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Getting from the southern region to the north with a 10 footer


Collectors

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Hi, more a query for a friend if you can help, please. Is there a way of getting from the UK southern region to the north with a 10' wide beam via rivers/canals? I see from maps you can get to Peterborough, Birmingham & even Stourport i think, But not beyond to the north in a 10' boat. It even looks like he can't even reach the Wash & a short trip on the sea. Is there a way?. 

 

Thanks ?

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Crane, truck and then another crane , unless you fancy going round Norfolk or Wales

 

And you cant get to Peterborough from the south in anything wider than 7ft

Edited by Loddon
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6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Down the Thames, turn left, follow the coast to the River Humber, turn left then either get onto the Yorkshire canals, or down the River Trent.

 

A nice run (unless its a 'narrowboat')

You could go in at the Wasj and use the Witham and Fossdyke, but that may not be any easier in an inland boat...

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29 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

You could go in at the Wasj and use the Witham and Fossdyke, but that may not be any easier in an inland boat...

Yes the Wasj is a bit troublesome, as is the approach into Boston - you need to have a bit of knowledge about tides and the correct charts -

On 12 October 1216, King John attempted to cross the Wash. However, he misjudged the tide, leading to his precious baggage train, including the crown jewels, being claimed by the advancing waters. 

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You can not do it without taking the boat round the coast.  You have missed the fact that the GU Northampton arm is narrow beam.  Also the GU Leicester Line is narrow bean from Norton junction to below Foxton locks.

 

You can get a 10 ft wide beam to Camp Hill in Birmingham, and also to Stourport if you are prepared to cross the Bristol Channel.

 

So in reality you need to use a truck, and if you wanted to do most by water then lift out somewhere on the GU main line and then back in on the GU Leicester Line north of Foxton would do that..

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Thanks for the replies everyone, & sorry for not getting back. I didn't get any notifications, yet the notify me box was ticked. Its looking like its choosing a lift out point with a short lorry ride & a lift back in."shame"
Couldn't quite get enough info on the Nene up to the wash.
But getting the boat out might be a good opportunity for some maintenance.

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34 minutes ago, Collectors said:

 Its looking like its choosing a lift out point with a short lorry ride & a lift back in."shame"

The lorry ride distance only makes a small difference once the boat is on the trailer.  It's the cranage at each end that eats most of the cost.

 

Try Ray Bowern for prices.

http://bargemovers.com/contact

 

 

Edited by TheBiscuits
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12 minutes ago, Collectors said:

I didn't get any notifications, yet the notify me box was ticked

There is a whole array of different notification settings, 15 of them in fact. If you go to the little world at the top tool bar and then notification settings, when you get to that page you'll see a blue save button at the bottom of the screen, you can scroll down past that and you will see the notifications list where you can choose what and how you are notified. 

 

If you already know all this then please excuse this post. :)

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There is a rather drastic alternative the OP might wish to consider:

In general it is thought by many that if similar boats are on sale in the north and south, the one in the north will be cheaper. This doesn't make a lot of sense for narrow boats because it isn't difficult having bought one in the north to spend a week or two moving it down to London or wherever by water. But for wide beams with the north south divide I can see why it might be so.

So if you're not too devoted to the boat, you could look at selling it where it is and buying another boat up north that might be more to your liking.

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I looked at the thread title and got completely the wrong end of the stick. I imagined a plucky little 10-foot long dinghy, perhaps with a small outboard motor, undertaking a great adventure. When I read on, it became clear that the measurement was one of width rather than of length.

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11 minutes ago, Athy said:

Was it previously wider?

I think it was....I believe the plan was to get widebeams into Middlewich to take the salt up to Anderton, but I have also read something about trans-shipment between widebeams and Mersey flats that I don't really understand.....maybe that was what they did at Anderton.

 

Can any historians explain why the three tunnels and stop lock are such a funny width?

 

...........Dave

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1 hour ago, hider said:

Sensibly when the aqueduct on the T&M in Middlewich was rebuilt, they had the foresight to make it narrow beam only.

Croxton

 

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Was it previously wider?

Yes

 

53 minutes ago, dmr said:

I think it was....I believe the plan was to get widebeams into Middlewich to take the salt up to Anderton, but I have also read something about trans-shipment between widebeams and Mersey flats that I don't really understand.....maybe that was what they did at Anderton.

 

Can any historians explain why the three tunnels and stop lock are such a funny width?

 

...........Dave

Synopsis

 

**T&M was built "wide" from the Bridgwater to above Middlewich Big Lock to allow Mersey Flats to reach Middlewich. However they couldn't fit through Preson Brook Tunnel....


Transhipment was intended to be at Middlewich on a T&M wharf, but actually was at Preston Brook on a Bridgwater wharf - funny that. Bigger problem was that some traffic wouldn't have needed transhipment if the flats had fitted

When Anderton Lift was built wide boats could reach Middlewich via the lift, but I don't know that they ever did

 

CroxtonAqueduct suffered structural failure in, I think, the 1930s and was rebuilt narrow, as only narrow boats ever crossed it. This wasn't deliberate obstruction, just an economy. If you look the present day aqueduct is out-of-line as it was built next to the old one so traffic never stopped. 

 

A friend of Dad's used to reach Croxton Aqueduct every summer from the Leeds and Liverpool (Haskayne I think), they would travel out via Runcorn Locks, the Weaver and the Boat lift and back via Preston Brook tunnel in a converted lifeboat - the boat was too wide for Croxton but would fit through Preston Brook Stop Lock

 

Given ** above I assume that Preston Brook Stop Lock was either added or narrowed once it became obvious that Mersey Flats couldn't pass through the tunnel. 

 

1 hour ago, hider said:

Sensibly when the aqueduct on the T&M in Middlewich was rebuilt, they had the foresight to make it narrow beam only.

Going back to this one - Croxton Aqueduct only cuts widebeams off from about 3 miles of canal, and they're slimline widebeams anyway because of Preston Brook

Edited by magpie patrick
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2 minutes ago, hider said:

They narrowed the Shroppie at Barbridge too though its difficult to see why it was ever wide there, boats from Chester would not get up Audlem anyway.

No, but they got to Nantwich for about 40 years before the canal went any further - Natwich to Chester was originally a wide canal with no connection to the narrow canal system.

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1 hour ago, hider said:

They narrowed the Shroppie at Barbridge too though its difficult to see why it was ever wide there, boats from Chester would not get up Audlem anyway.

 

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

No, but they got to Nantwich for about 40 years before the canal went any further - Natwich to Chester was originally a wide canal with no connection to the narrow canal system.

Hack Green locks would be a problem before Audlem.

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