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shopping for local food along the Leeds Liverpool Canal


Rosemary

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Captain and Mrs Noah are sailing the full length of the leeds liverpool - twice - in June/July. We want to buy our food along the canal - fresh and local. We will be looking for bread, milk, fruit and veg and occassional meat. We are happy to buy off locals such as allotment holders.

 

We are doing this to raise awareness about climate change and the need for us to begin to live more simply and slowly. Narrowboating is a great example. We will be talking to folk along the way and running events - fun, of course - where we can.

 

Can you all help?

 

Thanks

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If you are raising awareness to climate change why are you using a diesel engine burning diesel and using fossil fuels to heat it?

Thanks for raising an important topic - we really did consider it and we are sure we will be asked it again and again as we journey. We didn't really want to get bogged down in this particular discussion on this forum - but to answer we have discussed it among our group and feel that the other aspects of narrowboating - slow pace, local, no-flying, enjoying the moment,often the canal is close to train stations so folk can join us without using a car, an attractive to the media event, opportunity to meet folk outsite of our usual lives.....out weighed the diesel consumption. We seriously considered a horse.....and as this is a one off event we were not in the position to look at PV cells, wind and solar as an alternative- should they exist.

 

Hope you can help us out in reducing our food miles by suggesting local grown and produced food within a brief walk of the canal. In june/july we are hoping to access at the very least fresh salad, early pots and carrots, possibly even some soft fruits - strawberries.....and would like to support local independant shops for milk and bread.

 

Look forward to your help.

 

Will be away now from computer until monday.

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If you're doing the L&L both ways you'll be out for what, 4 or 5 weeks?

Plenty of time to grow your own lettuce, radish and other quick growing stuff in trays on the boat roof.

Particularly if you start them off before you go....

Maybe take a couple of laying hens with you too?

 

John

MV Sara.

 

Hope you can help us out in reducing our food miles by suggesting local grown and produced food within a brief walk of the canal. In june/july we are hoping to access at the very least fresh salad, early pots and carrots, possibly even some soft fruits - strawberries.....and would like to support local independant shops for milk and bread.

 

Look forward to your help.

 

Will be away now from computer until monday.

Edited by barge sara
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Thanks for raising an important topic - we really did consider it and we are sure we will be asked it again and again as we journey. We didn't really want to get bogged down in this particular discussion on this forum - but to answer we have discussed it among our group and feel that the other aspects of narrowboating - slow pace, local, no-flying, enjoying the moment,often the canal is close to train stations so folk can join us without using a car, an attractive to the media event, opportunity to meet folk outsite of our usual lives.....out weighed the diesel consumption. We seriously considered a horse.....and as this is a one off event we were not in the position to look at PV cells, wind and solar as an alternative- should they exist.

 

Hope you can help us out in reducing our food miles by suggesting local grown and produced food within a brief walk of the canal. In june/july we are hoping to access at the very least fresh salad, early pots and carrots, possibly even some soft fruits - strawberries.....and would like to support local independant shops for milk and bread.

 

Look forward to your help.

 

Will be away now from computer until monday.

 

Hmm, sorry but that looks like a bit of a cop-out to me.

 

Buying locally grown stuff whilst on the trip isn't helping the environment half as much as staying at home would.

 

Given that there is a water shortage on the L&L, your trip is looking rather less than eco-friendly.

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Hmm, sorry but that looks like a bit of a cop-out to me.

 

Buying locally grown stuff whilst on the trip isn't helping the environment half as much as staying at home would.

 

Given that there is a water shortage on the L&L, your trip is looking rather less than eco-friendly.

 

Steady on. You will be agreeing with me next :lol:

 

Must be something in the water

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Hmm, sorry but that looks like a bit of a cop-out to me.

 

Buying locally grown stuff whilst on the trip isn't helping the environment half as much as staying at home would.

 

Given that there is a water shortage on the L&L, your trip is looking rather less than eco-friendly.

 

"Accessing" doesn't necessarily mean they are planning to buy the stuff either. They could access a field of spuds in the middle of the night!

 

I'm not suggesting the eco-adventurers would do that; I'm just reminiscing.

Edited by journeyperson
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There is no such thing as an "environmentally friendly" human being. Never was, never will be. Some are slightly more environmentally friendly than others.

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There is no such thing as an "environmentally friendly" human being. Never was, never will be. Some are slightly more environmentally friendly than others.

 

Indeed.

 

Some of us accept that we are intrinsically not environmentally friendly.

 

SOme of us engage in "look at me, look how green I am" gestures whilst being nothing of the sort

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So everyone keeps of the L&L because there is a water shortage? If that's the ase would anyone ever go there?

We were there in one of the wettest August's recently and there was a water shortage then., The dog nearly drowned because she slipped in and the sloping towpath was so wet it was difficult to get her out. Why is there a constant water shortage up there? (Genuinely interested not getting at any one)

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So everyone keeps of the L&L because there is a water shortage? If that's the ase would anyone ever go there?

We were there in one of the wettest August's recently and there was a water shortage then., The dog nearly drowned because she slipped in and the sloping towpath was so wet it was difficult to get her out. Why is there a constant water shortage up there? (Genuinely interested not getting at any one)

I have been hearing that one since 1967. Does get low now and again, but other than the breach (breech? can never remember) at Parbold a few years ago, we have managed to stay afloat so far. It must be the wide locks that does it you know.

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Apparently(?) BW have announced today that there are restrictions on lock use up here. 10am to 6pm, should save a cupful.

 

I have some difficulty understanding how a boat uses less water by going through locks between 10 am and 6 pm than it would outside those hours.

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What water shortage? I have been on L & L for 5 weeks between Wigan and Liverpool seemed ok to me on Rufford now but that is allways short of water.

As for original post there are loads of farm shops allong the L & L and as the L & L is about 130 miles would be difficult to list them all.

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I have some difficulty understanding how a boat uses less water by going through locks between 10 am and 6 pm than it would outside those hours.

 

I believe that the idea is that restricting times makes it more likely that there will be no need to turn empty locks.

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'Could do with 2CV Man popping over to Foulridge and taking a couple of pics of the reservoirs for us. I'd do it but I'm down in Skipton, loads of water down here. But there will be, it's not the summit pound is it?

 

BW have done some "spot dredging" at East Marton. The reason for this is so they can lower Marton Pool by 2" to save water.

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'Could do with 2CV Man popping over to Foulridge and taking a couple of pics of the reservoirs for us. I'd do it but I'm down in Skipton, loads of water down here. But there will be, it's not the summit pound is it?

 

BW have done some "spot dredging" at East Marton. The reason for this is so they can lower Marton Pool by 2" to save water.

They were both well down when I passed last week, where does all the water go to I wonder..? Same thing happens every year all these boats at Skipton must have used it all up..!!!

Edited by Dalesman
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Being new to this site and having been assured of the friendliness of boating folk I am a bit surprised at the tone of some of the replies. I was recommended to open a discussion on the forum as I was told I would get lots of help and advice so to those who offered that - thanks.

 

As to growing our own - we are out for 3 weeks for the trip and as several of us have our own allotments we will be bringing what we can.We are not eco warriors so there is no chance we will stealing spuds in the night............ but I will check my earlies before I come to see if any are ready for lifting. And as for hens - I am not sure how happy mine would be on the roof as they are currently free range and happily spend their days pottering about. Seems a bit mean to confine them. I expect we can get eggs locally.Hopefully the farm shops will have their signs out on the canal for us to see.

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