canal boats yorkshire
I’m going on a UK canal boat holiday next week.what have people found the most difficult thing to pick up?
For example is it the steering of the boat itself,working the locks.
Am travelling from Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire & probably heading towards Hebdon Bridge way.
Veg-Rose,quite right,i nearly died when i found out how much it cost,another case of rip off Britain.
I only went ahead with it as it is something i’ve always wanted to do.
Once you get used to the tiller action you should have no problem on that score. The most dangerous aspect of canal cruising is the locks, but please don`t let me alarm you. They are safe if treated with respect.
Basically, a lock is a big hole which is filled with water, which gets into and out of the hole by means of sluices. Sluices are relatively small holes through which vast amounts of water flow through in a matter of minutes, hence the flow will draw anything in at a terrific rate.
You see many young children wanting to help their parents,and running around the top of the lock. Keep them at a safe distance.
Open the paddles at a slow rate, a couple of turns at a time, until the surge settles and gives the helmsman time to adjust.
Watch for the marks on the walls of the lock which denote the cill(or wall at the bottom of the canal on the descent) which could foul the rudder and tip the boat.Keep as far forward as possible while descending, which will mean compensating for the swirl of the water.
Don`t forget to close the lock gates behind you, unless there is a boat going through the other way.
After all that, don`t cancel and book a caravan holiday.
Have a super time, just treat the canal with respect, and be prepared to start looking at buying a boat of your own.
Inside and Above Standedge Tunnel