CRT celebrate Will Shakespeare's 450th birthday?

[c c]

How - Simple -

Put the South Stratford Canal on the winter closure list from November so no boat can get down it to Stratford.

That however is not my moan. They gotta mend the canals sometime and apart from a story about Venice, WS had little to do with canals.

 

What is really frustrating is that the draft winter closure programme was announced and I checked on the CRT Winter Stoppage Website that we could indeed get to the RSC Theatre on our November cruise - moor outside - see a couple of performances - great.

The map of stoppages didn't work but I entered the canals on the Avon Ring in their online stoppage search and it had no navigation closures to report.

Yippee - I booked a mooring for the boat and bought the best tickets for two perfomances.

Then the latest copy of Canalboat magazine arrived which said on page 9 that the CRT Stoppages included the South Stratford. I rushed to the computer and searched the CRT Stoppage List again and horror!! Not only was our route to Stratford now shown as closed but so was the other way round down the Worcs & Birm Canal........

The strange thing is that when I checked again just now, their map did work showed stoppages on the South Stratford but none on the Worcs & Birm BUT on once again entering the two relevant canals in their stoppage search, they once again had no stoppages to report.

.

[matty40s]

It's never as you like it is it.

[pearley]

As far as I can see, the map only shows the W & B as being closed after Christmas.

[carlt]

It's never as you like it is it.

 

If you ask me the OP is making Much Ado About Nothing and if the canals are repaired then All's Well That Ends Well.

As far as I can see, the map only shows the W & B as being closed after Christmas.

 

That would definitely be a winter of discontent.

[Ray T]

Cry "Havoc" and let slip the dogs of war!

[Barry]

Somebody round here really wants their pound of flesh

[matty40s]

If it's only lock gate replacement closures, perhaps they will open on the 12th night.

[Ray T]

A recipe for a Chef:

 

ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
2 WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
etc., etc.

 

ETA. Should this be in the recipe section?

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ray T

[c c]

So I decided to avoid the stoppage on the Stratford Canal by changing our plans and going the opposite way to that which we had intended - down the Stratford first and then up the Severn. This meant bringing forward our Theatre ticket booking so that we were through Stratford before the closure. The re-booking cost another £8.

YESTERDAY CRT ANNOUNCED THEY HAD WEREN'T GOING TO DO THE WORK AND CANCELLED THE CLOSURE

[Chalky]

Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York CaRT cancellation.

[c c]

Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York CaRT cancellation.

What's the window in yer disco tent got to do with anything

[JJay]

An outdoor store in Stratford once had the memorable display "this is the window of our discount tents"

[David Mack]

An outdoor store in Stratford once had the memorable display "this is the window of our discount tents"

 

The camping shop advertising their sale with "Now is the discount of our winter tents".

[matty40s]

So I decided to avoid the stoppage on the Stratford Canal by changing our plans and going the opposite way to that which we had intended - down the Stratford first and then up the Severn. This meant bringing forward our Theatre ticket booking so that we were through Stratford before the closure. The re-booking cost another £8.

YESTERDAY CRT ANNOUNCED THEY HAD WEREN'T GOING TO DO THE WORK AND CANCELLED THE CLOSURE:banghead:

This is entirely your fault.

People from CRT read the forum, and decide to make sure you can get there. ...and you change your plans without posting on here.

 

Never mind, alls well that ends well.

[c c]

OR they read the various objections to the closure posted on their own website and, to their credit, took notice of them.

So yes, it must be my fault for failing to anticipate that there was any chance at all of them doing so.

[c c]

Well we got back to Hillmorton yesterday from our annual month-long cruise on Large Woolwich Badsey, and were very pleased that we joined in the closure consultation as described above. It turned out to be a blessing as it made the decision for us to complete the Avon Ring in a clockwise, instead of anti-clockwise direction.

We entered the South Stratford Canal heading south and promptly got stuck in the first lock. Not because the boat sides were not chained in enough but because the exit gate would not open wide enough to let us through. We needed that last 2 inches and with three people pushing on the balance beam we got through. The same thing happened at the third lock down but after five minutes of shoving, a following hire boat complained about being held up. We got them all to push the beam hard to unstick us and reversed out to let them through. Found a couple of CRT staff clearing the bank lower down but they said we would never get to Stratford and should go back, and they went off in their van (which proclaimed the strapline "its yours to enjoy").

Telephoned CRT and a little blue tug appeared with three more CRT staff. Hooray - help has arrived, we thought. But the went by saying no one had mentioned us to them and we would not get through and they went on their way. The a CRT Customer Relations lady appeared and said we would have to pull the boat back to the junction through the locks and go another way.

She stated that we must be the only ones who did not know that you can't take a Woolwich down the Stratford Canal.

But she did call back the first two to help us pull Badsey back to the junction.

SO that is a total of Six CRT employees on the scene who were adamant that it is not possible to take a Large Woolwich down the Stratford Canal (despite others having done so in the recent past.)

We went back down the Hatton Flight having been made to feel totally guilty for trying to reach Stratford by boat and for holding up the mighty boat hire trade. We moored in Warwick and went to the RSC by bus to enjoy the performance we had planned.

We were also so glad that we did not go round anti-clockwise as we would have to had go back down the Avon and up the Severn again.

We are therefore joining the Avon Navigation people to help the campaign to get the upper Avon navigable to Warwick.

I must add that the volunteers on the Hatton Locks (where we spent so much of our holiday) were wonderfully helpful.

[David Mack]

She stated that we must be the only ones who did not know that you can't take a Woolwich down the Stratford Canal.

 

Fulbourne came up from Stratford to Lapworth a few weeks ago. No particular problems as far as I know.

[NickF]

The whole thing sounds like a Comedy of Errors!

You need to re arrange your Dream trip for a mid-summers night! (sorry)

Edited November 23, 2014 by NickF

[Timleech]

She stated that we must be the only ones who did not know that you can't take a Woolwich down the Stratford Canal.

 

Was your problem mainly that gates wouldn't open fully? If so, that's an issue of rubbish behind the gates rather than lock width.

 

Generalising about widths of a 'class' of Narrow Boat is dodgy, they do vary quite a bit, including the fixed areas such as bulkheads.

 

Fulbourne came up from Stratford to Lapworth a few weeks ago. No particular problems as far as I know.

[c c]

 

Was your problem mainly that gates wouldn't open fully? If so, that's an issue of rubbish behind the gates rather than lock width.

 

Generalising about widths of a 'class' of Narrow Boat is dodgy, they do vary quite a bit, including the fixed areas such as bulkheads.

 

Grandmother speaking:-

Used the shaft to try to clear behind the gate in both the locks that held us - nothing found.

CRT chap got it back further, to free us the second time, by pushing down on the balance beam which lifted the gate enough to clear a known obstruction underneath it.

[c c]

The whole thing sounds like a Comedy of Errors!

You need to re arrange your Dream trip for a mid-summers night! (sorry)

Before any more repeats of the witty Will Shakespeare repartee, the RSC performances we saw were Loves Labours Lost and Loves Labours Won (As You Like It). Both were great. (and if you have the pleasure of going to this theatre, forget the expensive restaurants and try the Fish&Chip Shop opposite the basin by the theatre - best we've ever had.

[NickF]

Before any more repeats of the witty Will Shakespeare repartee, the RSC performances we saw were Loves Labours Lost and Loves Labours Won (As You Like It). Both were great. (and if you have the pleasure of going to this theatre, forget the expensive restaurants and try the Fish&Chip Shop opposite the basin by the theatre - best we've ever had.

We ate on board in the basin before going to the theatre, better location than any restaurant! We saw Henry IV part I which was stunning, you do feel slightly superior as everyone comes out of the theatre and struggles for buses or taxis or else have a long walk back to their cars while you just step onto your boat!

 

I also did it back in 1980 but the basin was a bit different them, you had to use mooring stakes in the path as there were no rings!

 

[c c]

OK - WE'RE JEALOUS NOW

[timetex]

We ate on board in the basin before going to the theatre, better location than any restaurant! We saw Henry IV part I which was stunning, you do feel slightly superior as everyone comes out of the theatre and struggles for buses or taxis or else have a long walk back to their cars while you just step onto your boat!

 

I also did it back in 1980 but the basin was a bit different them, you had to use mooring stakes in the path as there were no rings!

 

 

Wow. Just wow. We hired that very boat from Wootten Wawen when I was little!! Couldn't tell you which year but I never thought I'd ever see someone else's photo of it!

 

Twas my first experience of boating!

Edited December 3, 2014 by timetex

[Athy]

Looks like a Harborough Marine boat, and named after one of the most beautiful parts of Derbyshire; what a good combination!