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Another one with first time questions


Big hairy spider

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I know a few of you think I'm an alter ego on here, but I'm not. I just wandered in a while back with narrow boat dreams

Anyway, long story short, was booked up for Amsterdam which got cancelled and I managed to convince her indoors it really was a good idea to chill on a boat. So.

Having very little knowledge, nearly none, of the canal world, where is the best location to try and book this month for a gentle potter around with decent pubs and beautiful short distance cruising.

Any good rentals there you know of?

Nothing fancy, priority is nice relaxing pace and atmosphere for a few days

Your help is appreciated

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I'd make sure you had a nice warm heater to sit round and plenty of board games and books. With the possibility of freezing showers, you may not fancy actually travelling much and should rather treat the boat as a cosy cottage.

 

If you insist on travelling in bad weather - and it's a 2-person job - you may put your other half off for ever!

 

Don't be ambitious to travel too far, wear suitable clothing and be VERY careful on the slippery paths and boat.

 

If you get good weather - that's a fantastic bonus!

  • Greenie 1
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I'm up in Scotland so no idea about canal geography or what town is nice etc

I,ll check on heating when I get around to booking but log burner sounds good. I'm not looking to travel too far, but you've got to have a go at driving a boat given the chance

Thanks for the replies, the search continues

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We are now into the winter stoppages period, so plenty of places are closed down. Have a look here for places which arent affected before Christmas and then look for hire bases in those areas. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/winter/#staticFile


For example, a quick check shows that the Shroppie should be clear, so a hire from Chas Hardern at Beeston might be a good option.


They have a wee boat called Thorin which can be hired from about £500pw and has a multi fuel stove too. http://www.chashardern.co.uk/narrowboat_thorin.htm

 

(no connection with company - other hire companies are available)

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...or, if they are hiring at this time of year, the Ashby Boat Co. might be worth a look, as neither the Ashby Canal nor the main line canal for several miles in each direction has any locks. The Ashby is very pretty.

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Any suggestions for oop north? OP is in Scotland. Anything on the Crinan?

 

I don't think so on the Crinan, which is only 9 miles long.

 

There is a hire fleet on the Forth and Clyde at Falkirk. If you're thinking of hiring in winter, the Falkirk Wheel will be closed down for 3 weeks in February, and there are other closures on the Union Canal starting 9th December and fairly continuous to March. The Forth and Clyde has closures at lift bridges starting "mid February" and looking like lasting until the end of March, with a further closure now planned for May or June. (right in transit season!)

 

The Caledonian will be closed 6th January to 20th March.

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...or, if they are hiring at this time of year, the Ashby Boat Co. might be worth a look, as neither the Ashby Canal nor the main line canal for several miles in each direction has any locks. The Ashby is very pretty.

Seconded.

 

If it is cold and wet you will almost certainly put your wife off if you have ever to do locks together.

 

 

The Ashby is pretty and almost all rural except for the very beginning and Hinkley.

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Seconded.

 

If it is cold and wet you will almost certainly put your wife off if you have ever to do locks together.

 

 

The Ashby is pretty and almost all rural except for the very beginning and Hinkley.

The Ashby Boat Co.'s last available start date appears to be December 3rd, after which they close for the winter.

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College cruisers based at Oxford have boats with solid fuel stoves and hire during the winter. There are some stoppages on parts of the Oxford canal this winter so you would need to check with the dates you want. Their hire fleet are cheaper than many and the Oxford is a doddle to do for inexperienced boaters.

 

Tim

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College cruisers based at Oxford have boats with solid fuel stoves and hire during the winter. There are some stoppages on parts of the Oxford canal this winter so you would need to check with the dates you want. Their hire fleet are cheaper than many and the Oxford is a doddle to do for inexperienced boaters.

 

Tim

 

The other thing that makes boating in cold weather a delight is a trad stern boat, with a stove just inside the back doors at your feet.

 

Stand in the hatches with the doors closed behind you and while the top of you freezes, your legs and bum are toasty warm !

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The other thing that makes boating in cold weather a delight is a trad stern boat, with a stove just inside the back doors at your feet.

 

Stand in the hatches with the doors closed behind you and while the top of you freezes, your legs and bum are toasty warm !

Reminds me of that old, and distasteful, joke whose punchline is "Back on your heads".

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It might be worth looking at fibreglass cruisers at this time of year, control the boat from inside.

 

Norfolk broads should avoid stoppages at this time of year. Other alternatives are the Seven and Avon or the Cambridgeshire waterways (Ooze).

Most of the hire fleets on the Broads stop hiring in November and don't start again until March.

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  • 3 months later...

I know I've missed this by a few months - I've only just seen this original post by Big Hairy Spider, but I agree with Canal Cuttings and Little Else about the need for a decent heater.  Even in September, the evenings can be cold.  We've been able to hire boats with multi-fuel / log burners a few times - most recently last September through Anglo-Welsh (from their base at Trevor).  Below is a few seconds film of the fire well lit on that trip - cosy!  (The dog seemed to like it too!!)

 

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