A cruiser stern is bigger, so offers a more sociable environment. It’s usually surrounded by a safety rail which can have a canvas ‘skirt’ or hood attached for protection from the elements. The engine’s accessed through deck boards, making maintenance easier, but it also means more exposure to the elements so rain water and debris can build up (seeping through the deck boards). The additional external space reduces what’s available internally.

A semi-traditional stern offers the best of both worlds; more space than a traditional and better protection from the elements than a cruiser. Engine access is still via deck boards and the extended cockpit, which can accommodate a hood, provides more shelter, storage and space.

Hood

Also known as a pram cover, and attached to cruiser and semi-traditional sterns, it’s great for protecting passengers and the engine from the elements, but not so great when it comes to getting on or off the vessel or cruising under low bridges. A build-up of condensation can also hinder navigation.

Pram covers can also be great for creating extra 'indoor' space, and the vast majority can be lowered for cruising.

Size

While the width of a steel narrowboat (6ft 10”) and the cabin headroom (6ft 4”) remains the same, its length can vary. The majority are built with lock lengths in mind, and those around 57ft will enable you to cruise most of the connected inland waterway system (apart from some of the canals and rivers in Yorkshire which have a 56ft lock limit, and a short section of the Little Ouse in Norfolk where there’s a 40ft restriction).

Lengths can go up to 72ft, giving a lot more space for liveaboards, but you’ll need to research where you can cruise.

If you’re not sure what length of boat you want, look at how many berths (sleeping areas) you need, your intended use and preferred layout. Mooring and licence fees can be based on length and smaller mooring spaces are found more easily. Size doesn’t impact how a boat cruises, but additional length can slow the turning speed.

Widebeams provide more spacious accommodation, but they can be more difficult to manoeuvre, you cannot navigate some narrow canals and mooring spaces will be limited. They also have higher licence and mooring fees.

Banal & Dither Trust

Making Life better by South Shields

PRESS RELEASE

Anytime at all

The fight Against Wastage of Money Inspires Small Bottle Garden at Greater Neasden Garden Festival

 Award winning garden designer Brendov Scowcrovich has joined with the Banal & Dither Trust, a lazy navigation charity, to prevent the wastage of charity money on silly egocentric projects by creating a Small Bottle Garden at the Greater Neasden Garden Festival.  It was initially intended that a large bottle with a garden inside would be created for a national garden festival by a world-renowned garden designer.  This would highlight something to do with the waterways that did not involve boating or navigation and after many, many committee meetings the subject of ‘pollution’ was decided upon.  This was based on the late lamented ‘Report a Shopping Trolley’ campaign which involved customers (sounds better than boaters - anything sounds better than ‘boaters’ - of the trust, who would report an abandoned shopping trolley and the dedicated Operations Room, complete with large maps and pointers would identify the spot and immediately despatch a team to remove the trolley and return it to the supermarket.  Unfortunately, boaters let us down by not sustainably reporting discarded shopping trolleys in sufficient numbers (12), therefore the operation was disbanded, the Ops /Room left to gather dust, the maps to fade and the pointers to be stolen by Vandals.  It was hoped the large bottle campaign would re-ignite interest in discarded shopping trolleys and the operation could become dynamic once again.

Then a brilliant thought occurred to our esteemed Chairman, Devid Scowcrovich that a large bottle at a national garden festival would involve lots of capital expenditure with pesky boaters putting forward FOI requests concerning the costs of such a scheme.  Concern was also expressed at the 23^rd Bottle Meeting (BYO), that the publicity generated by such an expensive undertaking would not be worthwhile, particularly as money and girls in bikinis are always on our chairman’s mind.  It was thought if we could win a gold medal it could be melted down to cover the costs, alas it transpired one only receives a card with a gold foil medal stuck upon.  Perhaps if we could get the bottle on the ‘telly’ with the garden, it might create great interest throughout the nation, unfortunately Football and Tennis took up vast amounts of TV time and our large bottle would merely be seen to the rear of one of our chairman’s old heartthrobs Rachel-de-Thame.  The large bottle idea was discontinued but it can still be seen discarded beside No 7 lock on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal (sub please check there is such a canal and lock).

The Committee decided therefore in order to save money to have a small garden in a small bottle, it would have to be a clear bottle such as a white wine bottle.  We sampled many, many bottles until we found the perfect bottle in Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru, unfortunately whilst emptying the bottle we lost the cork and therefore the garden design had to be an open bottle.

Our reasonable priced garden designer, Brendov Scowcrovich, produced a fantastic green vision for the bottle garden, based upon ferns, foliage and phlegm (from too much wine).  The bottle was delivered to the Greater Neasden Garden Festival, alas the organisers never at the front of Avant Garde artistry thought it an empty bottle full of green mush and consigned it to the rubbish tip.  Fortunately, and all members of the Press will applaud this: the centre piece of the festival was a Rubbish Tip, based on the Hampton Court Garden air crash centrepiece.  And there can clearly be seen on all the publicity photographs and videos the Banal & Dither Trust bottle garden just beside several discarded NHS masks – success.  The Banal & Dither Trust is proud to announce not only has the Trust conceived a new art form, not just obtained much needed publicity but have produced reduced costs by cancelling a big project at Hampton Court, spending mere thousands of pounds instead of the estimated hundreds of thousands.  Life may be better by water, but it is infinitely better with a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru.  A lesson for us all, I think.

Banal & Dither Trust, Loll House, Draconian Terror, South Shields, Corner House Pub, NN33 2JA
Email.  Twitter: @BanalDitherTrust
Patron: H.R.H. In Disgrace keeping low profile. Banal & Dither Trust is not a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales with a Company Number and no registered charity number registered office address First Floor North, Station House, South Shields NN3 2JA

History

The Lancaster Canal was once a busy waterway, transporting limestone and coal via its seaports of Milnthrope and Lancaster, commodities which gave rise to its nickname of The Black and White Canal. Opened in 1799, it was extended into Kendal in 1819 and down to the sea via the Glasson locks in 1826. Sadly the northern reaches were cut off with the arrival of the M6 motorway in 1968 but these remain beautiful stretches none the less. The navigational section of the canal is 41 glorious miles whose beauty is hard to beat. As a waterway it has so much to offer and delight: an exciting passage to reach it via The Ribble link, stunning countryside, panoramic views of The Lake District and Morecambe Bay, a branch that connects it with the sea and two lively and historic cities to discover.

Southern Canal

There are two ways of exploring The Lancaster canal, either by hiring a boat or taking your own along the Rivers Douglas and Ribble. Latter visitors will arrive at the junction from the Savick Brook close to Preston. I recommend turning right and staying at the lovely Cadley services which has secure car parking and an area for BBQs. The canal’s southern terminus is only a mile away and it is a treat to walk along the tow path to admire the steep gardens that run right down to the water. The canal was shortened by a mile many years ago and now starts just south of Ashton Basin. Preston seems to be a city of churches but also of parks and green spaces. The excellent Haslam Park has much to offer as does the restored Victorian pleasure gardens of Avenham. The 20mile bike trail  'The Guild Wheel' winds it way through its paths and along the River Ribble.

The first section north is beautiful and green with the fields’ edges caressing the waters often trampled by generations of cows and sheep. The boater is aware that the main coast railway, M6 and A6 are never far away but the peace of the canal is still prominent. The village of Bilsborrow is dominated by Guy’s Thatched Hamlet and Owd Nell’s, an eclectic collection of buildings, accommodation, pubs, and restaurants, a fun fair and bowling green. As a people watching location it is excellent! There are also some other canal side inns, a handy PO and shop.

The pretty market town of Garstang is only five miles further north; there are some good independent shops as well as a couple of supermarkets. The walk along the river is lovely and Garstang basin has several attractive buildings, a pub and moorings. A little further on the boater arrives at the services and further moorings where it is very pleasant to spend a week or so. More rural countryside emerges as you glide along the waterway towards Potters Brook, passing under John Rennie’s stone bridges. Just past bridge 85 is the left hand turn down to The Glasson Branch. It is well worth a trip down the 6 locks to see the sea and the remains of the once busy port. The Conder Valley is quiet and unspoilt and ends in salt marshes and the estuary of the powerful River Lune, the tide comes in at such a rate you can hear it before you see it.

Mid-Section

Back on the main canal the cut begins to change its appearance as one nears the historic port town of Lancaster, another grand place to spend a bit of time. There is much to explore: a castle, several museums, (including the maritime one), beautiful squares and interesting streets and buildings. There are still some fine examples of old mills along the tow path. It is not long before the amazing Lune aqueduct is reached which carries the canal over the river some 600ft below. It was built by Alexander Stevens who died before it was completed in 1797.

As the canal continues north it turns towards the west and the astonishing Morecambe Bay comes into view at Hest Bank. It is possible to moor up and have a sea view with the Lakeland fells in the background: possibly one of my all-time favourite places to stop. Carnforth is the next town to be reached; there is a sanitary station in the basin along with a pub and petrol station that sells gas and fuel. The roar of the M6 becomes the dominant noise and the peace is disrupted for a while as you pass under the motorway towards the Keer aqueduct. The last pretty place to stop on The Lancaster is Borwick, a lovely village situated around the green. As you journey along the final mile of the canal the motorway gets louder and louder until you come to a rather abrupt halt at the canal’s terminus next to a service hut. The M6 is only 10 meters away the other side of a mesh fence.

The Northern Reaches

Beyond the terminus it is possible to continue on foot to the Tewitfield locks, these were last used in the early 1940’s but the chambers look as good as ever even though there are no longer any gates. A footpath takes you over the M6 and deposits you on a beautiful towpath, which in the spring was lined with wild flowers. The navigation has water in it for 8 miles and one expects a boat to come chugging by at any moment. The M6 intercepts the waterway in two other locations but it is possible to proceed to the end of the watered section. The Lancaster Canal Trust have dug out, lined and re-watered a ¼ mile stretch, and they have ambitious plans to reinstate the canal all the way to The Canal Head in Kendal if the finance can be found. The Hindcaster Tunnel and the amazing horse tow path over the top is another reminder of the quality of the construction and engineering of this once important canal. The final miles into Kendal have no water in them and in some sections, due to dense vegetation, it is impossible to see where the canal used to run, only the bridges, still standing proud and strong, hint at the now ghostly course of the navigation.

In conclusion, having spent four months on The Lancaster Canal, I can thoroughly recommend boating there and hope that one day the navigation is restored all the way to Kendal.