Narrowboat (1 Viewer)

[hilldweller]

We 're thinking of hiring one but hell it's expensive.

Canal du Midi - great.

 

[Daifuse]

Lived on one as a lad that my father converted from a coal-carrying butty just after WWII, on the Thames, at Sandford. I owned one years later on the South Oxford Canal for 22 years. Sold it when it got too expensive to maintain and I got too stiff in the a3rse to get down the engine hole. Four years on, I still miss it and the friends I made. Narrowboaters are a community, just as or even more so than motorhomers. My MH does compensate a
little, but I still regret getting rid..

 

[Forestboy]

We watched this a few months back probably still on I player. One of the nicest programmes we've watched for a long time and made us think we'd like to take a trip on a narrowboat.
Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014...west-and-prunella-scales-top-narrowboat-trips

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[hilldweller]

made us think we'd like to take a trip on a narrowboat.

We've done loads in the past, before MH. Broads, Thames, River Villain to Rennes, Canal du Midi, Earn, Holland, Loch Ness.

Very very similar to MH but you can enjoy a drink.

As I said, Canal du Midi was the best, you can stop at Carcassone and enjoy the delights of France.

The river Earn in Ireland the most boring.

The Thames was good, you get to more up through the whole British history. We even took part in Henley Regatta but came last.

We've never done the back of no-where true narrow boats, always on cruiser style boats.

 

[canopus]

Lived on one as a lad that my father converted from a coal-carrying butty just after WWII, on the Thames, at Sandford. I owned one years later on the South Oxford Canal for 22 years. Sold it when it got too expensive to maintain and I got too stiff in the a3rse to get down the engine hole. Four years on, I still miss it and the friends I made. Narrowboaters are a community, just as or even more so than motorhomers. My MH does compensate a
little, but I still regret getting rid..

The camaraderie on the cut has disappeared down the by-wash Im afraid. Life on the canal isn't what it used to be. Too many TV programmes glamourised narrowboats as a cheap way to live, especially darn sarf. People used slow down when passing moored craft, used to help one another at locks, but no longer. Ive seen locks turned round when already set for an approaching boat. I for one, don't miss boating, having boated for 25 years. I still watch many of the 'new to boating numpties' pass the bottom of my garden on the Trent as if they're on their way to put a fire out.

 

[GJH]

used to help one another at locks,

I thought that was just good manners for anyone. Last year, when we were in Worcester, we happened to be by The Commandery when a boat came up to use the lock so I operated the gate so that the people didn't have to get off.

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[canopus]

I thought that was just good manners for anyone. Last year, when we were in Worcester, we happened to be by The Commandery when a boat came up to use the lock so I operated the gate so that the people didn't have to get off.

Once upon a time Graham but sadly no longer in my extensive experience.

 

[movan]

aLso I think PeterH had or has one.... My mum and dad used to have one when I was fifteen and all I remember is that it was a lot of hard work and all kinds of licences for this and licences for that ... and I remember going up and down the Anderton lift. . It worked out quite expensive too... I would still love to holiday on one, but HOLIDAY is the important word ..

 

[movan]

Once upon a time Graham but sadly no longer in my extensive experience.

Agree, often walk along the canal and those days seem to have gone.

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[movan]

When I was at Llangollen with Snowbird and Roadrunner we were walking the dogs along the canal bank and there was a man walking along the bank with a piece of string dangling in the water. 'Are you taking your goldfish for a walk?' I asked... He explained he had a magnet on the end of the string and he used to find loads of lock keys and sell them.. they paid for his holiday every year.

 

[movan]

The only really enjoyable part of CANAL boating is when you moor up near a country pub and enjoy a lovely meal... Travelling along it means the same scenery for hours and hours on end... Nice little ducks though ..

 

[Puddleduck]

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[Tootles]

 

[Badknee]

Just had our last narrowboat holiday in September a
Week or so before we picked Mo up. Love the slow pace much more than driving but their a bugger to get over the channel lol.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Week or so before we picked Mo up. Love the slow pace much more than driving but their a bugger to get over the channel lol.

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[geoffles]

I loved our boat, our last trip was cruising into and staying in the Albert Dock in liverpool for a week, the sad part was how bad the trip was with weed and the canal being used as a tip.

We were moored onLeeds liverpool canal and apart from our regular fortnightly sail to the local pub we didnt use it enough to justify the licence and the mooring fees, hence we sold and bought a motorhome.

As for camaraderie Yes some where nice and some damn ignorant, but in the whole the most are nice. if you are fortunate enough to use it regularly and cruise for long periods months at a time and happy enough to go slow then yep its a nice life. Unlike me i only really had occasional weekends and couldnt get far enough without worrying about being home in time for work.

I am still member of the boat club and run the website so have active involvement, especially the beer drinking side lol.

 

[icantremember]

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Obviously a nice little "ménage à trois"

 

[canopus]

Obviously a nice little "ménage à trois"

Non monsiuer il est Stoke Bruerne

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[robnchris]

Never seen the attraction, we much prefer the water under our keel to be Azure blue rather than russet brown.

 

[canopus]

Our Small Northwich replica Motorboat 'Canopus' in the austerity wartime livery of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company

 

[Popeye]

The only really enjoyable part of CANAL boating is when you moor up near a country pub and enjoy a lovely meal... Travelling along it means the same scenery for hours and hours on end... Nice little ducks though ..

Then you must go boating with your eyes shut Joy, the beauty of any kind of boating is the journey and the arriving and leaving. I have rarely seen road trip scenery to match that of river-bank canal side or coastal.......

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[Badknee]

No thanks, I want my lift over the Channel to be a damn sight bigger than that.

 

[Badknee]

Then you must go boating with your eyes shut Joy, the beauty of any kind of boating is the journey and the arriving and leaving. I have rarely seen road trip scenery to match that of river-bank canal side or coastal.......

As well as the countryside I love the old industrial areas that the canals go through.

 

[canopus]

This may well be a picture of Terry & Monica Darlington whom along with their beloved Whippet Jim, crossed the channel in their narrowboat Phyllis May. They had some terrific adventures and wrote a best selling book about their exploits 'Narrow Dog to Carcassonne'

http://www.narrowdog.com/index.html

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[Barclaybasher]

This may well be a picture of Terry & Monica Darlington whom along with their beloved Whippet Jim, crossed the channel in their narrowboat Phyllis May. They had some terrific adventures and wrote a best selling book about their exploits 'Narrow Dog to Carcassonne' http://www.narrowdog.com/index.html

In 1976 I bought my first boat - in Dover. My first ever trip was to Calais - after all it's only 22 miles! - and the weather had improved - down to force 5 from force 8 ! ..........got away with it - just........ start of a great trip through France to Majorca.......... fools rush in

 

[Gooney]

A good few years ago we rented a boat from Tewksbury on the Avon ring, we were tied up along side a nice pub and this launch approached us, I couldn't believe it when the 'Skipper' dressed in a Blazer and peaked cap with scrambled egg, yes scrambled egg on the peak shouted 'Ahoy there, Ahoy, permission to come along side', I took his ropes and tied him up alongside and him and wifey climbed over our boat and onto the bankside without so much a thank you or kiss my arse!!, the best part though was they left an older woman ( his or her mother) behind!!, the old dear was struggling a bit so I helped her off their boat, over ours and onto the bank, you could have knocked me over with a feather when the biddy said " thank you my man, I feel I ought to tip you", I couldn't help myself, I replied "Please don't come back this way or I might TIP you in the freakin' canal".

 

[Scattycat]

Non monsiuer il est Stoke Bruerne

We used to have a mooring about 5 miles south of there and often moor up at Stoke Buerne over Christmas and New Year.

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[Paddywack]

Twenty years ago I spent eight years living (on a residential mooring - all pucker) in the middle of Regents Park on a converted working boat, big hand start Lister JP2 engine, riveted hull - twas a thing of beauty. Had purchased her up in Macclesfield and used to move her around to different sites during my holidays so saw a lot of the canal system. Happy days.

Grade 111 insulation thankfully and no temperamental Truma

 

[movan]

Hi Popeye, you are probably right .. the problem I always thought was that our boat was moored in a place that wasn't particularly scenic for a few miles in either direction.. Since, apart from when we went up in the Anderton lift if we had a couple of weeks, we only could use it at weekends .. by the time we got to where anything attractive was to be seen, it was time to turn round and go back.... If we had been moored on a river, as my friends' boat is, then it would have been a completely different story. I guess the lesson learned is be careful which mooring you choose. Each to their own... Give me my motorhome ANY day.

 

[movan]

What a lovely memory Vic... Thanks for sharing.

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