I can't do it!

[Zayna]

In a couple of weeks time we have to fetch our new purchase from Northampton to nearer home. On the planner, it's telling me approximately 9 x 6 hour days.

 

I'm trying to work out how to do it, whether to do it in little stages and leave it somewhere safe then pick it up the following weekend, or have a full week and see how far we get, how do we go and fetch the car, do we cadge lifts to our boat from friends, do we get the train, do we do relays in 2 cars...

 

 

Should we make a definite plan of where we're going to end up every night or just know which direction we're going and set off?

 

I've gone from being a gongoozler to a bamboozler.

 

I am sure it will all turn out well and all that, but I can't help panicking.

[Kae]

Take a week off, take plenty of food and drink and put in a few long days, jobs a good 'un!

[Athy]

Pre-planned itineraries rarely work, as all kinds of things can hold you up: queues at locks, long lines of moored boats (which you should pass slowly), a nice pub visit to shops. On the bright side, at this time of year you can keep going for far more than 6 hours per day - 12 hours per day or even a bit more is perfectly feasible if you have at least two crew members, so that steering can be shared.

Just load up, get cracking and see how far you get. You may wish to avoid having to moor in a big town, but apart from that, canals do not run to a timetable.

Regarding transport, you say that the boat is in Northampton which has a main-line railway station. What is the station nearest to your home, or rather nearest to your home mooring?

Edited July 10, 2012 by Athy

[Titus]

We had the same problems in May/April, we had 11 days to bring our boat from Willington to Yorkshire.

I planned it and doubled planned it and we did it !!!!!!!!! with half a day to spare, the weather was crap most of the time and we boated on and on 180 miles and 133 locks, NEVER AGAIN

If there ever is a next time we'll just take one day at a time and see where we end up.

It was worth it in the end but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

If you can take your time then that's the way to do it.

 

Dave

Edited July 10, 2012 by Titus

[Zayna]

Pre-planned itineraries rarely work, as all kinds of things can hold you up: queues at locks, long lines of moored boats (which you should pass slowly), a nice pub visit to shops. On the bright side, at this time of year you can keep going for far more than 6 hours per day - 12 hours per day or even a bit more is perfectly feasible if you have at least two crew members, so that steering can be shared.

Just load up, get cracking and see how far you get. You may wish to avoid having to moor in a big town, but apart from that, canals do not run to a timetable.

 

Ohhh, thank you. I was hoping someone would say this. The boat is 3 hours away by car, I was thinking we could go down next weekend for a day or two and finish the little nit bit jobs that need doing, make the bed up, load the pots and pans, then drive home, then the following weekend get someone to drop us and our beer groceries and hand luggage off, set off and see how far we get, then ring someone to pick us up. Does that sound like a plan?

[Paul C]

Canalplan is a great tool but please take its results with a pinch of salt. They are very much an 'average' or 'guideline' measure but you can easily exceed the distances they think you can do in a day. So I'd say, so long as you're focused on keeping going, just set off and stop when its dark or you want to. I think the trick of putting in good mileage per day is to effectively use the 2 ends of the day with daylight, that nobody else seems to bother with. I reckon that gives you, effectively, about 18 hours per day's motoring if you need it. Realistically, you could do less and stop in the daytime for a long lunch or afternoon nap.

[Nine of Hearts]

Should we make a definite plan of where we're going to end up every night or just know which direction we're going and set off?

 

Plan.

 

Plan, plan, plan.

 

If you don't you'll introduce stress. If you just hope for the best you could end up cruising in the last of the daylight hoping there's a suitable mooring somewhere in the not-so-pleasant-area you've found yourself in. And then when you do moor up, you'll be twitching at every odd noise. When with a bit of forethought you could have been somewhere nice and cosy.

 

Use Google-earth or just google maps if nothing else, you can see where roads come close to your route so can better arrange your car/bike relaying. You will also be able to see where other boats moor up.

 

And err on the side of caution with time, don't attempt to get too far at one go. You invariably get held up by something, so it'll spoil your day if you're in a rush.

 

Did I mention that I think you should plan?

[carlt]

Personally I'd take a week off, do the Nene then bring your boat home over weekends, mooring up close to public transport, so you can go back and retrieve your car.

[Athy]

There you are then Zayna, several replies, all given in good faith by experienced boaters, and expressing diametrically opposite views! This, you will find, is one of the exciting features of this forum.

Our posts crossed I think, as you replied to mine while I was editing it. What's the nearest railway station to your home? Going down by train would minimise car use and thus minimise the extent to which you had to rely on other people. For example, you can get from Manchester to N'hampton in just under two hours, with one change of train at MK.

Titus, I know the feeling. When Mrs. Athy and I picked up our last boat from Foxhangers in Wiltshire where it was launched, we had 14 days in which to get it back to Springwood Haven marina near Nuneaton. We HAD to do it because we were doing it as a "sponsored lock-crawl" for local charities. Our unexpected delay (se Nine's post) occurred in Hungerford lock when the gearbox parted company with the engine! It took 2 days to reunite them successfully. So we did the 180 miles and 150 locks in 12 days, and arrived in time to win the charity pledges. We were nackered at the end of it, but I would love to do a similar trip again.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Athy

[Ratzend]

My normal procedure when planning for anything on a remotely large and adventurous scale is to sit and make a Plan A. Research the internet, books timetables, forums for advice and friends for past experience. Try and get down to the most minuscule detail and timing that I possibly can, allowing sensible margins for error and unforeseen acts of God.

 

Then prepare Plan B, as above but allowing for human nature, both mine and normal people. Build in margins of anything up to 25 percent and allot a star system to evaluate possible failure rates.

 

When I am happy with those then create Plan C, this allows for distractions and any possibility of something entertaining or exciting happening and includes various algorithms that will make the overall target still viable.

 

Then, when the great day arrives and I am ready to to undertake the adventure, I put all the plans in the bin and set off

 

Good luck

[mrsmelly]

In a couple of weeks time we have to fetch our new purchase from Northampton to nearer home. On the planner, it's telling me approximately 9 x 6 hour days.

 

I'm trying to work out how to do it, whether to do it in little stages and leave it somewhere safe then pick it up the following weekend, or have a full week and see how far we get, how do we go and fetch the car, do we cadge lifts to our boat from friends, do we get the train, do we do relays in 2 cars...

 

 

Should we make a definite plan of where we're going to end up every night or just know which direction we're going and set off?

 

I've gone from being a gongoozler to a bamboozler.

 

I am sure it will all turn out well and all that, but I can't help panicking.

 

Firtly never ever plan anything to do with boating time wise. Take your time stop as often or as little as suits you on any particular day. Enjoy the journey thats what boating is about, not just getting somewhere, thats what motorways are for. Stop near public transport or taxi, or a mate can move you back to you car or whatever. If it takes two months what the hell.

 

Tim

[Zayna]

Thank you all SO much!

 

My chap is more of a setter-offer than a planner. So I'll plan, and he'll set off. Between us, I guess we'll get home eventually.

 

It's the car relay bit I can't grasp. He's saying take two cars, leave car A at a proposed destination, take car B to the boat, get the boat to car A then drive car A to pick up car B.

 

I'd rather we went in one car and he went back for it on a bicycle while I sat with a G&T reading my book, to be honest.

 

Then of course, there IS the train, but I begrudge the ridiculous fares.

[carlt]

I never made plans.

 

A full tank and empty plastic is all the preparation I ever needed for holidays until the kids arrived.

 

Now I occasionally book ahead but not often.

[Proper Job]

Ohhh, thank you. I was hoping someone would say this. The boat is 3 hours away by car, I was thinking we could go down next weekend for a day or two and finish the little nit bit jobs that need doing, make the bed up, load the pots and pans, then drive home, then the following weekend get someone to drop us and our beer groceries and hand luggage off, set off and see how far we get, then ring someone to pick us up. Does that sound like a plan?

One of the major pre trip jobs you should do is check/get the engine checked over.

 

All of your pre planning of routes, loading pots and pans making beds etc will all go belly up if the motor fails you.

 

Obviously I don't know the condition of the new purchase or it's history, but starting with fresh oil and filters, check the coolant, hoses etc and your trip will stand a better chance of succeeding

[Nightwatch]

You could always move to Northampton..................

 

But then again, maybe not.

 

Martyn

[TimD]

Make a plan but keep it flexible. This time of year you often find you can't moor where you want to because there's no space at the visitor moorings. 6 hours a day is sensible plan if you're on your own, but if there's two of you then planning 10 hours a day is easy even if you do have to stop for a hour to do shopping and another for lunch. You'll still have a couple of hours daylight if you really need to push on to somewhere better. Oh and if you're going near Birmingham or Manchester don't forget to factor in the hourly stops to clear the propellor!

[Zayna]

One of the major pre trip jobs you should do is check/get the engine checked over.

 

All of your pre planning of routes, loading pots and pans making beds etc will all go belly up if the motor fails you.

 

Obviously I don't know the condition of the new purchase or it's history, but starting with fresh oil and filters, check the coolant, hoses etc and your trip will stand a better chance of succeeding

 

Thanks... the engine has just had a full service and there's only 100 hours on it, the boat is 3 years old. I still appreciate that things can go wrong or fall off, it's not really a race to get it further up North, indeed, I'd rather take our time and do some exploring along the way, and enjoy the journey.

 

I think I'm just more worried about getting to and from the boat to the car, back home, and the logistics of all that.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Zayna

[bizzard]

If you want a bit of excitement and adventure and to do it comfortably in 6 or 7 days i wouldn't plan anything at all,no not a bean, i'd forget relaying cars about for a start,or forget them altogether they're just a nuisance. Jump on a train. Buy a cheap map of the waterways you'll be using or look at someone else's and memorize it. Don't take any electronic gizmos with you whatever ie ''mobile phones,eye-pods, smart phones,laptops as these gadgets will just waste loads of your time, there are still telephone boxes around for emergencies, a ''wind up''watch is useful though. Villages and towns are mostly quite visible from the water and they do usually have shops. Water,rubbish and toilet emptying facilities are also obvious and signed up as are pubs, railways and stations.

This is the way i and my cousin brought his boat from Wakefield to Stoke-on-Trent in 7 days and a bit, dawn till dusk traveling though. By performing the trip in this manner, believe me you'll enjoy it so much more and have much more to talk about afterwards, if you survive it.

Oooh, a BW key. Enjoy yourselves Bizzard.

[Proper Job]

Thanks... the engine has just had a full service and there's only 100 hours on it, the boat is 3 years old. I still appreciate that things can go wrong or fall off, it's not really a race to get it further up North, indeed, I'd rather take our time and do some exploring along the way, and enjoy the journey.

 

I think I'm just more worried about getting to and from the boat to the car, back home, and the logistics of all that.

Sounds like you're sorted then

 

Time to adopt your chaps attitude and just go for it. Everything else can get sorted along the way (even find your car to get you home)

 

[Tuscan]

Planning a trip is a bit like making a shopping list, lots of thought and discussion, write list, go to supermarket buy what you fancy, buy to much, forget you had the shopping list in your pocket, get my drift..........

[ditchcrawler]

You say Northampton to home, If that is the town of Northampon on the Nene then you have to consider the water levels on the Nene for your first few hours.

 

If its Northamptonsire it could already be on the canal system and that would not be a problem.

 

Is he happy to cycle say 20 miles a day.

 

If you use two cars they are both going to do the journey from home to the start, follow you around the system several time until you get home and use quite a bit of fuel Car 1 & 2 Home to start. Car 1 & 2 to first night, car 1 back to start. Day two car 2 back to start car 1 & 2 to next nights stop, cat 1 back to overnight stop and so on, it will be miles.

 

If you leave the car at the starting point and boat home in one shot then only one of you needs to get back to get the car, half the fare and National Express buses are cheaper than trains, or take the second car to get it.

 

Maybe 2 cars leaving one at the half way point and do it in two bits.

[Athy]

 

Then of course, there IS the train, but I begrudge the ridiculous fares.

Cheapest off-peak single fare is £36.00 per person, and other fares during the middle part of the day can be had for £41.00 pp. Not so ridiculous really. But that's from Manchester, which may not be where you are.

[Nine of Hearts]

You could always move to Northampton..................

 

Cobblers!

[Nightwatch]

Cobblers!

Used to loads of them. Lost it's sole has Northampton.

[Zayna]

I'm so glad I posted this topic, I've been dithering over it for weeks.

 

I want to go down on the train (contrary Mary) and shuffle back at a snails pace, and then ring someone to pick us up when we get to wherever we've got.

 

I've got maps and printouts and Nicholson's guides, but I'll probably forget my reading glasses. Rest assured, I won't be forgetting a corkscrew.

 

You're ALL marvellous, thank you so much.