Halesowenmum

Cripes I've done a search for this on t'internet but can't seem to find much about it - just a pub comes up. Any pointers on a website or contact person (I will look again later but thought I should probably have a good look at this option fairly quickly).

Er, yes, obviously, if CCing isn't an option I will of course have to stay in my house. But there could be occasions where a mooring could become unavailable having been available for some time - then I'd have to have a plan B, wouldn't I. Your implication is that I am, on a whimsy, deciding to buy a narrowboat. This is not the case. I'm absolutely not willing to go into details about the financial benefits that buying a narrowboat would provide me (which by the way are not attached to some idiotic misconception that it would be chepaer month to month). For your information I would welcome the 'cramped conditions' (how much room do you need for goodness sakes - isn't just having somewhere warm and dry what matters, really?) and the change in family life that this different way of living would provide. The waterways should not just be for people who don't have to work and the limited moorings situation makes it that way. And the peace and quiet is one of the things I personally would be looking forward to, sandwiched as I am currently between family 1 who scream at their children all day long and family 2 who carry out criminal activity from their property and have 48 hr parties on a regular basis. The assumption that I am going to pole up with a screaming rabble of vile children is quite insulting - my children have been taught politeness and respecting other people and I cannot conceive of my ever allowing them to cause a nuisance to anyone else and we are WAY past the stage of using bouncy castles and prams.

I did wonder...

I have absolutely no idea what this post is about, sorry. Thanks carlt. I feel that I still need to explore CCing in order to determine if I could do it within the terms, and still meet my needs. I could always taxi from where I am in the boat to get my car every two weeks when I moved. I think it would be daft of me not to figure out if I can accommodating CCing because as others on this forum have said, there may be times where a mooring no long is available, or where it is not renewed for me, or if I sell the house and have the boat but haven't got a mooring yet. So when I've got more time I'll look more into this and yey or ney it then I'll know whether I just simply need to hold everything until I have found a permanent mooring, or whether I can spend some time legitimately CCing until that time comes. Thank you!

I don't want to not pay for a mooring - I'd love a mooring, that would be the easiest thing for me yet I've been forced to consider CCing (albeit possibly only temporarily whilst I wait for an elusive mooring to become available who knows when - but there seem to be very few of them which dosn't make complying easy does it. So yes you are right, there are limited opportunities to live on a boat - on a mooring - because there are so few moorings. Clearly I can't comply with the terms of CCing when I have to get two children to school every morning because by definition this limits the geographical distance I could travel. Can I just say though that I didn't propose moving the distance of two bus stops, rather a 2 mile distance (by road, longer by waterway no doubt as it's a rather curvy section). There is the possibility for the CCing bods to modify their rules to accommodate people who have children in education. All they would have to do is say ok, prove your children attend this school, prove their level of attendance too if they want, you provide the proof to them, they provide an exemption to having to move many miles over a period of time and allow you to move around but within a geographical limitation which still allows you to get your children to school. Why should children of this age not have the chance to experience life on the water, what an enriching experience for them surely? But clearly within the current terms, that's not possible - and I was asking about how it all works as a responsible parent who does not wish to sell her home and find that I could then get chucked off the water and be rendered homeless.

Well said Bowten. Ok, let's say that yes, it is simple. It's also discriminatory as it only really allows 1. people with no need to work/retired really as the only group who can realistically nomadically cruise. So if they want and feel that all of us lot that can't do that to the way that most people would interpret their rulings, where are all the new permanent residential moorings that are clearly needed yet patently not available? We need moorings, there are none, so why don't they create a whole lot more?! Clearly there aren't enough moorings to go round so no wonder people end up trying to CC within the rules and then end up failing. The water people need to crack on and understand the changing nature of their 'customer' base and what their needs are. As someone has already said, there could be licensing fee benefits for them (although why one should be charged more to cruise less of the waterways I can't fathom. Thanks for this idea I'll certainly look into it for sure. It's gonna be ok if there's suitable buses! I'd been thinking of just Halesowen, maybe Dudley but so long as it's not so far away I could always think that bit further afield. There's also Stourbridge as well I guess. I shall get onto my enquiries nxt week as the kids are away at their dad's and I am trying to keep the idea 'on the down low' (as they kids say these days!) until I have something more solid to present to them. Thank you!

Grace & Favour are you making a distinction here between a long term full residential mooring and what you're calling a 'leisure mooring'. Do you mean a leisure mooring ie one which isn't really a bone fide proper residential mooring? (Sorry, just want to understand if this is what you're saying and that I'm understanding you right). Can I just thank everyone for their extremely helpful comments and input. For what it's worth I think that the peeps that make the CCing rules need to embrace the customer base they now have which is no doubt more diverse than it was many years ago with many more families and people with children wanting to live aboard and hence naturally restricted to a more limited geographical range. The CCing rules are fine for those who don't have to work or who don't have children who attend school.Why should I be not allowed to CC because I send my children to school as any good parent would, and because I work to support my two children and therefore need access to my car each day? Anyway, I agree that there is no way I can CC - I must find a 'permanent' residential mooring before I can even consider selling my house and possibly rendering me and my children with nowhere to live. Which is dreadfully disappointing as I'm not very confident I'm going to find one in anything like the near future. I only know of two places that offer the right type of mooring and the first one at least is full for the foreseeable future and can't tell me of course when any spaces might be coming up. And I've got limited ideas on where to look. Hey ho. Must say I'm very disappointed at the moment but agree with other posters that a mooring is the way forward.

I'd need to return to the same location every single day you see for getting kids to school... Yes you're right theoretically they could indeed go from a slightly different location - I'm not sure it would be different enough to satisfy the licencing chappies though that's the only issue. I will read and re-read the guidance on CC when I'm not so tired so I've digested that. Then I will have to sit with a map and possibly even drive round and look at actual bus stop locations, get out and see if the canal is anywhere near (!!) and see if 3 or 4 different stop-offs were a possibility. However I'm still not sure how that benefits me with regard to getting access to my car each day if I'm constantly in a considerably different enough location which satisfies the water folks but is such that my car ends up 2 times out of 3 being a darned long way away from me and my two rather short little legs. Most of the places I work are hopeless to get to by bus so I need the blessed car, German-orientated as it may be. I'm going to be inevitably mostly traversing the Dudley No. 2 canal. There are permanent moorings if you can get them either at Netherton (which has a suitable bus) or at Hawne Basin (which also has suitable buses). No doubt indeed there are bus stops along the way that would also suffice and hopefully be accessible. Postcode to postcode, by road, between these two points it's 2.9 miles. I guess it depends on how far waterways consider is far enough to constitute having moved on really. I could have three different cars in three different locations!!

Paul C you asked me to clarify: I'm not sure why you're asking about buying more gas when you previously mentioned "non gas powerable things". Can you re-read this bit and clarify? I'm just looking at everything - having as many gas powered things as poss as the basis since gas is portable and can be taken wherever I go. And then looking at how to power the non-gaseous items which need good old electric - I'm looking at the two is all. Again Paul C (and thanks for a fabulously detailed reply), yes, you're absolutely right, I could indeed moor up on the edge of the marina borders, near to the car park/nearby road whatever, and trudge along the towpath. Mud isn't a big issue - I've got me wellies! But I'm just not sure (and bear with me because my poor addled brain is playing catch-up big time at the moment digesting all this information) how that would fit in with having to keep on the move and not be 'had up' for not genuinely being a CC. I'd need to return to the same location every single day you see for getting kids to school...

Ha ha! The German version I'm afraid. I did used to own an original one VPP 317S! Would you believe on the new Mini the temperature gauge is set to only ever go to normal - it will stick there even if your engine has just overheated and blown up into tiny bits. Have you ever heard anything so irresponsible or stupid?! I didn't think so - had to ask though!!!

Hi one and all Ok, as you'll now know I'm looking at possibly selling my house, buying a narrowboat. I understand that one can be moved on from a mooring or not get it renewed and thus you've then got no mooring. I can also clearly see that there are several ways in which I could end up with my house sold, boat bought and delivered and nowhere to put it (as I need a 'permanent' residential mooring so kids can get to their schools by bus). I feel it would be lax of me not to consider what would I actually do if for whatever reason, I end up with only a boat to live on and no mooring so this email is related to what I would do if this ended up being the case. I suppose I could become a permanent cruiser (with a higher licence fee I believe?) But then what would I do re a. pumping out the head, b. having electricity for non gas powerable things. Could I simply put into the marina/basin or other location, pump out the loo, buy some more gas, fuel up, then clear off again??? How would I need to incorporate this scenario into my planning in terms of how I spec up the boat/fit it out - presumably gas powered appliances as much as possible? Solar panels and plenty batteries to store energy for things that can't be powered by gas (tv, laptop, microwave)??? Re continual cruising: What distance counts as having moved from one place to a new place - there must be some minimum mileage that says I've moved from one place and I'm now in a new place? Could you continually move 2 miles to location A, then two miles back to location B, then two miles back to location A, repeat?? I've just thought of another issue that might totally make not having a mooring an untenable option. I need to remain at a location where a. my children can walk to the bus stop and catch a bus to school and b. I can get into my car each morning and go to work. So pulling up at a towpath would be great, but then I'm stuffed aren't I - I can hardly shove the Mini into the ditch by the side of the towpath. Hmmmm.... Any searing thoughts?!!?

Oh well done you, I shall give that a look. Thank you.

Thanks I will have a look at that tonight. Much appreciated. Ahh, would love to keep the house AND have a boat but alas, can't afford both - well, I can't even afford the house any more!!!! thanks for that idea - which is good thinking on your part as i had noticed that the holiday boats do have a LOT of berths so they're obviously finding a way to fit them in although I'm quite sure that this is at the expense of large/more luxurious appointing of the salon area. Definitely good to look here at this option though a little bit more closely. I have seen, out of about say 50 boats I've looked at, 2 which probably had this configuration so I think there is the odd one out there. I'd definitely consider retro-fitting the solid fuel burner as I'd like that with a back boiler (which takes me WAYYYY back to when we had that very thing in the back of our coal fire in the terraced house I used to live in - didn't you pull a lever and the heat went up a pipe or something - this really is a considerable time in the past I have to tell you so my memory is very hazy. Suffice to say that the coal and beer was still delivered by horse in those days (god I feel old now). I'm sure Mr Grumpy was just having a bad day bless him! I shall let him rest then give him another go and be very very gentle so as to woo a better response!!

Yes you're right there is a little place up in Netherton. I contacted the person quoted on their website today and go a rather unfriendly response: "Who are you, where did you get my name from?" - er from your website mate where you're listed as a contact!! Thank you - it's good to be here!! I shall try again to extract some information - next job is to visit them and Hawne, compare costs/site/facilities and so on and then I'm going to look at some boats and see if I can afford what I want as the fairly typical double to the rear and rest of berths made up of the salon sofa for example won't work for me. I'll need two permanent single bunks plus a permanent double. Hello Grace and Favour and I understand why you are asking this question! I have not lived on a boat for an extended period of time but over the years I've worked on dive boats (nearly 3 years) and so am someone who enjoys life on the water. I've also lived aboard on a catamaran when I visited Vanuatu and sailed around the volcanic islands there, and have spent time living on sailboats in Ft Lauderdale also. I'm fully aware it will be a massive change both in terms of space and style of living not just for me but for the kids too. There are financial advantages as well which will come from this (but I obviously won't go into detail on the forum about that), and even with the on-costs of owning the boat and the monthly running costs that still work out better than with my current home).

Hi Puckle. I did think of Stourbridge but there are two schools v close to Halesowen town centre that I need to be close to so I've been looking at Hawne Basin... Suppose I could look at buses from Stourbridge to Halesowen - so long as they can get to school by bus that's all that matters I guess!

Hi everyone Halesownmum and totally new to this - hello! Just looking at selling my large 3 bed 3 storey house and getting a narrowboat. These to some extent seem to be the easiest 2 parts of the process, it's the timing and so on of things like: house sells, have I found a boat by then or not, when I do will a mooring have become free where I need it, if not is there somewhere else I can moor temporarily or would the boat be pretty unlivable on without access to leccy, water, pump out facilities etc etc! I certainly can't buy the boat til I've sold the house that's for sure. Seems the issue of when/if a mooring will/might/won't become available seems to be very tricky indeed! Where I live there's only really one place that offers residential moorings that also allows my children to get to their school by bus.... so I'm a bit stuck until a place becomes free at this location - which I imagine is going to be quite limiting and possibly involve a long wait of how long I don't know. If anyone knows of any alternative mooring locations within Halesowen I'd be very interested to learn about them! Nice to meet you all.

I had been wondering about this issue! Considering buying a boat and would be living with other permanently moored residential narrowboaters cheek by jowl. My daughter stomps around dancing constantly and my son plays keyboards and guitar. Occasional blasts of a trumpet which neither knows how to play can also be heard. I was worrying we might become unpopular! My son's favourite at the moment is The Final Countdown on his keyboard - classic. Thankfully he is pretty good on the guitar (due to 2 years of me paying £22 a month for his lesson!) and has self taught himself the keyboard which he plays by ear (not literally you understand, that really would be odd).