MARKET HARBOROUGH VISITOR MOORINGS

[i love my narrowboat]

We have just had 4 nights at Market Harborough visitor moorings at Union Wharf and can highly recommend it, £10 a night and electric included, The restaurant was also lovely and we had a lovely meal there too. Easy to walk to town and some wonderful shops.

Edited May 20, 2013 by i love my narrowboat

[ditchcrawler]

And you can moor in the arm for free, that would buy another evening in the restaurant.

[Keeping Up]

When we went recently we moored on the visitor moorings, just outside the basin on the arm and (as Ditchcrawler says) they are free. I wasn't impressed by their attitude at the wharf, they offered gas for sale but when I asked for some they were very offhand and said they couldn't sell us any as the person who deals with that sort of thing wasn't around and would I please leave quickly as they wanted to shut the office (this was at 2.30 in the afternoon).

[Boat&Bikes]

Ten quids not bad really thanks we intend a visit this summer,good to know theres a good mooring spot.

 

Ian

[ditchcrawler]

Ten quids not bad really thanks we intend a visit this summer,good to know theres a good mooring spot.

 

Ian

Just take care that its not £10 everywhere to moor soon.

[Boat&Bikes]

Just take care that its not £10 everywhere to moor soon.

If it was £10 to more where there was electric and pubs etc i dont mind.Obviously out in the countryside is different.

[paddy r]

We have just had 2 nights on the arm just outside the Basin.very nice place to stop.

[pearley]

It was only £8 last year. The money goes to CRT by the way, not Union Wharf/Alvechurch.

 

Regards

Pete

[Neil TNC]

Just take care that its not £10 everywhere to moor soon.

 

Hear hear!...MH basin is another place we avoid stopping in, just why do you need leccy for an overnight stop??? even Earnest's knackered old set of domestic batteries could go a couple of days moored up with going below 60% SOC.

Does anyone know if the historic overnight charging for mooring at Boston (unless using Grand Sluice) still goes on?

[hughc]

More years ago than I care to remember we arrived at MH basin on Christmas Eve. We were given a guided tour of a newly completed boat known as 'the directors' smoke-o and the keys of the shower block were left with us ' to post throught the office door when you leave.' No charge. Anglo Welsh IIRC. Regards, HughC.

[johnmck]

Had two days in the basin last week. Paid our money, hooked up and made good use of the electrical appliances onboard. Washed clothes, dried and heated the water. I don't think the charge is excessive. Some marinas charge a lot more and then you have to buy your leccy via a card! Wish there were more places like this on the system.

 

Market Harborough is a loveley town, we really enjoyed our stop there.

[BiggusDickus]

Great £10 very cheap keeps the rif raff out as well !

[dekker]

Just take care that its not £10 everywhere to moor soon.

We were there 2/3 years ago and I think it was £5. The man in the basin was very friendly and helpful but the lady manager was the opposite. I think £10 is the sign of the times and I would try not to pay that much. If boaters do pay without question then we will be the victims of ever increasing price hikes, The arm is ok if you can get in and use the basin when you need good usage of electicity etc.

[pearley]

Hear hear!...MH basin is another place we avoid stopping in, just why do you need leccy for an overnight stop??? even Earnest's knackered old set of domestic batteries could go a couple of days moored up with going below 60% SOC.

Does anyone know if the historic overnight charging for mooring at Boston (unless using Grand Sluice) still goes on?

Certainly didn't have to pay when we moored at Boston for a few nights last year. You need to watch the water flow when mooring on the new finger pontoons. Best to wait until the sluices are closed at high tide.

 

Regards

Pete

Edited May 21, 2013 by pearley

[john6767]

Great £10 very cheap keeps the rif raff out as well !

I guess it depends on the boat length a bit, but based out our experience of using a few marinas when out on our travels last summer, £10 a night seems to be around the going rate in a marina but with electricity extra. In practice we often found there was already plenty of credit on the bollard!

[Neil TNC]

Certainly didn't have to pay when we moored at Boston for a few nights last year. You need to watch the water flow when mooring on the new finger pontoons. Best to wait until the sluices are closed at high tide.

 

Regards

Pete

Ta.

We have never paid, but ISTR in 2001 there was a sign on the old BW finger moorings proclaiming £4 a night, first night free. As for mooring, it was much the same back then (they were only about 30ft long), a colleague on his NB made a complete hash of trying to get in!

[cotswoldsman]

Anything that frees up visitor moorings gets my vote. I must say having spent 1 month in a marina this year having electricity is nice!! I was worried I might get used to it.

[BruceinSanity]

Had two days in the basin last week. Paid our money, hooked up and made good use of the electrical appliances onboard. Washed clothes, dried and heated the water. I don't think the charge is excessive. Some marinas charge a lot more and then you have to buy your leccy via a card! Wish there were more places like this on the system.

 

Market Harborough is a loveley town, we really enjoyed our stop there.

If you dry the water, does that mean you can store it in the cupboard and rehydrate it later?

 

 

Sorry, I'm going.

 

But before I do, agree that MH is a great place to overnight. We've only paid to go into Union Wharf if spending a few days there; you can catch a train into Leicester, saving a lot of grief boating that last bit to the Soar.

[ditchcrawler]

I guess it depends on the boat length a bit, but based out our experience of using a few marinas when out on our travels last summer, £10 a night seems to be around the going rate in a marina but with electricity extra. In practice we often found there was already plenty of credit on the bollard!

But that was a private marina, this is a basin at the end of the canal, not a private marina. Its the same as paying to moor in Llangollen. Next it will be pay to moor on the Southern canals, as the moorings are busy and that would ensure there are spaces.

 

If you dry the water, does that mean you can store it in the cupboard and rehydrate it later?

 

 

Sorry, I'm going.

 

But before I do, agree that MH is a great place to overnight. We've only paid to go into Union Wharf if spending a few days there; you can catch a train into Leicester, saving a lot of grief boating that last bit to the Soar.

Never thought of that, it would have been much easier to have gone Ely and Prickwillow by car and left the boat on the moorings.

[Grace and Favour]

But that was a private marina, this is a basin at the end of the canal, not a private marina. Its the same as paying to moor in Llangollen. Next it will be pay to moor on the Southern canals, as the moorings are busy and that would ensure there are spaces.

Maybe CRT could consider Roving Permits instead, then?

[john6767]

But that was a private marina, this is a basin at the end of the canal, not a private marina. Its the same as paying to moor in Llangollen. Next it will be pay to moor on the Southern canals, as the moorings are busy and that would ensure there are spaces.

Yes I know that . Never really understood why you have to pay at Market Harborough, but had assumed the basin was sub let to Canaltime (and therefore was effectively private), but perhaps that is a wrong assumption. We moored on the arm for nothing worked fine for us.

 

I do think it is a bit different to Llangollen though, there in my view you are really paying to fund the enforcement with is strictly 48 hours. I can see those moored at Chirk are probably not happy with it, as even though based on last year it is quiet over the weekend, it must be very annoying to have to pay for your weekend destination when most others get their weekend trip without having to pay to moor. As a one off destination though the £6 a night their was fine, and you do get electricity if you want it.

 

As you mention Southern canals (and I am probably going to get sledged for this) given all the stuff on here about London, I would be happy to pay £6 or £10 for a visitor mooring passing through London.

[Tuscan]

Yes the basin in M.H is private but there are towpath moorings just outside, some are a bit shallow at the bank if you are deep drafted.

 

I hope that CRT don't start charging for secure VM's but I can see the attraction both to them and some boaters.

[Chalky White]

total agree a lovely place to moor, the restaurant was great and the food was amazing, we moored for one night for £8 on a Tuesday went to pay and the agent said come back tomorrow got up on the Wednesday went to the office and there was a notice on the door which read Shut on Wednesday, o well happy days

Edited June 23, 2013 by Chalky White