France? England? European Canalboat Cruising?

El and Bill

Anyone interested in some cruising in Europe this summer or fall? We had quite a discussion a few years back and then there was some interest. How about this year? Here's a looksee at the Cheshire Ring in England:

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/england.htm

We have done some pricing on shipping a C-Dory across ... kinda pricey. Might be able to get a 'group' discount, however.

Probably better to 'charter' a canal boat over there, as we did last time. Split the cost with other couples and it isn't too bad.

Dollar is high, so Europe has a better price parity right now than in recent years, so not a bad time to go (relative to exchange rates).

There has been a good response on the O Canada thread - so, since we're just building castles in the sky and it's a bit nippy for boating here, now, in the northerly climes ... let's dream a little farther afield also ...

SEA3PO · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:38 pm Post subject:

OK...sign me up... I'll go.... will take me a couple of hours to pack..

Joel
SEA3PO

Bill Uffelman · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject:

My wife has suggested as an add on to a visit to our son and his family in Sevenoaks. We walked along some of the canals in 2007 visit -- said boat would be fun.

Bill Uffelman
Carson City NV until June

Roscoe · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:30 pm Post subject:

We've done four canal boat trips in England, and used Alvechurch each time. Check out www.alvechurch.com for info. We've never been disappointed in the boats or the canals, though our favorite is the route from Wrenbury Mill to Llangollen in Wales. We did that one twice.

The water in the canals is really dirty, and it's often not possible to avoid bumping the concrete sides in locks and tunnels. I don't think I'd want to risk damage to my pristine little C-Dory ... much better to rent a steel-hulled narrowboat that's made for those conditions.

griff029 · Joined: 17 May 2009 Posts: 1 City/Region: UK

Greetings,

I think you will find that the Cheshire Ring is a narrow canal system which means 7' or less. This will rule out C-Dories so if you add that to the expense of shipping, renting in the UK is the only way to go. There are plenty of broad canals over here as well.

arthor

El and Bill · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:07 pm Post subject:

Arthor -
Great! A local who might help organize a cruise this fall for some C-Dory folk who would enjoy a little kick-back time on a canal boat in the UK. Any interest?