Welcome to Nuneaton

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, Proper Charlie said:

We came through Nuneaton a few weeks ago and saw drug dealing under one of the bridges. 

How would one recognise it? (Drug-dealing, I mean, not a bridge).

[furnessvale]

6 minutes ago, Athy said:

How would one recognise it? (Drug-dealing, I mean, not a bridge).

I once spent a night at the top of the Rochdale 9.  The place was alive with druggies and dealers.  I had no problems.  They didn't bother me and I didn't bother them.

 

In a way I felt safer with their presence.  We both knew that if anyone bothered me I would be calling the police.  Their presence  kept any potential vandals away as well.

 

George

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

I once spent a night at the top of the Rochdale 9.  The place was alive with druggies and dealers.  I had no problems.  They didn't bother me and I didn't bother them.

 

In a way I felt safer with their presence.  We both knew that if anyone bothered me I would be calling the police.  Their presence  kept any potential vandals away as well.

 

George

But how did you recognise drug dealing? My understanding is that small anonymous-looking packets change hands discreetly, so it's not something that people would notice unless they were particularly looking for it.

[furnessvale]

12 minutes ago, Athy said:

But how did you recognise drug dealing? My understanding is that small anonymous-looking packets change hands discreetly, so it's not something that people would notice unless they were particularly looking for it.

There are only two reasons (mainly) men hang around under canal bridges acting furtively, especially on the Rochdale 9.

 

One involves sex and the other is drugs.  As you say, you can see the furtive touching of hands as the drugs and money exchange!  I will not discuss the sex.

 

George

[Athy]

1 minute ago, furnessvale said:

There are only two reasons (mainly) men hang around under canal bridges acting furtively, especially on the Rochdale 9.

 

One involves sex and the other is drugs.  As you say, you can see the furtive touching of hands as the drugs and money exchange!  I will not discuss the sex.

 

George

What, you mean they don't yet take "contactless"? How very retro.

I guess other reasons might be that they are sheltering from the rain or that they are waiting for someone from whom they can forcibly remove money and valuables.

No need to discuss the sex, though you could post the video - but not on here!

[TheBiscuits]

9 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

There are only two reasons (mainly) men hang around under canal bridges acting furtively, especially on the Rochdale 9.

 

One involves sex and the other is drugs. 

And Rock 'n' Roll.

 

There are three reasons why (mainly) men ....  This is starting to sound like the Spanish Inquisition sketch

 

 

 

[Hudds Lad]

we recently passed a boat on linear moorings who had a lovely cannabis plant growing on his/her little slice of heaven behind the boat, had to laugh at the sheer brass neck of it.

 

regarding its prevalence with todays youth, my 12yr old daughter now recognises the smell of weed being smoked from her journeys to and from school on the bus. At least in my day we were a bit more subtle about it, but then again todays weed is a hell of a lot more pungent.

[Neil2]

12 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

What do you find wrong with Blackburn?  Have you been through recently?

Last year, and the trip was every bit as unpleasant as all the other occasions.   Maybe we've just been unlucky but there is always an incident of some sort whether it's feral kids, or dog crap on the towpath, there is litter everywhere.  One time we arrived at the locks to find someone had set tried to set fire to the stop planks for pete's sake - how bored do you have to be to do that?  And, I have never managed to get through this stretch of canal without something substantial getting round the prop.  

[Movin' on]

Just wait till you go past boot wharf and they have a wide beam in the water then it’s fun - last time through the “permanent” boats on the bend/towpath opposite had all moved down and it made a big difference - sadly they have less space to keep boats on land now they have sold it all for development so it will always be a challenge esp if you want gas and fuel etc 

Nuneaton gets a bad press but there are many worse places and IMHO it’s slowly getting better 

Edited September 8, 2018 by Halsey

[Victor Vectis]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

But how did you recognise drug dealing? My understanding is that small anonymous-looking packets change hands discreetly, so it's not something that people would notice unless they were particularly looking for it.

How about this for starters?

 

Seen on the BCN Challenge this year.

Three young men hanging about by a sanni station. Lots of mobile phone use.

But it was the baseball bat tucked away around a corner but visible from the boat that was the giveaway.

[Arthur Marshall]

3 hours ago, Halsey said:

Just wait till you go past boot wharf and they have a wide beam in the water then it’s fun - last time through the “permanent” boats on the bend/towpath opposite had all moved down and it made a big difference - sadly they have less space to keep boats on land now they have sold it all for development so it will always be a challenge esp if you want gas and fuel etc 

Nuneaton gets a bad press but there are many worse places and IMHO it’s slowly getting better 

When I stopped there for diesel, they told that the land behind the yard had been rented from CRT - and it was CRT that sold the land off for development, not the boatyard.  They were very apologetic about the widebeam blocking the canal as it had been sold but the new owner seemed disinclined to come and collect it.  It a really friendly place, and a great shame they've lost the use of the land and an indictment, in my opinion, of CRT for their lack of support for a useful canal business.

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Victor Vectis said:

How about this for starters?

 

Seen on the BCN Challenge this year.

Three young men hanging about by a sanni station. Lots of mobile phone use.

But it was the baseball bat tucked away around a corner but visible from the boat that was the giveaway.

Maybe they were holding a telephone auction for sporting goods.

 

[Movin' on]

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

When I stopped there for diesel, they told that the land behind the yard had been rented from CRT - and it was CRT that sold the land off for development, not the boatyard.  They were very apologetic about the widebeam blocking the canal as it had been sold but the new owner seemed disinclined to come and collect it.  It a really friendly place, and a great shame they've lost the use of the land and an indictment, in my opinion, of CRT for their lack of support for a useful canal business.

I wasn’t aware of that important detail - I’m sure CRT would justify their actions on the basis of maximising the value of their asset base - I couldn’t agree more about the business it’s a good stop with very helpful people - perhaps the fat boats owner realised the error of his decision ??

Edited September 8, 2018 by Halsey

[b0atman]

So again CRT sell off an asset for short term gain

[Ray T]

2 minutes ago, Halsey said:

I wasn’t aware of that important detail - I’m sure CRT would justify their actions on the basis of maximising the value of their asset base - I couldn’t agree more about the business it’s a good stop with very helpful people - perhaps the fat boats owner realised the error of his decision ??

Well, on the Coventry Canal a wide boat will not get far.

[Arthur Marshall]

10 minutes ago, b0atman said:

So again CRT sell off an asset for short term gain

There's a hell of a lot of houses going up there, but set against continued rent income and a real waterways asset, it's a shame. The yard think it may put them out of business. 

[Rob-M]

2 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

There's a hell of a lot of houses going up there, but set against continued rent income and a real waterways asset, it's a shame. The yard think it may put them out of business. 

We did say as we passed how many of the new home owners would want to look out over the yard. It did look a bit tidier though than the last time we went through.

[Athy]

Is Boot Wharf still operated by the former co-owner of Measham Boats, Tony Gallimore? Before that it was run by a character called Harry The Stretcher whose sideline was renovating vintage 'buses.

[b0atman]

I reckon Arthur has hit the nail on the head .Residents will have the council on their side and CRT will have washed their hands of it money will be safe in pension pots 

[roland elsdon]

Its still Tony. They put a new bottom on the boat a few years ago at boot lane. Interesting place. 

The new houses are living proof that if you build a house regardless of location they sell.

hope they dont go out of business they are a real working boatyard, nice people.

as for the wide boat, i remember they built one launched it and then dragged it out again. I think it was while the crane was there to test systems, or maybe fitted out in water. 

[furnessvale]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Is Boot Wharf still operated by the former co-owner of Measham Boats, Tony Gallimore? Before that it was run by a character called Harry The Stretcher whose sideline was renovating vintage 'buses.

Interesting.  I remember some years ago passing the yard and seeing an old Vulcan coach on a number of occasions.  I have asked at the yard what became of it but nobody seems to know.

 

George

[Mike Todd]

20 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

When I stopped there for diesel, they told that the land behind the yard had been rented from CRT - and it was CRT that sold the land off for development, not the boatyard.  They were very apologetic about the widebeam blocking the canal as it had been sold but the new owner seemed disinclined to come and collect it.  It a really friendly place, and a great shame they've lost the use of the land and an indictment, in my opinion, of CRT for their lack of support for a useful canal business.

Do you know more than has been stated so far on this thread? Of course, as landowners, it is only CaRT that could sell it but was it unreasonably removed from the lessees? Possible causes include rent reviews and related matters (LTRU) - such an asset next to an on-going business is unlikely to be easy for CaRT to monetise as it stands. Simpler to get rid of it if the boatyard did not want to play ball.

 

Where I would be concerned is if CaRT adopted a practice of cashing in assets for large lump sums even when there is a canal-related (or even life wellbeing related) user willing to pay a market rent (such rents are well defined and are not unconnected with planning permissions etc) Aggressive asset stripping has been a well known characteristic of the less savoury end of the market economy. However, I would suspect that this is not the case with CaRT who have less to gain from it as they clearly have a reasonably long term business view. (They cannot dispose of assets in order to return capital to shareholders)

[Arthur Marshall]

I don't know any more - just what the owner told me as I went through.  But evryone's doing it - pubs selling off their car parks for housing for example.  On really good music pub I played at recently, packed to the rafters every weekend and making money all week has lost their car park and field at the back for housing, which will obviously impact on the music played in the pub and will almost certainly lead to the pub closing.  CRT seem to be following the same pattern - flog off land for housing and treat waterside businesses as irrelevant.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Since drug dealing appears to be a major use for urban canals, perhaps CaRT should issue and insist on canalside business licences for drug dealers. Must be a significant proportion of the towpath visits along the less salubrious parts of the network and would be a good source of extra income for the waterways. The clients feel increased well-being after using the products, so it fits with CaRTs new purpose.

 

Jen

[rowland al]

29 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Since drug dealing appears to be a major use for urban canals, perhaps CaRT should issue and insist on canalside business licences for drug dealers. Must be a significant proportion of the towpath visits along the less salubrious parts of the network and would be a good source of extra income for the waterways. The clients feel increased well-being after using the products, so it fits with CaRTs new purpose.

 

Jen

To be fair, alcohol is the most abundant drug. C&RT own some pubs. Just saying. ?