Alvechurch Trip...

[Rasbury]

Hey folks ,

Heading off to do the Black Country ring out of alvechurch pretty soon and looking for a bit of advice.

This is our first boating experience and I am going to be joined by my lovely wife , two young children ( 2 & 5 ) and also my in laws from overseas . There will be 6 of us in total.

Really just hoping you guys can give us some pointers and let us know what experiences to miss and which to spend some time on. We hope to do Cadbury world , sea world , Drayton manor and the snow dome. I am going to take a small travel fly rod and hope to catch a couple of trout on the way - I realise I require a permit and will pick one up before we go...

As I say folks we have a plan but as it's our first time just thought I'd ask the 'experts' for some pointers to enhance our experience.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer us and also as we are going to be on the water for the World Cup final anywhere to watch the football enroute would be appreciated - as long as England don't make the final as then I will be sitting in a darkened room.

Cheers Guys & Gals.

[RLWP]

You may not fit all of those in. Each of those (Cadburys, Sae World, Snowdome, Drayton Manor is the best part of a day. On top of that, you need to move the boat

 

I'd suggest you pick one of those to do

 

Richard

[Graham Davis]

How long are you hiring for?

 

Looking at where you want to visit, have you taken into account how long each will take you?

Cadbury World: half day if you have booked your tickets in advance and managed to get a suitable booking.

Sea World: another half day.

Drayton Manor: at least half a day and probably more.

The Snow Dome: half a day will not be enough, more likely all day.

 

If you are only out for 7 days I don't think you will manage it.

[MHS]

We've not been to Sea World or the Snow Dome, but have been to the other 2.

 

Drayton Manor may not be the best for children of 2 & 5. It would be a hit with older children. Our girls ( and their friends ) enjoyed it immensely when they were 16 and 14. Make sure you research how many rides will be available for your smaller children, before you decide. There are good moorings nearby.

 

Cadbury World is great for a tour for everyone, even if just for the smell! I stayed aboard while the girls went and did a few running repairs, or there is a secure mooring on the opposite side for you with a BW key.

 

You will encounter many great areas on your trip, with friendly people and great architecture. You will also have to deal with some stubborn locks, debris in the canal, and depending on when you go a few undesirables around the urban areas. Not necessarily the first choice for first timers, but we have enjoyed it ourselves immensely.

 

Hope you have a good time

[Keeping Up]

It'll be a miracle if you catch any trout!

[bottle]

Hi Rasbury

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

As you mention the 'Black Country ring' i suspect you have a Pearson's Canal Companion guide.

 

It say the ring is 74 miles,79 locks and will take 37 hours.

 

If you have a week, this will mean an average of (37/6) six hours travelling per day, now that is a lot of hours and you would have to add the setting OFF and mooring to that.

 

Now it is not impossible but you would need to do this every day, with a 2 and 5 year old on board and all the attractions would have to be passed by.

 

If you have a fortnight then obviously the hours needed to travel would be roughly halved, three hours per day, much more doable and gives a little leeway if you get held up but add in the days that you want to go to the attractions and the hours will mount up again.

 

All the above timings are only a guide and do not include the getting to and from the ring, from Alvechurch

 

Have a good holiday but do not ruin it by trying to do to much.

[Graham Davis]

MHS,

Drayton Manor now has " Thomas the Tank Engine World" so might well be suited for a 3 to 5 year old.

 

Bottle,

ABC give a timing of 1 week at 8 hours a day in their "bumf" for the Black Country Ring. If the OP is only out for a week then what he wants to include certainly won't fit into the timings.

[bottle]

Then if that is what Alvechurch say in there 'bumph' it must be right, I did say the timings I gave were only a guide and did not include the getting to and from Alvechurch.

 

If it is 8 hours a day in a week, it makes it even more impossible.

 

I never did that back in the days when I hired, used to plan on four but of course that gave the leeway of doing a long day and stopping somewhere for a day.

 

Lucky if I manage two hours once a week now.

[Graham Davis]

I'm always suspicious of the hire boat company timings, as well. I think they try to encourage too much in a short time.

We would be lucky to start before 1030 with my wife, preferred to stop for lunch at a pub and then finished at around 6. Plus there are too many interesting things to see to rush.

 

I hope the OP comes back to us and lets us know how long they are out for.

[Rasbury]

Hi folks,

Many thanks for the info it really is much appreciated....

We are doing an 11 night trip hence the numerous planned activities. We will certainly take on board your suggestions but our main concern when planning our trip was that we had enough to keep the kiddies entertained...

 

Keeping Up:

Really - no Trooties - that's disappointing....

 

Thanks again

[bottle]

So you have three days more than Alvechurch advised one week, 8 hours per day.

 

So if you include any of the attractions you will still need to do 8 hours a day.

 

Remember that the first day you will get the boat at 14:00 hrs if you are very lucky, we once had ours at 17:00 hrs to late to go anywhere.

 

The last day you have to be back by 09:00 hrs, so basically the night before or very close.

 

Your 'holiday' but 8 hours per day for 7,8,9 days you will need one when you get back.

 

Please rethink, re-plan.

[muddywaters]

We managed to get around the black country ring in 6 days which included a two night stop in Birmingham.

But that was starting from Great Heywood.

Has the OP thought about doing an out and back rather than a ring.

And if you spend a couple of nights in Birmingham you could take in sea world and a train to Cadbury world so theres two off the list

[adam1uk]

I think people are worrying unnecessarily. The Black Country Ring is one of the smaller rings, especially if you've got 10 days to do it in. You just need to keep track of how far round you are, and how much is left to do.

 

I also think the children may need less off-boat entertainment that you imagine. For kids I know, just being on a boat is pretty exciting, and they'll also have their grandparents from abroad with them.

 

As the Alvechurch start means going through Birmingham twice, I'd leave the city attractions until you're almost back -- then you'll know exactly how much time you've got left.

[RLWP]

Hi folks,

Many thanks for the info it really is much appreciated....

We are doing an 11 night trip hence the numerous planned activities. We will certainly take on board your suggestions but our main concern when planning our trip was that we had enough to keep the kiddies entertained...

 

 

Actually, you'll find that a two and a five year old are almost never bored on a boat. Our boys would be inside playing, up front watching the world with someone, at the back watching the boat being steered, back inside for some colouring and so on

 

It's a great environment for kids, often made nicer by having a group of adults relaxing around the boat

 

Richard

[Mrs Trackman]

I think its very do able. I agree young children will enjoy being with an adult doing things in or out of the boat. Take colouring, sticking, duplo etc.I'd make sure the children always wear life jackets when outside. At locks I'd make sure one adult was only with the children and not doing the locks. The children may want to help at some locks in which case I'd have one adult per child. First I'd make sure you know what you are doing yourselves.

On Birmingham locks you are unlikely to be held up.

Enjoy your family time together.

[Mrs Trackman]

Forgot to say, at this time of year there is a lot of daylight meaning you can make up time if you need to.

[joe1978]

We did the Black Country ring a couple of years ago from the Anglowelsh base a bit further out from alvechurch. We found it easily doable in a hire week and very enjoyable too.

11 days with a full crew easy. Hope you have a ball. IIRC Cadbury will either at the very start or end of the trip as you'll pass it twice.