Our Holidays

[solarman216]

We rejoined the boat on Tuesday, and today was our first cruise Curdworth to The Dog and Doublet at lock 8, 8 locks and 2.5 miles of canal, I need a drink, loads of repairs and cleaning up, too many jobs to remember, most sorted now so leisure time at last, this is a pic of the boat in lock 3 going down, Rick

[(RIP) PLANK]

that looks like my kind of holiday - enjoy :thumb2

[willow]

i nearly had one of these to live on:)
but holidays would be great lucky you:thumbs
ever been to the foxton locks?

[paulp]

well done rick

you enjoy mate.. looks the bollox

paulp

[harlowmaverick]

have a good break mate, i hope both of you enjoy yourself!:thumbs

[solarman216]

yes we have done about 90% of the inland waterway system including the Thames from Limehouse to Brentford and center arch of Tower bridge wonderful trip, the only one we did not get to was the Kennett & Avon, we even did the Lancaster (spent a whole year on that one) and of course we have not been on the Calidonion you know the one is scotland with the Falkirk Wheel Happy days we are now headed to the Ashby canal, Rick

[willow]

:clapfantastic enjoy:) wish i was there:):thumbs:thumbs
keep us posted:thumbs

[solarman216]

:clapfantastic enjoy:) wish i was there:):thumbs:thumbs
keep us posted:thumbs

Oh it is going to be a long day 3 locks and a mile to Fazeley Junction, I will be in grave need of refreshment at the nearest pub on arrival, maybe even resuscitation, Shame you cannot make our party, Rick

[harlowmaverick]

i see your enjoying yourself then lolol

[solarman216]

i see your enjoying yourself then lolol

Fastest way to slow down mate and I can merrily sup wine while cruising lovely, Rick

[harlowmaverick]

i so envy you and your lifestyle!!!!:thumbs

[makeitfit]

I've done the Caledonian :D
Not in a canal boat though, I was on a 32ft Westerly ketch. Some top pubs up there I remember and that there Loch Ness is broody freezing, damn pubs :lol
Sailed west to east and had a few days in Inverness, then sailed across the North Sea to Norway:cool:
I wish I could have afforded to stay in Norway longer , the women there were fab:naughty:wasntme

[jims-terrano]

What about the Aire and Calder? or the Calder Hebble?

My canal boat pull looks like it's been changed from Leeds Liverpool to the South Pennine.

Enjoy the holiday
Jim

[solarman216]

Well we finally crawled out of bed at 11.45am, took the dogs for a walk (short) then walked 100 yards and opened the lock gate so started cruising about 12.30, did 3 locks and about 3 miles to Fazeley Junction, about 3.45pm walked back to get the car, arrived at the Dog and Doublet pub about 5.15, so as they were still serving Sunday Roast we stopped (what else) and with a class of wine relaxed, such a very hard day, the pic is of a rather odd foot bridge folly but as I have left the camera in the car it will have to wait till next time, :doh:doh, Rick

[solarman216]

The pic of the foot bridge folly, Rick

[solarman216]

Do you think my dogs are happy,

[briggie]

awww :D

[solarman216]

2nd to last lock of the trip, 5 locks today and 3.5 miles, this boating is a hard life:augie:augie

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

What about the Aire and Calder? or the Calder Hebble?

My canal boat pull looks like it's been changed from Leeds Liverpool to the South Pennine.

Enjoy the holiday
Jim


the A & C is lkie cycling on the M62, some serious freight traffic on there.

With my dad in a 16 foot cabin cruiser or day boat we started at Thorne
on the Sheffield and South Yorks, then up the link to the A&C just after
Ferrybridge engine conked out on river section, boy it was fast flowing,
felt could see gradient of the river!

Got towed back by IW work craft. to just east of Ferrybridge, as entered
a basin, a massive oil tanker sailed past. Trailered boat to Chesterfield Canal
at West Stockwith on Trent then sailed upto then limit of canal just after
Worksop town. Was a lovely few days, far better than it sounded, yeah
went to Worksop for our holidays et!

Something would love to do again, well except River Aire lol

[solarman216]

Top gates, last pic to bore you with, this is the Atherstone flight of 11 locks, pass through Nuneaton tomorrow, Rick

[glenbo]

id love to go on a canal boat holiday,we keep on looking at the boats near festival park in stoke on trent when we are visiting the in laws:thumb2

[solarman216]

Yes we met those tankers got some good pics somewhere, and I well remember West Stockwith, and I remember we did some engine repairs in Worksop new injectors included, also went up the Ribble to the Lancaster, spent a year up there, great days, Rick

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

Nuneaton, thats living alrite.

[solarman216]

Limehouse Lock waiting to go onto the Thames

[solarman216]

Tower Bridge, we felt pretty small in our 45 ft 14 tonne narrow boat

[solarman216]

This is the galley, when we had the boat, sadly it is not quite the same now.

[solarman216]

And lastly I had to get a Banger in somewhere.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

love idea of going up thames, read abook years ago, some guyu had done the
then largest loop of continuous waterways in uk. top of loop was leeds liverpool
west side was trent mersey, birmingham, oxford thames,regent canal, grand union
soar trent, south yorks then up to a+c though may have done trent falls! ouse and
selby canal.

you?? gather theres some brave 'uns taken narrow boat over english channel to ask
french waterways. oh an up mersey from anderton lift to leeds liverpool canal.

quite fancy trip on manchester ship canal, never seem to get round to one of their trips.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

of course the uk tour could be stretched via kennet and avon now and up river severn?

[spiderpig37]

nice pics rick looks like the way to travel has any body been watching the boat that guy built on bbc1 its hosted by Guy Martin TT rider and his mate they are restoring a narrow boat he`s a bit like fred dibner gets exited about blast furnaces and the like
good book i read a few years ago was narrow dog to carcason about a couple and there whippet who took there narrow boat accross the channel and down through france good read
cheers Andy

[solarman216]

love idea of going up thames, read abook years ago, some guyu had done the
then largest loop of continuous waterways in uk. top of loop was leeds liverpool
west side was trent mersey, birmingham, oxford thames,regent canal, grand union
soar trent, south yorks then up to a+c though may have done trent falls! ouse and
selby canal.

you?? gather theres some brave 'uns taken narrow boat over english channel to ask
french waterways. oh an up mersey from anderton lift to leeds liverpool canal.

quite fancy trip on manchester ship canal, never seem to get round to one of their trips.

Yes done most of those, but did the Trent on a less powerful air cooled engine, boy was it hot entering West Stockwith, Sue the lock keeper stood on the top said she could smell my engine up there, when I backed the throttle off in the still water of the lock and slung it into revers the engine did not pick up so hit the gate a bit hard, also done the Anderton lift onto the Weaver, but contrary to popular belief no standard narrow boat would negotiate the english channel, all those that have were either designed with it in mind or extensively modified beforehand, and even then the sea had to be calm and mandatory to have an escort, Rick

[ocelot]

I've done the Caledonian :D
Not in a canal boat though, I was on a 32ft Westerly ketch. Some top pubs up there I remember and that there Loch Ness is broody freezing, damn pubs :lol
Sailed west to east and had a few days in Inverness, then sailed across the North Sea to Norway:cool:
I wish I could have afforded to stay in Norway longer , the women there were fab:naughty:wasntme

I use the caladonian about once every two months as a short cut (and less fuel) for our workboat going from liverpool docks to the firth of forth (say that when you've had a few :) ) lovely run and I do tend to slow down and enjoy the run. Usually only seagoing vessels on this one tho, a few riverboats and in the summer, plenty of yachts cutting out the rough northern seas.......

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

seen pics in a canal mag about a narrow boat in channel, think owner was a bit
adventerous, sort of green laning meets canal navigation, trying to access out
of the way and officially closed routes. maybe over the odd weir accidently on
purpose. thouogh called dover, though isnt that name of boat on tv at moment.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

nice pics rick looks like the way to travel has any body been watching the boat that guy built on bbc1 its hosted by Guy Martin TT rider and his mate they are restoring a narrow boat he`s a bit like fred dibner gets exited about blast furnaces and the like
good book i read a few years ago was narrow dog to carcason about a couple and there whippet who took there narrow boat accross the channel and down through france good read
cheers Andy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1451294/Retired-couple-conquer-the-Channel-in-a-canal-boat.html

[ocelot]

this couple are absolutely bloody mad! they had no preparation apart from some basic protection from the sea, no comms and probably no charts other than an AA roadmap.................. I've sailed out of Ramsgate before and that part of the channel is downright dangerous..... even in good weather. there's no excuse for their risking not only their own lives but the lives of those sent to save them! Apart from that rant, respect to them for having the bottle to do it,

[solarman216]

this couple are absolutely bloody mad! they had no preparation apart from some basic protection from the sea, no comms and probably no charts other than an AA roadmap.................. I've sailed out of Ramsgate before and that part of the channel is downright dangerous..... even in good weather. there's no excuse for their risking not only their own lives but the lives of those sent to save them! Apart from that rant, respect to them for having the bottle to do it,

Agreed, we went down the Trent and a commercial vessel past us the other way at speed, the wave he left was only about 2ft high but if I had not steered and hit it at almost 90 deg we would have been in trouble, the channel in calm water could be a lot worse, like I have said before narrow boats are for the canals and maybe rivers if enough preparation has been made, but the Channel, leave it out, Rick

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

as said, unfair risk to the emergency services.

whilst never drawn a plan, often thought a craft for all inland water.

perhaps to narrowboat width cruisers that could some how lash
together to form a solid narrowboat end on end or side by side
perhaps immediately for the wide but shorter locks and then
even space out semi catamaran format for the tidal river work?

guess if were nose to nose on narrow canals the then front
engine/drive could act like a bow thruster.

crikey maybe time to draw it after all.