One way trip on K&A?

[Cruising Mike]

I apologise if this has been asked before, i did try the search feature with no luck.

 

I want to ask if anyone knows of any hire firms doing one way weekly hires on the K&A? i don't particularly fancy doing the Caen flight twice, despite how beautiful and exciting it is!

[bottle]

errr! perhaps a few phone calls.

 

I am not sure but I do not know of any hire company that has two bases on the K&A, so that could be a problem for a start.

[David Schweizer]

errr! perhaps a few phone calls.

 

I am not sure but I do not know of any hire company that has two bases on the K&A, so that could be a problem for a start.

 

ABC (Alvechurch) have hire bases at Hilperton and Aldermaston on the K&A, It may be worth speaking to them

Edited October 27, 2014 by David Schweizer

[bottle]

[Cruising Mike]

The problem with one way though, is if hire bases do do one-way trips, i highly doubt they would let you go as far as from one end of the K&A to the other which takes a week according to CanalplanAC

[keble]

You're not the first to get defeated by CWDF's 'interesting' search feature.

 

Try putting this in Google:

site:canalworld.net one way hire kennet avon

 

You will find a useful links such as:

www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=12585

and

www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=63129

[Pete of Ebor]

What size boat would you be looking for and when were you hoping to do it ? Whilst the hire co might not do one way trips, if you could find another crew to do the other leg of the trip during the week immediately before or after you, then you might be able to persuade them. It's something I've been looking at for at least 10 years - but without success...

Edited October 28, 2014 by Pete of Ebor

[Nightwatch]

You can only go one way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless you turn round, even then you're only going one way.

 

Martyn

[Cruising Mike]

Im surprised there are no (Correct me if im wrong) hire companies actually offereing this service. Surely the larger firms could afford to have a base at each end of the K&A. Considering it's one of the most popular canals on the system, a one way system would certainly benefit alot of hirers looking to do this

[David Schweizer]

Im surprised there are no (Correct me if im wrong) hire companies actually offereing this service. Surely the larger firms could afford to have a base at each end of the K&A. Considering it's one of the most popular canals on the system, a one way system would certainly benefit alot of hirers looking to do this

 

There is - read post 3. Whether they offer one way I do not know, but I could ask when I next pass their base.

[alan_fincher]

It kind of sounds unlikely, even for a firm that had two bases positioned an appropriate distance apart.

 

Say "Bloggs Narrowboats" has two such bases, and normally operates boat "Kingfisher" from "Base A". They currently have bookings from "base A" for Kingfisher in (say) early July and late August.

 

If they noiw hire "Kingfisher to you for (say) late July, but agree you can leave it at "Base B", then all subsequent bookings they have made to hire it from "Base A" fail, unless they can quickly find a booking to follow yours that returns it towhere you took it from.

 

Of course I'm aware that car hire firms can make such arrangements, but generally they operate a much bigger "fleet", and are just hiring you a vehicle of a particular make and model, not one very specific vehicle.

 

The other thing is most people tend to hire boats based on arriving with a car full of their possessions, and leaving it a base, so maybe a "move your car to Base B" service would also be required by many people wanting what you are asking for.

 

I'm happy to be proved wrong though, as I know some hire firms have on occasions offered cheap holidays just to get a boat moved betwween two of their bases when they have opaerational reasons for wanting to do this.

[nicknorman]

If you go down the K&A towards Bath, you enter a time dilation field whereby time slows down to the external observer. Therefore you need to book at least a year to go the last 20km. Whilst you and those around you will think time and boats are moving normally, to the external observer all the boats seem stationary for long periods.

[Alan de Enfield]

..........., to the external observer all the boats seem stationary for long periods.

 

That deserves a green thing.

It seems as if that area is not alone in having a time-warp, there are a few further North as well.

[magpie patrick]

The problem with one way though, is if hire bases do do one-way trips, i highly doubt they would let you go as far as from one end of the K&A to the other which takes a week according to CanalplanAc

Hilperton to Aldermaston is hardly one end to the other

 

 

ABC (Alvechurch) have hire bases at Hilperton and Aldermaston on the K&A, It may be worth speaking to them

 

I thought so too, but it doesn't show up on their website

 

General note,

 

The problem for one way hire is it needs boats dedicated to it, otherwise the boat ends up in the wrong place*. Normally you can't choose the direction as it depends which was the last hirer went. For a proper one way hire the boatyard also needs to get you from one base to the other. Anglo-Welsh used to have a coach hired for this purpose.

 

A few companies have experimented with offering discounted bookings "base to be advised" to use up fleet capacity, which gets round this problem. I don't think there was much take up.

[David Schweizer]

Hilperton to Aldermaston is hardly one end to the other

 

 

I thought so too, but it doesn't show up on their website

 

 

http://www.aldermastonwharf.com/about.htm

 

http://www.alvechurch.com/waterways_holidays.html

links to:-

http://www.abcboathire.com/Boating-Holiday/england/aldermaston-wharf/1.aspx

Edited October 30, 2014 by David Schweizer

[Tim Lewis]

Im surprised there are no (Correct me if im wrong) hire companies actually offereing this service. Surely the larger firms could afford to have a base at each end of the K&A. Considering it's one of the most popular canals on the system, a one way system would certainly benefit alot of hirers looking to do this

 

It's the other end of the network but Shire Cruisers do one way trips over the Pennines

 

http://www.shirecruisers.co.uk/routes/one-way-canal-routes.php

 

Tim

[David Mack]

 

It's the other end of the network but Shire Cruisers do one way trips over the Pennines

 

http://www.shirecruisers.co.uk/routes/one-way-canal-routes.php

 

Tim

We did a one way trip with Shire Cruisers about 25 years ago. We booked the trip well in advance but on the basis that we would only find out which way we were going a couple of weeks before the trip.

 

We drove to Sowerby Bridge and they took us in a mini bus to Burnley to pick up the boat.

[David Schweizer]

 

There is - read post 3. Whether they offer one way I do not know, but I could ask when I next pass their base.

 

I popped in tho Hilperton today and asked about one way trips. They thought it was unlikely, but suggested that you phone their central booking office to discuss.

[Cruising Mike]

Thanks guys for the helpful advice and suggestions.

 

Its becoming likely that one way trips on the K&A, or any other canal are sustainable for boat comanies.

 

I have since refocused my attention to the Cheshire Ring which looks rather nice.

[Laurie Booth]

to the external observer all the boats seem stationary for long periods.

It's called the Albert Frankenstein effect.