Guide books and maps

[Jimmiboy]

Hi, can anyone recommend the best book or map of the canals. Ideally one showing all the moorings and winding holes etc. 

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Jimmiboy said:

Hi, can anyone recommend the best book or map of the canals. Ideally one showing all the moorings and winding holes etc. 

 

The moorings cover pretty much 2000 miles.

You normally just moor alongside the canal. You don't need specific moorings.

 

The two main guide books are Nicholsons and Pearsons.

If you google Nicholsons Canal Guide Books or Pearsons Canal Guide Books you'll find them

 

Each book covers a 'smallish' area of the whole system so you may need to buy a few, depending on where you intend to cruise.

 

 

Edit : 

'Ere U go

 

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides

 

Pearson's Canal Companions - Official Website (jmpearson.co.uk)

 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[Jimmiboy]

Thanks for that??
Are they pretty much the same? 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Jimmiboy

[Alan de Enfield]

18 minutes ago, Jimmiboy said:

Thanks for that??
Are they pretty much the same? 

 

Not much between them, the Nicholson ones seem to have more information about the local villages, history etc, the Peasons tend to be more focussed on the canal and immediate vicinity.

Personally I prefer Pearsons for 'easy reading', clearer navigation, others prefer Nicholsons.

[JamesWoolcock]

No.

Very different in character. 

Nicholson is based on the Ordnance Survey and although I've spent a lifetime using the OS almost daily, I find them difficult to refer to at the tiller because of their small scale and smallish print.

Pearson's is very different and provides lots of information at a quick glance. Very characterful and frequently witty text is accompanied by clear map drawings and each map has at it top the information we really want to know: number of miles, number of locks and estimated journey time to cover the map. They both show other information such as water taps, bins, pump outs, pubs and shops but this information does go out of date and quite quickly in some cases.

Pearson also provides historical references too,  pointing out former industrial sites and routes of former navigations, railways etc. and places of interest. 

 

[Jimmiboy]

Thanks again for the info

[BPot]

Do these guides also tell you the length and width of boat that can go through each lock or bridges

 

[Athy]

52 minutes ago, BPot said:

Do these guides also tell you the length and width of boat that can go through each lock or bridges

 

Now that's a good question - and our Pearson's guides are on the boat, but we're at home, so I can't check.

   Is your boat 57 feet, or less, long and the standard 6'10" wide? If so, you will fit into/through almost every lock and bridge on t

Edited September 4, 2021 by Athy

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Yep

Example from Nicholson

[BPot]

18 minutes ago, Athy said:

Now that's a good question - and our Pearson's guides are on the boat, but we're at home, so I can't check.

   Is your boat 57 feet, or less, long and the standard 6'10" wide? If so, you will fit into/through almost every lock and bridge on the system. As you have been a member for eight years, it is perhaps surprising that you didn't know that.

Now that is strange I will have to look at my profile or whatever as I am a new member just about 1 week ago so complete novice.

17 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Yep

Example from Nicholson

Thanks thats great

[Athy]

16 minutes ago, BPot said:

Now that is strange I will have to look at my profile or whatever as I am a new member just about 1 week ago so complete novice.

 

Sorry, I mixed you up with someone else, I've edited my post to remove the comment.

[LadyG]

I bought a set of out of date books, £1 each, then a new one for the area I am on

I use the CRT stoppages to get up to date info, you should also register for the stoppages emails where you are. 

For very detailed cruising info day to day, I use canalplan ac route planner, this does not show stoppages. Its online and has your boat details on it. 

I do have a large map of the canals, it was a freeby with a canal magazine. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by LadyG

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, LadyG said:

For very detailed cruising info day to day, I use canalplan ac route planner, this does not show stoppages

 

It does show stoppages.

[Chris Lowe]

There is also Waterway Routes that can be loaded into the Memory Map App https://www.waterwayroutes.co.uk/blog/home-waterways/ 

[reg]

I use a mix of all of the above. The only one missing from the list for me is Tom Sapeys

 

Open Canal Map

 

App

 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by reg

[LadyG]

11 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

It does show stoppages.

I stand corrected, I only use it for travel a few days ahead, so wouldn't be trying to go past a stoppage. It is excellent. 

 

[StephenA]

13 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

It does show stoppages.

 

It doesn't show winter stoppages because converting CRT regular stoppages is complex and involves manual intervention, and winter stoppages are worse, and as Canalplan is not our day jobs then some stuff has to fall by the wayside. It shows most of the regular stoppages, but not tree falls and flood conditions.

Edited November 22, 2021 by StephenA

[IanD]

On 22/11/2021 at 21:41, reg said:

I use a mix of all of the above. The only one missing from the list for me is Tom Sapeys

 

Open Canal Map

 

App

 

 

Opencanalmap has the advantages of being free, showing your current position, showing stoppages/notifications, and being zoomable in and out to either see where you're going or details of where you are.

 

Obviously it needs a charged phone and mobile signal with data (but seems to use very little).

[Jen-in-Wellies]

For CaRT waterways there are also their boaters guides. I use them in conjunction with other guides. Especially useful for the most up to date information on opening times, facilities and stoppages, but have a lot of other information, like distances, locks, winding holes, dimensions. Generated at the time you download them from CaRT's own database, so as accurate as their database is. Take that how you will! Says on the web site that they are currently updating them, which probably means their usefulness for boaters will be ruined...

Jen

[Richard Fairhurst]

Heh! I wrote/coded the Boaters' Guides for BW's Waterscape website back in 2005. About five years ago CRT kindly commissioned me to update them for the modern age; I rewrote the whole thing with clearer maps, towpaths, judicious use of colour, all of that. CRT have all the code (and paid me for it!) but haven't brought it into use, so the 2005 version is still soldiering on. I'd love the new ones to go online one day. (For anyone who's curious, here's some test output from the new code.)

[Chris Lowe]

That's really nice clear easy to read mapping Richard.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, buccaneer66 said:

That's really nice clear easy to read mapping Richard.

Indeed, and with a lot of useful information not in the guidebooks such as exact lengths of moorings.

 

Does anyone know why CART aren't using it?