Atherstone Locks

[Guest User]

I ignored it only to have a boater point it put to me :-) I said I hadn't noticed it

 

 

Haggis

 

 

.... and did anything 'interesting' happen when you used it?

 

LCx

[frangar]

.... and did anything 'interesting' happen when you used it?

 

LCx

If operated correctly you save some water......get to use possibly the last user operated side pond on the system and get to stick two fingers up at some CRT manager who knows all about canals having driven over one once.........

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[haggis]

 

 

.... and did anything 'interesting' happen when you used it?

 

LCx

No nothing interesting happened apart from using a bit of canal machinery which is fast going put of use

To be honest I knew the sign was there but chose not to read it

Haggis

[alan_fincher]

Noticed that the side pond at lock 6 now has a notice on saying it is not to be used. When did that happen and why? I believe it was the last operational side pond on the system.

 

Not sure if covered in other posts, but no, there are others.

 

There are operable ones on the Droitwich, as well as at Hanwell on the GU. (Probably others, I'm not sure!)

[ditchcrawler]

If operated correctly you save some water......get to use possibly the last user operated side pond on the system and get to stick two fingers up at some CRT manager who knows all about canals having driven over one once.........

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

How does it save water if the locks above and below dont have them?

[frangar]

How does it save water if the locks above and below dont have them?

You save approx half a lockful from the pound above it then......it's still a saving.....and with a little work more of the flight could have them brought back into use..Indeed some of them were cleaned out and the brickwork repointed but sadly the paddle gear wasn't replaced.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[ditchcrawler]

You save approx half a lockful from the pound above it then......it's still a saving.....and with a little work more of the flight could have them brought back into use..Indeed some of them were cleaned out and the brickwork repointed but sadly the paddle gear wasn't replaced.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

But the half lock full you saved would just go over the bywash the next time the lock above was turned, if it didn't the lock below would be starved by half a lock full.

[matty40s]

But the half lock full you saved would just go over the bywash the next time the lock above was turned, if it didn't the lock below would be starved by half a lock full.

it wouldnt, it would still be in the sidepond if the next user didn't know how the sidepond works.

[ditchcrawler]

it wouldnt, it would still be in the sidepond if the next user didn't know how the sidepond works.

So you fill the lock with half a lock full of water, but the lock above sends a whole lock full into the pound between the locks, where does the other half go?

[churchward]

So you fill the lock with half a lock full of water, but the lock above sends a whole lock full into the pound between the locks, where does the other half go?

it refills the pound and the side pond. The lock independently of others will save water with the correct use of the side pound ie when emptying the lock you use half the lock to refill the side pond. It does not matter that the whole flight does not have side ponds. It would be better if they did but by your logic/reckoning no side ponded lock will save water unless all of the connected system has side ponds too.

 

In any case even if it didn't make any difference I would still use it for the novelty value. It's fun particularly when others look strangely at you and wonder what you are doing!

[cuthound]

This sign

 

Yup, that's the one.

 

If operated correctly you save some water......get to use possibly the last user operated side pond on the system and get to stick two fingers up at some CRT manager who knows all about canals having driven over one once.........

Cheers

Gareth

Completely agree with this statement.

 

I think CRT should educate boaters in there use and set up a programme to reinstate them.

[Dave123]

 

Not sure if covered in other posts, but no, there are others.

 

There are operable ones on the Droitwich, as well as at Hanwell on the GU. (Probably others, I'm not sure!)

I noticed a restored side pound on one of the locks at Bosley on the weekend, but it has been padlocked to stop it being used!

[mayalld]

I noticed a restored side pound on one of the locks at Bosley on the weekend, but it has been padlocked to stop it being used!

 

Yup!

 

The irony of it is that ALL the sideponds on Bosley are in a fair condition, and as such they could easily be brought back into use, which would reduce the water take from the upper pound of the PF/Macc (which tends to get short of water in a dry summer).

 

The summit pound of the T&M (which the water feeds) isn't problematic on the water supply front, so restoring them would be advantageous.

 

If they also restored the side ponds at Hazelhurst on the Caldon, more of the water from the Leek arm would head towards the T&M summit in any case.

 

I have used the sidepond at Atherstone (no sign then, and the current sign isn't actually a prohibition), and on the Middle lock at Hazelhurst (which was operational when we last went that way)

 

Whilst the water saving aspect of side ponds is much mentioned, I find;

 

1) Smoother ascent and descent

2) Convenient rest half way along the lock (look, I'm a big, unfit bloke!)

3) Drawing paddles against a smaller head of water is easier.

 

 

Can you tell that I would dearly LOVE CRT to restore them (oh, and the cross paddles at Hillmorton and the Cheshire Locks)

[Dave123]

I agree! And aside from anything else they are fun to use and an important part of the heritage

[Horace42]

So you fill the lock with half a lock full of water, but the lock above sends a whole lock full into the pound between the locks, where does the other half go?

Down past my boat at Polesworth ......evetually.........

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

Pedant alert, but never heard it called that before.

 

Hanwell flight, I would say - that's that it says on the locks, anyway!

 

And some of those locks have double side ponds as well.

 

I did a posting while ago with some algebra to show how much water side ponds save - it depends on the area, of course,

[kingswood]

i went through 7 am no waiting went up the ashby for the first time marvellous but hardly any boats about ,went for a 3 week trip and every were seemed very quite got stuck in between locks after kilby bridge same as last time i went that way