Where have all the boats gone?

[Guest]

As per title. Not a complaint by any means, but after approaching 20 years since returning to the cut, I have never known the Shroppie etc so quiet, and it is the peak period. We are freely tying up on the best moorings where we have never had a sniff in the past. I realise that the weather is very unsettled, but that doesn't seem to have stopped people in other years. Weird. There was a little bit of a queue for the Llangollen last Sunday, but nothing unusual, and caused I believe by the restricted times.

[Guest]

London

[cuthound]

More passed our mooring on the Coventry this summer than any other year since we moved here in 2014.

 

Perhaps they are all doing the Warwickshire Ring? ?

[Rob-M]

We saw very few boats moving or moored last weekend traveling from Wheaton Aston to Birmingham.

[MoominPapa]

Ely.

 

MP

 

[Guest]

It is a bit strange. We are the only boat currently on a mooring that is usually rammed at this time of year. 

[Nick D]

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

More passed our mooring on the Coventry this summer than any other year since we moved here in 2014.

 

Perhaps they are all doing the Warwickshire Ring? ?

I think you might have a point. We spent most of July on an enlarged Leicester ring, from Fradley Junction via Birmingham, across to the GU Leicester, up the Soar/Trent and back to King Bromley Marina.  It seemed really quiet apart from the sections that were on the Warwickshire Ring. Perhaps everyone has gone there this year!

[ditchcrawler]

Well we met one boat today who was coming up from Stratford Basin. only 3 boats in the basin when we arrived and still lots of spaces

[blackrose]

Brexit uncertainty. Everyone's busy stockpiling supplies. Have you all done your panic buying?

[Wanderer Vagabond]

4 hours ago, catweasel said:

As per title. Not a complaint by any means, but after approaching 20 years since returning to the cut, I have never known the Shroppie etc so quiet, and it is the peak period. We are freely tying up on the best moorings where we have never had a sniff in the past. I realise that the weather is very unsettled, but that doesn't seem to have stopped people in other years. Weird. There was a little bit of a queue for the Llangollen last Sunday, but nothing unusual, and caused I believe by the restricted times.

I don't know where all of the boats are, but we are rammed in 4 deep at Bentley Bridge VM's on the Wyreley and Essington. I pulled in here for a quiet stop after coming up the Wolverhampton flight and before going onwards towards Birmingham. When I got here the occupant of the one boat here asked,"Are you here for the festival?". "What festival?" was my innocent reply not having heard anything about it. If you want crowds, pop along here (I'll be leaving a vacant quadruple banked mooring here tomorrow if you want it)

[Dave123]

I think the canals have been getting quieter for a few years. But the shift from peak season no longer being busiest is probably changing demographics of boaters...not so many families now more older generations who dont need to go boating in school holidays. Everyone thinks August will be heaving so they avoid it!

[peterboat]

Stan couldn't agree more, up here is empty, moorings that normally are full us and one other! It's no better today only passed one other moving boat all day. It won't matter if diesel is 20 pounds a litre as nobody is burning any on the cut!

[dor]

Came down to Nantwich VMs about ten this morning and there were several slots on the embankment when normally it is pretty well full.

having said that, I thought it has been pretty busy with boats moving over the last couple of weeks.

 

[PaulJ]

Plenty in Cropredy at the moment..

 

[roland elsdon]

Whaley bridge.

if the dam bursts the armada will surf the wave past tesco’s carrying the stricken homeowners to their new homes.

it was Boris’s idea in the Dunkirk spirit

[John Brightley]

Anderton area very busy a couple of days ago, but Weaver very quiet, as was the Ashton and the Ashton end of the Huddersfield Narrow.

[frangar]

They are all on the HNC! Quiet canal my arse!! ?

[John Brightley]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

They are all on the HNC! Quiet canal my arse!! ?

Well, we only saw one other boat on the move between Ashton and Stalybridge in a whole day last Sunday. Not many others moored either.

[frangar]

1 minute ago, John Brightley said:

Well, we only saw one other boat on the move between Ashton and Stalybridge in a whole day last Sunday. Not many others moored either.

Well there’s 3 in Slaithwate including us....been chasing one up from Huddersfield...they thought they could stop in lock to have lunch and hide from rain....my OH pointed out to

them it wasn’t a good idea! Hoping the others have a tunnel passage for Monday so we get the canal to ourselves again! 

[Rob-M]

Certainly not at Fradley, only 3 boats below Junction Lock.

[Lily Rose]

Only one boat has passed me today. That was one more than I expected given that I'm moored on the new bit at the top of the Ashby. 

 

Consequently I have absolutely no idea how boaters have been out braving today's winds. I did see one other boat moving - turning in the large winding hole just before the new bit. Looked like fun in 40mph gusts.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Unless you travel along the towpath going faster than boats (cycle perhaps?) it is possible to get a very distorted impression of how many boats are around or on the move. We came up the Wolverhampton flight last Thursday and my impression was that it was quite busy. We clearly had a boat somewhere ahead of us because a lot of locks were set against us, despite having passed several boats coming down (probably half a dozen). We also knew that that there was another boat coming up behind us because the CRT volunteers passed us on the way down to assist them up. So not hectically busy, but busy enough. About 4 locks from the top we passed a boat coming down and the first thing she said to me was,"Blimey, another boat, you're only the second boat we've seen all day". So my perception was that it was quite busy, her perception was that it was dead, we were both on the same bit of canal.

[cuthound]

About 10 boats have passed our house on the Coventry today.

 

2/3d's were hire boats. Quieter than yesterday, but busier than I would expect given the wind and occassional heavy showers.

Edited August 10, 2019 by cuthound
Spillung

[JohnEW2912]

Our boat has been up the Caldon twice in recent weeks (once with us and then with son and wife) and it was busier than I've ever known it. Still not mega busy but noticeably more boats. We have been to the end of the Leek branch I think three times now and the last two we've been the only boat. This time there were 4 of us, the night before there was apparently breasting up and my son was warned off going up as there wouldn't be any space for him.

[johnmck]

Last year we headed towards the northwest initially, Chester and the Llangollen.  As the Middlewich branch was closed, we expected the Shroppie to be busy. It was far from it. Going down Audlem, we passed ner a boat. The Golly was steady, but by no means busy, same towards Chester. 

Returning down the Shroppie,  only passed one boat on the Audlem flight.

Our travels later took us down the Severn to sharpness, back up the Avon and Stratford and ultimately down onto the Thames  via the Oxford. It was very quiet throughout.

Due to circumstances, this year, we have only travelled  the Leicester ring. Once again, moving boats have been noticeably absent. 

People seem to be living on boats, rather than using them for navigation.