Dave123

Well this was the 48h moorings at the Fox and Anchor in Cross Green on the Staffs&Worcs yesterday. August bank holiday at 4pm and not a single boat on the rings! I can remember first coming here May 2012 and having to go right past round the corner before finding a space. I think what used to make a mooring popular is perhaps changing, for all sorts of reasons?

Middlewich to the bottom of Audlem was heaving earlier this month. Really enjoyed being a gongoozler in Nantwich for the day I moored there. Having come round the Trent and L&L most of the summer I haven't seen many boats moving at all! Saw some interesting traffic jams by the aqueduct in Nantwich caused by boats trying to pass on the tight bend😂. Shroppie much quieter once above the first lock in Audlem though.

Mooring in Castlefield junction is still fine, use the Staffordshire arm. I stayed 2 nights back in July and there was space for other boats the whole time. You can moor on both sides of each fork of the arm even though it looks quite narrow...but if you haven't been before it can look too tight and this may be behind some of the stories that Castlefield is full up😅

They are closing Shipton lift bridge outside Thrupp for 3 months! That seems excessive.

The Trent is a wonderful river. Some really nice moorings. Gunthorpe to Hazelford is especially pretty. I think a search on here will bring a list of mooring sites. Some have limited space so I'd aim to stop early

A duplicate thread on this in stoppages...

Saw the Manchester evening news article. Very sad and probably made worse by an audience from the pub garden right by that lock! A lot of speculation on Facebook that excessive water flowing over the top gates (as is common on the rochdale) may have been the cause but I'd have thought a cratch cover and well deck drains should have prevented this?

That's interesting actually as I've generally assumed my tick over to be around 2-2.5mph and 3-3.5 mph achievable on a normal narrow canal at 'cruising revs'. Managed 3.75mph on the Bridgewater. Probably going around a lot of tight bends slows progress? Anyway, my point was I doubt all boats are slowing down for Woodseaves which won't help it's stability.

Judging by the speed everyone on the Shroppie goes at I doubt many have gone past the landslide REALLY slow as they are meant to (saying 2mph is useless as how many boats have speedometers or a gps app). I also think I read somewhere that Woodseaves is the single most expensive structure/feature on the waterways to maintain?

Can confirm the Wigan flight crew are excellent. The Facebook page is also useful for finding another boat to share with. Didn't find the locks nearly as daunting as I had expected. They were easy to operate and pleasant surrounds that felt clean and safe the whole way down! Boats do regularly moor in the pound with mooring rings about two thirds of the way from the top. Also look at the notes under the documents sections of the Facebook page. The volunteers have amassed an extrodinary wealth of detail on the operation and peculiarities of every single lock, such as which gates can stick if opened fully or tend to swing shut etc!

Also nice moorings at Dobcross by the facilities block, either side of Scout Tunnel, by Roaches lock (halfway between Uppermill and Stalybridge) and at the start of the Peak Forest before the lift bridge.

Hi, the nicest moorings before Blackburn are Riley green. Rings and armco and lots of space. There was also some armco and possible mooring around Stanworth bridge, if you want to get a bit closer before going up Blackburn the next day. Apparently people do stay overnight in Cherry tree too, there are a few rings here but some of the concrete has fallen into the canal, and it's a bit more urban although seemingly a pleasant enough suburb. Only stopped there briefly for the very handy sainsburys though. Blackburn was really quite pleasant to go through. Much nicer than I expected and locks in good condition, unlike those further east! After the locks Eanam wharf where the carribean restaurant is is safe or by bridge 106 and Rishton reservoir if you want something quieter and rural. Depth at the towpath isn't great on much of this bit of the L&L (and my boat is very shallow drafted!) but there was 1 boat length ok here. Otherwise Rishton visitor moorings has 2 boats length or plenty of nice deep armco before bridge 110. 😁😁 I have just come back that way. It's a beautiful canal and so quiet compared to the Midlands! Didn't take long when getting back to the Bridgewater to experience the first boat pulled free of a mooring and general canal rage 😂 Safe travels!

I agree with the restricted openings to be honest. It does put people off making unnecessary journeys through the locks, you'd be surprised how many hire boats go through some extra locks just to turn and go right back again. It also deters people making leisurely north/south transits (like me) and sends us the sensible way via the Coventry or B'ham 😂. All of which hopefully saves enough water for the locks to stay open for those that have to go that way 😁

Someone said the paddle may have been damaged already in a separate incident....still odd though

Saw this photo on Facebook of the middle gates at Bunbury on the lower Shroppie. A mystery as to how the ground paddle has shattered like that? A road vehicle hitting it and the gate hard enough to do that surely wouldn't have been able to drive off?

Maybe it's an angling association and they want to remain anonymous 😅

I have a very shallow drafted Liverpool hull, just under 2ft I think, and only needed a gangplank once on the K&A. It depends how happy you are to hop across a short gap to get on and off at some places. And what kind of cruising and mooring you plan to do.

I spent a considerable part of the last 3 years on the K&A as far west as Devizes. Cant comment on specifics of the Bath/BoA stretch, haven't been there in 12 years but I suspect covid is behind any recent changes. This has been the case elsewhere in the country where it has been easy for people to get permission to remain on visitor moorings, whether rightly or wrongly. The points I was trying make relates to the rest of the K&A. The OP mentioned Hungerford, Devizes and Newbury. I was curious as to the expectations of the OP regarding mooring availability in addition to mooring vacancy. If the OP had hired (Which it sounds like) I think hire companies need to give more route advice. Eg this stretch is usually full early, this stretch is unsuitable to moor to, this stretch always has space. As an anecdote, I've been moored at Thatcham on the VMs, with space for another boat yet overhead a passing hire boat heading to Newbury, late evening, saying let's just carry on for another 30 minutes, unaware the next viable mooring is Newbury which can be 3 to 4 hours cruise.

I won't comment much about the fact "rough" looking boats upset you, except to say I rather enjoy the diversity and variety of boats you get on the K&A compared to parts of the midlands where every boat looks the same😅, provided they arent a safety hazzard who cares. But people's complaints about mooring issues interests me. The problem with the K&A is some boaters expectation of being able to drop a pin on a map and plan to arrive at that spot at 7pm and moor. This can work in the Midlands where its easier to mark in a map the stretches of canal that aren't possible to moor to. If you hired did the hire company give detailed advice on exactly where to moor and whether it's limited and likely to fill up by lunchtime? There are places you can rely on space any time but sadly much of the towpath just isn't very moorable even if you are prepared to jump off and then use a long gangplank. If you are hiring and trying to go as far as possible in a limited time you unfortunately can't expect good moorings on a canal like the K&A. It has short stay moorings but these fill up early with people on more leisurely journeys.

Good news that common sense and due process have prevailed over pitch fork wielding nimby villagers😂😁👍

A good example of why staying the winter on the river on an unofficial mooring isn't wise

Have CRT actually done the proper research and consultation to show there was actually a need for mooring restrictions? Didn't they try to do this in Berko a while back and it was shown there isn't a need as there wasnt a shortage or enough demand or something like that?

Like any canal, there will be spots with no signal. Presumably you need signal most in evenings when you have moored, so just check before tying up. Vodafone might have a map showing approximate signal coverage, three do and I find theirs fairly accurate and useful to plan moorings when I need particularly good signal for work etc

Yes! But don't try to stop too near as the moorings are west of the pub, there isn't much space right outside it or between the pub and Dowley Gap locks.

There is a long bit of nice armco above the Dowley Gap 2 rise which is where we stayed the night before going up Bingley 3 and 5 rise. It's only about 20-30 minutes cruise from their to the bottom of Bingley 3 rise and isn't near the road. And yes Silsden has lots of moorings on armco again, around the bend east of the main road bridge. Wasn't that busy at all compared to how hectic Skipton is! And seems a lovely village!