North Star to move south or southwest?

It's difficult to know where to move North Star. Although there is a lot of interest around Nottingham, the rivers in the area need a bit more experience and careful planning, so we want to move her onto the canal network proper. We are also keen to use her more frequently and Nottingham is just beyond a comfortable haul on a Friday evening.

So we're thinking. Somewhere along the Trent & Mersey? Maybe around the BCN? No logical places. We keep thinking of the Welford and Crick areas as that is close to the 'top end' of the A14....well we see it as the top end of a square formed by the M11, A14 and M1.

It's tempting to bring her down to the London area: the big voyage - Nottingham to Stortford is really appealling but then what? Hmmmmm.

Canal guidebooks

An interesting recent post on CWDF...."Pearsons or Nicholsons guides?"...asking which of the two main canal guidebooks the forum users prefer to use. I wasn't surprised that Nicholson's were preferred but was by the margin: only one or two preferred the Pearson's guides.

I responded that I always use both because they have different styles and content, but generally use a wide variety of additional local guidebooks, pub guides and specialis guidebooks.

A while back there was a canal bibliography published - I noticed a year ago how dated that had become.

I find both the Pearsons and Nicholsons guides very frustrating, but then perhaps I am looking for much more detail than the average user wants.


Maybe this can be Plan B.

BCN Marathon Challenge

Looks like I might have got myself a berth on a boat doing the BCN Marathon at the end of the month.

Water World

Some group in London is one of 24 promised money to "chart the history of the Regent's Canal" for the Mayor of London's Story of London Festival later this year. Unfortunately, the Evening Standard ("We're sorry we're so useless") manages to print a photo and caption but not a single additional word on the entire page. It really is a dire newspaper and no wonder the freesheets are wiping the floor with them. What has London done to deserve such a miserably poor newspaper?

From Camden to Scotland

With plenty of lochs [sic] on the way.

Yes. If ever proof was needed that journalists are generally clueless, this weird article about Camden provides just that. It states blandly that the canal goes from Camden all the way to Scotland. Errr...no.

BCN Marathon Challenge 2009

I really want to take part in the BCN Marathon Challenge at the end of this month. I had hoped to get North Star to Birmingham for it, but there's no chance of that now. I've been in China and S.E. Asia much of the last month and so she remains in Nottingham.

I'm going to have to beg, steal or borrow a berth on another boat. I'm so disappointed.

London Canal Cavalcade 2009

This year's Canal Cavalcade was much better than last year's. It's still an incredibly cliquey event, with two distinct groups: those inside and the general public. It is fun though and in the warm May sunshine and a few beers it's also soporific by the time you get to 6 o'clock. I'm still so jet-lagged after a marathon 30 hour journey back from rural Vietnam on Wednesday.

I couldn't find the Lee & Stort IWA Group - they were doing their human fruit machine bit but I missed it.

The stands along the south bank of the canal are as cramped as ever and I am amazed no-one ends up in the water. There is much better use of the stretch past the bridge on the Paddington Arm this year.