Tell that Boat to Go Away!

[MartinClark]

I have been asked to post the following here by Colin and Carole Wareing, of NB Patty Ann. It was originally posted in Another Place and has some relevance to previous discussions about self-proclaimed No Mooring areas....

 

Hi all

I've just sent the following to B.W at Wigan and await a response:

 

I know it's an old one, but once again why on earth do people buy a house alongside a canal with no thought about the use of the 'cut?

 

Please could we ask what authority has the owner of the former lock keepers cottage at Greenberfield top lock over, whom, and for how long, they moor their boat between the water point and the lock landing?

 

We moored up here on the Saturday morning of the 19th September with the intention of trading for the day from our own boat. We have a full BW trading licence.

 

We had checked with Waterscape that there was no time restriction. We did not consider we would cause any obstruction to any other boats.

 

There was/is a 1 hour limit sign attached to the wall there, but it didn’t appear to be an official BW sign. We couldn’t remember the sign being there when we passed through earlier in the year. We checked with the lock keeper who said that he was ok with us being there but the chap on the other side of the wall – on what appears to be non BW property may say something, as he doesn’t like boats moored outside his property.

 

After a couple of hours the lock keeper asked us to move backwards onto the lock landing as the cottage owner had complained about us being there. We were not making any excess noise, no engine or generator running, no radio on. We did as asked but didn’t feel happy inconveniencing other boaters by being on the lock landing. Later in the day the lock keeper came back to say the cottage owner had rang his supervisor to get him to remind us not to stay overnight. We had already agreed with the lock keeper that we would not stay there overnight.

 

To save the lock keeper or his supervisor getting any more hassle on a Saturday afternoon we packed up at 15.00 hours and moved off. We had intended being there on Sunday 20th but thought if it was going to be such hassle …………..

 

We now consider that the owner of the lock cottage cost us a busy day of legitimate trading.

 

Why is this possible?

 

Can it be sorted out please as we intend to return to this spot in the future due to the fact that we got a very favourable response from the public who had time to visit us?

 

Colin and Carole Wareing, narrowboat Patty Ann

 

Colin and Carole have not yet received a reply from BW but would welcome your thoughts.

[mayalld]

I have been asked to post the following here by Colin and Carole Wareing, of NB Patty Ann. It was originally posted in Another Place and has some relevance to previous discussions about self-proclaimed No Mooring areas....

 

Hi all

I've just sent the following to B.W at Wigan and await a response:

 

I know it's an old one, but once again why on earth do people buy a house alongside a canal with no thought about the use of the 'cut?

 

Please could we ask what authority has the owner of the former lock keepers cottage at Greenberfield top lock over, whom, and for how long, they moor their boat between the water point and the lock landing?

 

We moored up here on the Saturday morning of the 19th September with the intention of trading for the day from our own boat. We have a full BW trading licence.

 

We had checked with Waterscape that there was no time restriction. We did not consider we would cause any obstruction to any other boats.

 

There was/is a 1 hour limit sign attached to the wall there, but it didn't appear to be an official BW sign. We couldn't remember the sign being there when we passed through earlier in the year. We checked with the lock keeper who said that he was ok with us being there but the chap on the other side of the wall – on what appears to be non BW property may say something, as he doesn't like boats moored outside his property.

 

After a couple of hours the lock keeper asked us to move backwards onto the lock landing as the cottage owner had complained about us being there. We were not making any excess noise, no engine or generator running, no radio on. We did as asked but didn't feel happy inconveniencing other boaters by being on the lock landing. Later in the day the lock keeper came back to say the cottage owner had rang his supervisor to get him to remind us not to stay overnight. We had already agreed with the lock keeper that we would not stay there overnight.

 

To save the lock keeper or his supervisor getting any more hassle on a Saturday afternoon we packed up at 15.00 hours and moved off. We had intended being there on Sunday 20th but thought if it was going to be such hassle …………..

 

We now consider that the owner of the lock cottage cost us a busy day of legitimate trading.

 

Why is this possible?

 

Can it be sorted out please as we intend to return to this spot in the future due to the fact that we got a very favourable response from the public who had time to visit us?

 

Colin and Carole Wareing, narrowboat Patty Ann

 

Colin and Carole have not yet received a reply from BW but would welcome your thoughts.

 

They should pursue this with vigour, until BW stop pandering to the bully.

[capnthommo]

They should pursue this with vigour, until BW stop pandering to the bully.

 

i agree. as OP said, why buy a house on a canal if you don't want boats nearby? i'd love to live in the country but i can't stand fields, trees, farms, animals, villages or open spaces (no - seriously - i can't keep a straight face and say that).

we should ALL pursue this - "by any means necessary"

nigel

Edited September 28, 2009 by capnthommo

[denboy]

were is this place ,not familiar with it ,maybe i could go and do a bit of busking

[O'Mali]

They want it all to themselves.

 

These people think that if they can see it, they can control it. I'd stick two fingers up to them.

 

Wan*ers!

[johnjo]

Sounds like the perfect place for a banter!

 

Bring your own beer, grub, beer, beer, beer, wine, booze etc: sorry nearly forgot, beer.

[denboy]

Sounds like the perfect place for a banter!

 

Bring your own beer, grub, beer, beer, beer, wine, booze etc: sorry nearly forgot, beer.

And musical instruments

[Guest]

First of all re. getting a response off BW; good luck with that.

 

I know the Greenbrfield locks well and have been visiting them on and off for donkey's years. We stayed there in July or August but tied up just before the cottage by the sluice that fills the canal. No problems there, but I was puzzled by the one hour signs. The owners of the cottage appear to want their own waterfront scene without boats. Next time we go I shall moor there. Pity we cant get a convoy of boats and keep moving on every hour, that way there would be boats there constantly but not the same one. The lock keeper is an excellent guy BTW who looked after our boat a few years ago when we couldn't get it home. I am certain that this business will have nothing to do with him whatsoever. Greenberfield is one of our favourite spots, and this is a shame.

 

This is the part where the waterpoint is. The area referred to is out of shot.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2009 by Guest

[casper ghost]

And musical instruments

 

I could bring my Bass and rather loud amp

[MikeV]

If owners of property that adjoin the canal were able to set their own rules for how long someone can more opposite their house then long lengths of towpath moorings could become no-go areas.

 

I wonder what lever the cottage owner is using with BW? Otherwise wouldn't BW tell them "naff off" also?

[purplehaze]

Reminds me of a couple of weeks ago when trying to moor (near a village not out in the middle of nowhere) we were told that the mooring space between two boats (approx 100 ft) was not a mooring space but a 'gap'!!

Needless to say we moored

 

Julie

[johnjo]

Reminds me of a couple of weeks ago when trying to moor (near a village not out in the middle of nowhere) we were told that the mooring space between two boats (approx 100 ft) was not a mooring space but a 'gap'!!

Needless to say we moored

 

Julie

 

Good for you and that's what we all should do.

 

I live in Devon and the amount of townies that move out to the countryside and then complain about the smell when slurry is being sprayed on the fields, the noise in summer when the farmers are working from sun-up to sun-down trying to get the winter feed in. Why are there no street lights and pavements.

 

I can only assume these p*llocks don't have the grey cells to comprehend what goes on where they are contemplating moving to or they are just arrogant g*ts.

 

The latter in the case of the OP's problem.

[Water Rat.]

What would happen if you just politely said 'no'? If one is within one's rights, surely one can say no?

[johnjo]

What would happen if you just politely said 'no'? If one is within one's rights, surely one can say no?

 

Quite agree, but in the OP's situation I think they moved just so the Lock Keeper didn't get any more grief, after all, he has to work there whereas we just move on.

 

But if we were there in force, after he'd gone home, now that could be a different story.

 

Mind you I say 'we', we are down south on the GU, but when we are up that way, and we will be, I'll make a point of mooring there & stay all night and run the engine till 8 o/c, just to heat the water for our shower you understand, plus possibly a very early start which would again require running the engines for at least on hour, but only to heat the water for our shower. Surely that wouldn't be unacceptable, would it?

Edited September 28, 2009 by johnjo

[LoneWolf]

That looks like a lovely spot, have added it to my list of places to stop.

 

What time do lock keepers finish for the day I wonder?

[Matthew Dowson]

Are they new? There wasn't any trouble last summer when we passed through twice. On a similar theme on the L&L has anyone had any grief off apartment residents at New Mill, Saltaire, where BW put in new moorings a few years back, 2006 I think, and soon after a notice went up about no overnight mooring. We had someone come down from the apartments about 6pm and remind us that there was no overnight mooring. Another boater said that they'd spoken to BW in Leeds who had said not to take any notice, the sign was just to keep the residents happy.

[gaggle]

Why bother being polite with the likes of this fella , i have moored in this very spot and he never came moaning to us , could this possibly be because he seen we were not as old as the couple on patty ann and would be less likely to take s*it from him.

I look forward to going back that way again and intend to make a point of mooring there overnight.

[Guest]

I seem to think this is the second such similar post in recent weeks.

 

Surely the response is:-

 

As long as I moor tow path side and in the absence of any truly legitimate notices to the contrary I have a right to be here..........end of.

 

(Oh and if you think I'm mooring illegitimately report me.....but don't hold your breath waiting for a response)

[LoneWolf]

Why bother being polite with the likes of this fella , i have moored in this very spot and he never came moaning to us , could this possibly be because he seen we were not as old as the couple on patty ann and would be less likely to take s*it from him.

I look forward to going back that way again and intend to make a point of mooring there overnight.

 

 

Doesn't sound like the cottage owner comes out to talk to boaters himself. Sounds like he hides inside twitching his curtain on the phone to BW

[Guest]

That looks like a lovely spot, have added it to my list of places to stop.

 

What time do lock keepers finish for the day I wonder?

One of our favourite places. I have seen the lockkeeper around at 5pm. He is often in the building that controls the flow from the sluice into the canal (don't know the proper name.)

 

This is from the other direction:

 

[Guest]

One of our favourite places. I have seen the lockkeeper around at 5pm. He is often in the building that controls the flow from the sluice into the canal (don't know the proper name.)

 

This is from the other direction:

 

 

Just realised from your pics (because I didn't read the OP's post correctly) - this is on the L&L - nice spot indeed - no sign of any bother when wee moored there in August - that is aside from the strong current from the sluice that prevented us getting close.

 

As for the 'person in the cottage' no sign.......

Edited September 28, 2009 by MJG

[Timleech]

Mind you I say 'we', we are down south on the GU, but when we are up that way, and we will be, I'll make a point of mooring there & stay all night and run the engine till 8 o/c, just to heat the water for our shower you understand, plus possibly a very early start which would again require running the engines for at least on hour, but only to heat the water for our shower. Surely that wouldn't be unacceptable, would it?

 

Well it would indicate a p*ss-poor design for your water heating system

 

Tim

[O'Mali]

What would happen if you just politely said 'no'?

They would whine and winge about how the have rights to the land and contribute to the up keep and then try the false friendly approach, in fact all sorts of shyt would be spouted to get rid of you.

[Midnight Rider]

Similar sort of thing ---- at Penkridge, on the S&W, I noticed about 3 end of garden moorings marked out for their boats -- in separate locations, not in a line as in long term moorings, on the towpath side.

 

I can't recall seeing this sort of thing before --- are they approved by BW?

 

Tony

[Guest]

Similar sort of thing ---- at Penkridge, on the S&W, I noticed about 3 end of garden moorings marked out for their boats -- in separate locations, not in a line as in long term moorings, on the towpath side.

 

I can't recall seeing this sort of thing before --- are they approved by BW?

 

Tony

Doubtful, but do BW really give one? They are too busy building posh offices and ordering beemers to be worried about that lesser form of being called boaters.