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Around England Tour

BD3Bill

By BD3Bill
in Holidays Afloat

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BD3Bill Community Regular

BD3Bill

Posted
Posted (edited)

So chums, the opportunity to do a long long trip around the network is possible.

 

The germ of an idea you understand.

 

To visit the most northern, western, southern, eastern reaches of the (more or less) connected network.

 

Leaving the Oxford Canal to: Llangollen, Portishead, Godalming, Limehouse, Denver, Ripon & then who knows where!

 

Time 6 months i.e. May to October.

 

Any thoughts or linkys to someone who has done similar?

 

 

 

Our boat is 45ft with 3' draught with an engine more than capable of the hard work.

 

(Realise the need for a Pilot, clean filters & VHF etc etc)

 

PS ETA Is it possible to get to Thetford ??? The place... not the cassette !

Edited by BD3Bill
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Tim Lewis Veteran

Tim Lewis

Posted
Posted

So chums, the opportunity to do a long long trip around the network is possible.

 

The germ of an idea you understand.

 

To visit the most northern, western, southern, eastern reaches of the (more or less) connected network.

 

Leaving the Oxford Canal to: Llangollen, Portishead, Godalming, Limehouse, Denver, Ripon & then who knows where!

 

Time 6 months i.e. May to October.

 

Any thoughts or linkys to someone who has done similar?

 

 

 

Our boat is 45ft with 3' draught with an engine more than capable of the hard work.

 

(Realise the need for a Pilot, clean filters & VHF etc etc)

 

PS ETA Is it possible to get to Thetford ??? The place... not the cassette !

You cannot get to Thetford (which was on the Little Ouse/Brandon Creek) The nearest you are likely to get is just above Brandon assuming that you can gat through Brandon Lock which only takes boats up to 45'

 

Tim

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Tim Lewis Veteran

Tim Lewis

Posted
Posted (edited)

You cannot get to Thetford (which was on the Little Ouse/Brandon Creek) The nearest you are likely to get is just above Brandon assuming that you can gat through Brandon Lock which only takes boats up to 45'

 

Tim

We have done most of these Waterways on Fulbourne which draws 3 feet. We have struggled on the Wey south of Guildford which the National Trust say is limited to 2'6" . We also had fun around Chirk on the Llangollen but it was a while ago.

 

When you go through Stanground onto the Middle Levels you should tell the lock keeper in advance about your depth so that they can adjust the levels.

 

Tin

Edited by Tim Lewis
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Peter X Experienced

Peter X

Posted
Posted

The question of how long it would take to tour the entire connected network was discussed in a recent topic, the general conclusion being about a year depending on the exact definition, having a crew dedicated to the cause, and a certain amount of luck avoiding unplanned stoppages. I reckon it could be done in a summer season May to October but you would really have to like doing an endless succession of long days of boating, eating on the move and not going down the pub much.

 

If you were just planning to reach the named extremities without necessarily covering every stretch of water in between, that would reduce the task quite a lot, but you still might end up wishing you'd started in April.

 

If your crew mutiny after a long succession of 14 hour days in midsummer, you might want to make use of the Crew Swap sub-forum to recruit some more. There are various forum members who will turn out to help in their local area for an odd day, and a few like myself who are happy to come along and help do hundreds of locks/miles in a week for nothing more than food and accommodation. Also some of the bigger lock flights such as Wigan or Caen Hill have an organised group who can provide help.

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Scholar Gypsy Veteran

Scholar Gypsy

Posted
Posted (edited)

If you are doing the Bristol Channel and the Wash, then I think you should do the Medway as well, to Tonbridge.

 

There are a number of resources for the Wash and Medway voyages on Scholar Gypsy's blog.

 

There are some rather large trees down on the Little Ouse upstream of Brandon, so (if you can get through the lock) you can't get much further. Well worth the walk to Thetford though, and then get a train back to Brandon. https://nbsg.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/narrowboating-in-norfolk-the-brecks-and-grimes-graves/

 

I am rather envious.

 

PS Ribble Link? Mersey?

Edited by Scholar Gypsy
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