013 by alan_fincher

[john6767]

We did not find it busy over the weekend either. We left Calcutt Saturday afternoon, and not surprisingly there were a good few hire boats going down Stockton, all the usual suspects from Black Prince at Wigrams, Napton and Calcutt doing the Warwickshire Ring. As we took out time after overnight stops at Long Itchington and Leamington, the masses had all gone ahead of us. On Monday afternoon when we came up Hatton we saw very few boats moving. A pair were coming down the bottom lock as we arrived, and we passed another pair coming down about a third of the way up. Other than that is was just us and the Black Prince boat we were sharing with going up, saw no other boats moving.

 

As you would expect with the weather the bank was teaming with people, but few boats for them to see, such that we did create rather a lot of interest as we got nearer the top where most people were. Working the lock with so many people round it was difficult a few times.

 

Where are all these mythical volunteer lock keepers though? I was expecting Hatton to have them, but none to be seen, although there were 2 guys grass cutting with did seem rather inappropriate on a busy bank holiday.

 

As a side note I do hope it works out for the Dutch group on the Black Prince boat we shared with, their intention is to do the Warwickshire Ring, and given their progress from Napton was only the same I ours, and we passed them moored up for the night not that far past the top of Hatton, I think they are going to be in trouble time wise!

[mrsmelly]

Seems to depend where you are.......

 

Worked "Sickle" South from the Milton Keynes area yesterday, (Bank Holiday Monday) in some of the nicest boating weather I have seen, but really passed very few boats all day.

 

At least two thirds of the local hire fleet were tied up three abreast at base, out of use.

 

I don't think I have ever seen it so quiet on a weekend that you might have expected to entice many to their boats.

 

Thinking about it you are right with regard this past weekend. I took the Princess out and through Holme Lock on Sunday and despite great weather for boating there was no one around. I did not have to avoid the many weekenders we usualy see trying to commit harri Karri in front of us, there were some about but were mainly locals and all remained well out of my way out of the lock approaches both going down and on my return which is not usualy the case.

 

Tim

[Berengaria]

So the Brasenose ain't good enough for you, huh?

We are coming over to 'Trojan' ;later today, but I suspect that the weekend will be more about cleaning and painting than actually going very far.

 

I love the Brasenose but fancied a change

 

Trojan is looking peachy though!

Edited May 7, 2013 by Berengaria

[Proper Charlie]

All the boats must have come up onto the Leicester branch of the GU. There were loads of them on the summit over the weekend. Usually it's easy to find a quiet mooring away from the crowds but our favbourite spots were bow-to-stern solid. Brilliant weather though and it was great to scrape the rust off the barbecue.

[Guest]

 

Hi Martin

 

A very sensible day to set off mate. Bank holiday weekends are deffo the time to stay securely alongside !!

 

Tim

Got to the boat at around two today - red hot if a little windy, a few jobs to sort so setting off in the mooring.

 

Really busy though we had three boats pass us this afternoon, we nearly got trampled in the rush......

[Tuscan]

All the boats must have come up onto the Leicester branch of the GU. There were loads of them on the summit over the weekend. Usually it's easy to find a quiet mooring away from the crowds but our favbourite spots were bow-to-stern solid. Brilliant weather though and it was great to scrape the rust off the barbecue.

It's been busy we got to a favourite spot and there were some boats around Sunday but yesterday and today we have been in blissfull isolation overlooking the fields, will move off and get to top of Foxton tomorrow

[Suzie_q]

For a host of reasons only our second trip this season, but plan to go down towards the Loughborough boat festival and our first trip down the Soar. Not that bothered if we don't get all the way there but we'll see.

Weather looks almost too good to be true.

Can't last. :-)

Ok so we didnt make it to Loughborough, something to do with the drink.

Didn't catch who shouted over at Redhill lock on Sunday that it would all be over by the time we got there.

Liked the soar and will go back again soon and the delay did mean we found the now free house Anchor inn at kegworth. Real community pub and excellent food.

 

Was wrong about the weather as we moored up near Ashton and just sunbathed for 3 hours on the Monday.

Only gripe was the 10 experts at stenson on the way back.

It only goes wrong when theres an audience.

[Naughty Cal]

All the boats must have come up onto the Leicester branch of the GU. There were loads of them on the summit over the weekend. Usually it's easy to find a quiet mooring away from the crowds but our favbourite spots were bow-to-stern solid. Brilliant weather though and it was great to scrape the rust off the barbecue.

The Witham and Fossdyke were the busiest I think I have ever seen them. There were queues for both locks. Luckily for us we managed to squeeze into both locks without much of a wait with bigger boats. One of the joys of owning a small boat is we can squeeze in to both locks with other boats where as you struggle to get two larger cruisers in together.