First longer trip

[joe1978]

Hi Everyone,

 

Since I last came on here SWMBO and I have bought a 1/12 share in a narrowboat (58' cruiser stern NB Castleber ) so we can enjoy the canals more.

 

Our first 2 week holiday is coming up in three weeks and I'm trying to decide what we can achieve in that time, so I'm hoping for a little help, I've had a good look through the CanalplanAC but the myriad of options and choices are a tad overwhelming.

 

Basically its just me and the wife for 13 full days boating, we tend towards 8 hours moving per day and we are both fit and healthy!

 

A ring type route would be ideal with good stops for a mix of good food pubs and quiet moorings, which is objective I know, and really that's it. We are going to be starting at the current mooring of Wigram Turns Marina at Napton Junction.

 

Any advice would be great

Thanks

Joe

 

 

Arrgh, just realised that probably should be in the holidays section of the forum. If a mod wants to move it then please feel free, I won't double post.

 

joe

[RLWP]

Naturally - it depends

 

13 days is a very easy Warwickshire ring, you could add the Ashby into that as well

 

It's a pretty easy trip to Oxford (and beyond) and back

 

You could go up the GU, down the Stratford, down the Avon, up the Worcester and Birmingham and back either via the Stratford, the GU or even the rest of the Warwickshire ring (actually, that would be a nice 2 weeks for us)

 

Wigrams is pretty well situated for several rings and trips

 

Richard

[by'eck]

Suggest continuing from Napton on the Oxford to Hawkesbury Junction. Then the Coventry through Nuneaton, Atherstone & Tamworth to Fazeley Junction. Then the Birmingham & Fazeley canal towards Bordesley Junction and the Grand Union back to Napton.

 

This ring is 99 miles long, much of it rural with a good mix of villages and towns on both narrow and broad canals. It could be done in 7 days which would allow for stops in several places. It includes a mix of 94 locks both broad and narrow, a few short tunnels and many aqueducts.

[bottle]

Go to

 

http://canalplan.org.uk/cgi-bin/canal.cgi

 

Select 'Place by name'.....type Napton junction, in the box

 

Click ...Next

 

Select, third one down, Plan a trip round a cruising ring starting and finishing at Napton Junction

 

Select, second one. Choose your own travelling times

 

Select, second one. Choose length of trip in days... make it 13.

 

Click ...Next

 

I chose without dates, this will give you a list of rings, the ones with stars have Napton Junction on the route, Warwickshire Ring is at the bottom, select either to go clockwise or anti clockwise..

 

Voila!! hopefully, lots of info but this is the main bit,

 

 

This will take 60 hours, 11 minutes which is 8 days, 4 hours and 11 minutes at 7 hours per day. You have asked for it to be done in 13 days, each of which will be 4 hours and 37 minutes.

 

 

Have a great time

[joe1978]

Thanks for the help guys, any more would be greatly appreciated.

Ta

Joe

[comfortably numb]

You'll have great fun wherever you go of course, and you're boat sharing will save you a fortune over hiring. You won't always get your own way regarding decisions such as where to locate the boat and jobs that need doing on it, but if you're happy with that then you've made a great decision. We've had our share in NB Cropredy for 4 years and I wish we'd have done it sooner, and we now have our own boat.

 

Why didn't you buy our share that's for sale? LOL

[joe1978]

Not long managed to get back on here as for some some reason my netbook wouldn't access the site at all (turned out to be a TCP/IP stack problem but only after trying everything else first!)

 

Anyway, thanks for all the help. Really looking forward to getting back out there especially if the weather holds up like this!

Still looking at the Leicester ring with a few diversions, either up the Ashby and back or Erewash and back and a wee trip to Market Harbrough maybe to bulk it out. I'm still playing with the planner but the possibilities are endless! (We're heading northwards-ish as the inlaws want to visit for a wee day trip and they don't want to travel far from Mansfield)

 

Joe

[Jo_]

Don't forget your Nicholsons and Pearsons; I find Pearsons' timings are pretty well spot on. And mark up your books as you travel along for future reference if you pass that way again (or want to pass on tips to other travellers).

 

And build in some 'not moving' days - if the weather if wonderful, a mooring is wonderful or the wind/rain makes you think twice about boating, it's nice to have time to stay still, read books and enjoy the peace and quite!

[sprog]

8 hrs a day for 13 days, you can go far but dont be to over ambitious. Remember not all of your holiday will be sunny (law of averages) and 8 hrs in the rain is depressing

 

Soz just my thoughts

[joe1978]

Don't forget your Nicholsons and Pearsons; I find Pearsons' timings are pretty well spot on. And mark up your books as you travel along for future reference if you pass that way again (or want to pass on tips to other travellers).

 

And build in some 'not moving' days - if the weather if wonderful, a mooring is wonderful or the wind/rain makes you think twice about boating, it's nice to have time to stay still, read books and enjoy the peace and quite!

 

I've found both useful in the past so I've ordered some off the 'jungle based book seller'. However it seems the Pearson's East Midlands book is out of print as I can't find a new copy.

There are full sets on the boat for syndicate use as far as I know so we won't be stuck but I like to have my own too for notre taking etc.

Joe

[Naughty Cal]

We also enjoy long cruising days and it isnt unheard of in the summer for us to do 10 or 11 hour days but not for 13 days in a row! That would make for a long and tiring "holiday"

 

As others have pointed out it is also worthwhile factoring in a couple of days at least where you wont move or if you do it wont be far.

 

Also take into account that there may be queues at locks etc. in certain areas so you may not get your intended mileage in in the time you have allowed.

[joe1978]

I see what you mean about going at it too hard, If need be we'll miss out the diversions for a instead.

 

We've got upto 4 weeks a year to explore the network I need to keep that in mind and not try and do everything in 2 weeks

 

Joe

[comfortably numb]

With our boatshare we plan for about 5-6 hour cruising each day. Then we keep an eye on the weather forecast each day for the following day and if the weather is good we keep moving for longer and then shorter days if it's pouring down. But as others have said, whatever the weather it's good to stay put and relax sometimes and enjoy the locality or some quality chilling out, and there's nothing better than relaxing in the sunshine on or by your boat in a nice location with a good book and some wine/beer.

 

Resist the mistake that many make (particularly hireboaters) where they feel that they've got to go as far as possible to get full value for their time onbard. Relaxing and enjoying the change of pace is much of what canal boating is all about, and if you're obsessed with keeping moving you miss out on so much. You don't have to do a ring either because coming back the same way you always notice things you missed on the outward leg. With your shared boat you may also have the option of doing a remote changeover anyway, whereby you swop over with a fellow owner at an agreed location.

 

In the 4 years of shared ownership we've had some great times on NB Cropredy as I know you will, and now we've bought our own boat there'll be many more!

 

Sharing a boat is so much cheaper/better than hiring if narrowboating is what you want to do every year. That's what I keep telling hirers I come accross but none of them have been convinced enough to buy my share yet

Edited June 8, 2013 by comfortably numb