Dave123

Aha Thanks! I was looking on the town side. Didn't know you could walk over the river there.

Just to add if you are struggling at any point i have always found the lock keepers very knowledgeable about where boats tend to moor in their reaches.

At least they have moorings above lock 2 now. When we did it we had to overnight on the river pontoon and climb over a fence to get off and go anywhere! It is a beautiful canal but agree it's a shame they seem to have restored it with a view to preventing casual towpath mooring (rather like on much of the K&A)

Best moorings in sonning are below the lock on the right but you have to pay (money into the letterbox on the fence) but 2 good pubs in the village and you might spot George Clooney too! Both the big islands between sonning and Shiplake (hallsmead and the lynch) are popular free wild mooring spots as is the left hand bank behind them but be careful as it's outside the main channel. Also some free spots by shiplake college in the trees. Then wargrave (EA) and some free spots on the right opposite the islands before the left hand bend above Marsh lock. Henley is £8 per night in the park opposite Rod eyot/above the bridge or also £8 in temole meadows beyond bridge (either side but need pins, no rings here and further from town) and another nice spot run by the same guy before hambledon lock. Then the next one i know is Marlow as has been said above (although there is an EA free mooring below the lock as well as the main ones above). Apparently Bourne End has moorings but never spotted these (although didnt really try). Cookham is a lovely spot though, either in meadows or just before the bridge in the town but both have a charge. Next free spots are Cliveden deep, the islands or left hand bank. Also free spots by Boveney church on the left. Then free/wild spots become quite limited as it gets more built up/less rural. Runnymede is great as is laleham Abbey and the other EA mooring between Chertsey and Shepperton. Plenty of moorings at Shepperton and some on the backwater around Desborough island. Also moorings in Walton on Thames and at the start of sunbury lock cut. Then it's Hampton court and Kingston (either side of river) and lastly the bollards above Teddington lock! Happy to give more details on each if you want...not sure on what kind of moorings you most prefer! I love how everyone has a different priority like pub or rings or no neighbours!

Yes they put an update on it for July and recycled the older notice!

It doesn't help that signage about leaving Wootton Rivers locks empty is confusing. No sign on top lock to leave empty but couple of CRT bods there when I went through the other week said to leave it empty...and in general a lot of people miss the open paddle at the other end and so waste water accidentally trying to fill a lock left empty with a paddle up. I think you will be fine though as apparently Wilton water levels are ok.

For those that didn't get the email. Hopefully just due to leakage not bigger water supply issues... Kennet & Avon Canal Starts At: Lock 55, Crofton Top Lock Ends At: Lock 54, Cadley Lock Friday 29 June 2018 19:00 until further notice Type: Advice Reason: Water resources Update on 26/07/2018: The Levels on the summit pound have further dropped to -460mm. We now need to close the summit pound to allow levels to recover. The Summit pound will re-open at 10am on Saturday 28th July, subject to the levels having recovered sufficiently to allow safe navigation through the Bruce Tunnel A further update will be issued at 10am on Saturday 28th July

Sorry to hear of this. I was in Leighton Buzzard then too for a week, but slightly out of town to the south by the old railway bridge. Had no problems at all...was this by the Tesco?

There are some free spots downstream from Goring, before Beale park on the rhs, after the bend beyond the railway bridge...

Very sorry to hear of this! Did you phone 999 or 101? Surely this counts as an assault in progress and the police should show up soonish? They can't be THAT busy on a Thursday morning?

It also massively helps concentrating the boat movements together so it can be one up and one down

But they haven't even had limited opening hours for Napton and Claydon locks yet...That's usually the first step before a complete clousure...

No the rainfall isn't their fault and given that the north west usually has plenty it wouldn't ever seem like a good investment to improve water storage in that area. But the various canal breaches and long term closure at Marple are the fault of CRT!

Wow! I can't remember so many canals being closed at the same time in a long while! Makes me glad I left the north west canals for the south...?

Ah yes I was assuming the OP had a CRT licence. There isn't such a thing as an EA cc'ing licence as far as I know.

Oh yes forgot to mention...there are some great wild moorings, even on some islands, if you don't mind where you are and don't need a train station or a town

Hi yes both are excellent spots...really beautiful and rural despite proximity to suburbia! The Grove golf course has nice walks as does the woods arpund iron bridge lock and cassiobury park.

You don't need a home mooring to get a Thames visitor licence. I have a CRT 'ccing' licence and always just told the lockies that when getting a Thames visitor licence, never been a problem and you can go back and forwards between a few different spots so long as you pay and obey the other rules (some sites like many of the EA 3 day moorings say no return within 24 or 48 hours). The EA don't care how far you travel along the river during your licence period. Hope this helps! Also a few of the private (ie nonEA visitor moorings may let you stay longer than the official duration if you ask nicely and pay in full up front...)

I don't think so, there was more rain down here than up north. And they put restrictions on opening hours before a compete closure.

Loads of rain in Pewsey!! Although the K&A seems unaffected by the drought so far...

Used to moor on the Oxford and it normally doesn't close completely, the locks will just have restricted opening hours. Often 4 or 5 hours during the central part of the day

Plenty of water here in Hungerford! And all of the Eastern K&A for that matter...though some rain would be nice to clean the roof!

There is a proper BW key padlock and chain on the gate now

Yes it is confusing. It would be nice if more people stayed in the basin, it has everything! I was the only visitor when I was there last in Dec

I thought there seemed to be loads of rings in Aylesbury. It's never full as most people don't realise the towpath opposite the permanent moorings is 7day VMs despite the water points along there...