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Big tour on a 60ft narrowboat some route advice please


Lizzy

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I've read quite a few threads already about the different canals, but still have some questions and I know folks on here are always so super helfpul. So here goes:

I am planning a minimum 4 month roundtrip (single-hand for much of the time) up from London and back this summer. First bit out and return are planned: GU north and Oxford canal + Thames south. That's where the options start.

I'd like to go into Birmingham. What is the best route into Birmingham, say Gas Street, from the GU? For me that'd be the one with the least locks probably. Similarly what is the best option out of Birmingham to the north? I fancy going to the Macclesfield and Peak Forest as I have read that they are beautiful. So I guess Staffs&Worcs and then Trent&Mersey to get there. How to best get to that out of Birmingham?

Now for the North: it seems that there may be issues with a 60ft boat on the Leeds&Liverpool. How far would I get into it travelling west to east? And is it OK for 60ft all the way west to Liverpool? What about the Rochdale and Huddersfield? If possible, I'd like to do a loop up there, but it looks like that might not work.

All in all, does this sound like a good trip to you? Am I missing out on the most spectacular bits? (I am saving Llangollen for another day). I am looking for picturesque, canal history and manageability single-handed (never done a swing bridge!?).

Many thanks for help.

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From the GU into Brum you have the choice at Lapworth, left turn for the Stratford and Worcester & Birmingham route or straight on up the GU.

On the Stratford/W&B route you have 19 narrow locks, all close together, followed by 2 manual lift bridges, the first one being an absolute pig to work, and a push button bridge at Shirley. (You score extra points if you manage to capture a car trying to jump the barriers and getting stuck on the bridge as it lifts!)

On the GU you have 5 wide locks up at Knowle, after that all the locks are narrow, 6 down at Camp Hill, 6 up at Ashtead and then 13 up at Farmers Bridge.

As well as having fewer locks I'd say the Stratford/W&B route is probably the nicer, the only problem you might have will be single handing through the 2 lift bridges at Hockley Heath. The operating mechanism at both being on the offside.

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30 minutes ago, Lizzy said:

I've read quite a few threads already about the different canals, but still have some questions and I know folks on here are always so super helfpul. So here goes:

I am planning a minimum 4 month roundtrip (single-hand for much of the time) up from London and back this summer. First bit out and return are planned: GU north and Oxford canal + Thames south. That's where the options start.

I'd like to go into Birmingham. What is the best route into Birmingham, say Gas Street, from the GU? For me that'd be the one with the least locks probably. Similarly what is the best option out of Birmingham to the north? I fancy going to the Macclesfield and Peak Forest as I have read that they are beautiful. So I guess Staffs&Worcs and then Trent&Mersey to get there. How to best get to that out of Birmingham?

Lordy, lordy - I have to read and reread your post carefully.

If you must go right up the GU (and why not) then go to the end of the GU and turn right... However, there are a lot of locks and all broad, not only that, but it's obvious going down the hill and up the other side as it all happens "all at once". "The second hand sewage works penstocks" are a pain to operate single handed - the locks themselves are fine. Knowle locks (5) are very heavy indeed. Having got that far - top of Hatton then turning left is more pleasant - but more - narrow- locks and often Volos. to work you through. If it were me, I'd turn right at Braunston and enter Brum via the B&F  - all narrow locks and more choices of places to stop.

On the way out - either the Old main line (nicer than the new) and down the Wolverhampton 21, or - if more time Stourbridge  and both along the S&W.

Must go as the Management (as happens when I'm posting) has announced that Dinner Is Served and of threat of days of sniffy silence, I must obey....

Finally - it really  depends on how you like to travel, what you like to see, how often you stop and all other sorts of logistic challenges.

Again CanalPlan can give you some ideas - some of the photos are 'quite' interesting!!

 

 

30 minutes ago, Lizzy said:

Now for the North: it seems that there may be issues with a 60ft boat on the Leeds&Liverpool. How far would I get into it travelling west to east? And is it OK for 60ft all the way west to Liverpool? What about the Rochdale and Huddersfield? If possible, I'd like to do a loop up there, but it looks like that might not work.

All in all, does this sound like a good trip to you? Am I missing out on the most spectacular bits? (I am saving Llangollen for another day). I am looking for picturesque, canal history and manageability single-handed (never done a swing bridge!?).

Many thanks for help.

 

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You'll be fine on the Leeds and Liverpool. We took our 61ft (should have been 60 ft. but the builder couldn't measure!) boat all over except for the Huddersfield Broad and the Calder and Hebble, both supposed to be 57' 6". You can get up the Yorkshire Ouse as far as York, but after that the locks are short.

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The bridge mechanisms being on the offside seems to be pretty much standard from what I've read. I guess at some point I'll have to learn how to do that. At least I bought a really long centre line already, so that I can pull the boat anywhere from front or back. That seems to be essential. For everything else there's youtube :D

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17 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

From the GU into Brum you have the choice at Lapworth, left turn for the Stratford and Worcester & Birmingham route or straight on up the GU.

On the Stratford/W&B route you have 19 narrow locks, all close together, followed by 2 manual lift bridges, the first one being an absolute pig to work, and a push button bridge at Shirley. (You score extra points if you manage to capture a car trying to jump the barriers and getting stuck on the bridge as it lifts!)

On the GU you have 5 wide locks up at Knowle, after that all the locks are narrow, 6 down at Camp Hill, 6 up at Ashtead and then 13 up at Farmers Bridge.

As well as having fewer locks I'd say the Stratford/W&B route is probably the nicer, the only problem you might have will be single handing through the 2 lift bridges at Hockley Heath. The operating mechanism at both being on the offside.

I'd go along with that, from Gas Street you can just head straight up the Main Line (old or new) to Wolverhampton, but I would personally go as far as Netherton Tunnel turn left and join the Dudley canals then the Stourbridge, turning right onto the Staffs and Worcs.

No problem anywhere with a 60 footer on the Leeds Liverpool, but to avoid coming back the same way you have to do the Calder & Hebble or the Huddersfield Broad canal and both are dodgy with a 60 foot boat.  You may be able to do the locks diagonally is your boat 60' with or without fenders?  

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19 minutes ago, Lizzy said:

At least I bought a really long centre line already, so that I can pull the boat anywhere from front or back

Maybe better that it can't reach the prop IMHO. Either that or a floating line or don't drop it in the water. 

Edited by rusty69
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If you want to minimise the number of locks going from the Oxford/GU into Birmingham,  you could continue on the Oxford/GU to Braunston, turn left onto the North Oxford to Hawkesbury Junction, onto the Coventry Canal to Fazely, then left onto the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and then up the Farmers Bridge lock flight into Birmingham. 

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1 hour ago, Victor Vectis said:

From the GU into Brum you have the choice at Lapworth, left turn for the Stratford and Worcester & Birmingham route or straight on up the GU.

On the Stratford/W&B route you have 19 narrow locks, all close together, followed by 2 manual lift bridges, the first one being an absolute pig to work, and a push button bridge at Shirley. (You score extra points if you manage to capture a car trying to jump the barriers and getting stuck on the bridge as it lifts!)

On the GU you have 5 wide locks up at Knowle, after that all the locks are narrow, 6 down at Camp Hill, 6 up at Ashtead and then 13 up at Farmers Bridge.

As well as having fewer locks I'd say the Stratford/W&B route is probably the nicer, the only problem you might have will be single handing through the 2 lift bridges at Hockley Heath. The operating mechanism at both being on the offside.

I would second all this, if you are going into the centre of Birmingham the North Stratford route is the best and the least locks.  Thetwo manual lift bridges will be a pain, the electric one is easy the control box is on the towpath side.

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You might wish to consider a basic circuit of London - GU - Braunston - Kingswood - King's Norton - Birmingham - Wolverhampton - Shropshire Union - Barbridge - Middlewich - Preston Brook - Manchester - Peak Forest - Macclesfield - Great Haywood - Fradley - Braunston - Napton - Oxford - Thames - London

From that you have choices to branch out to Llangollen, Liverpool, Bugsworth, Caldon and more as it suits. I believe circuits in the Pennines are difficult with a 60' boat.

You should be able to share the wide locks during summer.

JP

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1 hour ago, Lizzy said:

What about the Rochdale and Huddersfield? If possible, I'd like to do a loop up there, but it looks like that might not work.

Unless you head north via the L&L, and south via the Trent, or vice-versa? That would avoid the short locks of the Calder and Hebble and Huddersfield, but also mean you didn't have to cruise the Leeds-Liverpool in both directions. You could (for instance) go Grand Union - Soar - Trent - Aire and Calder - Leeds-Liverpool - Bridgewater - Ashton - Macclesfield & Peak Forest, then head south to Birmingham, the Oxford and the Thames.

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By the way is there any website, where you can see the big picture AND zoom in to see the detail of canal names, places, junctions etc.? 

I have the e-canalmaps on my ipad, which has all the detailed canal info, but placenames are hard to find and zoomed out the canals disappear altogether. And the online overview maps don't have all the names. Maybe I haven't found the right link on canalplan yet?

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Further thoughts - if you are not confident your boat will fit the locks on the Calder & Hebble/Huddersfield Broad canal you might want to think twice about going any further East than Skipton on the L/L.  As a single hander the main obstacle is the seemingly endless number of swing bridges on that section - that drawbridge on the Stratford is a piece of cake by comparison with some of these, and there are one or two which really can't be done without some form of assistance.   Having negotiated over 30 of these you really won't want to turn round and do them again.

You can do a loop including the Trent but that's tidal waters bear in mind.    

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You may find it hard on the L & L swingbridges as most of the mechanics are on the non towpath side but I've seen numerous people doing it, some just wait for another boat and run with them.

Dave

 

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32 minutes ago, Lizzy said:

I believe it's turn right at Braunston, not left? If so, that's what I did last year bringing the boat down to London. I remember Hawkesbury Junction well :blink:

Depends where you are coming from, you mentioned the Thames, so I assumed you would come down the Thames,  onto the Oxford, in which case you would turn left at Braunston.

However if you come down the GU from London, then you are correct, you would turn right at Braunston. 

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Going downriver on the Thames. Thought that makes more sense. And the spectacular finish is then going to be the tide at Brentford. Wheee :D

Edited by Lizzy
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43 minutes ago, Lizzy said:

By the way is there any website, where you can see the big picture AND zoom in to see the detail of canal names, places, junctions etc.? 

I have the e-canalmaps on my ipad, which has all the detailed canal info, but placenames are hard to find and zoomed out the canals disappear altogether. And the online overview maps don't have all the names. Maybe I haven't found the right link on canalplan yet?

Have a look at the penninewaterways website for canals in the North West.

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I am currently doing my own big tour up the GU, North Oxford, Coventry, Trent and Mersey and then up the Macclesfield and Upper Peak Forest to Manchester (where I plan to go along the Ashton and Rochdale before coming back down the same way until the Oxford canal, then Thames to Reading and onto the K&A as that's where I need to be in the autumn)-well, currently I am stranded on the Oxford canal while my boat gets fixed, but I've done up the GU to Braunston and onto the Oxford canal towards Hawkesbury junction so far.

I was concerned about how tricky it might be single handing, but I think I ended up teaming up with another single hander through almost all of the broad locks on the GU to Braunston which definitely made it easier particularly on the flights (and single locks are a breeze after those). A lot of people told me they purposefully sit there waiting for another boat to pass and then follow them where there are lots of locks to come. For swing bridges, there is usually a mooring bollard on the offside (one either side of the bridge) though they're not always conveniently placed, so it is possible with a bit of awkwardness to operate them alone, but otherwise there is always the option of waiting for other boats, and people are always keen to be helpful when they see you're by yourself. I've not encountered any lift bridges, though I believe there may be one or two when I (finally) head further north so that'll be interesting...

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Regarding the swing bridges on the L&L - yes they do come pretty thick and fast for a few miles as you head east from Skipton, but that stretch is pretty well used by hire boats (including day boats), so with a bit of patience I think you could reasonably expect to get through most of them in the company of another boat. It'd be a shame to miss out on such an exceptionally scenic stretch, not to mention the Bingley Five Rise and Saltaire a little way on.

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17 minutes ago, magictime said:

Regarding the swing bridges on the L&L - yes they do come pretty thick and fast for a few miles as you head east from Skipton, but that stretch is pretty well used by hire boats (including day boats), so with a bit of patience I think you could reasonably expect to get through most of them in the company of another boat. It'd be a shame to miss out on such an exceptionally scenic stretch, not to mention the Bingley Five Rise and Saltaire a little way on.

Yes that's a good point, and you really have to do the Five Rise if you get as far as Skipton.       

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Thank you very much for your great advice as ever. And as ever there are different opinions :) I think I'll see how I feel once I get up there, if I want to tackle the bridges or not. I quite fancy going to Liverpool as well as I've never been there and I read that there is a new extension right into the city.

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