Canals and alcohol

[Felshampo]

I have been contemplating buying my own boat to spend my retirement on the canals. I have had many a holiday on various rivers and canals in my kayak and even had a few on a narrow boat and my sisters small cruiser. I get both Waterside World and the Canal Boat every month.

One thing that puts me off is the constants references to pubs. In this months WW the review of the Macc includes a typical quote "don,t even try to leave the town without trying one of the pubs, Waters Green is a good place to commence a pub crawl"

These sorts of comments are all too common. I also noticed that in the recant TV program "Canal journeys" that many a bottle of wine was on show. Yet in the similar "Great railway journeys" and "Walking canals" programs local pubs never get a mention.

Are all narrow boat owners pipe smoking Camra members? I don't think so. Does the lifestyle turn you to drink? Should I buy an RV instead?

[Machpoint005]

A lot of canal enthusiasts enjoy a good pint. Some are teetotal. Much the same cross section as society at large, I'd suggest.

[Grace and Favour]

Yes

 

 

[ditchy]

Tea and beer is my diet

[mattlad]

Very little harm when drinking in moderation. I drink less when I am boating than I do in "normal life".....

 

I wouldn't recommend getting drunk and then going boating.

 

I'd be lying if I said I have never cruised with a pint in hand. I have not done it recently though!

[John V]

wonderful poem posted a while ago....blowed if I can find it now

 

 

"Boatload of wine

that'l do fine

Keep me afloat till september........."

 

sure someone will know where it is

[Rod a mod from Tod]

I don't think it is compulsory to join in.

[Quinafloat]

I can assure you that there are many of us, on the canals and rivers, who have no interest in pubs. You will find us moored in the wilds.

[magnetman]

There is a Continuous Boozer issue in some places but not everywhere

[keble]

Pubs are not just about getting p*ssed!

Also about eating and meeting. You can drink what the hell you want.

Most people don't have to sink pints of 6x to show how (insert adjective of choice) they are.

[Peter X]

As an ex-drinker who nevertheless makes some wine each year for the hell of it to give away to friends and family, I can see both sides of this. Alcohol is as much a part of the canals as it is of the rest of British and European culture, and of course people can take it or leave it. Since I gave it up 25 years ago, I've naturally spent less time in pubs, and that can lead to feeling like a bit of an outsider to society, but if I'm with a group of people who are drinking I just have a lemonade, cup of tea or whatever and people accept it.

 

By and large boaters seem to be pretty sensible about their drinking, most of it seems to happen after mooring up for the night, and there's much less scope for small errors to have catastrophic consequences on a 4mph narrow boat than on the roads. Big errors are another matter, such as the stag party boat which got caught on a cill on the K&A last month. I don't think we know for sure that the person on the tiller on that occasion was off their head, but it must be a possibility.

 

The ultimate vessel for safe drinking and boating is probably a punt on a nice tame river like the Cherwell at Oxford. A bunch of us would hire one for four hours (students got a very cheap rate), set off up river so that the return journey was easier, and stagger back into town at the end for dinner. I never fell in but I saw a few others do it. We toned things down a bit on the Thames, that has its hazards and deserves a bit of respect.

[RLWP]

I have been contemplating buying my own boat to spend my retirement on the canals. I have had many a holiday on various rivers and canals in my kayak and even had a few on a narrow boat and my sisters small cruiser. I get both Waterside World and the Canal Boat every month.

One thing that puts me off is the constants references to pubs. In this months WW the review of the Macc includes a typical quote "don,t even try to leave the town without trying one of the pubs, Waters Green is a good place to commence a pub crawl"

These sorts of comments are all too common. I also noticed that in the recant TV program "Canal journeys" that many a bottle of wine was on show. Yet in the similar "Great railway journeys" and "Walking canals" programs local pubs never get a mention.

Are all narrow boat owners pipe smoking Camra members? I don't think so. Does the lifestyle turn you to drink? Should I buy an RV instead?

Buy an RV or even better, a caravan. All caravanners are famously drunkards

 

Don't you just love an ill informed stereotype*

 

Richard

 

*mine, of course

[gazza]

Some waterways (and users) drive you to drink....

 

You could always start a floating temperance movement in the vain hope of converting us heathens.

[Athy]

 

Most people don't have to sink pints of 6x to show how (insert adjective of choice) they are.

Discerning.

[NB Alton]

I think it's natural that good pubs get a mention when discussing canals. They're both a very special part of our heritage with a important role in today's world. The Waters Green in Macc is a great pub too, we supply the coal for their lovely open fires & they keep an excellent pint. If you don't like pubs or alcohol, I'm sure you can still enjoy our canals, we're got plenty of tee-total friends on the cut.

[Wanted]

Before I became a boater I was going to be a super model, I decided against it in the end because if the constant reference to cocaine and binge eating. Anyhow, I'd love to stop only I am off for a pint with some other forumites, they used to be firefighters but got concerned about smoke inhalation...

[boathunter]

The first time I ever visited a NB I was offered a coffee at 9:30am that was at least half brandy. Whether that's typical who knows.

I'm 99% TT myself, normally just the occaisional sociable pint but I enjoyed that coffee.

[Naughty Cal]

There is something quite nice about cruising down river on a sunny summers day with a can of beer to hand. It isn't mandatory but just nice.

 

Save the serious drinking for when moored up though.

 

I'm sure it's no coincidence that there are a good many nice waterside pubs though

[billS]

Wind up merchant, I think. A first post calculated to piss of probably 90% of the forum members is a bit unlikely to be genuine.

[system 4-50]

If you are against alcohol, the canal system is an excellent mechanism for seeing closed pubs.

Edited April 13, 2014 by system 4-50

[Athy]

But he must be genuine - he reads Waterside World.

[Ray T]

From here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Smith,_George_(1831-1895)_(DNB00)

 

George Smith of Coleville, 1831 - 1895

 

In 1873 Smith turned his attention to the conditions of life of the one hundred thousand men, women, and children living on canals and navigable rivers. He found drunkenness and immorality alarmingly rife among them.

[Wanted]

Interestingly, Hogarth's 'Gin lane' was commissioned by the Beer manufacturers of the time, in a less famous picture 'Beer Street' Hogarth depicts wealth and affluence where the pawn broker has gone bust where as in Gin street the Pawn broker is the only one doing well. Propaganda of the highest order. Note the artist painting the sign in Beer street, thought to be a 'selfie' the only thin, hard done by artist forced into this kind of sell out work. (Beer street on the left)

 

Edited April 13, 2014 by Wanted

[b0atman]

Pubs are the community centre of English culture .They sell Alcoholic and non-Alcoholic drinks most now do food so don't knock them for one day they may all be gone.

[craftycarper]

I have been contemplating buying my own boat to spend my retirement on the canals. I have had many a holiday on various rivers and canals in my kayak and even had a few on a narrow boat and my sisters small cruiser. I get both Waterside World and the Canal Boat every month.

One thing that puts me off is the constants references to pubs. In this months WW the review of the Macc includes a typical quote "don,t even try to leave the town without trying one of the pubs, Waters Green is a good place to commence a pub crawl"

These sorts of comments are all too common. I also noticed that in the recant TV program "Canal journeys" that many a bottle of wine was on show. Yet in the similar "Great railway journeys" and "Walking canals" programs local pubs never get a mention.

Are all narrow boat owners pipe smoking Camra members? I don't think so. Does the lifestyle turn you to drink? Should I buy an RV instead?

. It's like everything else in life if you want a pint enjoy one if not get a squash or stay away you are the master of your own destiny ,have yet to be forced in anywhere I did,nt want to go ,that's a bit of an open ended question really if you buy an rv you will still have to drive past pubs ,I don't know anyone that bought a boat because of the pubs but lots of boat owners that enjoy a pint the choice is yours