early starts

[Machpoint005]

Not familiar with salt bridge. Both ends of the tunnel are pretty drab areas and a long walk from a decent pub.

 

Agreed, but the south portal of the tunnel is quite a bit better than the north. I'd go there and put up with bottled beer for one night, rather than belting through Stoke in the morning, but then I'm not keen on the Stoke flight anyway.

 

Ian

[D Rowley]

thats what i thought

the pictures from canal plan don't look too bad around the south portal

we will be in the pub the next night at wheelock

david

[JohnEW2912]

The south portal is fine for mooring, although you might also consider the lake a bit further south. However, the north portal is OK, particularly if you go down the first lock and you also get the chance to go to the second best pub on the 4 counties - The Blue Bell. No food but a wonderful and ever changing range of beers and ciders. (Best pub is of course the peerless Anchor at High Offley).

[Hairy-Neil]

Not familiar with salt bridge. Both ends of the tunnel are pretty drab areas and a long walk from a decent pub.

 

I'll second the 'Blue Bell' at Hardingswood Junction......Its a....

 

..."small pub with a big reputation, serving six cask-conditioned beers from smaller breweries, as well as genuine German and Belgian “lagers”, and a range of over 30 bottled Continental beers." There are no fruit machines, juke box, TV or pool table, just friendly conversation. Dogs are welcome (with well-behaved owners). The pub has won numerous awards, and has featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for 8 consecutive years, as well as selling over 2400 different beers in that time.

[Hairy-Neil]

Also worth the walk is the Bulls Head, St Johns Square, Burslem, ST6 3AJ, the brewery tap of the Titanic Brewery...... Its a short walk from the canal at Longport. (bridge 126)

Edited August 3, 2007 by Hairy-Neil

[DHutch]

Ive done 15/16hour days in emilyanne, running from 8 till 11/12ish, with the tunnel light on for the last few hours.

- Presdent do full scale fly-runs occationally. So as far as i know theres no issue with BW ruling on that.

 

However the others are right that your hirecompany will not have cover for boating outside of daylight hours.

 

 

Daniel

[blueprince]

With pleasure

 

http://www.hnboc.org.uk/download/BWbyelaw.pdf

 

Have just read this, I note with interest that you have to sound a short blast every two minutes when travelling at night, so the whole "tick over" debate is less relevant. Revel in your midnight abandon, rev that engine and get a louder horn, and brighter lights! remember, they have to be visible for at least a mile, so 2million candle power or more!

[sketchweppers]

If I may offer a tip for your first full day, go no further than Barlaston, where you will find good moorings and a reasonable pub, "The Ploom of Feathers". Another early start from here will see you through Stoke on trent by luchtime,

We are heading up that way next weekend, and will be collecting some extra crew members at Weston on Sunday morning. What are the moorings beyond Barlaston like? There are some marked on the map near Hem Heath. We are not worried about a decent pub for one night (seeing as the extra crew members are my parents - they tend to stifle my drinking habits anyway). On Monday we want to head up the Macc and get to Congleton or the bottom of Bosley Locks.

Mooring in Etruria was the only time we had trouble - being cast off by some youths, so we would rather not get up through Stoke Locks on Sunday.

Perhaps we should try the Blue Bell for lunch!

 

Last time we went up that way was a couple of years ago at Easter weekend, and the queues were phenomenal and we only got to the top of Stone for the night anyway - so this could all be academic anyway!

 

PS - I didn't think much of the Plume of Feathers either!

[mayalld]

Have just read this, I note with interest that you have to sound a short blast every two minutes when travelling at night

 

Nope!

 

I assume you are reading 12 (3)(a), which says something else entirely.