dogless

Excel is the best on our stove ... very low ash and burns well, slowly. New Heat is a good substitute. Trial and error on your particular stove is the best judge 👍🏻 Rog

The buoy at Ansty marks (I understand) the stump of a tree which grew in the bank, and would be problematic to remove without rebuilding the canal bank. I assume you mean Hillmorton locks as there's only a single stop lock at Hawkesbury. Hillmorton locks are busy, and often suffer minor break downs, but of all lock flights, Hillmorton seems in my experience to have repair work carried out fairly speedily. Rog

That obstruction and buoy was removed about four years ago, along with work being done on improving drains under the towpath to assist moving ground water, and stone filled gabions added to try and stabilise the bank. If you examine the photo of 1910 , movement can already be seen and at a time when there were few trees. It is a wet bank, made wetter by horrendous rain this winter. Without the budgets for maintenance , and workforce the railways enjoy (being a commercial enterprise not leisure based) it's hard to see what more can be done. Rog

Searching the Internet regarding this new (to us) mooring site and came across this old thread. Anyone know who operates the moorings ? There's no signage and whilst two or three boats are in there, it doesn't look like a finished project. Just curious, thanks. Rog

From Saltisford ... several boats in front of you ... where we've moored every winter since 2004. Rog

Some of us go boating because we enjoy it Tigerr. Someone deciding to do the locks for us , and boss us around at the same time, reduces that enjoyment considerably. Rog

We came up last Saturday in three hours twenty five ... only used one gate and paddle as it was quite icy. The locks were mostly set for us (but for leakage). No sign of volunteers, or indeed other boats. We're obviously not as old and infirm as we'd feared after five months at home ... and the breakfast in the cafe was stunning 👍🏻 Rog

Unless someone's hit them since 11am that's how they look now 😊 Rog

Anyone know how the story went on these two ? Rog