LizG

Staithe & Willow was Cissy Lant's house that many years ago. The other pub described could have been the Black Horse although not Horning?

A lot of pubs may still exist but they have been altered/extended since your visit. The New Inn in Horning might be your pub with old houses behind and what could be considered a narrow lane behind it, alternatively even the Anchor (now gone at Coltishall) but that was quite a unique design Edited to say the New Inn used to have grass and a big tree

I agree with Vaughan! Also I agree that some of the faults/repairs could not be anticipated but empty gas bottles is a serious lapse. I assume the turnaround engineer should have a check list to tick off! Perhaps its so fundamental that 'the lads' didn't also check it before taking over the boat?

We have one of their pubs in Ware. Wide range of beers but the food is standard pub food. Not locally sourced or any thing like that! We consider it a nicer version of that other well known chain!

WRs was or is still an aluminium stick with notches and a handle that stops it falling into the tank. Only snag with the aluminium is that it is almost impossible to read in sunlight!

As per the New Inn FB page this evening_ _----_-------------------------------------- Good evening We have some exciting news 🥳... We will be under new management from Wednesday 20th October! Unfortunately this means we will be shut for a period of time but are hoping to reopen at the beginning of November, so please keep an eye out online for updates 😊 If you have a reservation or mooring with us after this time you would have been contacted by our team For any queries please call us on 01692 631101 Thanks to all our lovely customers that have joined us and we can't wait to welcome you back again in November Thank you for all your support 🧡 The New Inn Team

Is this a stupid question but don't hire boats have dip sticks these days. Check what's in before and after use?

You might struggle with 26 foot as WR is 27' 7"

We ate there last Thursday because of problems at the Swan (with trepidation in view of the reviews). Food and the service we had was okay - no complaints at the end The problems were they had NO beer on tap! The menu is very reduced and not as per the FB menu. My brother chose the Chili con carne, it had run out ... The service charge was explained to us and we had it confirmed that it was not added to the bar. Liz

There's a shortage of cat vaccines!!!! We tried to book two of our cats in for their annual MOT which includes the customary jab (we had had a text reminder from the vets) only to be told they couldn't do it for a few months because of the vaccine shortage. As we found out during Lockdown 1 cats can wait up to 3 months before it becomes essential. They are prioritising first time vaccinations! Our local Petrol Station has run out again of all fuels!

Can't answer that as we didn't venture in that direction in the end

Stopped at Jet/Roy's around 5.30, took 10 minutes queuing to get diesel. Cheapest we saw in 100 miles as well!

We had a table booked at the Swan this evening as it my brother's birthday tomorrow..............husband had a phone a short while ago to say their boiler has packed up, they have no hot water and it is unlikely to be fixed for another week. Nothing on their websites though. We have had to make alternative arrangements for a meal in Horning - watch this space!

It isn't covered by Google Streetview nor any roads connecting to it - you can have a look at Horning Ferry though on Streetview!

Yes from the bow, like a quant pole but into the bank. Usually worked well but then the stern might get stuck as the bow swung out. There was a shorter pole there. It was a question of getting the technique right to either just push off or also push forward!!! 😄

I haven't seen any mention of this recent event but my understanding from Social Media is that it was very successful and very well attended. There is a FB page devoted to the event with lots of pictures and video footage https://www.facebook.com/groups/ludhamilluminatedboatparade/

I enjoyed it having never watched it before. Did anyone notice the fishing continuity errors. One shot with caught fish boatyard name and location. A later shot as before but added phone number. 😄 Smart work on behalf of the boatyard. Didn't get round to noticing if it was two different boats. Reg numbers were visible

Can you move my Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal tale as well please to the new section

Tell me about it! However, the strange thing is that they always manage to get the invoice out very quickly!

The starboard bunk in WR was originally much lower but father created a storage area underneath which is actually quite useful so I didn't get rid of the high bunk. When I replaced/recovered the mattresses on the boat the mattress for that bunk was the original horse hair! I tried to donate it to the Museum of the Broads but they didn't want it! The port bunk was a 1960s addition when the 2 ring burner and grill and sink were removed and moved to the rear cabin. I remember it took 30 minutes to boil a kettle! Now of course it has to be high because the holding tank is underneath which was the same reason for the bunks on the canal boat being so high. On the canal boat it also didn't help that my husband had elected to sleep on the outside so I had to climb over him as well!

I'll pm tomorrow as I don't want to name and shame online

Just some random photos including the Aquaduct and Brecon and the view from the pub window of the Brecon Beacons!

Part 5 Our final morning was the short stretch back to Cambrian Cruisers where we handed back the boat in glorious sunshine. We had started in sunshine, but midweek it was quite cloudy, not terribly warm with the occasional late afternoon period of sunshine – the main thing was it NEVER RAINED. We managed to break one glass, put a hole in the dustpan and pull the pole off the shower wall – the chip board was very soft! We had two occasions when the toilets managed to ‘malfunction’ which involved a degree of manual clearance! My only issue was that the beds (because the holding tanks are underneath) were for those of short stature very high. It was a mammoth operation clambering up on the bed especially in the middle of the night and because this was a canal boat the double beds WERE NARROW! I’m sure it would be possible to construct some kind of retractable step to help people climb up – I am used to Water Rail having high front cabin bunks but used to use a stool or a cold box but there wasn’t space to leave a permanent fitting in the walkway! All in all a very enjoyable week, in an amazing landscape! Would we do it again – that I can’t promise as my husband has said no!

Part 4 So we started our return back, stopping at Gilwern that night, with a walk up to the old Iron Works about the town in the morning. We stopped again at Llangattock and had a very enjoyable meal at the Vine Tree on the outskirts of Crickhowell. We made it through the Llangynidr locks on Thursday afternoon. I was doing the steering for this section and the voluntary lockkeeper commented that he had seen I had done this before – to which I replied no this was my first time!! What I did understand was keeping the boat in control by gently reversing, and then going forward and then back! We stopped overnight just above the locks and walked back down the canal to another local pubs for supper! Again the Ashford Tunnel was quiet, we opened the electric bridge at Talybont and another of the lifting bridges which is manually operated and we made Cambrian Cruisers by the required time to go up to Brecon. We first crossed the Brynich Aquaduct over the Usk and through the only other lock. It was just as we were about to go over the Aquaduct we met the Brecon Trip boat about to turn in the winding hole just below the bridge. We let the trip boat pass ahead of us and met it again in the Brecon Basin. We agreed we would wait on our return at the lock to let them through which they appreciated. Mooring just below the Aquaduct for our final night included a 1km walk into Groesfforrdd for a very enjoyable meal at the village pub which had the most amazing view of the Brecon Mountains! Luckily it was still light when we walked back (Picture 7 shows the marks of the tow ropes used to pull the boats along)

Part 3 Following the trial run, we set off and our first night was spent at Talybont on Usk with a planned early start to get through Ashford Tunnel and the five Llangynidr locks. We were lucky as we timed it right with a couple of boats going down and a lot of boats coming up. As had been advised, the Beacon Park Boats would be coming up to Brecon and they were. Instructions are that if going upstream, after travelling through the lock, the pound has to be emptied (unless a boat is coming down immediately) and the lower gates opened – this is because of the flow of water coming from the River Usk. We managed to complete the locks in about 2 hours but coming back we spoke to other hirers who had had to wait a long time as four boats were going down and nothing coming back up! The plan the second night was to get to Gilwern but this was too ambitious and we stopped at Llangattock. This was where we encountered the first pubs either not doing food that night or fully booked so we ate onboard. The next morning we set off to Gilwern and stopped at the first water point opposite the lime kilns. Word of advice, the water pressure is non-existent and we gave up after 30 minutes! There is another water point just before Bridge 103. Bridge 103 is probably one of the scariest bridges I encountered as it is on the slope (even more than Wayford Bridge) and at the southern end has a water pipe going across even lower than the actual bridge!