Wednesday 26 July 2017

Sitting out the rain

It did indeed rain a great deal this morning, so we did well to stay put. We pottered about in the boat until half eleven, by which time the rain had largely cleared away, when we set out and walked to Morrisons via the town centre. There was a street market in progress, but our main interest was the chocolate shop which had sadly disappeared, boo.

We had lunch at Morrisons, thereby both giving me a break from cooking tonight and us a respite before shopping and walking back.

It’s been a quiet afternoon, so there’s not a lot more to say. One of the things I did this morning was a piece about judging the riskiness of moorings spots, stimulated by a thread on the subject over on CWDF. I’ll include it here so that you all don't feel too short changed today ;)

Nowhere is completely safe, of course, odd things have happened in even the most secluded spots, but there are undoubtedly safer and less safe places to tie up. In addition, a place that is ok for a quick shopping stop may not be good for leaving your precious craft unattended for a week. It’s important not to get hung up on these issues or boating will cease to be a pleasure – in addition, attitudes to risk vary from person to person and those who are of a robust mentality should not decry those of us of a more nervous disposition, nor should we who show wise caution in our choices of overnight mooring deride those for whom being untied is all part of the challenge of boating.

Even in the riskiest locations, chances are that a night can be spent unmolested – there’s probably never more than a 5% chance of trouble in any but the dodgiest spots. In addition, these things go in bursts and the dangers of a location change from year to year, partly with shifting fashions amongst the local youth and partly as a result of campaigns to improve safety such as Canal Watch or just extra police or navigation authority attention.

Danger signs to watch for are (in no particular order)

Graffiti
No other boats moored nearby
Moored boats but with protective covers over the windows
Litter, especially drinks cans or syringes
Local knowledge that the location is on a walking route to and from the town centre or local pubs and clubs
Large housing estates alongside the water or close by

Finally, perception is everything. A bad experience in a spot may be enough to persuade you to avoid it in future. There is nothing worse than fretfully lying in bed in the small hours listening for suspicious sounds outside.



Location:Market Drayton

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Sorry you thought that the chocolate shop in Market Drayton had disappeared. It is still there, in the same place, between Barclays Bank and Sherwood Wholefoods. Trust you will find it next time you visit Drayton. All the best,
Sheila
(Market Drayton resident)

Unknown said...

Sorry you thought that the chocolate shop in Market Drayton had disappeared. It is still there, in the same place, between Barclays Bank and Sherwood Wholefoods. Trust you will find it next time you visit Drayton. All the best,
Sheila
(Market Drayton resident)

Bruce in Sanity said...

Drat, better luck next time!

Thanks for letting us know.

Cheers

Bruce