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Trevor Sheppard | 1 Sep 2010 06:35
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Re: It never rains but ...

  Hi Folks,

EA suddenly re-opened the Nene again so I've managed to get down to 
Peterborough and those modern conveniences like trains!

I had an, er .. interesting .. experience exiting from the lock at Orton 
- there was a plastic cruiser, complete with a woman enjoying a book in 
the sunshine and three flashing strobe-like lights on the stern, moored 
at the lower lock pontoon. See seemed happy enough until I lost steering 
halfway between the lock and pontoon (I suspect it may have been some 
form of undertow from the canoe course adjacent to the locks) and 
careered towards her, at some speed  and still accelerating.

For a few seconds it looked as if 'Wyrd' was either going to slice her 
cruiser into equal halves, port and starboard, or knock a couple of feet 
off her waistline, at the very least. As it happened we managed to slide 
past without (I think) touching her at all - and ended up alongside the 
bank, a few feet in front, after digging the bow into the low wall. (I 
think she might still be looking around her deck for her jaw - which 
dropped a considerable amount at the time..) Certainly quite a hairy 
experience!

Thanks to everybody who offered me assistance, on lists and off, it was 
very kind of you all and much appreciated.

Trevor

On 28/08/2010 14:37, John Slee wrote:
>    On 28/08/2010 14:31, Trevor Sheppard wrote:
>> - I had a call this morning telling me that my older sister passed away
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PHILIP H | 1 Sep 2010 08:52

Rochdale canal

Does anyone have any experiences of boating (or otherwise) on the Rochdale Canal?  I am a relative newcomer
to boating on the Canals although I enjoy wildlife and about 15 years ago went for holidays with my parents
and one of my cousins on the Norfolk Broads. We enjoyed them tremendously.
          Thank you,
          Philip (UK)

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qwertybjg | 1 Sep 2010 09:41
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Re: Rochdale canal


--- In canals-list@..., "PHILIP H" <p.haslinger <at> ...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any experiences of boating (or otherwise) on the Rochdale Canal?  I am a relative newcomer
to boating on the Canals although I enjoy wildlife and about 15 years ago went for holidays with my parents
and one of my cousins on the Norfolk Broads. We enjoyed them tremendously.
>           Thank you,
>           Philip (UK)
>

Philip,

The Rochdale Canal features in the only trip report currently on Beatty's (our boat's) website. The trip
begins on the Bridgewater Canal on this page: http://nbbeatty.co.uk/Trip_1_p1.htm

The Rochdale is a very interesting canal with the contrast of beginning in urban Manchester (at least the
way round we did it) and moving into very rural areas. It is also very pretty especially towards the eastern
end. There are lots of locks to do and it is necessary to book the locks after the first 9 through Manchester
(Nos. 83 - 65, if my counting is correct) and the summit pound.

Ben

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Martin Clark | 1 Sep 2010 10:35
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Re: Re: Rochdale canal

qwertybjg wrote:
> --- In canals-list@..., "PHILIP H" <p.haslinger <at> ...> wrote:
>> Does anyone have any experiences of boating (or otherwise) on the Rochdale Canal?  I am a relative
>> newcomer to boating on the Canals although I enjoy wildlife and about 15 years ago went for holidays
>> with my parents and one of my cousins on the Norfolk Broads. We enjoyed them tremendously.

Hello Philip - you can get a good idea of what lies ahead for you by 
looking through the Virtual Cruise here:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rochdale/rc3.htm

> The Rochdale Canal features in the only trip report currently on Beatty's (our boat's) website.
> The trip begins on the Bridgewater Canal on this page: http://nbbeatty.co.uk/Trip_1_p1.htm
> 
> The Rochdale is a very interesting canal with the contrast of beginning in urban Manchester 
> (at least the way round we did it) and moving into very rural areas. It is also very pretty especially
> towards the eastern end. There are lots of locks to do and it is necessary to book the locks after the
> first 9 through Manchester (Nos. 83 - 65, if my counting is correct) and the summit pound.

Your numbering is correct - it is Locks 83 to 65 that you need to book, 
but your counting is as suspect as BW's - there are 19 locks in that 
section, not 18!
--

-- 
Martin Clark

Pennine Waterways Website    http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk

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martinludgate | 1 Sep 2010 17:16
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Re: Froghall Basin - Uttoxeter Canal


--- In canals-list@..., David Cragg <dhsrcragg <at> ...> wrote:
>
> Not long after BW 'improved the headroom in the Tunnel <at>  by actually dropping the water level a couple of
inches at the overflow weir to reduce water ingress into the copper works I was talking to a boater by the
tunnel. 
>  
> He was a civil engineer and, having heard what BW had paid for 'dropping the level' had been studying the
tunnel with the idea of raising it by the odd foot to let all boats through. He saw no obvious problem and felt
that his firm could have raised the roof for half of what BW had spent on their 'dropping the level'. 

At the weekend I happened to bump into a couple of friends who were involved in the Destination Froghall
project (which combined reopening of the first lock and basin of the Uttoxeter with dropping the level of
the last pound of the Caldon to give a little more headroom through the tunnel), so I asked them about this.

The response was that the lowering had cost BW relatively little. It was only a fairly small part of the
overall project (which I think came in at something of the order of half a million or a bit more, most of which
went on the basin and lock), and a large part of the project had been funded externally to BW anyway. 

However there had been a significant repair bill resulting from a section of channel having been dewatered
for inspection prior to the work, during which it suffered somne kind of bank slips or collapses as a result
of there not being the pressure of water to support it.

Or were you talking about some earlier lowering of the water level?

Martin L

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martinludgate | 1 Sep 2010 18:15
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Re: Restoration tactics


--- In canals-list@..., Adrian Stott <reply <at> ...> wrote:
> 
> Think of the K&A.  

OK, I'm thinking of it...

Although some lengths remained navigable but cut
> off, 

Not much, really. Something like a mile each side of Newbury remained navigable but cut off; there may have
been some local navigation on the Long Pound (Devizes-Wootton Rivers) and maybe some other lock-free
sections. Other than that, the lengths which were isolated but navigable in the 1970s and 1980s were
generally sections restored in advance of being reconnected. One of the fairly early lock restorations
was Wootton Rivers in around 1973, creating a navigable section from Devizes to Crofton Top. The Newbury
length was progressively extended, mainly westwards, during the 70s and 80s. Eventually it was linked to
Devizes by the restoration of Crofton Locks. I'm less sure of the order of reopening at the west end.

it was the extension of navigability from Reading that attracted
> the traffic (that from Bath lagged considerably IIRC) and gave the
> feeling of progress.  

I'm not sure you remember correctly. I hired a boat at the west end in the late 1980s when it was navigable from
the Avon up to the bottom of Devizes locks, and it seemed to be getting a certain amount of use, without being
what you'd call busy. I also cruised the east end from Reading to the limit of navigation several times
(Four times, I think, and we got further each time) and again I recall it having some boats but not being
terribly busy.

I once cruised to Ufton when that was the head
> of navigation, to see what the K&A was like.
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John, | 1 Sep 2010 20:25

The cuts are starting?

Readers of
http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/2276-british-waterways-grants-to-be-slashed
are told that the cuts are starting and there's a good chance the BW property portfolio is going for sale.
Have a look and then we can discuss.
John

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James Cook | 1 Sep 2010 20:38
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The cuts are starting?

I have no doubt that the thrust of this is broadly true BUT the 25% 
mentioned is over the lifetime of the parliament AND there really must 
be a better source of information than the sub Daily Mail hysterics of NBW

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Brian | 1 Sep 2010 22:21

Harnser Trip Report

Date -  1 September 10
Day - Wednesday
Start - 0945 Stourton junction
End - 1800 Wombourne

Even though the barometer is falling and my weather station has black clouds we still woke to a bright sunny
morning and set off backwards at quarter to ten,we only backed up to the junction where we turned up the 4
Stourton locks on the Stourbridge Canal. Just above the bottom lock there is what looks like an entrance to
quite a large basin with boats moored in it. I had not realised it was there until last night when I was
updating the Google map to show our position  ( http://tinyurl.com/Harnser-s-route )
 We followed the canal up to Wordsley Junction on the way we passed a group of children complete with swimming
dog who were having a great time swinging out across the canal on a rope,I was a bit concerned as I approached
them but they were no problem and stopped swinging before I arrived, all that wanted me to do was bip the horn
and I happily obliged.
 where we turned right and carried on to the end of the Town Arm.  We had planned to come here last night to moor
but were advised against it. The basin is surrounded by a fence topped with razor wire that does not  give
great confidence in the safety of the area. In side the basin are all long term moorings and no visitor
moorings at all,at the very end of the basin is the Trusts headquarters and a winding hole where we turned a
little after mid day to retrace our steps to Stourton junction. We later found out from an acquaintance who
had been moored there last night that if you enquire at the trusts headquarters if there is a space then they
are very happy for you to stay.
We were back at Stourton Junction about twenty past two and again turned sharp right to carry on up the Staffs
and Worcester canal. We met boats at most of the locks until  we reached Greensforge Lock which was not only
against us but had the top gates open, Right in the middle of the lock landing was an elderly fisherman with
two elderly ladies all sitting on their canvas folding chairs all over the towing path. He didn't look too
impressed when I tied up right in front of him so he couldn't drowned his maggot. Just as we cleared the lock a
hire boat pulled away just ahead of us so the rest of the afternoon was spent turning locks, to give them
their due, they did empty one lock for us as they left which was very welcome. We followed them up the
Botterham Staircase locks and as it was now
  6 pm decided to call it a day.
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Steve Wood | 1 Sep 2010 21:40
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Re: The cuts are starting?

On 01/09/2010 19:25, John, wrote:
> Readers of
http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/2276-british-waterways-grants-to-be-slashed
are told that the cuts are starting and there's a good chance the BW property portfolio is going for sale.
> Have a look and then we can discuss.

The opening statement on NBW "IT WAS announced today (Wednesday) by the 
  Government that its grants to British Waterways will be drastically 
reduced" is unattributed. I can't find any references on line other than 
sites quoting each other and speculating about this.

I wouldn't trust anything I read on NBW without a credible external 
reference. This is speaking as someone who had untrue and unfair stuff 
written about them on there which they declined my request to amend :(

Steve
NB Bream

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Gmane