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Silver Propeller - How Many Have You Done?


cheshire~rose

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48 minutes ago, StephenA said:

Does anyone know what they mean by Bedford River? Do they mean Kempston Mill?

 

If this is to encourage boaters to cruise the lesss used parts of the system I would expect it to refer to the New Bedford River aka the  Hundred Foot Drain.

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  • 2 years later...

We have only done three or four, the "or four" is an interesting one.

 

We have been to Five Locks on the Brecon back in 2013, that's cut and dried.

 

In 2018 we hired a day boat from Potter Heigham and got to Brograve Mill on the Broads.

 

2019 saw us at Snareston on the Ashby, but not the absolute limit of navigation (through the footbridge) because the hire boat wasn't able to turn there. So does that count ?

Someone was saying Snarestone is "main stream", but I was talking to few people on the canal and they were saying the Ashby canal gets loads of boats but relatively few get to the very top. Is that true or have I got the wrong end of the stick ?

 

The potential forth is the debatable one one, the Sheffield and Tinsley canal basin. We've done that 2 or 3 times but on the restaurant boat ! We weren't going to count that, but surely, if the point of the Silver Propeller Challenge is to encourage use, particularly economic use, of less used or more vulnerable parts of the system, then it actually should count !

 

Next week we've got a boat booked on the Lancaster and are expecting to get to Tewitfield. But, like an earlier poster, I'd have thought Glasson basin would be a more appropriate destination for the challenge though we are hoping to get to Glasson anyway. We've got the boat for a week and with luck will get the whole canal done incl right to Ashton basin in Preston, but not the Ribble Link as that is not allowed for a hire boat. The fact we're still in semi lockdown (as in loads of stuff is still closed) will make that more likely as there is less other stuff we can do !

 

Edited by Justin Smith
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On 14/03/2018 at 19:39, David Mack said:

If this is to encourage boaters to cruise the lesss used parts of the system I would expect it to refer to the New Bedford River aka the  Hundred Foot Drain.

The list (now?) refers to Kempston Mill, the head of navigation above Bedford, and the Old Bedford river to Welches Dam (so the NBR does not count, sorry @Naughty Cal).

 

This forthcoming IWA talk (21st July)  should be quite fun (Minimal List on youtube). The first people to get to 20 destinations: https://www.waterways.org.uk/events_festivals/online_talks 

 

For my summer holidays, I hope to get to two, at Holme Fen and Horseway lock on the Middle Level.

Edited by Scholar Gypsy
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12 hours ago, Quaffer said:

Since January 2018,I have ticked off and photographed 18 ,so just 2 to go  which will probably be Langley Mill and then the safe limit of navigation on the Warwickshire Avon.

Langley Mill is definitely worth a shot. Its a great tie up with friendly locals and great amenities!

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17 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have not bothered, I have covered lots in the past which now don't count and don't plan on doing them all again. Is this worth one do you know 

bridge small.jpg

end small.jpg

Yes that's on the Silver Propeller list.?

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On 14/03/2018 at 20:12, Keeping Up said:

We've done 24 (plus 2 near-misses where we tried and got within a mile but got stuck) but it's taken 30 years and I'm too old to start again

But like us, in being too old. 23 in our case but I could count Walsall Town basin twice, once before it was closed and subsequently rebuilt and again (more than once) afterwards.

Also been to Stamford Bridge on the Derwent but that's not on the list for obvious reasons.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just come back from a week on the Lancaster Canal, and beautiful it is too. It really was pretty quiet as well (except when going through bridges obviously, then another boat would invariably turn up going in the opposite direction....), though it was very weedy. It was the worst I've known any canal, locals also complained about it being shallow but we actually found the Ashby and the Brecon to be shallower. On the latter esp we sometimes took up to an hour to find a place to moor......

We got to Tewitfield but not down the Glasson flight as the boat owner changed his mind about letting us, "poor maintenance" he said.

I reckon the Ashton basin (at the Lancaster's southern end) should be on the Silver Propeller Challenge. I reckon more people go to Tewitfield (the northern navigation limit) than Ashton basin at the other end !

Edited by Justin Smith
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On 26/07/2020 at 10:49, Justin Smith said:

 

I reckon the Ashton basin (at the Lancaster's southern end) should be on the Silver Propeller Challenge. I reckon more people go to Tewitfield (the northern navigation limit) than Ashton basin at the other end !

 

Ashton Basin is for wussies!

 

The end of the canal is a few hundred yards past there ...

 

 

 

 

IMG_20200801_145515015.jpg

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  • 3 months later...
On 12/07/2020 at 10:12, Quaffer said:

Since January 2018,I have ticked off and photographed 18 ,so just 2 to go  which will probably be Langley Mill and then the safe limit of navigation on the Warwickshire Avon.

Managed to tick off these two ,so have completed the Challenge and will display this plaque .It was a lot of fun.

 

https://postimg.cc/HV8hdqsd

Edited by Quaffer
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On 12/07/2020 at 10:12, Quaffer said:

then the safe limit of navigation on the Warwickshire Avon.

 

How far did you get upstream?

 

I grounded at the confluence just below Alveston Weir, where the two streams join back together and then had to reverse out quite a long way in flowing water which was fun ...

 

Most narrowboats cop out and only go to Avoncliffe.

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Just now, TheBiscuits said:

 

How far did you get upstream?

 

I grounded at the confluence just below Alveston Weir, where the two streams join back together and then had to reverse out quite a long way in flowing water which was fun ...

 

Most narrowboats cop out and only go to Avoncliffe.

I copped out at Avoncliffe but I was singlehanded that day.

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18 hours ago, Quaffer said:

Managed to tick off these two ,so have completed the Challenge and will display this plaque .It was a lot of fun.

 

https://postimg.cc/HV8hdqsd

Congratulations! We're some way behind you - done 15 so far, although it would have been more but Coronavirus disrupted our plans, as it did for most people. We had hoped to get to 18 by now. They'll have to wait until next year now.

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5 hours ago, Mike55 said:

Congratulations! We're some way behind you - done 15 so far, although it would have been more but Coronavirus disrupted our plans, as it did for most people. We had hoped to get to 18 by now. They'll have to wait until next year now.

Thank you.Good luck with the final five.

 

In only managed four in 2020,which took most of the year with the first lockdown a major interruption.2019 was a bumper 14 (BCN helped a lot) ,and I started very slowly with just 2 in 2018 after an engine malfunction delay in Bedford meaning I missed two ticks in The Middle Level as time was running out to get past a winter stoppage on the Nene.

Edited by Quaffer
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I think this is an excellent shout!

 

We do a reasonable amount of the slightly more adventurous boating there is to do but often stick to the main route as such, hence there are some fairly 'easy wins' we have got very close to and probably should have made the effort to, but that I cant claim, which I guess is the point of the list!

 

I have done, with the boat:

  • Cascade winding hole, Chesterfield Canal
  • Head of navigation, Ashby Canal
  • Liverpool Docks, Leeds & Liverpool Canal
  • Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, Huddersfield Narrow Canal
  • Uttoxeter Basin, Froghall, Uttoxeter Canal
  • West Summit Lock, Rochdale Canal

I have done with another boat:

  • Norton Canes, Cannock Extension Canal
  • Winsford Bridge, River Weaver

The boat has done with other people

  • Saul Junction, Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
  • Tewitfield Marina, Lancaster Canal (I believe but would have to check)
  • Winsford Bridge, River Weaver

 

Fairly easy wins I have NOT done;

  • Gronwyn Bridge  (we even wintered at Whixall for a few years)
  • Langley Mill Basin (got half way up but not to the end )
  • Leek Branch (did Froghall and the Uttoxeter canal, but not the Leek)
  • River Dee Branch (done been past 3-4 times and its not a long branch)
  • Springs Branch  (again, been past it and even out onto the Trent, but not up the arm)
  • Coombeswood Basin (have done Neathton, and Stourbridge locks but not the detours)
  • Dudley Tunnel (have done Neathton, and Stourbridge locks but not the detours)
  • Stourbridge (have done Neathton, and Stourbridge locks but not the detours)
  • Titford Pools...  just need to tick it off like.

Slightly surprised in a way that Mayors Boatyard on the Rufford Arm is not on the list in its own right, given the number on the BCN.

 

So yeah, interesting and certainly food for thought. Hopefully I will get to 20 eventually!

 

Daniel

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