4,738 New Postings...

Glad you're back and hopefully improved! :)

The fat jokes just havent been the same without you! :p

And how many of the 4738 posts have been Austins? :D

Look out, he's back, hopefully all shipshape again! There have been a few "what's happened to old whatsisface" posts recently.

Welcome back Martyn hope you didn't need to go paddling on your travels ( ruddy plastic bags ) Derek

Mother"

Mother"

Good to see you back Martyn.

|| Mother wrote: ||| Haven't you all been busy... ||| ||| It'd take me months to catch up - thank goodness for the 'mark all ||| read' function! ;-) ||| ||| || Good to see you back Martyn. || || -- || EMB

And since you are sitting at the PC anyway, let us know the story. (We're a gossipy bunch.)

Here's hoping for a speedy relief to your necessities. Good to see you back.

Not really a great deal to tell. I had a few 'issues' a few years ago which cropped up again toward the end of last year. All sorted quite easily, but a by product was another issue with my left eye falling apart. That too was sorted in August, with some reconstruction and a new lens.

All done and dusted now, taking a little time to settle, with a few minor complications resulting in a couple of unexpected returns to hospital but otherwise, fine. Fine enough for Charlotte and I to take our narrow boat out for a trip involving 93 locks and, by a bizarre quirk of fate, 101 miles a couple of weeks ago. Can't have been that bad as I've no bills from British Waterways for repairs to locks or bridges :-)

On or around Tue, 17 Oct 2006 08:58:21 +0100, Mother enlightened us thusly:

git...

I've a plot afoot to do leeds and liverpool, hopefully next year. Whether I actually start at liverpool depends - could cheat and start at Wigan, thereby travelling on the road to wigan pier, I assume.

Way I see it, wigan-leeds-wigan in 2 weeks would be a nice pace. 1 week should be do-able, but then it's a bit like a challenge, and less like a holiday.

liverpool-leeds-liverpool in a week would eb a *real* challenge.

now, anyone know if you can hire a motor-and-butty? That'd be fun...

Its about 20,000 miles long i think matey!!! If you do it, let me know, i only live walking distance from it & 15 minutes drive from 5 rise locks at Bingley!

Nige

On or around Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:28:19 +0100, "Nige" enlightened us thusly:

live walking distance from

I think your units have gone adrift somewhere...

Part of the point is to go up/down Bingley.

It's also a bit of the network we never did when I were a lad.

'course, the other bit we never did ('cos it were closed at the time) is the K&A.

Wigan to Skipton = 63 Miles 56 Locks Skipton to Leeds = 29 Miles 29 Locks

Total: 92 Miles 84 Locks EACH WAY, Trip = 184 Miles 168 Locks.

Average cruising speed = ~2MPH - Therefore 92 Hours Average Lock = 15 minutes - therefore 42 hours Total trip hours = 134 Hours

Liverpool to Wigan is a mere 36 Miles and 6 Locks :-)

Almost nobody will ever rent you a boat and butty (I'm not sure you'd cope with a butty actually - they do nasty things when you're not looking!).

No, it only seems like it (especially as a lot of it involves Lancashire!) ;-)

On or around Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:12:23 +0100, Mother enlightened us thusly:

I do have a bit of previous experience, albeit not with a butty. But that'd be half the fun. Besides, at least one chap I had in mind inviting along (assuming he makes a good recover from a rather nasty peritonitis - currently in horsepiddle) has quite a bit of experience, and I can just see him as "skipper", ordering the rest of us menial crew about.

Used to be able to rent "camping cruisers", wot were a work boat with bunks, and canvas top. Now they were fun.

Camping barges are still available, however many were classed as unsafe, other just got trashed. They come up for sale quite a lot, even seen a few on eBay. As they're unpowered, have not gas or leccie (built into the boat) they are exempt from the Boat Safety Scheme, as a consequence many are rough, rotton, death-traps. Having said that, many are still well maintained and for the lucky 'group leader', have a very tidy and comfortable boatmans cabin.

I was only kidding matey, it is a long & winding 'road' though!!

For some reason I'm having visions of someone jumping canals on the KTM.

Could easy do it too! But thta's anti-social!