Halfie

Timelapse: Sutton Stop to Boot Wharf

2012-02-02T23:30:00.000Z

I have, for now, given up on trying to edit my timelapse films on Final Cut. The procedure for exporting the file for uploading on YouTube is just too complicated and time consuming. And it doesn't keep the original aspect ratio.

So I will put up the individual sections of timelapse, rather than joining up all those for a particular day.

Here, then, is the record of our cruise from Sutton Stop to Starline Boats at Boot Wharf by Bridge 20 on the Coventry Canal. We stopped here to get a new glass for the stove fitted - and some new mooring ropes. The glass didn't last long - it must have been fixed too rigidly.

Oh! The quality seems to have improved (and I didn't do anything). You can hover over the gear wheel symbol at the bottom right of the video and select HD for best quality.

Gardner 1LW (now with photo)

2012-02-01T23:30:00.002Z

On display at Braunston last June was this beast.

A Gardner 1LW, restored by Tony Redshaw.

~~I'd show it to you if only Blogger would let me upload the photo.~~

At last, I've been able to upload the photo.

I'm also doing battle with YouTube - I can't seem to be able to get the same high quality timelapse images on there as I did for the Thames trip.

I'm hoping that normal service will be resumed soon.

Timelapse: Flecknoe to Sutton Stop

2012-01-31T23:00:00.001Z

I discovered an easier fix for the aspect ratio problem I mentioned yesterday. An internet search revealed that all I have to do is enter a short code in the "tags" section when uploading to YouTube. That's done, so here is our cruise from Flecknoe on the Oxford/GU to Sutton Stop.

Watch out for the impatient boat which overtakes us before Hillmorton Locks.

Aspect ratio

2012-01-30T23:15:00.000Z

Grr! I've just spent the evening loading some timelapse footage into the editing programme*, adding captions, converting it to a .mp4 file, uploading it to YouTube ... and I've just found that it's all the wrong aspect ratio (making everything look squished).

I'll have to go back to the edit and try to change things to put it right. It looked perfectly OK there.

But I'll do it tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's a photo of Saturday's sunset.

*I use Final Cut Express at home.

Timelapse: Wigram's Turn to Flecknoe

2012-01-29T22:45:00.001Z

At last! I have transferred files from the laptop PC to the Mac, and uploaded the first of my timelapse films of our April cruise last year. (It was a laborious process: there's something wrong with my 4GB memory stick so I had to use an old 512MB one, copying one or two files at a time, unplugging from the laptop, plugging in to the Mac, etc.)

So here is the first in a series. We left Wigram's Turn Marina at just after 7 pm on Saturday 2nd April 2011, turned towards Braunston, and tied up by Bridge 103 an hour later.

For these timelapse films I set the interval between images to be shorter than most of my previous attempts. I can't now remember what the interval is - I'll look it up or work it out at some point.

Top Thirty, 2012 week 4

2012-01-29T22:44:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 0920 on Sunday 29th January 2012. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Pennine Waterways (=)

3 CanalPlanAC (+1)

4 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (-1)

5 Retirement with No Problem (=)

6 Granny Buttons (=)

7 ExOwnerships (+4)

8 UKCanals Network (+4)

9 nb Epiphany (+1)

10 Water Explorer (-3)

11 Waterway Routes (-2)

12 boatshare (-4)

13 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+2)

14 Jannock Website (=)

15 Takey Tezey (+1)

16 Canal Shop Company (+1)

17 Nb. Yarwood (+1)

18 nb Waiouru (+1)

19 Chertsey (+2)

20 Towpath Treks (-7)

21 Narrowboat Bones (+6)

22 Google Earth Canal Maps (=)

23 Trafalgar Marine Services (-)

24 Derwent6 (+2)

25 Halfie (=)

26 Narrowboat Caxton (-6)

27 Seyella's Journey (-3)

28 nb Lucky Duck (+2)

29 Rock n Roll (=)

30 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-7)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 150 entries, up from 148 last week.

A great Humbleyard Hoofers walk

2012-01-28T22:45:00.000Z

We took part in the local walking group's stroll round the UEA Broad in Norwich this morning. This is on our doorstep, and yet we'd been here only twice before. The conditions were excellent: chilly but not freezing; no wind; sunshine. We parked at the car park (free) at the entrance to the University of East Anglia, and started the walk going past Earlham Hall. Jan and I had not done this bit before -in fact, there was a lot here we didn't know about.

The low sun made the water droplets on the thorn hedge sparkle.

I like the way the water smoothes over the twig, and how the droplets hold an inverted image of the hedge.

We were never far from water.

For this portrait of Jan the sun provided the backlight, and I used flash.

I'm pleased with the photo, but Jan says she looks too serious.

I took other photos on the walk, but I think this is enough for now!

In other news ... I've finished producing the DVD copies of the village pantomime which I filmed a fortnight ago. I totted up all the hours I spent doing it: it came to 20, including filming, loading onto the computer, editing, making a DVD from it, duplicating the DVDs, making the covers for the cases, trimming the covers to fit... I'm sure most people have no idea of the time and effort involved!

My bid for freedom, and a clue

2012-01-27T23:15:00.000Z

My bid for freedom has failed. My request to be considered for voluntary redundancy was turned down. I wasn't surprised, and so I was only mildly disappointed. I suppose it's gratifying to be wanted.

This means, of course, that any extended bouts of boating are still some time in the future. We're not giving up the boat search, though.

And so to the clue. I'm asking for identification of the tunnel to which this ventilation shaft belongs. It's not Netherton, Braunston, Blisworth, Crick or Harecastle (the guesses so far).

And the clue is ... Titchmarsh.

The full photo

2012-01-26T23:00:00.000Z

These have been the photos so far ...

... now here is the final one in the series.

And, yes, two of you, namely Kevin and Ross, aka Bert, correctly identified it as a grating over a ventilation shaft, but Kevin wondered if it was a reflection. Well, it wasn't. I pointed the camera up the shaft and clicked.

Now, can you tell me which tunnel?

Nearly there

2012-01-25T23:00:00.000Z

Not much more to reveal now.

The next question is: where?

The next photo

2012-01-24T23:30:00.000Z

This is what I showed you yesterday:

and here's a little more revealed:

If you think you know what/where it is, or want to guess, put it in a comment. I'm still not going to say just yet if anyone gets it; you'll have to wait for the dénoument.

Who can get this first?

2012-01-23T23:30:00.001Z

Here's another photo of a canal feature which isn't immediately obvious - well, I don't think it is.

I'll reveal more in the days to come until someone correctly identifies it.

Actually, I'll still reveal more even if someone DOES identify it. Some of you are very good at this sort of thing! So if you get it immediately I won't confirm the fact straight away.

Nothing to see here ...

2012-01-22T23:59:00.000Z

No, there really isn't! Just home from a long, busy and tiring day at work. Not feeling up to composing a considered blog post. So I'll just publish the weekly waterways websites chart and get to bed.

Top Thirty, 2012 week 3

2012-01-22T23:58:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 0850 on Sunday 22nd January 2012. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Pennine Waterways (=)

3 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 Retirement with No Problem (=)

6 Granny Buttons (=)

7 Water Explorer (=)

8 boatshare (+5)

9 Waterway Routes (+2)

10 nb Epiphany (-1)

11 ExOwnerships (+13)

12 UKCanals Network (=)

13 Towpath Treks (-5)

14 Jannock Website (=)

15 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (-5)

16 Takey Tezey (-1)

17 Canal Shop Company (+1)

18 Nb. Yarwood (+2)

19 nb Waiouru (-3)

20 Narrowboat Caxton (-3)

21 Chertsey (-2)

22 Google Earth Canal Maps (+1)

23 Narrowboat Briar Rose (+5)

24 Seyella's Journey (+2)

25 Halfie (+4)

26 Derwent6 (-)

27 Narrowboat Bones (-5)

28 nb Piston Broke (-1)

29 Rock n Roll (-)

30 nb Lucky Duck (-5)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 148 entries, down from 150 last week.

It's that (pantomime) time of year again...

2012-01-21T23:45:00.000Z

Coming up: one boat picture. But you'll have to wade through this boring stuff first. Or you could cheat, and go straight to the bottom...

Every year I'm asked to film the local village pantomime. Every year I do so, and edit it and produce DVD copies of it. Every year I do battle with Final Cut Express, especially the "capture" side of things by which I load the camera footage onto the computer. For some reason, which no-one has been able to explain, the programme crashes unless I limit the amount captured to 5 minutes. So, for the two hours plus of filming, I have to load in at least 24 separate chunks - and then join it all together. And that's before I start to adjust audio levels and edit out gash bits. At least I've learned to film one night only to limit my editing options!

One year - probably the first one I did - I filmed three different performances from three different angles, and then edited it all together. I'm sure no-one appreciated the end result any more than if it had been all filmed in one take from one camera position.

I filmed last Saturday's evening performance, and have been spending my evenings since then editing it. The edit is at last finished, and I'm burning the first DVD right now. Well, it's doing something called "asset encoding", which takes a long time - a few hours. Once it's done that, the actual burning of the DVD takes only a few minutes. The computer will spit it out while I'm asleep.

I have to attach a carrier bag to the side of the iMac to catch the disc, otherwise it usually lands on the floor!

Oops - I've just remembered: This year I've included a roller caption with all the credits on - performers and crew - but I forgot to put myself on. Oh well. Too late now. I'm not changing it now.

I like to include at least one photo on every post, if possible, so here's Shadow on the Coventry Canal crossing the Tame Aqueduct near Fazeley Junction last April.

A boat slipped through my fingers ...

2012-01-20T23:45:00.000Z

We recently came close to finding a boat which would have been very good for us. Last weekend Ally and Ben looked at two boats for us, both in the north west of England. One of the two was very good, but the broker phoned just after they'd looked at it to say that an offer from someone else had been accepted. I don't seem to be doing this boat buying thing very well. The other boat turned out to be more of a "project" boat, something I'm not interested in.

I have now been persuaded that diesel heating isn't necessarily such a bad thing after all, which opens up the field rather.

The boat we'd had our eye on had diesel heating and a rear galley. My work makes it difficult to get out and look at boats - I think it might be worth taking a week's leave and devoting it to the search.

Oh, another thing is that Ally and Ben might not now be quite so keen to live on any boat we might buy. There's a possibility that they might have fixed a route to alternative accommodation in Milton Keynes. We'll see. If that is the case, it takes the pressure off slightly. Which is a shame, because I'm really looking forward to buying my own boat!

So it's still Shadow for now. (Rare pic of me steering.)

Netherton Tunnel ventilation shaft

2012-01-19T23:00:00.001Z

When I'm cruising through a tunnel I always like to glance up at the sky through every ventilation shaft. To take a photo while on the move is quite hard as it's a sort of "blink-and-you-miss-it" thing. On my compact camera there's no time for the autofocus to work properly - it's a case of pointing in roughly the right direction, i.e. upwards, and hoping for the best. A quite good thing is that the camera doesn't get swamped in a deluge.

This is my attempt while passing through Netherton Tunnel on the BCN last April. According to the metadata the shutter speed was 1/52, hence the blurriness of the image. That, and the fact that it probably wasn't in focus!

Of course, it would be possible to "cheat" and stop the boat under a shaft so as to be able to take a bit of time over the photo, but, so far, I haven't really thought it that important.

The ventilation shafts in canal tunnels were actually construction shafts through which spoil was removed while the tunnel was being dug.

A bucolic scene

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000Z

Er .. what does "bucolic" mean? I'll look it up later.

Anyway, here it is. Another in the series "what I saw on my way to work".

I saw the pheasant on top of the bale, braked, went back, fished my camera out of the pannier, and hurriedly snapped a photo to get one "in the bag". By the time the camera was ready to take another one the bird had gone.

I think that the pylon makes the scene less bucolic. Still haven't looked it up.

Back to canal stuff tomorrow.

Probably.

Hatherton Canal "stoppage"

2012-01-17T23:00:00.001Z

Back in March last year I received a stoppage alert from waterscape.com. Nothing unusual about that, you say. But the "stoppage" was interesting because it related to a canal which has, for the most part, been unnavigable for decades.

All right, it was just the towpath which was closed. But it did catch my attention!

From waterscape.com:

Towpath Closure only: Hatherton Canal

Saredon Brook Feeder Outfall

Monday 21 March 2011 - Thursday 31 March 2011
Engineering works to install Hydrometric monitoring equipment and pipework in the culvert beneath the towpath between Monday 21st and Thursday 31st March.

British Waterways apologises for any inconvenience caused.

Enquiries: 01827 252000

More stoppages on this waterway: 
http://www.waterscape.com/canals-and-rivers/hatherton-canal/boating/stoppages

You can find all stoppages at the url below:
http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/stoppages

(This post had been sitting in my "drafts" section for ages - I thought it about time it came to the surface!)

Sheep, crows and frost

2012-01-16T23:00:00.000Z

I cycled past this scene on my way to work this morning, stopped, went back, and took this photo.

Well, that's a bit of a fib. The photo I actually took was this ...

... which would have to be called "Sheep, crows, frost and pylon".

Or perhaps I should have cropped it like this:

Oh. I just did.

All it needs now is a section of frozen canal ...

Waterways past and present

2012-01-15T23:45:00.000Z

This is the other book I bought from Oxfam a few days ago.

"Waterways past and present" is 160 pages of Derek Pratt's photographs with a few lines of text accompanying each one. As well as his gorgeous colour pictures of canal scenes there are black-and-white comparison photos, many taken in the 1970s. The blurb seems to indicate that Derek took these as well, but there is at least one from 1958 of boats on the Coventry Canal. Is this his work too?

I didn't recognise the cover photo, and I couldn't even decipher the name on the lock cottage. I had to look in the book for the answer. But do you know where this is?

Top Thirty, 2012 week 2

2012-01-15T23:44:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 1315 on Sunday 15th January 2012. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Pennine Waterways (=)

3 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 Retirement with No Problem (+1)

6 Granny Buttons (-1)

7 Water Explorer (=)

8 Towpath Treks (+4)

9 nb Epiphany (-1)

10 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+4)

11 Waterway Routes (-2)

12 UKCanals Network (-2)

13 boatshare (=)

14 Jannock Website (-3)

15 Takey Tezey (+4)

16 nb Waiouru (=)

17 Narrowboat Caxton (+2)

18 Canal Shop Company (-3)

19 Chertsey (-1)

20 Nb. Yarwood (+4)

21 Narrowboat.co.uk (+1)

22 Narrowboat Bones (+1)

23 Google Earth Canal Maps (-2)

24 ExOwnerships (-7)

25 nb Lucky Duck (+5)

26 Seyella's Journey (+1)

27 nb Piston Broke (-)

28 Narrowboat Briar Rose (+1)

29 Halfie (-4)

30 Trafalgar Marine Services (-)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 150 entries, down from 155 last week.

The story of the Victoria Line

2012-01-14T23:59:00.000Z

Before I discovered canals I was interested in the London Underground. I always found it very exciting to travel on it, and once went all the way round the Circle Line just for fun! When I was in my early teens my grandparents lived in sheltered housing near New Cross Gate. On one visit to them I had a great time exploring the East London Line, travelling through the Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel under any navigable river (Wikipedia). I vowed one day to buy a Red Rover ticket and do as much of the system as possible. Somehow that never happened.

Now to the title of this post. I bought a couple of books from an Oxfam charity shop the other day, one of which was "The Story of the Victoria Line" by John R. Day, published by London Transport in 1969 (my copy reprinted 1971). The slim paperback is full of fascinating details of planning, problems and solutions - if only similar contemporaneous accounts existed of canal construction projects!

In some ways the London Underground seems similar to the canal network, in that the system grew from individual lines - each built to serve a particular need, and in competition with the others - rather than being planned as a whole.

The Victoria Line opened in 1969, the first Underground line to be built for 62 years. I'd love to be able to do a review as good as one of Captain Ahab's, but I can't. I have only just started reading the book, anyway!

Sheepish sunset

2012-01-13T23:00:00.000Z

No, not today, but last October at Braunston.

We had just started our week from Wigram's Turn to Oxford and back, and had time to nip along to Braunston too.

Strange tree and Feeder Bridge

2012-01-12T23:00:00.000Z

On a cycle ride yesterday this tree caught my eye.

It looks half in leaf and half bare.

I think it's probably being strangled by a luxuriant growth of ivy.

I'm never sure whether it's the growing of ivy on a tree which kills the tree, or whether it's that ivy is attracted to a dying tree.

No ivy to be seen on Feeder Bridge on the southern Oxford Canal last October, but there is some damage to the bridge at its eastern end.

The bridge takes the towpath over the feeder from the Boddington Reservoir to the summit level. Let's hope this and all the other reservoirs get topped up enough to keep the canal system open.

Back on line!

2012-01-11T23:00:00.002Z

Hooray! When I turned in to my driveway after spending an hour on a computer in the library this afternoon ... there was a team from Openreach repairing my phone line. As I'd suspected, one or both conductors in the overhead line had snapped where the line was being stretched by a tree branch.

It didn't take them long to remove some branches and string up a new line from the pole to the house. It's still rubbing against the trees, though, but loosely now. So I expect the problem will be back in a few years.

I asked them about routing the line underground, but they said that that would have to be at my expense.

What's that, you say? I wouldn't have this problem on a boat? No, you're absolutely right.

Adamant at Braunston

2012-01-10T23:00:00.000Z

While I'm waiting to get reconnected, I found some posts in the "drafts" section of my blog.

Here we are back at Braunston last June at the historic boat gathering as Adamant steams past on the parade.

I've been looking back through some past posts ...

2012-01-09T23:00:00.000Z

... and I am reminded that I still have some timelapse to turn round and publish. There's quite a feast to come: all of the April BCN trip. Assuming it all worked OK, that is. To make space on the memory card in the camera I had to transfer some footage to the laptop, so now I have to try to get that onto the Mac and export it in the right way for uploading to YouTube when we get our phone line back.

There's no progress on that, by the way. The BT fault reporting website was down today, so I couldn't even see if anything was being done. I might have to resort to telephoning, but I hate hanging on while some rubbish muzak is forced down the phone at me.

Meanwhile, here's another image from our April trip, and another rarely visited canal crossed off.

This is the end of one fork of the Bumblehole Branch.

Tunnel temptation

2012-01-08T23:00:00.000Z

Let's hope I hear from BT on Monday. It would be really good to have our phone line - and internet - back.

Meanwhile ... here's something I'd like to do one day: leg through Dudley Tunnel.

Dudley Tunnel south portal

We were there last April, tantalisingly close. I've legged the trip boat at the other end (and have a certificate to prove it!)

Top Thirty, 2012 week 1

2012-01-08T22:59:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 1655 on Sunday 8th January 2012. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Pennine Waterways (+1)

3 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (-1)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 Granny Buttons (+1)

6 Retirement with No Problem (+2)

7 Water Explorer (=)

8 nb Epiphany (+1)

9 Waterway Routes (+3)

10 UKCanals Network (=)

11 Jannock Website (=)

12 Towpath Treks (-6)

13 boatshare (=)

14 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (=)

15 Canal Shop Company (+4)

16 nb Waiouru (-1)

17 ExOwnerships (+1)

18 Chertsey (-2)

19 Narrowboat Caxton (+7)

20 Takey Tezey (-3)

21 Google Earth Canal Maps (-1)

22 Narrowboat.co.uk (-1)

23 Narrowboat Bones (+4)

24 Nb. Yarwood (-)

25 Halfie (-1)

26 Baddie the Pirate (-)

27 Seyella's Journey (-)

28 Derwent 6 (-)

29 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-6)

30 nb Lucky Duck (-)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 155 entries.

Remember when you were young?*

2012-01-07T23:00:00.000Z

Still no contact from BT about our dead phone line, so I'm having to regurgitate some old photos. Here's another one from last year's hot April.

Despite a wide-brimmed hat I got a sunburned neck cruising along the Tame Valley Canal.

According to BT's fault reporting website I should be contacted within three working days of reporting the incident. So what's a working day? For me, every day can be a working day. I'm working this weekend, so will BT count Saturday and Sunday as working days? I somehow doubt it. BT's first deadline, then, to address the problem of my dead line, is 0943 on Tuesday.

*Who will be the first to supply the five words following on from the title of this post, appropriate to the photo?

Memories of April 2010

2012-01-06T23:00:00.000Z

Still internetless at home. This is another stop-gap post, and a look back at the marvellous cruise we did in April last year. It was so warm the engine overheated!

This is Shadow nearing the bottom of the Wolverhampton 21. Is that Captain Ahab steering? He'd helped us down the flight and now I can't remember if he steered this bit or was also on the towpath taking photos.

The effect of wind

2012-01-05T23:00:00.000Z

Last night in Norfolk the wind seemed stronger than ever. This morning there were lots of twigs and bits of branches which had been blown out of the huge ash tree in our driveway. On an impulse I picked up the phone to check that there was still a dialling tone. There wasn't. Oh dear. No landline, which, for us, means no internet.

The last time we lost our landline was when the developer next door "accidentally" knocked over our telephone pole, which was inconveniently sited for all the houses being built. That's the hole where it used to stand.

And the time before that was when a squirrel chewed through the overhead line.

Each time it took BT - or Openreach or whatever they call themselves - about two weeks to fix it.

We'll see how long it takes this time.

The line is still physically in situ, I think the conductors inside couldn't take the strain where the line is under tension from a branch pressing against it.

Beer or beans? See what Ben chooses

2012-01-04T23:00:00.000Z

Boxing Day 2011. 7.50 pm. Time for a beer.

Beer for David, anyway. It's baked beans for Ben.

This looks like a suitable photo for a caption competition. I'm useless at these, so can you suggest something?

Broad and narrow

2012-01-03T23:00:00.001Z

On our walk round Whitlingham Broad yesterday we spotted a narrowboat on New Cut (which bypasses a loop of the River Yare), tied up just above Thorpe Railway Bridge.

A train conveniently crossed the bridge as I prepared to take the photo. The railway connects Norwich with Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

Calamity Jane looks to have a nice mooring. I'm sure you'd get used to the trains rattling over the bridge every so often.

A walk round a broad

2012-01-02T23:00:00.001Z

Today was my last day off before returning to work tomorrow. We went to Whitlingham Broad, on the outskirts of Norwich, for a walk round.

The broad was created as recently as the 1980s by gravel extraction.

The tea room at the end of the walk was excellent.

Thames "scrap" sculpture

2012-01-01T23:31:00.000Z

On a Boxing Day bike ride by the Thames we came upon a curious assemblage of rubbish arranged to form a sculpture.

It looks like a sailing boat. David says it's been there for some time.

I like the yellow person with the hat.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 52

2012-01-01T23:30:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 1505 on Sunday 1st January 2012. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

Last week I recorded only the top twenty positions, so I haven't been able to indicate some of the movements in the chart below. Normal service should be resumed next week.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

3 Pennine Waterways (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 Granny Buttons (+1)

6 Towpath Treks (+12)

7 Water Explorer (=)

8 Retirement with No Problem (-3)

9 nb Epiphany (=)

10 UKCanals Network (+4)

11 Jannock Website (-3)

12 Waterway Routes (+7)

13 boatshare (+4)

14 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+2)

15 nb Waiouru (-3)

16 Chertsey (-1)

17 Takey Tezey (-4)

18 ExOwnerships (-7)

19 Canal Shop Company

20 Google Earth Canal Maps

21 Narrowboat.co.uk

22 Contented Souls (-12)

23 Narrowboat Briar Rose

24 Halfie (-4)

25 Working Boat Hadar

26 Narrowboat Caxton

27 Narrowboat Bones

28 nb Piston Broke

29 Herbie

30 Trafalgar Marine Services

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

The boat search continues

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000Z

A few days ago we drove for hours to look at a boat.

I had high hopes. It had a lovely old slow-revving Lister engine. As far as I could tell the engine was absolutely fine, starting easily from cold (OK, the weather was mild, but the owner played me a video of it starting for the first time after three months - again, it started well).

It sounded great, throbbing in its own little room. One slight problem was the fact that, as hard as she pushed or pulled on the lever, Jan couldn't actually get it to engage gear. There is obviously a knack to it, i.e. shove it as hard as you can. It was the first time I'd controlled a boat with a speed wheel and separate gear lever, and I enjoyed it.

Unfortunately there has to be more to a boat than the engine, and we felt that the rest had too many drawbacks. So we're still looking.

Jan threw another spanner into the works this afternoon when she convinced me (at the time) that we should really be looking for a semitrad rather than the trad I'd been anticipating. My carefully drawn up shortlist (of 23 trad-sterned boats) looked like it was no more than fire lighting material.

The argument is that a semitrad is more sociable than a trad, and we want to be able to invite people along when we're on board. So bang! goes my dream of a "traditional" back cabin with separate engine room.

For now, anyway.

Later this evening Jan backtracked slightly. We might yet get a trad!

*****************

This morning I went for an excellent 16 mile cycle ride with Adrian. At Barford Mill there seemed to be a small group of anglers set up with their fishing umbrellas in the middle of the River Tiffey.

The water level was low, and there was a gravel bank. Looked pretty wet to me, though.

Happy New Year, everybody.

What I got for Christmas

2011-12-30T23:45:00.000Z

As promised, although photographed after dark, here is one thing I got for Christmas this year.

A Buckby can with blank rings ready for whatever one paints on them. Boat name? Our names? What's the convention?

Thanks David and family. All I need now is the boat to go with it. We're still looking.

Upside down Ben

2011-12-29T23:15:00.000Z

Walking back from church in Blackheath on Christmas Day Ben had a go on the swing.

Later in the day, after The Queen, we opened our presents. I was particularly pleased with one item, of canal interest. If I remember to take a photo of it in the daylight tomorrow I'll show you.

Cycling with no brakes or steering

2011-12-28T23:00:00.000Z

On Christmas Day in the evening I found myself cycling down a hill in London towards a T-junction. I had no brakes or steering.

I just had to trust David, who was sitting just in front of me on his tandem. It was quite scary: I'd not sat at the back before. Had there been an emergency I would have been powerless. Thankfully the situation did not arise and we cycled down to the Thames at Greenwich.

Moments before, we had been on Point Hill looking at the London skyline.

Down by the river the waterway seemed devoid of movement. Then a patrol boat came downstream. To get sufficient light into the camera I opened the shutter for four seconds - hence all you see of the boat are the streaks left by the navigation lights.

What is it? - the answer

2011-12-26T12:00:00.000Z

It's a grating in the towpath on the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, visible in the foreground of the photo below.

I don't know what the gratings are for. Any suggestions?

Top Twenty, 2011 week 51

2011-12-25T18:00:00.001Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking (top twenty places) as it stood at 2240 on Christmas Day, Sunday 25th December 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (+2)

3 Pennine Waterways (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (+1)

5 Retirement with No Problem (+1)

6 Granny Buttons (+2)

7 Water Explorer (+2)

8 Jannock Website (+2)

9 nb Epiphany (+3)

10 Contented Souls (+13)

11 ExOwnerships (+3)

12 nb Waiouru (+8)

13 Takey Tezey (=)

14 UKCanals Network (+3)

15 Chertsey (+7)

16 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (=)

17 boatshare (-2)

18 Towpath Treks (+1)

19 Waterway Routes (-1)

20 Halfie (+6)

Christmas Day was, I think you'll understand, busy. I forgot to record positions 21 to 30, and that will cause me a problem for the next chart. Oh well. Too late now. Incidentally, my position (20) is the highest it's been for a very long time.

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the chart;
(=) denotes no change.

What is it? - the whole photo

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000Z

First, I wish all readers a very Happy Christmas.

Now to the mystery photo. This is the whole thing. Nice pattern, isn't it?

If no-one has got it yet I'll give you the answer tomorrow.

What is it? - more

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000Z

Here's a little more of the photo.

Can you tell what it is yet?

What is it?

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000Z

OK, here's another part of a photo for you to identify.

It's somewhere on the waterway system. I'll reveal more tomorrow.

I know it's not Christmas (quite), and it's not a Christmassy theme - but I think I'll call it a Christmas quiz anyway. No prizes - just for fun!

Summer congestion at Chirk

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000Z

I have nearly finished wrapping Christmas presents, the tree is installed and decorated, and here are a couple of photos of a busy Llangollen Canal in July 2010.

There are six boats in the winding hole/waiting area between Chirk Aqueduct and the tunnel ...

... and on the aqueduct itself we were following two boats.

I expect it's a lot quieter now!

Glimpsing old engines

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000Z

I mentioned the other day that I might be going to look at a boat. Well, a viewing is arranged for after Christmas. I know I mustn't get too excited about it as there is still plenty of time in which to find the right one, but it does sound interesting. And I mean that literally.

I don't know much about "vintage" engines, but I like the noise they make. Are they much more difficult or expensive to maintain than modern ones? Are they worth the possible extra hassle? Are there other, hidden, disadvantages to owning a boat with an old engine?

As I explore the waterways my attention is always caught by the sound of a slow-revving narrowboat engine. If my camera is to hand I sometimes try to grab a photo of the engine - invariably in its own room with the side hatches open - as it passes.

Here's a Ruston-powered boat on the Llangollen Canal in July 2010.

I didn't catch the name of the boat, but I did snap the engine as it nipped by.

The engine in the boat I'm going to look at is a Lister FR2, about which I know almost nothing.

The deed is done

2011-12-20T12:25:00.000Z

What deed, you might reasonably ask?

No, I haven't bought a boat (yet).

I've responded to the all-staff trawl for volunteers for redundancy, and have applied. Now, there's no guarantee that I'll be accepted, and at this stage there's no commitment on either side. Having put myself forward, I'm certainly relishing the prospect of more time for boating - but I mustn't get too excited. I think we'll be told early in the new year who has been selected.

When the time comes, it'll be a wrench leaving the Beeb. I have now clocked up 31 years, which is well over half my life. But I have come to realise that there is life outside work, and I want to be able to enjoy it while I'm still fit. The call of the canals is getting ever stronger. Also, if I can leave on the date I have requested, in 2013, the effect on my pension will be negligible. That's because of the way they've messed up the pension scheme.

********************

Here's a photo. Nothing to do with any of the preceding stuff!

Pigeon at sunrise, Norfolk, 30th November 2011 (photographed from the bathroom window)

A thorny question

2011-12-18T22:45:00.000Z

Ray of No Direction blogged recently about the hazard of cycling along a towpath where the boundary hedge has just been trimmed.

This got me thinking (I know, I know). What happened in the days of horse-drawn boats? Did thorns not fall on the ground when the hedges were trimmed? Do horses not get thorns in their hooves? Were the hedges not thorn hedges? Were the hedges not trimmed?

This is David trying not to get punctures in four wheels.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 50

2011-12-18T22:44:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 1400 on Sunday 18th December 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 JustCanals.com - Forums (+1)

3 Pennine Waterways (+2)

4 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (-2)

5 CanalPlanAC (-1)

6 Retirement with No Problem (+10)

7 CanalCuttings.co.uk (-1)

8 Granny Buttons (-1)

9 Water Explorer (+2)

10 Jannock Website (=)

11 Canal Shop Company (-3)

12 nb Epiphany (=)

13 Takey Tezey (=)

14 ExOwnerships (+5)

15 boatshare (=)

16 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+4)

17 UKCanals Network (=)

18 Waterway Routes (-4)

19 Towpath Treks (-10)

20 nb Waiouru (-2)

21 Narrowboat Caxton (+2)

22 Chertsey (-1)

23 Contented Souls (-)

24 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-2)

25 Derwent6 (=)

26 Halfie (+1)

27 nb Lucky Duck (+1)

28 nb Piston Broke (-)

29 Narrowboat Bones (-3)

30 Baddie the Pirate (-)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 148 entries altogether, up from 144 last week.

Humbleyard Hoofers Christmas walk and meal

2011-12-17T22:45:00.000Z

It was our turn to organise this month's walk ending, as last year, at Hethersett Old Hall School for a delicious Christmas lunch. I recced the walk yesterday, in near horizontal rain and sleet. My old Peter Storm overtrousers, if they ever were waterproof, certainly are not now. At least my feet stayed warm and dry, thanks to three pairs of socks and my trusty Armand walking boots (bought from Kyffin in Bangor in 1989).

Today, though, was much brighter and less windy. A red day, apparently.

You do see some funny things while out walking.

It looks as though a donation has already been made!

At the end of the walk a final group photo in front of the school, then inside to mulled wine by the log fire, and a hearty three course meal.

Excellent!

A former working boat, but which?

2011-12-16T23:15:00.000Z

Back in April, on one of our best cruises ever, we passed this former working boat on the Dudley No. 1 Canal in the Brierley Hill area below the Delph Locks.

I couldn't see a name, but I admit I was more interested in photographing the ducks on the gunwale!

There is, I understand, a way of identifying where the boat was built by looking at the bow. I think it's something to do with how the hull plates are rivetted to the stem post. Sarah will know.

It looked like a sunken boat ...

2011-12-15T23:00:00.000Z

On our way to Hawne Basin on the Dudley No. 2 Canal in April we went past an abandoned side arm with what looked like the remains of an old wooden boat just poking out of the water (bottom left in the photo below).

So on the way back I took these pictures ...

... and realised that it was probably part of a cable drum.

Lost arms in Birmingham

2011-12-14T23:15:00.000Z

Travelling along the canal system you come across many signs of where there used to be arms, branches and wharves. These often take the form of the towpath rising up to cross over the entrance to such spurs from the main line. The Birmingham canals are especially rich in these glimpses of the past.

This is on the Birmingham Canal (Main Line) in the Soho/Winson Green area, heading towards the city centre. Here the canal has a towpath on both sides. On the left is what appears to be the junction with a former canal; on the right are two lesser entrances to, presumably, factory wharves.

The entrances are narrow, and often angled such that a narrowboat can slip in from one direction only. If approaching from the other direction it would have had to overshoot, wind, and return to be able to enter.

It's a pity these are all blocked now.

Captain Ahab has recently written about such things in great detail. It appears that I have discovered the former Cape Arm.

A possible boat...

2011-12-13T22:45:00.000Z

Jan spotted a boat advertised recently and showed it to me. The ad, that is. I want to see the boat, but it's a five hour drive away. It has some features I like, but some I'm not sure about. One plus is a Lister FR in its own engine room. What would have been a "traditional back cabin" has the drop-down table, but instead of a bed, has a cooker and fridge. Oh, and it's slightly shorter than we were looking for, which would make it a bit of a squeeze for Ally and Ben.

Hmm.

The first opportunity I have to see the boat is next Monday. I've sent off an enquiry - I'll see what happens.

Secure mooring?

2011-12-12T22:45:00.000Z

I took this photo of Milton Keynes Marina in August. I have only just noticed that the mooring pontoon is not connected to the bank. There's no sign of a drawbridge. I suppose if you brought a boat alongside you could tie one end to the bollard on the bank, but why would it have been built like this, I wonder?

I trust all you boat dwellers out there are safe and snug in your boats. It's blowing hard here in Norfolk, with a fair bit of rain too. I hope it's quietened down by the morning, when I have to cycle to work.

Trip boat Tibet on the Avon

2011-12-11T22:45:00.000Z

On our August cruise on the Avon we passed Tibet, a trip boat operated by Theatre Marine.

The boat is based at The Four Alls (pub), Welford-on-Avon, and is a 70 feet replica working boat "atmospherically dressed with wooden barrels and large umbrella. It has a beautiful vintage Lister diesel engine which runs on recycled vegetable oil. There are also 240v electrics and full washroom facilities onboard."

A skippered one hour lock-free round trip is £75 (for up to 12 people), or a day trip to Stratford and back, with an hour for "lunch or a spot of shopping", is £300 at weekends (2011 prices).

They do pirate cruises too.

Gulp.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 49

2011-12-11T22:44:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 1210 on Sunday 11th December 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (+1)

3 JustCanals.com - Forums (-1)

4 CanalPlanAC (+1)

5 Pennine Waterways (-1)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 Canal Shop Company (=)

9 Towpath Treks (+6)

10 Jannock Website (=)

11 Water Explorer (=)

12 nb Epiphany (+1)

13 Takey Tezey (+1)

14 Waterway Routes (+2)

15 boatshare (-3)

16 Retirement with No Problem (-)

17 UKCanals Network (=)

18 nb Waiouru (=)

19 ExOwnerships (-10)

20 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (=)

21 Chertsey (-2)

22 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-)

23 Narrowboat Caxton (+1)

24 Narrowboat.co.uk (-1)

25 Derwent6 (+4)

26 Narrowboat Bones (-4)

27 Halfie (+3)

28 nb Lucky Duck (-)

29 Trafalgar Marine Services (-8)

30 Herbie (-4)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 144 entries altogether, up from 141 last week.

Landscape versus portrait

2011-12-10T23:30:00.000Z

I get so used to seeing pictures in landscape format that somehow a photo in portrait format seems almost wrong.

Here are two (unedited, uncropped) photos of the same scene: Bridge 62 on the Grand Union Canal at Rowington, one with the camera held at 90º to the other.

What do you think? One better than the other?

Illegal parking?

2011-12-09T23:45:00.000Z

Ben sent me this photo a few days ago. It's of the Stratford Canal in Birmingham by Bridge 5. Ben said you don't often see this. A car on the towpath is fairly unusual, but then I wondered if he was alluding to the name of the boat or its "base". The vehicle seemed to be delivering breeze blocks, presumably to the house which is being renovated (next to where Ben is standing taking the photo).

There's not much room for a cyclist to pass, is there?

I should have lightened the pic a bit - here it is again.

And maybe zoomed in a little.

Down the hatch

2011-12-08T23:59:00.000Z

Looks more like oil, doesn't it? But it is the water of the Avon. David thought he'd check the prop.

The easiest way to check/clear the prop on semitrad Shadow is to get into the engine 'ole, stand on the engine bearers and try not to bang your head on the underside of the deck.

How easy/hard is it to check the prop on a trad stern boat? Or on a (former) working boat?

Bidford-on-Avon, August 2011

Getting a grip on opening lock gates

2011-12-07T23:30:00.000Z

I find it annoying that what ought to be useful grips for the feet while pushing or pulling a balance beam are often in the wrong place. For maximum leverage one needs to apply the force at the furthest distance from the pivot point. In the case of a balance beam, this is at the very end of the beam. The sticking-up bricks often do not coincide with this point, meaning either that you have to expend more effort than necessary, or that you risk slipping on a less than ideal surface. Usually grass.

The photo illustrates this.

Yes, it's on the northern Grand Union, where the lock gates are well-balanced, and, although heavy, are reasonably easy to move. But they're not all like this. At many locks you find worn-out arcs of grass just outside the "official" operation zone.

A little earlier (this was on our cruise in April) a BW team was installing these grips (is there a better term for them?) in recently renewed concrete.

I asked why they couldn't be better positioned. I think they didn't understand what I was getting at, as they said that they had to be placed a standard distance apart.

On a very closely related matter, it would help if the handle on the balance beam in the top photo were positioned at the end.

Ruislip on the Grand Union

2011-12-06T23:00:00.000Z

Another long day at work. How much more can I take? Anyway, here's tug Ruislip on the GU (Warwick and Napton) in April. What looks like a sort of aerofoil is, I assume, weather protection for the cabin top.

Too tired to blog ...

2011-12-05T23:45:00.001Z

... apart from this.

Just got back from filming in London. Bonham's Auctioneers in Knightsbridge. They're going to auction the contents of Reydon Hall in Suffolk, the main feature being 100 paintings by Edward and Thomas Smythe, the so-called Suffolk School of painting. They were very well displayed, along with silverware, clocks, brass and copperware, furniture etc.

Watch the item here (will probably become unavailable after a week or so).

edited to add link and detail from Thomas Smythe's The Snowfight

The sails which will not turn

2011-12-04T23:00:00.000Z

Here's a nice piece of unintentional irony on Napton Hill.

The windmill is now a private house, and I don't suppose the sails will ever turn again.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 48

2011-12-04T22:59:00.002Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 2200 on Sunday 4th December 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 JustCanals.com - Forums (+1)

3 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (-1)

4 Pennine Waterways (=)

5 CanalPlanAC (=)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 Canal Shop Company (=)

9 ExOwnerships (+7)

10 Jannock Website (-1)

11 Water Explorer (-1)

12 boatshare (-1)

13 nb Epiphany (-1)

14 Takey Tezey (+1)

15 Towpath Treks (-2)

16 Waterway Routes (+1)

17 UKCanals Network (-3)

18 nb Waiouru (+3)

19 Chertsey (=)

20 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (=)

21 Trafalgar Marine Services (+6)

22 Narrowboat Bones (-4)

23 Narrowboat.co.uk (-1)

24 Narrowboat Caxton (-1)

25 Rock n Roll (-)

26 Herbie (-1)

27 Seyella's Journey (-)

28 Google Earth Canal Maps (-)

29 Derwent6 (-3)

30 Halfie (-6)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 141 entries altogether, down from 149 last week.

Floating bike shop

2011-12-03T23:59:00.000Z

On the last day of our April cruise we passed Brass Farthing on the GU near Calcutt.

It had lots of bicycles on it and and on the towpath beside it. I have just looked it up, and discovered it is a floating bike repair shop (with a plug on Waterscape), handy if your bike tyre has just been skewered by one of the many thorns that litter the towpath.

As well as repairs Graham will rebuild your bike. His website is excellent, and tells you exactly how much he charges for fitting a tyre and inner tube (£2) right up to a full service (£45). There are sections on electric bikes and Bromptons too. (info from his website).

If you've ever wondered about an electrically assisted bicycle, then read Graham's account of his experience with a "budget" (£500) electric power pack.

Six ducks boating

2011-12-02T23:00:00.000Z

In July this year, while we were staying in Shropshire, I saw six ducks going boating.

Yes, they're ducks, not fagends in an ashtray.

I remember taking the photo on the Shropshire Canal at the bottom of Hay Inclined Plane, but my camera tells me I took it just six minutes from the Encaustic and Decorative Tiles factory at Jackfield, which is more than six minutes' walk away. Oh - I've remembered now. I was on my bike.

There may be more than six. I can count six heads (plus one reflected). They won't get very far as the platform is tethered.

Weoley Castle and the Dudley No. 2 Canal

2011-12-01T23:15:00.000Z

Yesterday Ally mentioned that she was going to Weoley Castle, near where she lives in Brum. She sent me a link to it, so I looked it up and read a surprising thing.

By the mid-17th century Weoley was referred to as a ‘ruyned castell’ and in the following centuries a farmhouse was built where the education room is now. The brick wall along the right hand arm of the moat and a few apple trees are all that now remain of the farm. In the late 18th century the Dudley Number 2 Canal was dug along the northern boundary and the spoil was dumped in the moat. Stone from the castle was used in the construction of canal bridges.

So stone from the ruined "castle" (actually a mediaeval manor house) was used in the construction of the Dudley No. 2 Canal. The two bridges I photographed on this canal didn't display any stonework, but the tunnel mouth does. I wonder if this is some of the reclaimed stone.

Shiny boat

2011-11-30T23:15:00.000Z

Under the railway bridge by Kingswood Junction last April was this strange-coloured boat. It looks as though it's made from stainless steel. Or is it galvanised? Or aluminium?

There is a handwritten-style name on the side towards the stern, but there's too much camera shake for me to read it.

Are these modern engine houses?

2011-11-29T23:15:00.000Z

Back in April, as we came up the Grand Union back to Wigram's Turn and the end of the holiday, we passed several smallish brick buildings with shiny semi-cylindrical steel roofs beside locks.

I assume they are pumping stations, to back-pump water uphill.

I wonder how the pumping capacity and running costs compare with older pump houses, such as at Smethwick.

Today's ones certainly use fewer bricks!

Barge on a London canal in the 1980s

2011-11-28T22:45:00.001Z

I rediscovered this photo today, taken from the bow of Savoy Hill in the early 1980s. I think it might be the Regent's Canal. I don't know what the boat is. I photographed the photo so as to be able to put it on here.

I must try out my slide scanner with negative strips - and see if I can find the relevant negative!

Broads on the radar

2011-11-27T23:40:00.000Z

Yesterday was the monthly Humbleyard Hoofers walk. We went to Horning, parked at the village hall (where we bought home-made cakes), and did a circular walk of six and a half miles in good walking weather. Not too hot, not too cold, and dry. There was a bit of a keen wind which encouraged a good pace.

One highlight was the WWII radar installation at RAF Neatishead. The radar dish was impressive (visible on the skyline above the person on the left in the above photo).

The station was operational for more than 50 years from 1941 until after the end of the Cold War. My 1997 Ordnance Survey map doesn't show it, but more up-to-date OS maps do.
It's now a museum.

I'll have to return when it's open. Although it's not on the same scale as the Secret Bunker at Hack Green (on the Shroppie) I'm sure it will take me at least double the two hours it suggests!

The huge green dish dominated the skyline for a good part of our walk.

St. Peter's Church, Neatishead provided a good stop for coffee (and there was even a loo!)

I'm sure someone will be able to tell me the name of this red-stemmed bush. There were several planted in a new-looking hedge. Aren't they what you see in municipal parks and formal gardens?

Horning is known to many as a village on the Norfolk Broads, but our route took us away from there. We glimpsed Hoveton Little Broad a couple of times through the houses, but that was it.

The end of the walk. Off with the boots and home for lunch.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 47

2011-11-27T23:39:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 1720 on Sunday 27th November 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

3 JustCanals.com - Forums (+2)

4 Pennine Waterways (-1)

5 CanalPlanAC (-1)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 Canal Shop Company (+4)

9 Jannock Website (+2)

10 Water Explorer (-1)

11 boatshare (+2)

12 nb Epiphany (+3)

13 Towpath Treks (-3)

14 UKCanals Network (=)

15 Takey Tezey (+3)

16 ExOwnerships (-8)

17 Waterway Routes (-1)

18 Narrowboat Bones (-)

19 Chertsey (+1)

20 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (-1)

21 nb Waiouru (-4)

22 Narrowboat.co.uk (-1)

23 Narrowboat Caxton (-1)

24 Halfie (+3)

25 Herbie (-2)

26 Derwent6 (-2)

27 Trafalgar Marine Services (-)

28 Baddie the Pirate (-3)

29 nb Piston Broke (-3)

30 Nb. Yarwood (-1)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 149 entries altogether, up from 144 last week.

Mystery acronym decoded

2011-11-26T23:15:00.000Z

A recent stoppage alert from Waterscape contained an acronym I hadn't encountered. Here's what the alert said:

Stoppage: Peak Forest Canal

MARPLE FLIGHT

Tuesday 29 November 2011 - Wednesday 30 November 2011
Two half day stoppages on the Marple flight for verification of the SCADA gauge.

Day 1 29th November 2011
12midday - 5pm

Day 2 30th November 2011
8am - 1pm

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ENTIRE LOCK FLIGHT IS CLOSED FOR NAVIGATION DURING THESE PERIODS.

What stumped me was "SCADA". I put it into a search engine, found a fancy website for designing your own gauges, but there was nothing to say what it stood for. Time to invoke Wikipedia.

Ah - so that's what it is: Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition. No doubt lots of you knew that.

I couldn't find a photo of any SCADA equipment, so here's a heron. Staffs and Worcs, April 2011.

Close encounters of the cycling kind

2011-11-25T23:15:00.000Z

I had a close shave on my cycle in to work this morning. Unusually it wasn't caused by a motor vehicle. Another cyclist was turning right from a side road, didn't look to his right, and cycled right into my path. I was going quite fast down the hill. I managed to shout out a warning while braking; my rear wheel locked up slightly; and, wobbling and swerving, I managed to miss him. While I was trying desperately not to run into him he (fortunately) kept going, said, "Oh s**t", and then I was gone. All over in a fraction of a second.

If it had been a car I think I would have been shaken up, but, as it was, I thought no more of it.

Until my cycle home after work.

I have made up a law of overtaking. It's the inverse law of size. The bigger a vehicle overtaking a bicycle, the less the room the driver gives you. This evening a car came up behind me as I was on the unlit twisty narrowish country lane part of my route, dropped to my speed, and waited ages before picking up the courage to overtake. When it did so, it gave me plenty of room. Excellent. It was a small hatchback. When a large van overtakes me, it often seems to behave as if I weren't there at all, squeezing past even if there is oncoming traffic. In-between-sized vehicles give me in-between amounts of room.

Back to boating. Neil of Herbie is presenting his annual Herbie Awards, the latest being one for the "best village moorings". As he admits, it's an impossible job to choose one place over another, but he's plumped for (the almost impossible to pronounce on first encounter) Alrewas. One shortlisted candidate was Cropredy, so here's the Red Lion last month.

Oxford buildings

2011-11-24T23:30:00.000Z

We saw more of Oxford when we dropped in by canal last month compared with when we passed by on the Thames last year.

Radcliffe Camera

Bodleian Library: Tower of the Five Orders

a college, but I have forgotten which one (Bones, can you help?)

Lovely signwriting on Rollo

2011-11-23T23:30:00.000Z

This is the first photograph I took after we left Wigram's Turn on our Oxford Canal trip last month. Rollo was on the section between there and Braunston.

The signwriting is superb.

I looked up the boat on the A.M.Models website which says that Rollo is an iron boat made in 1938 and that it was renamed Alsager. So how is it that it now appears as Rollo again? (The registration and fleet numbers are the same.) Has it been renamed back?

On heating, a decision. Sort of.

2011-11-22T22:30:00.000Z

Mitchell's Principle Church Heating in St. Mary's, Priors Hardwick*

Most responses to my questions about diesel heating on a narrowboat - and thank you to everyone who has offered an opinion - have been in favour of it. But there have been some negative points raised too.

Pros

Cheaper to run than gas (at least three people have said this)
Can be controlled from a timer

Cons

Can be noisy (but some types quieter)
Consumes electricity
Can be temperamental
Needs a separate diesel tank (no-one mentioned this, but it must be true!)

Overall, then, it's not cut-and-dried. But some commenters have said that they hardly ever use their central heating, mostly relying on the stove. I am sure I will fall into this camp. We have boated in the bitterest weather and not used the central heating on Shadow. So I'm thinking of regaining my sanity (thanks Adam) and not ruling out boats which have diesel heating.

Probably.

*An internet search failed to throw any light on this heating system. It's unlikely to be suitable for a boat.

So diesel heating might not be the demon I thought.

2011-11-21T23:00:00.001Z

From comments to yesterday's post I learn that diesel heating systems on narrowboats are not really all that bad. And I would be "mad" to discount a boat merely because it had that form of heating. I'm still wary of the noise they make, though. I've moored near boats which emit a constant roaring sound, and I'd feel uncomfortable imposing that on anyone else. Bruce suggests asking to hear the heating fired up on a potential purchase, as some are quieter than others. Hmm.

It widens the field. And we would hardly ever use the CH anyway, relying on the stove and hot water from the calorifier (we haven't even turned on our central heating at home yet).

I intimated yesterday that there was another reason to buy a boat. Here it is. Our daughter and son-in-law need somewhere to live in Milton Keynes next year as that is where Ben will be working. The idea is that I will buy a boat which Ally and Ben will live on for a couple of years while they save enough money for a deposit on a house. Then we'll get the boat back!

They are adamant they'll be OK living aboard. They have been with us on Shadow several times. I have tried very hard to be entirely realistic about the lack of space compared with a house, the need to be economical with water, and the joys of emptying the Elsan.

The two year plan could fit in with my work/retirement plan too.

Now - entirely unrelated to the rest of this post! - here are a couple of photos of Stanton at Fenny Compton Marina last month.

Stanton is a "Large Northwich" motor built by Yarwoods in 1936

(info from A.M. Models)

Diesel heating or not?

2011-11-20T23:15:00.002Z

entering Shipton Weir Lock - photo taken two minutes after previously published photo

I am now looking for a boat. Yes, we still have the share in Shadow, and we will keep that for the medium term, but I'm looking for a whole boat as well. I'll explain in a future post.

In the meantime, I'll say how difficult this search is proving to be. My heart tells me I'd like a boat with a traditional back cabin and separate engine room, and one which looks good as well, such as a tug. My head, on the other hand (if that makes sense), tells me to go for a trad or semitrad with rear galley, fixed double bed etc. And so does Jan (at the moment).

One thing I don't think I'd like is diesel central heating. So far, I've been skipping over ads as soon as I spot the dreaded D-word. But am I missing out on a lot of potentially good boats for no good reason? Is diesel heating really all right?

Here's a bit of a wish-list:

trad back cabin
separate engine room
fixed double
Elsan loo
gas cooker
gas heating
pullman dinette
forward saloon
solid fuel stove
no bow thruster

Or, if back cabin etc. idea doesn't work out:

trad or semitrad stern
rear galley
Elsan etc. as before.

Second-hand, of course.

Edited to add: I should have said that it has to be narrow beam, and no more than 58 feet in length.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 46

2011-11-20T23:14:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 1650 on Sunday 20th November 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

3 Pennine Waterways (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 JustCanals.com - Forums (=)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 ExOwnerships (=)

9 Water Explorer (+1)

10 Towpath Treks (+4)

11 Jannock Website (-2)

12 Canal Shop Company (=)

13 boatshare (=)

14 UKCanals Network (-3)

15 nb Epiphany (=)

16 Waterway Routes (=)

17 nb Waiouru (=)

18 Takey Tezey (=)

19 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+3)

20 Chertsey (=)

21 Narrowboat.co.uk (-2)

22 Narrowboat Caxton (+2)

23 Herbie (-2)

24 Derwent6 (+3)

25 Baddie the Pirate (-)

26 nb Piston Broke (+3)

27 Halfie (+1)

28 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-)

29 Nb. Yarwood (-)

30 Google Earth Canal Maps (-7)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 144 entries altogether, down from 151 last week.

Can you identify this? - the full photo

2011-11-19T22:30:00.000Z

As Andy has correctly said, this is where the River Cherwell leaves the Oxford Canal just above Shipton Weir Lock.

The blue boat is moored on the river, in the supposedly unnavigable section above the weir. Jan is steering Shadow into the lock just out of shot on the right.

The position of the lettering on the sign suggests that there used to be a word or words above "Oxford Canal". Perhaps it read "British Waterways" or British Waterways Board". Does anyone know?

Can you identify this? (still more revealed)

2011-11-18T22:30:00.000Z

Well, this should at least reveal the waterway it's on!

But where?

Can you identify this? (more revealed)

2011-11-17T22:30:00.000Z

Here is quite a bit more of the photo I started showing yesterday.

In the next post I'll show what's to the left of the reflection. That'll help.

In the meantime perhaps there's enough here for someone to get it.

Can you identify this?

2011-11-16T23:00:00.000Z

Here's a mid-November teaser.

What and where is it?

More to be revealed tomorrow.

Dashwood Lock and curious cow

2011-11-15T22:30:00.000Z

Neil has just started his annual Herbie Awards, his first category being "best day's cruising". One contender is a day on the southern Oxford Canal. Well, last month we had a week on that canal, and it was one of the best weeks' cruising we have had, so I won't be surprised if it wins.

Looking back at Dashwood Lock just after we had descended, I saw a cow crossing the bridge.

She was probably going to join her mates at the watering hole.

What made this a particularly good week?

We had plenty of time to stop and explore as we went along

We had guests on board for some of the time

We saw Maffi, Bones and Kate en route (sorry about the rather dated link)

We got to the very end of the canal, thus ticking off another bit of waterway

We had good weather

Henry Rodolph de Salis and my possible connection with him

2011-11-14T23:20:00.000Z

Henry Rodolph de Salis compiled Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers of England and Wales (1904) after spending 11 years exploring every inch of them in his launch, covering 14,000 miles in the process. The book is a marvellously detailed record of every navigable waterway in existence at the beginning of the twentieth century. It lists all the locks and distances between junctions, wharves and towns. It gives brief details of what goods were carried, maximum size of vessels and through which counties the waterways passed.

Mr. de Salis includes a glossary which contains the now well known "gongoozler" (an idle and inquisitive person who stands staring for prolonged periods at anything out of the common. This word is believed to have its origin in the Lake District of England.) The glossary includes such essentials as "loodel", "soar pin" and "jambing pole".

I have a 1969 David and Charles reprint of the 1904 edition and find it a valuable adjunct to Nicholson's Guides, especially to find out a bit about the history of the waterway I might be on.

For example, here is the start of the distance table for the Worcester and Birmingham Canal (No. 90b) (every waterway in the guide is given a reference number).

Birmingham, Worcester Bar, Miles. Fur.

junction with Birmingham

Canal Navigations, Main Line

(No. 10a1), to-

Birmingham, Granville Street Bridge - 2
Birmingham, Davenport's Brewery - 3
Birmingham,

Sturge's and Bloxham's Wharves - 4
Edgbaston Brewery ... ... ... - 6
Islington and Wheeley's Road Wharves - 7
Stop Gates,

Worcester end of Edgbaston Valley 1 6
Pritchett's Wharf ... ... ... 2 2
Metchley Park Tip ... ... ... 2 4

Kirby's Pool Tip ... ... ... 2 6

Selly Oak Wharves, and junction with

Birmingham Canal Navigations,

Dudley Canal, Line No. 2 (No. 10f2) 3 0

(I hope the formatting comes out right - I don't know how to do it properly.)

That should give you an idea of what it's like. You can pinpoint, to the nearest furlong, each listed wharf etc.

And my (possible) connection with the great man (who was also a director of Fellows, Morton and Clayton)?

Well, on Saturday we left the BCF AGM in Kidlington to drive straight to Norwich for a meal with other members of our village choral society. I discovered the surname of one of the singers there was de Salis. She confirmed that there were Rodolphs in the family, and thought it likely that she was related to H.R. I was impressed.

There's a sad footnote. The February 26th 1936 edition of The Times reports:

Mr. Henry Rodolph de Salis, brother of Count Sir John de Salis, was found shot dead yesterday in his bedroom at his home, Acton Lodge, Church Hill, Leamington. A revolver lay near the body. Mr. de Salis, who was 69 years of age, was prominent in business circles in Birmingham. A recognised authority on canal traffic problems, he was the chairman of Messrs. Fellows, Morton and Clayton canal carriers.

Spring is on the way

2011-11-13T22:30:00.000Z

Jan drew my attention to the fact that daffodils are already coming up in our garden.

Perhaps we'll bypass winter this year. Or perhaps not.

Top Thirty, 2011 week 45

2011-11-13T22:29:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 1420 on Sunday 13th November 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

3 Pennine Waterways (=)

4 CanalPlanAC (=)

5 JustCanals.com - Forums (=)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 ExOwnerships (+4)

9 Jannock Website (-1)

10 Water Explorer (-1)

11 UKCanals Network (+5)

12 Canal Shop Company (+3)

13 boatshare (-2)

14 Towpath Treks (-4)

15 nb Epiphany (-2)

16 Waterway Routes (-2)

17 nb Waiouru (+1)

18 Takey Tezey (+1)

19 Narrowboat.co.uk (-2)

20 Chertsey (+3)

21 Herbie (+3)

22 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (-1)

23 Google Earth Canal Maps (-3)

24 Narrowboat Caxton (-)

25 Narrowboat Bones (-3)

26 nb Lucky Duck (-1)

27 Derwent6 (-)

28 Halfie (-2)

29 nb Piston Broke (-1)

30 Working Boat Hadar (-)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 151 entries altogether.

BCF AGM at Kidlington

2011-11-12T23:59:00.000Z

I did a lot of driving today - everywhere's a long way from Norfolk. We went to the AGM of the Boaters' Christian Fellowship which was in Kidlington, near Oxford.

It made a pleasant change from Nottingham, which was where it's been held in recent years.

Not that I have anything against Nottingham, but our route to Oxford takes us very near to where we used to live in Buckinghamshire, and it's good to revisit old stamping grounds.

The old Volvo performed reasonably, the only hiccup being a reluctance to start from hot after a loo stop in Milton Keynes. Well, it is 42 years old. The car, that is. (MK is actually two years older than that, being designated a "new town" in 1967.)

Canal meets railway at Lower Heyford*

2011-11-11T22:30:00.000Z

The water was still still at 0945 when we cruised through Lower Heyford last month.

The railway and canal come very close to each other here, with a convenient station. It's reminiscent of Bournville on the Worcester and Birmingham ...

... only not quite so purple.

* yes, I know the canal came first

There's something "wrong" with this towpath

2011-11-10T22:30:00.000Z

I was interested to see the cattle coming up to the water's edge on the Oxford Canal at Somerton, and it took me a few moments to realise what was different from normal.

This was the towpath side - and there was no hedge. There must be very few lengths of canal without some sort of towpath boundary, and, from the evidence of my own travels, it is usually a hedge. (The photo is taken looking back towards Somerton Bridge 196.)

15 minutes earlier the low autumn sunshine was giving a warm glow to the scene at Meadlands Bridge 195.

Have you ever seen a footpath sign like this?

2011-11-09T23:00:00.000Z

I hadn't, until Pigeon Lock (I think it was) on the Oxford Canal last month.

I especially like the bite taken out of the rusty post!

Another date in the wall

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000Z

As we went into Oxford last month I spotted some writing on a wall. We'd gone past before I had a chance to get my camera out, so I resolved to photograph it when we came back.

I almost missed it again, it was so faint. And impossible to see on the unenlarged photo above. But there it is, inscribed into the cement rendering, while setting, at the foot of a canalside wall:

MAY 1ST 1956.

C.N.R. (?) HOLMES.

MATE

L.H.W. WEBB

Wow! That graffiti - if I can call it that - was done before I was born! Presumably messrs. Holmes and Webb were two of the builders responsible for the block of flats above.

As I was on my way to work ...

2011-11-07T22:30:00.000Z

... I stopped to take three photos of the sunset.

This was the best.

Yes, on the way to, and not from, work. Unlike Adam I don't often have to start in the evening, but during the footy season I occasionally have to go in to compile the highlights of some of the local matches. This was a few days ago.

Floating shed

2011-11-06T22:30:00.000Z

Just south of the wooden pyramid is an unusual boat.

It's a garden shed on water.

It looks like a very nice garden shed.

I wouldn't mind one in my garden.

Presumably its profile would stop it getting through bridges, let alone tunnels, so it probably doesn't move very much. So it doesn't really need to float. It might as well be standing on stilts - or standing on the bank.

Top Thirty, 2011 Week 44

2011-11-06T22:29:00.000Z

Here is the UK Waterways Site Ranking as it stood at 0920 on Sunday 6th November 2011. This is taken, with permission, from Tony Blews's UK Waterways Ranking Site.

1 Canal World Discussion Forums (=)

2 Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)

3 Pennine Waterways (+1)

4 CanalPlanAC (-1)

5 JustCanals.com - Forums (=)

6 CanalCuttings.co.uk (=)

7 Granny Buttons (=)

8 Jannock Website (=)

9 Water Explorer (=)

10 Towpath Treks (=)

11 boatshare (=)

12 ExOwnerships (=)

13 nb Epiphany (+2)

14 Waterway Routes (=)

15 Canal Shop Company (+3)

16 UKCanals Network (=)

17 Narrowboat.co.uk (=)

18 nb Waiouru (+3)

19 Takey Tezey (=)

20 Google Earth Canal Maps (+4)

21 Captain Ahab's Watery Tales (+1)

22 Narrowboat Bones (-2)

23 Chertsey (+3)

24 Herbie (-11)

25 nb Lucky Duck (-)

26 Halfie (+4)

27 Baddie the Pirate (-)

28 nb Piston Broke (+1)

29 Contented Souls (-)

30 Narrowboat Briar Rose (-7)

The figures in parentheses denote the number of places moved since the previous chart;
(-) denotes new entry or re-entry into the top thirty;
(=) denotes no change.

There are 150 entries altogether.