Picking this subject back up after getting home. In mid September on the Soar
there was little about in the week. Coming round onto the Trent and Mersey we
logged at least 50 Canaltimes (most of which seemed OK in attitude and ability)
and a good number of Shakespeare (who were mostly not).
Around Heywood in October there were loads of boats and arriving at Tixall
and choosing a spot away from the wide and without a boat in sight we moored
then were amazed and wondered if we had some sort of magnetic force for in the
next hour boat after boat screamed to a halt and moored feet off us then the
next all around a bend. Next mooring we moved off to find masses of empty metal
beyond the last of the herd so why us!
We went up the Caldon before this and found we were the only visiting boat
moving for two days beyond Cheddleton. What a contrast. Shame BW don't cut back
the stuff on the offside at bridges especially on the Caldon though. Still when
the wife met a BW man at Stone who, with his mate was doing very little and
suggested that this and fixing the odd lock with rotting gate planks might be
an idea his reply was that they just follow orders and with 4 months only to do
work (wot can't cut in the other 8!) there was no time for that sort of thing.
(At least he didn't mention as an excuse the cut in BW budget!)
Mike Stevens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Sunday, September 30, 2007 9:00 PM [GMT+1=CET],
rigdent <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> We spend quite a bit of last week trundling about on the southern bit
> of the Staffs and Worcs canal = all very nice and secin and very quiet
> we passed a couple of boats a day at most.
>
> THEN we headed north and a soon as we passed Autherly things got
> busier and busier until we got on the T&M and traffic reached
> saturation point at times. We passed a flotilla of 8 boat nose to
> tail at the rugeley aqueduct and no they weren't a boat club outing.
>
> Were we unlucky or does it often get like that nowdays ? Seems like
> half the traffic is either Canal time or Shakespeare boats
We've been moored for a few days at Red Bull, a bit further north on the T&M
(mainly because we're both under the weather at the moment). There's quite
a bit of traffic about. The largest number is of Black Prince boats from
Stoke-on-Trent. There are smaller numbers from other hire fleets (from
Stone & Middlewich among others), and quite a few private boats.
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus III
web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk
No man is an island. So is Man.
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