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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 13, 2020 8:19:48 GMT
It's a long walk from the Middlewich Branch... 5 miles? Long? What people are really scared off is leaving your boat alone for a while. You have passed all those unlicenced boats and saw them with their little beady eyes on your tidy boat...
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Post by JohnV on Apr 13, 2020 8:21:28 GMT
It's a long walk from the Middlewich Branch... 5 miles? Long? you try it carrying a weeks shopping and a bag of coal
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 8:24:25 GMT
To get back to the op ... it's entirely possible to live and travel on your boat without other transport, and do all your domestic chores easily ... but it's a personal choice.
Rog
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Post by Clinton Cool on Apr 13, 2020 8:26:44 GMT
Not everywhere. If you go south from Middlewich down the arm it's around 15 miles until you're close enough to a shop to walk to it. Really? Middlewich - Crewe 7.4 miles Church Minshull - Crewe 5.0 miles You walk that far to a shop? What I meant was it's 15 miles, cruising, until any shops of note are within reasonable walking distance, say a mile.
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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 13, 2020 8:28:26 GMT
You wouldn't be carrying much shopping for five or more miles. Rucksack, 10 kilogrammes easily. "Crewe. There's a Co-oP down there somewhere."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 8:30:02 GMT
One thing this virus is achieving at least, is the ability to build a siege store cupboard.
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Post by patty on Apr 13, 2020 8:30:05 GMT
you try it carrying a weeks shopping and a bag of coal I woz gonna say summit similar..I only walk maybe half a mile with my shopping and it weighs far more when I get home than it did when I brought it... TBH this am's whim buy.... a watermelon was such a bad idea....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 8:37:21 GMT
One thing this virus is achieving at least, is the ability to build a siege store cupboard. I've been maniacally cooking 'healthy' meals and freezing them to relieve boredom - freezer now full Going to hate it if I see some bargains in Tesco's today - they still had (what looked like a thousand or more) legs of lamb at 6PM on Saturday, closed Sunday so must be getting near to being reduced...
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Post by Jim on Apr 13, 2020 9:03:10 GMT
But would the bad weather be ok if I was stood at the back of a boat for a few hours at a time? I bought proper sailing 'salopettes' (trousers like dungarees for roughty-tufty sailors crossing the Atlantic) and a decent sailing jacket, found on eBay - furry hat and gloves and winter/walking boots - yes, you can stand for a few hours. Perhaps the worst aspect is muddy towpaths, you don't want to be dragging great clods of clay onto your boat; and for working locks, take the good gloves off and put on some cheap work gloves, if they get wet you can dry them out and, of course, once really dirty you can drop them into a bin. Taxis are also a possibility, but take an old sheet so that bags of coal and logs don't mess up their boot. Gloves while working locks? Don't be so mard. You'll be parking your boat with blue string next.
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Post by kris on Apr 13, 2020 9:54:00 GMT
I get buy with just having a bicycle, I have thought about getting a small motorbike. But it would just be more expense, I can’t ride it on the towpath or cycle routes. So would be more hassle, I do think I’ll get an e bike at some stage. But for everybody I know who cruises with a car, it seems like a complete hassle having to go back and fetch it all the time. Also one thing to consider is the number of places to park and leave a car near the water without paying are definitely on the decline, well at least around here.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 10:33:14 GMT
Personally I wouldn't bother with a car if I was continuously cruising unless there was some particular reason I needed one, such as having to drive a substantial distance daily for work. When I'm out cruising I take the little Honda with me and this is more than sufficient for shopping trips and visits to attractions etc. No CBT or L-plates required, nor MOT, and the tax is free so all it costs is £70 a year for insurance. Mr Stabby, can I ask- how do you get the bike over the bow? I can see you have a plank to get it onto the towpath, but those bikes are around 60-80kg, and that seems a lot to be manhandling out of the well deck in one lift- and back in again of course. Its not so much that you couldnt lift the weight, but I'd be worried about knackering my back to be honest. I knew someone who had a fall at work and ruptured a disc a few years ago, and suffered agony for ages, and seeing the poor guy's suffering at close quarters has made a bit cautious about it.
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Post by kris on Apr 13, 2020 10:35:48 GMT
Personally I wouldn't bother with a car if I was continuously cruising unless there was some particular reason I needed one, such as having to drive a substantial distance daily for work. When I'm out cruising I take the little Honda with me and this is more than sufficient for shopping trips and visits to attractions etc. No CBT or L-plates required, nor MOT, and the tax is free so all it costs is £70 a year for insurance. Mr Stabby, can I ask- how do you get the bike over the bow? I can see you have a plank to get it onto the towpath, but those bikes are around 60-80kg, and that seems a lot to be manhandling out of the well deck in one lift- and back in again of course. Its not so much that you couldnt lift the weight, but I'd be worried about knackering my back to be honest. I knew someone who had a fall at work and ruptured a disc a few years ago, and suffered agony for ages, and seeing the poor guy's suffering at close quarters has made a bit cautious about it. He eats Yorkies.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 10:39:23 GMT
Yes plus the fact the Honda Express is actually only about 43kg.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 10:56:54 GMT
I have to say thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is really appreciated. Having digested all the various comments, it's reinforced my suspicion that a car is not often needed, and unless you need the capacity/comfort every few days (work driving, relatives transporting, etc) etc) its probably not worth the hassle of moving it around and finding safe parking places. Hiring a car looks like a cheaper and more convenient option. So, the next question is- bike, ebike or small motorbike? The ebikes are much lighter and can do 15-20 miles, but I don't think they can carry a 30kg load of shopping in a rucksack, so even though I've actually got one already, and I will be starting out with that, I'm not very optimistic that it will be much use for shopping trips. We shall see..... So, I'm still pretty much decided that I am going to want a small motorbike at some point after I get the boat. I like the extra carrying capacity it has, and I like the idea of nipping out to nearby towns or places of interest maybe 10 or 20 miles away, without arriving all sweaty and dishevelled. Well, less dishevelled than normal anyway. If I still want a motorbike after a month or so aboard, and if I've got plenty of dosh left over after buying the boat, I'll go for a small 125 and have a steel rack built across the stern as per Ricco's. If cash is limited, I'll go for a 50cc and stick it in the well deck as per Mr Stabby's Babe Magnet bike- and maybe attach a small hoist arm to the boat to help lift it. Once again, thanks everyone for shedding some light from your real world experience on this question.
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Post by Andyberg on Apr 13, 2020 11:00:23 GMT
Buy a trad boat with a flat tug deck, a disabled loading ramp off ebay and a tuned BMW S1000RR motorbike...Job jobbed! 👍
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