Narrow Boat Trip Summer 07
Monday - September 10, 2007•Views: 6911••
This summer, Lesley and I, along with English friends John and Anne, chartered a narrow boat and toured some of the beautiful English Countryside. The boat was a 7ft wide and 65 ft long narrow boat, chartered from Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays, name “Star Dance”. Company info can be located on the web at http://www.anglowelsh.co.uk . The charter cost was approximately 1500 pounds per week.
Like any other bare boat charter arrangement we were responsible for provisioning and all linens, utensils, etc were provided. We were responsible for the operation of the boat and all of the locks that we would experience along the way.
The locks consisted of two basic types - a single paddle, which had only one gate at each end and also the double paddle, with two gates at each end. Most of the canals were one boat wide but the Grand Union Canal (Braunston to Kingswood Junction) would hold two boats at one time.
Operation of the locks was done manually using a key (looked like a winch handle) as follows. If you are going up in elevation you have to lower the water in the lock and then open the paddle on the low side of the lock. You then drive the boat in, close the paddle behind you, making sure that the water gate is closed, then open the water gate on the high side of the lock till the lock is flooded. You then operate the high side paddle and drive out of the lock, making sure that the water gate and paddle are closed before you leave. Some of the locks were closely grouped where you had a very steep climb and these were called flights. Each lock typically would raise or lower the boat about 8 feet!
In spite of the weather, wettest summer on record in England, we only had one day that was a complete washout. We started out in the village of Wootten Wawen on the Stratford on Avon Canal and went up through Birmingham, stopping at the Black Country Museum, then across the Midlands on the Coventry Canal, Oxford Canal, Grand Union Canal and then back down the Stratford on Avon. In all we did over 160 locks, had a total elevation change of over 1000 feet, and I tried over 60 traditional ales! The scenery was beautiful, the pubs were outstanding, and we had a great time. Can now say though that the narrow boat is harder to back than my IP!
Like any other bare boat charter arrangement we were responsible for provisioning and all linens, utensils, etc were provided. We were responsible for the operation of the boat and all of the locks that we would experience along the way.
The locks consisted of two basic types - a single paddle, which had only one gate at each end and also the double paddle, with two gates at each end. Most of the canals were one boat wide but the Grand Union Canal (Braunston to Kingswood Junction) would hold two boats at one time.
Operation of the locks was done manually using a key (looked like a winch handle) as follows. If you are going up in elevation you have to lower the water in the lock and then open the paddle on the low side of the lock. You then drive the boat in, close the paddle behind you, making sure that the water gate is closed, then open the water gate on the high side of the lock till the lock is flooded. You then operate the high side paddle and drive out of the lock, making sure that the water gate and paddle are closed before you leave. Some of the locks were closely grouped where you had a very steep climb and these were called flights. Each lock typically would raise or lower the boat about 8 feet!
In spite of the weather, wettest summer on record in England, we only had one day that was a complete washout. We started out in the village of Wootten Wawen on the Stratford on Avon Canal and went up through Birmingham, stopping at the Black Country Museum, then across the Midlands on the Coventry Canal, Oxford Canal, Grand Union Canal and then back down the Stratford on Avon. In all we did over 160 locks, had a total elevation change of over 1000 feet, and I tried over 60 traditional ales! The scenery was beautiful, the pubs were outstanding, and we had a great time. Can now say though that the narrow boat is harder to back than my IP!
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