BCN Challenge 2016

[Ange]

Can you add me Dave and Millie to the new F category please Richard.

 

Our plans did look to be scuppered by Matt & Charis planning a holiday early June, leaving the bank holiday weekend as our only window to pick him and his stuff up from uni. Sadly the romance is over so Matt's free the first week of June, so we can book into the Travelodge not far from the basin and enjoy the weekend as spectators.

 

And of course get to the bar nice and early to sup a few beers with Team Clarrie

 

(Are dogs allowed in the clubhouse - I can't remember)

[Odana]

Other than Ma Pardoes what places do you recommend for grub and overnight on the BCN?

Given that Team Cat who are our bunk for the night have not yet decided their route, we get to influence them as we plan our walk.

 

 

They will chug all day, we will walk all day, and we aim to meet somewhere for the night which is under 5 hours walk from the finish line.

We do NOT plan to walk for 24 hours, I want to stress. We are being Catlike. But will aim to walk for about 10-12 hours total, and include some former canals wot are no longer on the official route. But to do this we need pub grub at strategic points!

[Dave_P]

The Great Western. Mad O'Rourkes. The Bell & Bear (Gosty Hill). The Black Eagle.

[Laurie Booth]

And of course get to the bar nice and early to sup a few beers with Team Clarrie

 

(Are dogs allowed in the clubhouse - I can't remember)

Excellent course of action.

[Peter X]

 

Peter X is looking for a place.

He says he has experience of locking and steering, maybe it's time he learned about prop clearing

(and he has experience of Nuneaton and Brighton, I don't suppose there's a weed hatch there either.

 

Sue

Indeed, Nuneaton has no weed hatch, and to answer Captain Pegg I was provided with a proper pillow not a bag of coal; all last year's coal got sold. But so far I've only done one four day trip with the NBT (Nottingham to Alvecote), and we managed not to get anything round the prop. In fact I have yet to be on a boat that needed prop clearing, but I haven't been on the BCN...

 

I'm still looking for a place.

[RLWP]

Team Tawny Owl: RLWP, Mrs Tawny Owl, two Moomins, Smudge, Purple Fairy, Wrigglefingers, Robert the Geek, Anne the tea girl and Treemonkey (litter tray)

Dotterel: Graham, Claire, Tom, Rebecca, Sheila

Team Beau: Dave_P, Luscious Louise

Dove: dove (Andy)

​Diesel and Dust: Tom and Bex plus small sprog and cat

Rufford: (?)

Red Wharf©: Victor Vectis, Little Else, Madcat

Vulpes: Captain Pegg, Rob-M, Daniel

NB Firefly: John6767, Sally the cake

City of Durham: NickandAnne

Team Payne: Dave Payne

BARBAR ANNE: shep 1 (bar-bar-bar, bar-bar-bar-anne)

davehull

Carpe Vinum: Kustomcut

EMU: SarahAVFC, M589

Team Clarrie©: Laurie & Alison Booth

Team Boatless Leggitt (G) - Odana and Black Beauty on foot this year, just for a change.

Team Cat© - Nine of Hearts and Jo.

The Millie Mob (G): Ange Dave, Millie

Any more?

I have rebranded the walkers category to G - Gongoozlers

Robert the Geek (Team Tawny Owl) is off work sick, and so is going bonkers on route planning. I have just had a table detailing points-per-minute for the Titford. . I can see I shall have to adopt my usual role as captain

Richard

[Dave Payne]

 

Team Tawny Owl: RLWP, Mrs Tawny Owl, two Moomins, Smudge, Purple Fairy, Wrigglefingers, Robert the Geek, Anne the tea girl and Treemonkey (litter tray)

Dotterel: Graham, Claire, Tom, Rebecca, Sheila

Team Beau: Dave_P, Luscious Louise

Dove: dove (Andy)

​Diesel and Dust: Tom and Bex plus small sprog and cat

Rufford: (?)

Red Wharf©: Victor Vectis, Little Else, Madcat

Vulpes: Captain Pegg, Rob-M, Daniel

NB Firefly: John6767, Sally the cake

City of Durham: NickandAnne

Team Payne: Dave Payne

BARBAR ANNE: shep 1 (bar-bar-bar, bar-bar-bar-anne)

davehull

Carpe Vinum: Kustomcut

EMU: SarahAVFC, M589

Team Clarrie©: Laurie & Alison Booth

Team Boatless Leggitt (F) - Odana and Black Beauty on foot this year, just for a change.

 

Team Cat© - Nine of Hearts and Jo.

Any more?

The on foot category (F) is a new one. I'm putting The Cat into the Clarrie category until proved otherwise. I've woken them up outside The Manor Arms before

Richard

 

 

Could you take me off please, not going to be able to make it this year due to new business opening in May

[RLWP]

 

Could you take me off please, not going to be able to make it this year due to new business opening in May

 

But, but, but...

 

Team Tawny Owl: RLWP, Mrs Tawny Owl, two Moomins, Smudge, Purple Fairy, Wrigglefingers, Robert the Geek, Anne the tea girl and Treemonkey (litter tray)

Dotterel: Graham, Claire, Tom, Rebecca, Sheila

Team Beau: Dave_P, Luscious Louise

Dove: dove (Andy)

​Diesel and Dust: Tom and Bex plus small sprog and cat

Rufford: (?)

Red Wharf©: Victor Vectis, Little Else, Madcat

Vulpes: Captain Pegg, Rob-M, Daniel

NB Firefly: John6767, Sally the cake

City of Durham: NickandAnne

BARBAR ANNE: shep 1 (bar-bar-bar, bar-bar-bar-anne)

davehull

Carpe Vinum: Kustomcut

EMU: SarahAVFC, M589

Team Clarrie©: Laurie & Alison Booth

Team Boatless Leggitt (F) - Odana and Black Beauty on foot this year, just for a change.

Team Cat© - Nine of Hearts and Jo.

Richard

[Victor Vectis]

I can see I shall have to adopt my usual role as captain

Would that be falling in...................?

 

[RLWP]

Would that be falling in...................?

 

 

No, moustache twirling and dastardly plans is more my style

 

Richard

[tree monkey]

No, moustache twirling and dastardly plans is more my style

 

Richard

And sausage snaffling

[RLWP]

No real man can resist an unattended sausage

 

Richard

[Victor Vectis]

 

No, moustache twirling and dastardly plans is more my style

 

Richard

Sir Jasper!

 

 

And sausage snaffling

Not to mention knicking poor, innocent locks from 'friends'.

 

[Dave_P]

No real man can resist an unattended sausage

 

Richard

That sounds a bit 'wrong'

[Ian Mac]

Just when you thought it was safe, I have finally got management permission to play, so NB Spey and a cast of thousands will hopefully be taking part. Shame we can't do the Ridgeacre, but on the other hand that's what really knackered our last attempt, as it took us 5&1/2 hrs to do it, but we did get to the end and I think we would easily have won the trolley as we had at least half a dozen on the deck after that little sodgen.

 

Question is there a list of pubs, near the BCN, published anywhere.

--

cheers Ian Mac

[RLWP]

I'll add you in Ian.

 

I'm wondering if we were the last boat up the Ridgacre.

 

Richard

[Ian Mac]

Could well be that we were the last boat up there. We had been up in the late 80's after they had dredged it, we flew up then, so we thought it would be great and easy to go up for the challenge, we chugged up as far as the final bridge, where we got absolutely stuck, we could not go forwards or back, We tried all sorts, eventually with a big winch we managed to get back a small amount and started to pull out trolleys and all sorts of stuff from underneath us, managed to get through then, and to the spine Rd, we then winded wasn't too hard and came back absolutely knackered, had to go into the pub via the back door, as officially it was shut. We later learnt that the mud we had stirred up attempting to get through the bridge, was highly polluted, so all boats where then banned from going up there during future challenges, and its become a no go zone, which is a shame as the pub on the far side of the Spine Rd wasn't too bad, well one has to try these places doesn't one. It needs dredging but its a remainder waterway so who will pay to remove that highly polluted mud? When we saw it being dregded it was all going to the tip up the brades arm. It should be the polluter, but i bet they are well gone and how to you prove it anyway?

[RLWP]

We went to the end after the BCN Challenge in 2009

 

Richard

[David Mack]

And its particularly sad that boats on the Challenge aren't allowed up the Wednesbury Old Canal (Its strictly not the Ridgacre), since the first Challenge was organised as a direct result of the cutting of the canal just short of the beginning of the Ridgacre by the Black Country Spine Road!

[Little Else]

Any one up for a banterette at the Manor on Saturday?

[Kustomcut]

May have missed completely but has the Cat done his online planner yet?

I haven't even looked at a starting point as of yet this year

[RLWP]

May have missed completely but has the Cat done his online planner yet?

I haven't even looked at a starting point as of yet this year

 

The planner is still last years, and is still a good tool for working out a route

 

http://www.thecatwhowalksbyhimself.co.uk/bcnChallenge.php

 

Richard

[Victor Vectis]

Any one up for a banterette at the Manor on Saturday?

 

Oi, crew!!

 

We're supposed to be challenging, not banteretting.

 

Capt. Bligh

 

apart from the fact that this Miglia Quadrato event http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/ looks to be nearly as much fun as the BCN Challenge.

 

(And another plug for the Diamond Geezer blog, an excellent daily read.

[Dave_P]

We have a table booked for Ma Pardoes on Saturday. Do we get bonus points for this?

[Odana]

We'll be at the Fountain with the Cat.

 

The Manor caused me a severe 'allergic reaction' last year which rather affected my lockwheeling capacity the next day. Dangerous place, best avoided.