Messing about in boats … on the Thames

[David Mack]

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jul/26/messing-about-in-boats-boating-holiday-on-river-thames

[Bee]

Lovely bit of river. Ain't half expensive though.

[magnetman]

£1600 a week?? 

 

Hell's teeth!

 

I've been up and down that bit countless times and will be doing so next week again but I am struggling to locate that mooring with Wittenham clumps in the background. And a little post in the ground on a bend in a narrow bit of River. I guess it might be in the Clifton lock Weir stream. 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by magnetman

[Movin' on]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

£1600 a week?? 

 

Hell's teeth!

 

I've been up and down that bit countless times and will be doing so next week again but I am struggling to locate that mooring with Wittenham clumps in the background. And a little post in the ground on a bend in a narrow bit of River. I guess it might be in the Clifton lock Weir stream. 

 

 

We have moored on that bit a good few times as the dogs love it and its definitely a weir stream - can't say where though.

[magnetman]

It's actually immediately above the upper lock cut at Days lock on the main navigation. This was pointed out to me by another poster on the Thames forum. 

 

The picture is deceptive as it looked like a bend in the River but then I was viewing it on a phone screen to be fair. 

 

Bit of a dodgy place for swimming as it is at a point where any boats leaving the lock will be accelerating and have limited visibility due to the narrow lock cut and any boats approaching the lock will be maneovering to enter the lock of come alongside the layby. 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by magnetman

[David Mack]

Another Guardian plug for boating.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jul/29/narrowboat-boating-break-shropshire-union-canal-uk-wildlife

[Dave123]

On 26/07/2020 at 19:02, magnetman said:

£1600 a week?? 

 

Hell's teeth!

 

I've been up and down that bit countless times and will be doing so next week again but I am struggling to locate that mooring with Wittenham clumps in the background. And a little post in the ground on a bend in a narrow bit of River. I guess it might be in the Clifton lock Weir stream. 

 

That particular mooring has a rather chequered history. Fee to moor and no mooring signs coming and going all the time! 

[Mike on the Wey]

16 hours ago, Dave123 said:

That particular mooring has a rather chequered history. Fee to moor and no mooring signs coming and going all the time! 

And currently covered in Canada goose poo - and I mean literally covered. As is the entire Dorchester bank to a point level with the lakes. The upstream part was a pleasant place to moor for free, but it was unmoorable last week ... unless you're into goose poo.

[Dave123]

2 hours ago, Mike on the Wey said:

And currently covered in Canada goose poo - and I mean literally covered. As is the entire Dorchester bank to a point level with the lakes. The upstream part was a pleasant place to moor for free, but it was unmoorable last week ... unless you're into goose poo.

I met some boaters in June who got thrown off there at 9pm by an irate farmer. It used to belong to the UKIP treasurer apparently, who was (unsurprisingly) a nasty piece of work and tried to close the dead-end footpath along that bank where the poohsticks races were held. Boaters haven't helped by burning the no mooring/mooring fee signs?‍♂️. I stayed a week last Autumn and didn't have any problems, the foxes afloat bloggers also stayed this summer sometime, and apart from being rammed by a cruiser, didn't mention mooring problems?

Edited August 4, 2020 by Dave123

[Keeping Up]

During the last week a string of big new signs has been erected, above the lock and all along the bank, saying "Sorry, no mooring at this time".

 

At least they are polite, and even hold out the slight hope that mooring may be permitted at some time in the future.

[OldGoat]

It might not be connected (as the following is some way off), but Day's is going to have some major wor performed on it including new gates. Last time EA dis some work there was some serious plant used and mebe they're planning to move some equipment early -or even tidy up the upstream approach as well

 

[Murflynn]

I blame Peter Scott for encouraging Canada geese to emigrate to this fair country.  They are quite horrible.  Perhaps a cull should be petitioned - if hunters are allowed to cull badgers then there is no excuse not to do the same with those stupid critters.

 

am I being fair?

[WotEver]

20 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

I blame Peter Scott for encouraging Canada geese to emigrate to this fair country.  They are quite horrible.  Perhaps a cull should be petitioned - if hunters are allowed to cull badgers then there is no excuse not to do the same with those stupid critters.

 

am I being fair?

Perfectly fair. A national organisation that I’m aware of actively encourages staff to stick a twig into any eggs found in a Canada Goose nest. They’re vermin as far as I’m concerned. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

38 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Perfectly fair. A national organisation that I’m aware of actively encourages staff to stick a twig into any eggs found in a Canada Goose nest. They’re vermin as far as I’m concerned. 

Very smart vermin though. Found this one on the Chesterfield Canal some years ago pretending to be a signet. It was hanging around with them outside a pub getting free food from the customers. Every so often, Mum, or Dad swan would give it a peck to try and make it go away, but it knew it was on to a good thing. 

Jen

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Murflynn said:

I blame Peter Scott for encouraging Canada geese to emigrate to this fair country.  They are quite horrible.  Perhaps a cull should be petitioned - if hunters are allowed to cull badgers then there is no excuse not to do the same with those stupid critters.

 

am I being fair?

Canada geese are on the quarry list. Not the stone type if I spelt it wrong

[Alan de Enfield]

26 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Canada geese are on the quarry list. Not the stone type if I spelt it wrong

It is illegal to kill Canada Geese during the close season - EXCEPT a Landowner can apply for a general licence to kill them as pests as long as he has tried lawful, non lethal, methods first :

1) asking them to leave.

2) asking then not to come back,

3) waving a big stick at them,

4) using bird scarers

5) charging at them with Golf Buggies

 

We would regularly have over 200 on the Golf Course making a 'bit of a mess' and digging up the greens overnight.

 

Licence granted.

 

Extract from the DEFRA.Gov website

 

The Canada goose, Branta Canadensis, is listed on Schedule 2 Part 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and in accordance with the provisions in section 2 of the Act may be killed or taken by lawful methods outside the close season.

 

This licence permits landowners, occupiers and other Authorised Persons to carry out activities that would otherwise be illegal against this species during the close season.

This licence may only be used:

i. for the purposes of preserving public health and/or public safety;

ii. where it is strictly necessary to take action to preserve public health and/or public safety; and

iii. where reasonable steps to prevent problems by lawful methods have been and continue to be taken.

 

Users of this licence must comply with all licence terms and conditions including those in ‘Standard Licence Conditions for trapping wild birds and using decoys under a Natural England licence’ (GL33). Registration Users do not need to register to use this licence Recording & reporting Users are advised to keep a record of problems and the use of nonlethal methods, but do not need to submit records.

 

Reference WML – GL28 LEGISLATION Statute(s) Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (‘the 1981 Act’) Section(s) This licence is issued under sections 16(1)(i) and 16(5) This licence permits, to the extent stated at 5 & 6 below, actions which may otherwise constitute offences in sections: 1(a), (b) & (c); 5(1)(b); 5(1)(c)(iii)

Edited August 18, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[magnetman]

6 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

During the last week a string of big new signs has been erected, above the lock and all along the bank, saying "Sorry, no mooring at this time".

 

At least they are polite, and even hold out the slight hope that mooring may be permitted at some time in the future.

There was a suggestion elsewhere that an application has gone in to make the lake into a marina. 

 

It seems a bit far fetched and would be incredibly unlikely to be authorised by the planning but someone was told this was why the moorings have been temporarily withdrawn. 

 

ETA mentioned on this thread in the Thames forum 

 

https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/days-lock-thame-moorings-fleur-de-lys.546063/

Edited August 18, 2020 by magnetman