Timothy West/Prunella Scales - Channel 4

[nicknorman]

So easy to reel them in every time!

But you would be so disappointed if I didn't react. Anyway, I had to get my acci-dent pun in somehow!

[frogprints]

Did you see Tims face as he almost skipped along the platform to get in the steam train cab at Llangollen? Absolutely priceless!!

[haggis]

Yup, when boys get older their toys get bigger :-)

 

haggis

[Peter X]

I felt a little sorry for Tim & Pru in the latest episode on the Llangollen as they chugged across that first aqueduct in the pouring rain, both standing out on the stern deck with their guest for the benefit of the filming schedule. Only a little sorry because I'm sure they knew what they'd signed up for, and they were out on a boat while I was on land.

 

If that had been me on my brother's boat, we'd have moored up and waited inside for the rain to ease off. Or if we were short of time and needed to keep going, he'd be out in the weather steering, with me in the warm dry galley making tea etc. That's one of the advantages of being crew. No doubt the working boatmen kept going through any weather unless progress became impossible, but the point of leisure boating is to enjoy it.

 

When I was a boy I had an O gauge train set then moved on to OO gauge; my children went from the big "Duplo" bricks to normal Lego, and my grandson's Lego seems to include lots of very tiny pieces. Toys are getting smaller!

[mattlad]

Bump! Latest episode about to start....... (More 4HD)

[little duck!]

I am loving the series as it gives me a canal fix in between my weekends on the boat! However I feel myself getting cross at Tim's stereotypical behaviour, why was it Pru's fault when he tried to exit the lock whist still being tied on? Its not as if he had much to do. When we do broad locks with me (female) driving whilst HE operates the paddles/operates the gates we tie on when going up, then as it gets almost level I step off untie and am ready to drive out. I don't rely on other half to come and untie the boat, we share the duties! Also and it may just be the camera but Tim doesn't seem to slow down for moored boats but then that seems common these days!!

[Dharl]

French Canal last night. Really enjoyed it as never seen any of the Canals in that region, though know the ones from Rotterdam and Amsterdam in a professional capacity. Shame we didn't have canals built to that dimension in the UK. I didn't realise that France had started their canal system 100 years before the British!

[Athy]

French Canal last night. Really enjoyed it as never seen any of the Canals in that region, though know the ones from Rotterdam and Amsterdam in a professional capacity. Shame we didn't have canals built to that dimension in the UK. I didn't realise that France had started their canal system 100 years before the British!

I thought that the Romans built a canal in Britain long before the Canal du Midi and its friends were thought of?

 

The Nivernais has a lot to answer for. It was the scene of our first ever waterways holiday, 1994 I think. We hired a plastic cruiser and did just about everything wrong, bouncing merrily off lock gates and other boats, resulting in a couple of near-divorces, and arrived back in England in a state of nervous exhaustion. Within a week or two we were investigating where we could take a UK canal holiday, and things sort of escalated from there.

 

Haven't seen the programme but the Controller Of The Television Set has recorded it.

[Nightwatch]

Took young Tim a while to get used to the steering.

 

And Pru got into a right state at one point, not sure what to do with yep the rope. The situation was well covered and aptly explained by Timothy afterwards why he got a little 'frustrated' with her. Bless. They are very much in love with each other.

 

Martyn

[Cruising Mike]

Shame we didn't have canals built to that dimension in the UK.

 

I think the width of the canals we have in the UK today are part of the beauty of it. Not sure i particularly liked seeing it being so wide as they have in France.

[wullie]

I thought this was the best off all the series, would love to do this canal as holiday, i might just have a search for details on it, really enjoyed the whole series good and bad parts but must say well done Pru and Tim.

[Pete & Helen]

Wasn't may other boats on the canal. Maybe the French had been warned that Basher Tim was on his way in a big barge. He could have done a lot of damage in that thing.

[Dharl]

 

I think the width of the canals we have in the UK today are part of the beauty of it. Not sure i particularly liked seeing it being so wide as they have in France.

 

 

yes and no Mike! if we had some of the canals a similar width linking major ports in this country then there might still be commercial traffic, like in the Netherlands and France. Saying that not sure if I would like to share a lock with a large commercial ship whilst in a smaller narrow boat......

 

 

Loved the series, well done Tim and Pru , and well done Channel 4 for putting together and broadcasting.

[Guest]

I thought this was the best off all the series, would love to do this canal as holiday, i might just have a search for details on it, really enjoyed the whole series good and bad parts but must say well done Pru and Tim.

We had planned to do a French Canal holiday this year but things conspired to scupper this so it's now going to be next year.

 

The Nivernais is high up on our short list for sure. It's quite pricey though when you take a boat like Tim and Pru had and how they charge for fuel over there makes for a not so cheap holiday.

 

Smaller GRP boats can be had, I doubt we will be hiring anything that large for just two of us and a small dog.

I think the width of the canals we have in the UK today are part of the beauty of it. Not sure i particularly liked seeing it being so wide as they have in France.

Then you won't like our local waterways much either. They are very similar in width to the Nivernais, for much the same reason ie they were built to carry much bigger boats.

 

The extra room does make for a different experience plus your cabin sides don't get constantly scraped by trees, and you can normally wind the boat any where you like, even a sixty foot one like ours.

[keble]

Wasn't may other boats on the canal. Maybe the French had been warned that Basher Tim was on his way in a big barge. He could have done a lot of damage in that thing.

[Phil Ambrose]

Ref the Romans, they dug out Carr Dyke down here in the Fens so canals have a long history in England.

Phil

[Albion]

Took young Tim a while to get used to the steering.

 

And Pru got into a right state at one point, not sure what to do with yep the rope. The situation was well covered and aptly explained by Timothy afterwards why he got a little 'frustrated' with her. Bless. They are very much in love with each other.

 

Martyn

 

To be fair to Tim (although he may not be the best helmsman that I have ever seen, judging by earlier programs) those boats are pigs to steer. The 129 that they were using (Guy Roux) is one of the better ones but if he had had to steer a 139 or a 149 you would have seen worse than that. I have been asked to move boats for France Afloat (the source hire base where we moor our barge) on many occasions and they steer like that that messy brown stuff.

Wasn't may other boats on the canal. Maybe the French had been warned that Basher Tim was on his way in a big barge. He could have done a lot of damage in that thing.

The scenes were shot in early October when the French canals, and particularly the Nivernais, are quietening down. The Nivernais shuts for the winter in early November and the lock keepers often have to do more than one lock at a time at that end of the season so to see that amount of lock keepers available was a bit of a surprise. There were several disjointed bits in the sequence but that is programming for you. They started at Chatel Censoir which is nowhere near the place that the boat was hired from and we watched the preparations to that boat to improve it's appearance. It did not represent quite the norm. They even equipped it with brand new blue ropes for the filming.

It did show the canal that we use mainly in quite a pleasant light and the misty sequence is very characteristic of that canal at that time of year. It can also get quite cold, even frosty.

Roger

[Guest]

Albion, on 01 Apr 2014 - 3:41 PM, said:

 

To be fair to Tim (although he may not be the best helmsman that I have ever seen, judging by earlier programs) those boats are pigs to steer. The 129 that they were using (Guy Roux) is one of the better ones but if he had had to steer a 139 or a 149 you would have seen worse than that. I have been asked to move boats for France Afloat (the source hire base where we moor our barge) on many occasions and they steer like that that messy brown stuff.

The scenes were shot in early October when the French canals, and particularly the Nivernais, are quietening down. The Nivernais shuts for the winter in early November and the lock keepers often have to do more than one lock at a time at that end of the season so to see that amount of lock keepers available was a bit of a surprise. There were several disjointed bits in the sequence but that is programming for you. They started at Chatel Censoir which is nowhere near the place that the boat was hired from and we watched the preparations to that boat to improve it's appearance. It did not represent quite the norm. They even equipped it with brand new blue ropes for the filming.

It did show the canal that we use mainly in quite a pleasant light and the misty sequence is very characteristic of that canal at that time of year. It can also get quite cold, even frosty.

Roger

 

 

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that those EuroClassic boats are built near here in the North East of England somewhere? Or am I completely wrong?

[Athy]

 

 

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that those EuroClassic boats are built near here in the North East of England somewhere? Or am I completely wrong?

Yes, by South West Durham Steelcraft who also built the boats for the legendary Canaltime operation. if their boats are Canaltime-proof they certainly should be Tim-proof.

[Albion]

 

 

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that those EuroClassic boats are built near here in the North East of England somewhere? Or am I completely wrong?

 

 

Yes, by South West Durham Steelcraft who also built the boats for the legendary Canaltime operation. if their boats are Canaltime-proof they certainly should be Tim-proof.

Yes, as Athy says, the later ones were built by SWD Steelcraft at Trimdon, Co. Durham. Earlier ones were done by a company in Evesham and then one at Stenson Boatbuilders. Finally, after SWD went bust in 2008/9 ish (?) Classic Boats started to produce their own at Winnersh, near Reading, but that didn't last long before they too went bust.

My first French widebeam was built by SWD and handled like a pig until we spent several years and many thousands of Euros putting it right. Then we sold it and bought a barge that has handled correctly from day one.

Roger

[Dharl]

Ref the Romans, they dug out Carr Dyke down here in the Fens so canals have a long history in England.

Phil

I stand corrected and better informed! Thank you Phil

 

 

 

 

They even equipped it with brand new blue ropes for the filming.

 

Roger

 

I looked at those 'new Blue Ropes' and wondered why have such an expensive boat and then equip it with the cheapest mooring lines to secure it and control in the locks? The light blue 'poly-prop' rope is horrible to work with and a good way to get rope burns!

[Albion]

I looked at those 'new Blue Ropes' and wondered why have such an expensive boat and then equip it with the cheapest mooring lines to secure it and control in the locks? The light blue 'poly-prop' rope is horrible to work with and a good way to get rope burns!

You're dead right but they are the only ropes that they use on their hire fleet and are considered disposable due to the treatment that the hirers often give them, but your last sentence is spot on. It is virtually impossible to lasso a bollard with that stuff and that is partly why Pru made a bit of a pig's ear of throwing it to the lady on the pontoon below Les Roches Saussois.

Roger

[Guest]

I see Tim West has popped up in 'Enders....

[David Mack]

Nobody's picked up on Tim's comment after they were worked through a lock by the young female eclusier, "In England the lock keepers are all middle aged men and a bit grumpy"!

[Guest]

Nobody's picked up on Tim's comment after they were worked through a lock by the young female eclusier, "In England the lock keepers are all middle aged men and a bit grumpy"!

Well it was just as incorrect as the comment he made about 'all locks in France have lock keepers' which is also incorrect.