If you are hiring from Kate Boats you are unlikely to get as far as the Cape on the first day, bearing in mind usual hire starting time of 2pm onwards. Personally I would do Stockton locks then moor near the Two Boats/Cuttle Inn for the first night, then the Cape/Budbrooke Junction on the 2nd night and Kingswood on the 3rd.
But Canalplan as mentioned will allow you to input all sorts of variables!
A couple of these Oil-free radiators from Argos plus a dehumidifier. Considerable outlay to start with but they've served us well for 10 winters now! One window left open - bathroom porthole. Disconnect water tank and drain pipes.
Also, a tip we had from a friend who has a static caravan - leave the bed made up as it stops the mattress getting damp.
Yes, we did that!?
Well, actually it was a new build, bought off plan. We had of course visited the development and viewed the show houses, but there was no show house of the design of ours anywhere in the country, so our first "proper" visit after substantial completion of the build only took place after exchange of contracts and our second on the day we moved in!
Incidentally, we are very happy with our purchase.
Don't despair. We had our Jet2 flights to Portugal in April cancelled, and were told by email that they would be contacting people in order of departure to discuss their options. I was sceptical but sure enough we had a phone call 1 week before the departure date to say had we chosen alternative dates or would we like a credit voucher valid for 6 months. I explained that due to health issues we were not in a position to book another trip and certainly not within 6 months, whereupon the extremely pleasant young lady said "Oh, you'll be wanting a refund then" and processed it there and then. The money was back on our credit card the next day.
This was our very first narrowboat experience: https://ukcanalboating.com/Birmingham-mini-ring-from-Alvechurch-Cruising-Route.html
4 days, not exactly leisurely, but still got us hooked!
We've shied away from large areas of red because it fades so quickly (the handrails are one of the "bad bits"), Do you find that to be a problem, and does the colour have a noticeable effect on the temperature inside the boat?
Thanks for all the replies.
Yes, I have wondered if we would miss the light coloured roof from the point of view of temperature control, but the two days we spent getting it pristine in July only to have it looking distinctly mossy by October is not an experience I want to repeat too often!
Our 8 year old boat is looking a little the worse for wear but is well short of needing a full repaint. Can anyone recommend a painter within reasonable reach of the Braunston/Napton area who might be willing to touch up rust spots/ bad bits (various illnesses and physical limitations mean we've had to neglect this for a while, nor do we feel able to tackle the job in the forseeable future). At the same time we'd like the cream roof (bad mistake!) repainted to a more practical colour.
As to the roof, we are torn between raddle red and mid grey. The main colours are black, cream and red. Any preference, or other suggestions?
Many thanks in advance.
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