Looking for a book! Some help wanted please.

Sneds

Sneds

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Hi all

My 1st post on this particular forum although I often pop by for a look!

My in laws rent a narrow boat for a week each year allways in a different part of the country. They have been to Llangollen, Leicester, Worcester, Birmingham, South Wales (my fave - Mon & Brec) and various others.They have not yet done the Thames but is is of course on the list.
Dad in law allways buys a guide for the particular canal they will be on.
His birthday is approaching and I wondered if anyone knew of a book that covers all the inland waterways of the UK. I think this would be a great present.
A kind of canal/river atlas if you like, cheers /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
The Chris Cove-Smith book is the one you want for the Thames. No Idea if there's a UK navigable inland waterways book.
Slightly amused that it may appear that you suggested the inlaws may hire a NB on the Thames and that the Thames is like a canal - I'm going to go and open a bottle of wine and sit back and watch the fun.......
 
I don't know if they still do but Nicholson's used to publish a three volume set which covered all the canals and the Thames. The thames book also included the Kennet & Avon canal and the river Wey and the Basingstoke canal at least.
 
Thanks for the info guys!

Was never sugesting The Thames was like a canal, but it is an inland waterway and most of it non tidal.
Doesn't it join on to various canals? Oxford K&A etc?
NBs are available for hire along with a variety of cruisers.

Not sure whats amusing?
 
Yes, Nicholson DO publish Guides, the best for mile -by-mile - detail. The Thames is no 7.

"Inland Waterways of Great Britain" by Jane Cumberlidge is a 300-page volume with comprehensive summaries of all UK rivers and canals but is NOT a cockpit handbook.

Buying? Amazon are quickest/cheapest.
 
That jumbo book sounds like the one!He allways gets the local "canal" guide for each trip.

Cheers /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Depending on recent weather, the currents can be strong and unpredictable, particularly around locks and weirs. It is manageable, but even in the summer its more difficult than the average canal. I belong to a dinghy racing club on the Thames and in 2007 we lost 25% of planned racing days due to strong streams, this was unusually high.

Some locks require a lot of attention compared to canals, the guides will tell you where.
 
It\'s all been said

by the posts that precede this one, so rather than a revelation from me, perhaps I may add some off topic comments.

The best Thames book that I have found is Chris Cove Smith's tome and Amazon have very keen prices. Very readable and lots of local knowledge

I'm not a fan of the Nicholson's guides; far too much Ordnance Survey detail and not enough on the waterway in question. As their maps are strip maps, there's not enough "sideways" information to be of use.

Pearson's guides are a good bridge between local knowledge (they cruise the waterway in question before writing the guides) and Nicholson.

For a country wide book, The Shell guide to Inland Waterways and Charles Hadfield's various books are also of value. Probably long out of print, but again Amazon sell s/h books through its market places. There's no dishonour in giving a used book - it's the quality of the information that counts, not the dust jacket.

For a good list have a look at the IWA web site. They sell direct and could do with the income....

Now, the real reason for my post:-

There are very few NB's for hire actually on the Thames, some very tired boats at Reading and a better fleet at Eynsham. Methinks both of these cater for "group hire" and tend to be a bit austere in accommodation and fit out..

Better to consider either Oxford cruisers, just one lock up from the river, or my favourite, Oxfordshire Narrowboats at Lower Heyford. They're half a day's cruising up the canal (pity). They do have a couple of boats at Radcot - it's a new venture so I don't know how it works logistics wise. Certainly quieter than the hurly burly of Heyford.

Radcot has the advantage of being towards the top of the Thames where the locks are "proper locks" with lovely light balance beams and sluice (paddle) gear. Softens the blow of the larger electric locks below Oxford.

Because the Thames is unlike any other river, might I suggest you have a look at
this thread and extract some of the free information that I posted therein.
 
Re: It\'s all been said

[ QUOTE ]
Do the narrowboats out of Penton Hook not hire any more ?

The yellow and blue ones ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oops - I'd forgotten about them; I only see them occasionally. I note that they had a name change a couple of years ago - but in any event I thought they were part of a timeshare scheme (a bit like Canaltime in the midlands).
 
Re: It\'s all been said

I thought they were part of a timeshare scheme but the part-owners received revenue from weekly hirers, that's how they tried to sell me one anyhow, oh and with the "benefit" of swapping with other timesharers around the world.
 
Re: It\'s all been said

It is Canal Time the in-laws "own" a week with but I have sugested to them that they charter (maybe a cruiser) on the Thames as I have done so 3 or 4 times and loved it.
Another option of course, is to "road transport" our boat to say Abingdon, drop the boat in use it and "lorry" it home again.
Probably a lot cheaper to rent a £Hoeseasons!"
 
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