Mooring near Dudley Canal Trust/Black Country Living Museum

[TheBiscuits]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I have never worked this out either, and I notice that still no-one else using the term has explained! 

 

The museum side is the towpath.  There's a fence across it just after the last bridge though.

[Lancshoppy]

There's mooring for about 4 or 5 boats on the tow path side (museum side) which is protected by a gate locked with a waterways key, so you can exit and return anytime. 

The service block and waterpoint are on the opposite side, next to the museum shop and ticket office,  and there's signed mooring space for a couple of boats there as well. During the day, when the museum is open,  there's a foot bridge across the canal and gates out to the road on that side, but the bridge is swung back and the gates locked when the museum closes, so there's no way to exit, or get back to your boat if you've been to the pub / shop etc.

After posting this, and complaining last year, I was told that they would look at signage to make it clear there was no access. I haven't been back since last summer so I don't know if anything happened.

Good moorings and I'll go back. In fact might stop there next month, but was cross that the access limitation wasn't clear. I hope it has been sorted so it doesn't ruin anyone's holiday

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Lancshoppy said:

During the day, when the museum is open,  there's a foot bridge across the canal and gates out to the road on that side, but the bridge is swung back and the gates locked when the museum closes, so there's no way to exit, or get back to your boat if you've been to the pub / shop etc.

 

Untie one of the trip boats and scoot across the canal

 

[doratheexplorer]

9 hours ago, Lancshoppy said:

There's mooring for about 4 or 5 boats on the tow path side (museum side) which is protected by a gate locked with a waterways key, so you can exit and return anytime. 

The service block and waterpoint are on the opposite side, next to the museum shop and ticket office,  and there's signed mooring space for a couple of boats there as well. During the day, when the museum is open,  there's a foot bridge across the canal and gates out to the road on that side, but the bridge is swung back and the gates locked when the museum closes, so there's no way to exit, or get back to your boat if you've been to the pub / shop etc.

After posting this, and complaining last year, I was told that they would look at signage to make it clear there was no access. I haven't been back since last summer so I don't know if anything happened.

Good moorings and I'll go back. In fact might stop there next month, but was cross that the access limitation wasn't clear. I hope it has been sorted so it doesn't ruin anyone's holiday

Are you absolutely sure about this?  There are two bridges: The swing bridge is swung back, preventing access across but there's a second bridge right over the tunnel mouth which I've used at all hours in the past.  Can you not walk down to the tunnel mouth from the service block any more?

[IanM]

So in summary so far:

 

You can get out of the museum side with a BW key, or you can't.

You can get out of the DCT side with a BW, or you can't.

You can cross the canal using the bridge by the tunnel entrance, or you can't.

 

Does seem like no one actually knows for certain! 😁

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, IanM said:

So in summary so far:

 

You can get out of the museum side with a BW key, or you can't.

You can get out of the DCT side with a BW, or you can't.

You can cross the canal using the bridge by the tunnel entrance, or you can't.

 

Does seem like no one actually knows for certain! 😁

The DCT is NOT a CRT lock

[Mike Todd]

13 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

The museum side is the towpath.  There's a fence across it just after the last bridge though.

And the bridge over the canal entrance to the museum basin carries the towpath, FWIW. Also, there is a short 24hr mooring between that entrance and the swingbridge. Not always spotted by those finding the other spaces occupied.

 

Before the new visitor centre was built, the trips were run from  the opposite side and access to them was via the towpath. 

[ditchcrawler]

I prefer to moor in Tipton at John the Lock or the towpath opposite by The Fountain 

[IanD]

6 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I prefer to moor in Tipton at John the Lock or the towpath opposite by The Fountain 

 

I was going to say that, but IIRC getting to the museum from there on foot is a bit awkward if you want to visit it...

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

I was going to say that, but IIRC getting to the museum from there on foot is a bit awkward if you want to visit it...

Thats true

[Tracy D'arth]

I think all the ways of crossing the canal are closed out of the DCT visitors centre opening hours.

 

I have rescued a couple in the past who could not get back to their boat which was moored on the services side  in the evening by putting my boat across. The access gate on the services side is definitely not a watermate key.

[Lancshoppy]

14 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

Are you absolutely sure about this?  There are two bridges: The swing bridge is swung back, preventing access across but there's a second bridge right over the tunnel mouth which I've used at all hours in the past.  Can you not walk down to the tunnel mouth from the service block any more?

I used the bridge by the tunnel a few years ago, but last year it was closed off by a gate with a code lock

[IanM]

We’re moored at the BCLM at the moment. 
 

All the gates out on the service side are combination locks.

 

The gate on the towpath (Museum) side is a BW key as we’ve been in and out of it this morning.