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Longer boat trip guidance


locostmike

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Hello everyone,

I'm looking to move my boat 70ft nb from Saltisford to Hartford marina in Cambridgeshire. I've not taken her out for trips of this length but am confident with general handling/locks/mooring etc.

I've looked into the route and asked for a quote for having it moved. I understand that the River Nene floods and Salter's lode needs to be timed correctly due to the boat length.

I'm happy that the engine etc is in good condition but haven't done much river cruising. Does anyone have any knowledge about how difficult the Nene/Salter's lode/River negotiations could be?

I might have a friend along to help, either experienced or not.

Any thoughts or other observations would be very gratefully received

Thanks

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90%preparation and 10% perspiration

 

Take a friend if you can for the Northampton - Hartford section esp the Nene itself Northampton to Peterborough.

 

There is another live thread on here covering the same journey in the app direction but sorry I'm not clever enough to tell you where to find it

 

It is all do-able but has its challenges in simple terms remember the River Nene is an active flood relief drainage system so if the weather is crap so will the Nene river conditions be 

 

Denver to Hartford is just fun all the way

 

The short trip from the middle level to Denver is OK as you will have VERY knowledgeable lock keepers helping/controlling you 

 

Enjoy it - overall its a great run which I have done a few times and I wish I was coming too..............my parents boat was moored at Hartford in the 80's

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I think this may be the thread @Halsey mentioned

 If you want to do this trip before the winter, you need to get a move on. The Nene tends to close for stoppages between 1 November and Easter, and the risk of flooding is increasing now of course.   Do please subscribe to the text alerts from the EA for the Nene, and for the Ouse (two sections, Earith to St Ives and St Ives to Bedford).

 

It's worth having a phone chat with Paul the lock keeper at Salters Lode about the transit there. As noted above he knows what he is doing.  As an aside, the water came over the top at Denver this week, on a very high tide....

Edited by Scholar Gypsy
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Its one of our all time best canal journeys so do try to do it yourself if you can. Nene is lovely but not a place to be if its flowing, especially in a 70 footer.  Getting out of Salters Lode is much much easier than getting in but do take advice about approaching Denver and possible sandbanks. I believe there is a traveler camp giving trouble on the Northampton Arm at present, maybe gone now.  Could you delay this trip till next spring and really enjoy it????

 

..................Dave 

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Canalplan.org.uk says:

 

This is a trip of 174 miles, 4½ furlongs and 102 locks from Saltisford (Warwick) to Hartford Marina.

This will take 70 hours and 42 minutes which is 10 days, 42 minutes at 7 hours per day.

 

That's quite a long trip to do single handed if you are not experienced, especially at this time of year.

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