Notable Moments Time Stamps: 1:50 Boating Begins! 2:30 Opening the Lock Gates 5:30 Moving the Boat into the lock 8:18 Inside the Lock 15:00 Opening the Top Gate 17:22 Moving Out of the Lock!
When I got my boat Dan, I was daunted by having to do a lock on my own - as if I was to make a longer trip, my friends and two sons could only do a few days here and there, as they had to be in work. About three years ago, you did an earlier solo lock video on the Montgomery, which I followed really carefully, then went down there to try it out for myself (and passed you, or Tilly, near Ellesmere going both ways, but no one at home). So as the Montgomery Canal was deserted, I could take my time on several locks and practice what you had shown in the video. That gave me the confidence to go further. Which I did a couple of months later. I had no plans, just out with my mate and younger son for the weekend. We cruised up from Whixall, but they left near Nantwich to return home on the Sunday night, as they had work the next morning. I decided to keep going, and tackled my first locks towards Audlem. And kept going. To the Severn, the Avon, the Oxford Canal, the Thames, onto the tidal stretch, back on the Grand Union until I got to Camden Lock in London. My sons had got the train to Worcester, then Hampton Court, each joining me for four days or so. Then the return journey home. By the time I got back to Whixall off the Llangollen, that weekend had turned into 3 months, 750 miles and 500 locks, mostly solo. If it hadn't been for that Montgomery video, I may never have had the confidence to tackle them on my own. So er...thanks Dan! I owe you a drink. I've stopped at Blackwater a couple of times while you were moored there, but no sign of you again ;-). Hope to catch up with you sometime! (Mike Royden, 'Tir na Nog' - Whixall)
Have you thought to have a rope leading from middle to the stern of the boat, then you can take this rope with you when you climb out of the lock and have it ready for when the boat moves much safer than steping back on the boat. we have two on ours one for each side ,they are handy for when it comes to mooring on windy/rainy days so we don't have to walk down the side to get the rope.
A "Centre Rope". Yes, very useful. Dan appears to have one, but it's coiled up in the centre of the boat. It is very useful to have the end of that rope with you, available at the stern as you say.
Yep center line is the most important rope on a narrowboat just forward of the centre. I'm a wimp on lock ladders and pull my boat in with the centre line. Dan and Tilly on TH-cam are one of the reasons I live aboard and love the life
Very interesting to see in real time Dan> We have always been "mob handed" on our canal boat holidays but it's great to see how you do it alone. Thanks for the tips about the boat wedging and other stuff. Stay safe and warm this winter!
Just a thought, but if you open the far gate first, you only have to walk round the lock once, rather than opening the near gate, then having to walk round to open the far gate, and then walk back. (That's assuming you can cross the bottom gates on this lock).
Loved this one Dan. In fact, the very first video of yours that I ever saw was a tutorial on how to navigate passage through a lock using narrow boat Tillie. That started my fascination with your adventures. Please keep up the great work. Thank you!
Very nice video, you certainly have the lot opening /closing down pat. A system is good to have, and mixed in with a touch of paranoia always makes things perfect.
Well done! If you do not own a pair of gloves I would recommend purchasing a pair of cuffed cryo gloves. They are made to withstand super cold temps and are waterproof, they are not very stylish but will keep your hands warm for those cold temp. outdoor chores. Cheers!
Thanks for putting this together. Very interesting. I notice that in one of your earlier videos you pulled the boat out of the lock using a line instead of starting the engine. Guess one could use either method.
Very informative video Dan . Have you ever come across a lock gate that you are unable to move your self . Due to the age and poor maintenance of the gate .
Nice vid as always Dan, are you looking at travelling down the Stort or Hertford end of the Lee anytime soon, would be nice to say hello in person, have watched you since before i got my boat 4 years ago.
Hi, I actually think you are very speedy it can take me nearly half an hour sometimes! ( I’m really bad at lining up with the ladders!!) hopefully I’ll get quicker, I’ve only had my boat since August) thankyou for all your very helpful vlogs and books 🐱🐶🐱
What prevails in regards to closing the gate(s) behind you? Is it protocol or courtesy? I’ve seen many videos of the gate(s) left open. Of course this only favors an approaching boat to the one exiting.
Hello, unless there is a boat waiting to enter immediately after you exit the lock then the general etiquette and courtesy would be to close the gates behind you. In theory if you turn up at a lock with nobody else around it should be in a “neutral position” all paddles down and gates closed, partly to help keep a regulated flow of water and to hopefully stop anybody forgetting to lower paddles and letting gallons of water run through and potentially drying up some small pound areas between locks! Sorry for such a wordy answer!
Bill Cotton Hi Bill. Believe that 72” is the maximum. I’ve had one as a holiday boat and there are very limited opportunities to turn such a boat. My own 48”er is more similar to Dan’s. Advice on the canal forums is that 57” is the maximum to explore the whole UK network. Hoping to be able to check this 👍
@@malcolmparis Yer, 72ft on narrow canals, and broad canals such as the Leeds and Liverpool 62ft max (you can go in diagonally as they are wide). "The whole UK network", that depends on what you mean.... it's been said 40ft max to be able to do the last part of the Little Ouse. I went down the Ashby Canal and was able to do the very short, recently renovation end section as my boat is 50ft and the winding hole at the terminus is 50ft max. www.abnb.co.uk/submenupages/57ft%20myth.html
qmmo At least Dan has faith in the weather forecast and their wind direction, like it never changes does it? But it would have made an interesting video seeing how he got back on his boat.
Dan, what's this I been told about you getting yourself a bit wet not that long ago? There has not been much talk about it? I do hope no fish were hurt when you were being silly?
![Taking it up the Llangollen | Single handed Narrowboat Adventure | Canal locks [Ep 78]](/img/n.gif)
Notable Moments Time Stamps:
1:50 Boating Begins!
2:30 Opening the Lock Gates
5:30 Moving the Boat into the lock
8:18 Inside the Lock
15:00 Opening the Top Gate
17:22 Moving Out of the Lock!
When I got my boat Dan, I was daunted by having to do a lock on my own - as if I was to make a longer trip, my friends and two sons could only do a few days here and there, as they had to be in work. About three years ago, you did an earlier solo lock video on the Montgomery, which I followed really carefully, then went down there to try it out for myself (and passed you, or Tilly, near Ellesmere going both ways, but no one at home). So as the Montgomery Canal was deserted, I could take my time on several locks and practice what you had shown in the video. That gave me the confidence to go further. Which I did a couple of months later. I had no plans, just out with my mate and younger son for the weekend. We cruised up from Whixall, but they left near Nantwich to return home on the Sunday night, as they had work the next morning. I decided to keep going, and tackled my first locks towards Audlem. And kept going. To the Severn, the Avon, the Oxford Canal, the Thames, onto the tidal stretch, back on the Grand Union until I got to Camden Lock in London. My sons had got the train to Worcester, then Hampton Court, each joining me for four days or so. Then the return journey home. By the time I got back to Whixall off the Llangollen, that weekend had turned into 3 months, 750 miles and 500 locks, mostly solo. If it hadn't been for that Montgomery video, I may never have had the confidence to tackle them on my own. So er...thanks Dan! I owe you a drink. I've stopped at Blackwater a couple of times while you were moored there, but no sign of you again ;-). Hope to catch up with you sometime! (Mike Royden, 'Tir na Nog' - Whixall)
Have you thought to have a rope leading from middle to the stern of the boat, then you can take this rope with you when you climb out of the lock and have it ready for when the boat moves much safer than steping back on the boat. we have two on ours one for each side ,they are handy for when it comes to mooring on windy/rainy days so we don't have to walk down the side to get the rope.
A "Centre Rope". Yes, very useful. Dan appears to have one, but it's coiled up in the centre of the boat. It is very useful to have the end of that rope with you, available at the stern as you say.
Yep center line is the most important rope on a narrowboat just forward of the centre. I'm a wimp on lock ladders and pull my boat in with the centre line. Dan and Tilly on TH-cam are one of the reasons I live aboard and love the life
Very nice and clear.
Very interesting to see in real time Dan> We have always been "mob handed" on our canal boat holidays but it's great to see how you do it alone. Thanks for the tips about the boat wedging and other stuff. Stay safe and warm this winter!
Thanks Dan. I’ve never done a lock single handed and am honestly still worried about it. Good to see some advice!
Just a thought, but if you open the far gate first, you only have to walk round the lock once, rather than opening the near gate, then having to walk round to open the far gate, and then walk back. (That's assuming you can cross the bottom gates on this lock).
Very useful information thanks.
Good lesson in how to do a lock on your own. Brilliant 😁
Loved this one Dan. In fact, the very first video of yours that I ever saw was a tutorial on how to navigate passage through a lock using narrow boat Tillie. That started my fascination with your adventures. Please keep up the great work. Thank you!
Great. I think I've been waiting for this video since you first got Tilly but never realised it 'till now. Thanks.
Any footage of you moving on the canals and working locks is good Dan , i enjoyed that :-)
Great video, very informative. Cheers and stay warm
Great video Dan and great valid info 👍
Very nice video, you certainly have the lot opening /closing down pat. A system is good to have, and mixed in with a touch of paranoia always makes things perfect.
Well done! If you do not own a pair of gloves I would recommend purchasing a pair of cuffed cryo gloves. They are made to withstand super cold temps and are waterproof, they are not very stylish but will keep your hands warm for those cold temp. outdoor chores. Cheers!
Thank you...looking very skillful😊
I can see how quickly the boat starts to rise. There is no reason to rush.
Sounds exhausting! 😧
phew . . . . it didn't 🤣 . . . . . lovely video young Dan . . . . stay warm ☺️
Thank you so much for this vid
Thanks for putting this together. Very interesting. I notice that in one of your earlier videos you pulled the boat out of the lock using a line instead of starting the engine. Guess one could use either method.
Very informative video Dan .
Have you ever come across a lock gate that you are unable to move your self .
Due to the age and poor maintenance of the gate .
Only yesterday started watching you great very interesting
Nice vid as always Dan, are you looking at travelling down the Stort or Hertford end of the Lee anytime soon, would be nice to say hello in person, have watched you since before i got my boat 4 years ago.
Hi, I actually think you are very speedy it can take me nearly half an hour sometimes! ( I’m really bad at lining up with the ladders!!) hopefully I’ll get quicker, I’ve only had my boat since August) thankyou for all your very helpful vlogs and books 🐱🐶🐱
a lot more time involved than I had thought
What prevails in regards to closing the gate(s) behind you? Is it protocol or courtesy? I’ve seen many videos of the gate(s) left open. Of course this only favors an approaching boat to the one exiting.
Hello, unless there is a boat waiting to enter immediately after you exit the lock then the general etiquette and courtesy would be to close the gates behind you.
In theory if you turn up at a lock with nobody else around it should be in a “neutral position” all paddles down and gates closed, partly to help keep a regulated flow of water and to hopefully stop anybody forgetting to lower paddles and letting gallons of water run through and potentially drying up some small pound areas between locks!
Sorry for such a wordy answer!
Thanks for the clarification. Would love to give narrow boating a try someday.
Very interesting video, you looked frozen. have you done Frankton locks in Abel`s ark yet? Model railway looks great. Keep it steamworthy.
Kettles on 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’m late 🤗
How are the driving lessons going Dan?
ooohhh less adverts.. am I just lucky Dan?
have you ever thought of putting a railway on the roof of your boat? You could use bigger trains. Of course you would have to keep it low.
Great Video! Dan ,is your boat about the maximum length that can pass through a lock?
Bill Cotton Hi Bill. Believe that 72” is the maximum. I’ve had one as a holiday boat and there are very limited opportunities to turn such a boat. My own 48”er is more similar to Dan’s. Advice on the canal forums is that 57” is the maximum to explore the whole UK network. Hoping to be able to check this 👍
@@malcolmparis Yer, 72ft on narrow canals, and broad canals such as the Leeds and Liverpool 62ft max (you can go in diagonally as they are wide). "The whole UK network", that depends on what you mean.... it's been said 40ft max to be able to do the last part of the Little Ouse. I went down the Ashby Canal and was able to do the very short, recently renovation end section as my boat is 50ft and the winding hole at the terminus is 50ft max. www.abnb.co.uk/submenupages/57ft%20myth.html
Hey Kurtan! ..... Is there a reason you disguised yourself as a Little-Old-Lady to operate the lock?? ;-)
Lifevest ??
. . . . . and then the wind changed direction . . . . . 😢
qmmo
At least Dan has faith in the weather forecast and their wind direction, like it never changes does it? But it would have made an interesting video seeing how he got back on his boat.
@@@lewisgardner1660 Well he does have very recent experience of canal immersion 😂😂
qmmo
Did he I missed that video when was that or was it kept quiet?
@@lewisgardner1660 I've looked & looked, can't find it, you'll have to ask the lad - apparently it was crystal balls cold . . . . . 😂
Dan, what's this I been told about you getting yourself a bit wet not that long ago? There has not been much talk about it? I do hope no fish were hurt when you were being silly?
32nd