On Mon, 2008-10-06 at 17:56 +0100, Martin Clark wrote:
> Why is that? The Ashton is a good example of an urban canal and is safe > enough if you do it during school hours. A couple of years ago, against advice, but due to circumstances, we did the Ashton on a bank holiday weekend in the middle of the day. We did have some problems ( an electrical fault and a carpet round the prop) but all the Mancunians we met were friendly. As we approached one lock we saw a group of teenagers hanging about, they looked a bit menacing but we carried on, having taken the precaution of locking the boat. As we locked through we engaged them in conversation, but they weren't very forthcoming. We left for the next lock and they followed. At the next lock we tried chatting again, this time with more success. They asked about the boat and about the locks. To our astonishment they didnt know what the locks were for. They had lived near the canal all their lives and no one had bothered to tell them why the locks were there. With one young lad it was like a 'Eureka moment' he suddenly became interested and wanted to know all about the paddles and how they worked etc. So, take precautions, but dont avoid the Ashton or any other urban canal. Steve -- Follow our waterways wanderings on www.justheaven.org.uk [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
