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Guidance for visitors to the Fenland Waterways


Scholar Gypsy

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13 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:


I can't find any information on the MLC website about short term licences in 2021. (the arrangements in 2020 were a bit ad hoc, I think).    

I went straight to the source, and talked to Kevin Russell the ML Navgation Officer, he admits that the website could be clearer, 

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39 minutes ago, PaulJ said:

Sure its in the red bit at the bottom- https://3rwzrk3imltm11ru71g1sxd1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Licence-Charges-2021-22.pdf

Basically just says charges are the same as EA

 

Thank you, I had found that document (on https://middlelevel.gov.uk/navigation/) but I think that is just about the annual licence fees? (And even though I am colour blind I can't see any red bits).  I can't find any words on the MLC website about short term licences  ....

 

36 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

I went straight to the source, and talked to Kevin Russell the ML Navgation Officer, he admits that the website could be clearer, 

 

I agree - and have had a similar exchange with Kevin. It's a classic example of a website designed from the perspective of the producer, rather than thinking about how users might like the information to be organised and presented!  

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24 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

Thank you, I had found that document (on https://middlelevel.gov.uk/navigation/) but I think that is just about the annual licence fees? (And even though I am colour blind I can't see any red bits).  I can't find any words on the MLC website about short term licences  

The red bit is where the links are on the bottom of the page. Im colour blind too so they may not be red ?

Youre right though having read it properly-it is annual. The chart on the EA site under heading 2.1 does show the ML and EA day rates which are the same. 

Certainly not the easiest to make sense of and can see what Doratheexplorer means now!

 

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As far as the Cam us concerned there will be no Visitor Licence in future, even for those with an EA licence.  £100 for a few days on the Cam doesn't strike me as good value, especially given there is a good chance you won't be able to moor once you get there.

 

Please be advised that as of 01/04/2021, an Anglian pass is available from the Environment Agency to visit the River Cam and other waters as well. Visitors licence will no longer be available for 2021/22.

 

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2 minutes ago, pearley said:

As far as the Cam us concerned there will be no Visitor Licence in future, even for those with an EA licence.  £100 for a few days on the Cam doesn't strike me as good value, especially given there is a good chance you won't be able to moor once you get there.

 

Please be advised that as of 01/04/2021, an Anglian pass is available from the Environment Agency to visit the River Cam and other waters as well. Visitors licence will no longer be available for 2021/22.

 

Thank you, I rather thought that would be the case.

I think it means - though I am checking this again - that someone from CRT waterways who does not want to upgrade to a gold licence has to buy a) a temp licence from EA b) a temp licence from MLC and c) is not able to buy a short term licence for the Cam and d) is not able to buy an Anglian pass. Ho hum.

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12 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Thank you, I rather thought that would be the case.

I think it means - though I am checking this again - that someone from CRT waterways who does not want to upgrade to a gold licence has to buy a) a temp licence from EA b) a temp licence from MLC and c) is not able to buy a short term licence for the Cam and d) is not able to buy an Anglian pass. Ho hum.

 

 

It might be a bit quiet in that region in the forthcoming months / years.

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35 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Thank you, I rather thought that would be the case.

I think it means - though I am checking this again - that someone from CRT waterways who does not want to upgrade to a gold licence has to buy a) a temp licence from EA b) a temp licence from MLC and c) is not able to buy a short term licence for the Cam and d) is not able to buy an Anglian pass. Ho hum.

Or in our case someone who has an EA licence but doesn't want to cross or visit the Middle Level.

24 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

It might be a bit quiet in that region in the forthcoming months / years.

So the 5 or 6 visitor spaces in Cambridge might be emptier!

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27 minutes ago, nickhindle said:

Kind of on the same topic, has anyone found "wild" mooring to be OK on the middle levels? There seem to be even fewer official moorings here than on the Ouse / Nene.

To quote the MLC 

Excepting for public highways and any public open spaces, ALL lands adjoining 
Middle Level river banks are private property, and the normal laws of trespass apply 
to such property. There are public rights of way along some banks. In particular, 
it must be noted that apart from designated public moorings, mooring is not 
allowed without the permission of the owner of the mooring rights. In most 
cases, this will be the Commissioners. It is the responsibility of navigators to 
ensure that they have the right to moor at any location. 

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1 hour ago, PaulJ said:

To quote the MLC 

Excepting for public highways and any public open spaces, ALL lands adjoining 
Middle Level river banks are private property, and the normal laws of trespass apply 
to such property. There are public rights of way along some banks. In particular, 
it must be noted that apart from designated public moorings, mooring is not 
allowed without the permission of the owner of the mooring rights. In most 
cases, this will be the Commissioners. It is the responsibility of navigators to 
ensure that they have the right to moor at any location. 

They aren't selling it to me

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2 hours ago, nickhindle said:

Kind of on the same topic, has anyone found "wild" mooring to be OK on the middle levels? There seem to be even fewer official moorings here than on the Ouse / Nene.

Yes, I mention some in the document.  As usual, overnight moorings, leave no rubbish, is no problem.

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49 minutes ago, nickhindle said:

They aren't selling it to me

 

As long, you only stop overnight and leave no trace that you were there. Most land owners don't mind. 

It's the bargee traveller who piss's them off, setting up base, dumping their crap over the bank and having to

be removed by court order.

 

From the minuites of the Navigation Advisory Committee November meeting

 

Temporary Rural Moorings David Thomas said that consideration was to be given to the provision of temporary rural moorings at locations on the Middle Level waterways where the Commissioners owned the bank. He noted however that whilst it would be possible to provide these moorings there would not always be access beyond the moorings to other places unless the bank was a public right of way. The proposal was to mow the reed fringes and allow 24-hour mooring. It was hoped that work on thefirst few temporary moorings could commence immediately and be in place before Christmas and that information would be issued about their locations on the Middle Level Commissioners’website on the navigation page. John Revell had contacted David Thomas and put forward a number of suggestions for these24-hourmoorings outside of the main link route, which was considered useful. Chris Howes stated that a good location for a temporary 24-hourmooring would be where theKings Dyke met the River Nene as this was approximately 3 hours travel time from Peterborough.Colin Ovenden advised that rural moorings would be difficult for cruisers to access and asked if some sort of floating pontoon arrangement could be provided at some key locationsto assist the owners of cruisers.

 

 

Edited by nbfiresprite
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1 minute ago, nbfiresprite said:

 

As long, you only stop overnight and leave no trace that you were there. Most land owners don't mind. 

It's the bargee traveller who piss's them off, setting up base, dumping their crap over the bank and having to

be removed by court order.

 

From the minuites of the Navigation Advisory Committee November meeting

 

Temporary Rural MooringsDavidThomas said that consideration was to be given to the provision of temporary rural moorings at locations on the Middle Level waterways where theCommissionersowned the bank. He noted however that whilst it would be possible to provide these moorings there would not always be access beyond the moorings to other places unless the bank was a public right of way. The proposal was to mow the reed fringes and allow 24-hour mooring. Itwas hoped that work on thefirst few temporary moorings could commence immediately and be in place before Christmas and that information would be issued about their locations on the Middle Level Commissioners’website on the navigation page. JohnRevell had contacted David Thomas and put forward a number of suggestions for these24-hourmoorings outside of the main link route, which was considered useful. Chris Howes stated that a good location for a temporary 24-hourmooring would be where theKings Dyke met the River Nene as this was approximately 3 hours travel time from Peterborough.Colin Ovenden advised that rural moorings would be difficult for cruisers to access and asked if some sort of floating pontoonarrangementcould be provided at some keylocationsto assistthe owners of cruisers.

 

 

I sent in half a dozen suggestions to David Thomas (Chief Engineer of the MLC) last year, after my  excursions around some of the isolated parts of the system.  I would commend Woodwalton Fen in particular. 

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