Great Canal Journeys - suggestions please

[magpie patrick]

This is retirement planning, or at least semi-retirement planning (as in, for when I'm semi-retired). I'm not trying to follow in the wake of Tim and Pru, but after some genuinely great journeys. In a way I've done one, Manchester to Bath, albeit Lutine's temperamental engine made that grate at times...

 

Other ideas of mine, having been in France quite a lot last year, are Chateau Gontier to Nantes (possibly extend to Mayenne at one end and Pontivy at the other) and Sete to Toulouse or perhaps onwards to Castets. Back in England would one do a L&L Plus? Hull to Lancaster perhaps? I fancy the Forth and Clyde, Crinan and Caledonian with the connections on the west coast. 

 

All of these could be done in Juno, as she's trailable, so that's my brief, but looking for ideas and throwing it out to discussion!

 

Ideas please!

[Alan de Enfield]

Would recommend the Caledonian - its different, its beautiful and should be on the 'bucket list'.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[Naughty Cal]

Definitely the Caledonian in your own boat. It is simply amazing. 

 

Although make sure you go in nice weather. It can really pick up on the lochs!

Edited January 23, 2019 by Naughty Cal

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Definitely the Caledonian in your own boat. It is simply amazing. 

 

Although make sure you go in nice weather. It can really pick up on the lochs!

Go armed with a midge net if venturing north of Carlisle,

On a bad day wear your nickie tams, 

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by LadyG

[Alan de Enfield]

We did it in September - frost on the pontoon / locks every morning but beautiful days (when the freezing fog lifted)

 

 

[X Alan W]

The length of the Du Midi is a good trip

[magictime]

13 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

Back in England would one do a L&L Plus? Hull to Lancaster perhaps?

How about Ripon to Tewitfield - the two northernmost points of the system - via York, the L&L and Lancaster?

 

You could then do a coast-to-coast in the other direction, Liverpool to Hull, avoiding most repetition by taking the Leigh Branch, Bridgewater, either the Rochdale or the HNC, and the C&H, in lieu of the L&L main line. Or extend that a bit to avoid Manchester - so Bridgewater, T&M, Macclesfield, Peak Forest, HNC, C&H. That would be a great trip, actually - the Macc is a lovely canal.

Edited January 23, 2019 by magictime

[Up-Side-Down]

14 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

This is retirement planning, or at least semi-retirement planning (as in, for when I'm semi-retired). I'm not trying to follow in the wake of Tim and Pru, but after some genuinely great journeys. In a way I've done one, Manchester to Bath, albeit Lutine's temperamental engine made that grate at times...

 

Other ideas of mine, having been in France quite a lot last year, are Chateau Gontier to Nantes (possibly extend to Mayenne at one end and Pontivy at the other) and Sete to Toulouse or perhaps onwards to Castets. Back in England would one do a L&L Plus? Hull to Lancaster perhaps? I fancy the Forth and Clyde, Crinan and Caledonian with the connections on the west coast. 

 

All of these could be done in Juno, as she's trailable, so that's my brief, but looking for ideas and throwing it out to discussion!

 

Ideas please!

Another vote for the Caley. It was the last of my waterway 'discoveries' and very much a case of leaving the best until last. Explore the Crinan and the Lowland Canals too and do come and visit us at Bowling – a vibrant and very disparate live-aboard community where the F&C meets the River Clyde, with stunning views doon the watter from the harbour. PM me for more detail in the future.

[zenataomm]

One of the greatest canal journeys I enjoyed was The BCN Main Line on a warm balmy day outside of school holidays.

One of the worst was Shropshire Union Woodseaves cutting, during school holidays and coinciding with a fishing match.

[Naughty Cal]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

We did it in September - frost on the pontoon / locks every morning but beautiful days (when the freezing fog lifted)

 

 

We did it in July and got a proper mixed bag of weather. It rained almost every day which kept the midges at bay, but we were treated to a few days with some sunshine and then to top it off we were storm bound for a few days in Oban. But there are worse places to be stuck.

 

Anchored at Dores for lunch at the lovely Dores Inn

 

A brief sunny spell

 

Had we known what weather was coming the evening after this was taken we would probably have stayed in the anchorage as it would have been very sheltered unlike the mooring we were on!

 

ETA: Our hire boat trip to Brittany last year has really given us the bug for boating in France and we are really looking forward to our next hire boat trip to Belgium at Easter. We could at some point in the future be tempted by a trip similar to what our friends are currently doing which has taken them across to Holland from Lowestoft, through Holland, Belgium and France and they are now in Spain enjoying the Med planning their route home.

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Naughty Cal

[Kendorr]

If you haven't done it, you really should tackle the Huddersfield Narrow canal, hard work, but well worth it.

[magpie patrick]

Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement! This plan, as far as it is one, is an emerging one hoping to have the resources to take, say, 4 weeks off once a year from 2021 onwards, moving up to two or three months from 2026 (When I will be 60)

 

18 hours ago, Kendorr said:

If you haven't done it, you really should tackle the Huddersfield Narrow canal, hard work, but well worth it.

If I hadn't, it would be - did it both ways in 2007 in Ripple, the 62 foot nb I then owned, I've done most but not quite all of the narrow canals - only got Dukes cut lock, the Grand Junction Branches and the Chesterfield left to do.

 

On 23/01/2019 at 10:21, magictime said:

How about Ripon to Tewitfield - the two northernmost points of the system - via York, the L&L and Lancaster?

 

You could then do a coast-to-coast in the other direction, Liverpool to Hull, avoiding most repetition by taking the Leigh Branch, Bridgewater, either the Rochdale or the HNC, and the C&H, in lieu of the L&L main line. Or extend that a bit to avoid Manchester - so Bridgewater, T&M, Macclesfield, Peak Forest, HNC, C&H. That would be a great trip, actually - the Macc is a lovely canal.

I like this idea it's a journey not just a canal

 

So I've come up with a wish list that looks something like this:

 

Thames Lechlade to London (and possibly further down - Medway?)

Ripon to Tewitfield

GU - Oxford circuit

Sete to Castets (Canal Du Midi plus)

Mayenne to Lorient via the Loire

Bo'Ness or Stirling to Inverness via the F&C, Crinan and Caley

Belturbet to Limerick (Erne - Shannon)

Dublin-Athlone Circuit

 

If I manage half that lot I'll die very happy!

 

Only one involves narrow locks - can a wide beam cruiser be trailed? I guess so as Naughty Cal was trailed to Scotland Juno is 23 foot narrow beam, but a bit small, 27 foot by 9 would be more comfortble - note any change of boat is very long term planning!

 

[Psycloud]

On 23/01/2019 at 09:48, Alan de Enfield said:

We did it in September - frost on the pontoon / locks every morning but beautiful days (when the freezing fog lifted)

 

We did it it mid April.  Was quite wet, especially when I fell in!   Really lovely though.

[Naughty Cal]

NC is 8'2" wide and that felt big behind the tow car! 

 

Coming through some of the Scottish back roads was interesting to say the least!

[Pluto]

There is so much to discover abroad. We did the Saimaa Canal, from Lappeenranta to Vyborg, last year as part of a two night visa free stay in St Petersburg. An evening excursion around St Petersburg's waterways was also included, and the whole trip was comparatively inexpensive, certainly much cheaper than by cruise ship.

Germany has several interesting sights, especially for the waterway historian, such as the closed Ludwig's Canal in Bavaria and the remains of the Stecknizt Canal near Hamburg, where there is also the Alster Canal, both having the remains of flashlocks. Obviously, there are many interesting canals in Holland, and while most talk of the Canal du Midi in France, those associated with the Loire are just as interesting. For a waterway historian, the Canal de Briare is a must as it opened forty years before the Canal du Midi. There is the Thouet Navigation as well, with two surviving flashlocks which have been cheaply converted into chamber locks.

The one problem you will find, as I have done, is that there are so many historical canal sites across Europe that it is virtually impossible to visit them all. A final suggestion is to travel on a commercial boat in Germany: the website https://frachtschiffreisen-pfeiffer.de/kontakt/ gives some of the boats which offer trips, though you will probably have to brush up on your German.

[magpie patrick]

On 25/01/2019 at 09:31, Pluto said:

There is so much to discover abroad. We did the Saimaa Canal, from Lappeenranta to Vyborg, last year as part of a two night visa free stay in St Petersburg. An evening excursion around St Petersburg's waterways was also included, and the whole trip was comparatively inexpensive, certainly much cheaper than by cruise ship.

Germany has several interesting sights, especially for the waterway historian, such as the closed Ludwig's Canal in Bavaria and the remains of the Stecknizt Canal near Hamburg, where there is also the Alster Canal, both having the remains of flashlocks. Obviously, there are many interesting canals in Holland, and while most talk of the Canal du Midi in France, those associated with the Loire are just as interesting. For a waterway historian, the Canal de Briare is a must as it opened forty years before the Canal du Midi. There is the Thouet Navigation as well, with two surviving flashlocks which have been cheaply converted into chamber locks.

The one problem you will find, as I have done, is that there are so many historical canal sites across Europe that it is virtually impossible to visit them all. A final suggestion is to travel on a commercial boat in Germany: the website https://frachtschiffreisen-pfeiffer.de/kontakt/ gives some of the boats which offer trips, though you will probably have to brush up on your German.

 

Thanks Mike, we're now entering into the realm of things I must see rather than things I must cruise - I was about to give my list for "must see" and realised that a five day trip on the Yangtze is actually a cruise, albeit not a self-steer one.

 

So, must see

 

Rideau Canal, especially the 8 rise at Ottowa

Peterborough Lift Lock - Ontario

Briare Aqueduct and Rogny sept-ecluse

Three gorges Dam

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal (takes all sorts, I know!)

Mutford Lock

 

This list is nothing like as well researched, as you can see 

[dmr]

I suggest Cambridge

 

GU Northampton Arm    River Nene  Middle Levels, Tidal dash up to Denver, Great Ouse/Old West River  Cam to Cambridge

 

.............Dave

[Naughty Cal]

18 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

 

Thanks Mike, we're now entering into the realm of things I must see rather than things I must cruise - I was about to give my list for "must see" and realised that a five day trip on the Yangtze is actually a cruise, albeit not a self-steer one.

 

So, must see

 

Rideau Canal, especially the 8 rise at Ottowa

Peterborough Lift Lock - Ontario

Briare Aqueduct and Rogny sept-ecluse

Three gorges Dam

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal (takes all sorts, I know!)

Mutford Lock

 

This list is nothing like as well researched, as you can see 

Why Mutford Lock?

 

It really isn't anything special. Done it a few times and the faff they make about a few inches rise or fall is really not worth the £13 they charge to go through it!

[Mike55]

On 29/01/2019 at 14:10, magpie patrick said:

 

Thanks Mike, we're now entering into the realm of things I must see rather than things I must cruise - I was about to give my list for "must see" and realised that a five day trip on the Yangtze is actually a cruise, albeit not a self-steer one.

 

So, must see

 

Rideau Canal, especially the 8 rise at Ottowa

Peterborough Lift Lock - Ontario

Briare Aqueduct and Rogny sept-ecluse

Three gorges Dam

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal (takes all sorts, I know!)

Mutford Lock

 

This list is nothing like as well researched, as you can see 

The Rideau Canal can be cruised, so could be on your other list. I drove most of its length a couple of years ago, stopping at various canal focal points, next time I want to cruise it.  Tim & Pru did it, so it can't be that difficult!

[magpie patrick]

8 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Why Mutford Lock?

 

It really isn't anything special. Done it a few times and the faff they make about a few inches rise or fall is really not worth the £13 they charge to go through it!

I guess that depends on whether you wish to go the long way round!

 

Mutford Lock is interesting from an academic perspective as it is tidal both sides - I think that's unique in Britain. It may be that such a fact is better enjoyed in a book that on site though!

6 minutes ago, Mike55 said:

The Rideau Canal can be cruised, so could be on your other list. I drove most of its length a couple of years ago, stopping at various canal focal points, next time I want to cruise it.  Tim & Pru did it, so it can't be that difficult!

The thought had crossed my mind but the cruising list is looking a bit full!

[Dav and Pen]

There are some things that are unique and should be seen. The Ronquieres plane and the Strepy boat lift in Belgium. There are trip boats that do both of these and the 4 old lifts are next to the Strepy.

one of my favorite routes is in the Ardennes on the river Meuse in Belgium and France and in England the Thames above Oxford.