Two weeks on the k & A

[jacko264]

We have just got back from our two weeks holidays on the K&A  

The weather has been kind to us most of the time and we had a good time 

We did have mixed feelings about this canal. it has very beautiful scenery. Hungerford,Devizes and Newbury were nice places to look around especially the cain locks but it was hard to find moorings .

there seems to be a lot of rough looking boats that look as if they are just dumped 

Graham

 

[Guest]

Popcorn check

Comfy seat check

Internet connection ok check

 

Lol

[paul68]

18 hours ago, jacko264 said:

We have just got back from our two weeks holidays on the K&A  

The weather has been kind to us most of the time and we had a good time 

We did have mixed feelings about this canal. it has very beautiful scenery. Hungerford,Devizes and Newbury were nice places to look around especially the cain locks but it was hard to find moorings .

there seems to be a lot of rough looking boats that look as if they are just dumped 

Graham

 

Are they abandoned or liveaboards who haven't moved for years?

[jacko264]

I can’t say as I don’t know  if there live aboard  or not  but a tin of paint and a brush would improve things  if liveraboard

I’m NOT getting at anyone just saying what we  have seen 

Graham

[paul68]

6 hours ago, jacko264 said:

I can’t say as I don’t know  if there live aboard  or not  but a tin of paint and a brush would improve things  if liveraboard

I’m NOT getting at anyone just saying what we  have seen 

Graham

Oh no I wasn't suggesting anything, it's just I read a post here recently saying some boats don't move for ages on some canals.

[David Schweizer]

10 hours ago, paul68 said:

Are they abandoned or liveaboards who haven't moved for years?

If they are on the towpath between Bradford and Avon and Bath, they are almost certainly liveaboards. Some of them have been hanging around for years.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by David Schweizer

[blackrose]

On 11/07/2021 at 13:32, paul68 said:

Are they abandoned or liveaboards who haven't moved for years?

 

Indeed. One man's rough looking "dumped" boat is another's family home. 

 

I haven't been on the K&A since 2013 and I travelled the entire length. I had no problems finding moorings in the middle of nowhere - most of it is canal after all, but yes moorings in nice towns are always hard to find.

Edited July 12, 2021 by blackrose

[Cas446]

There has recently been a tow path clear up and the scrap yard feel has been reduced a little. Although there are still some boats that have adopted the offside at Avoncliff and CRT seem powerless to move them on.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, Cas446 said:

There has recently been a tow path clear up and the scrap yard feel has been reduced a little. Although there are still some boats that have adopted the offside at Avoncliff and CRT seem powerless to move them on.

But on the other hand if they are on the offside, they are not really depriving anyone else from using the towpath side for mooring. Or would that restrict navigable width too much? My point is that lots of boats legitimately get permanently moored on the offside - farmers’ fields etc - and people think that’s ok. The difference being whether CRT get a cut of the takings or not I suppose!

[Dave123]

I won't comment much about the fact "rough" looking boats upset you, except to say I rather enjoy the diversity and variety of boats you get on the K&A compared to parts of the midlands where every boat looks the same😅, provided they arent a safety hazzard who cares. But people's complaints about mooring issues interests me. The problem with the K&A is some boaters expectation of being able to drop a pin on a map and plan to arrive at that spot at 7pm and moor. This can work in the Midlands where its easier to mark in a map the stretches of canal that aren't possible to moor to. If you hired did the hire company give detailed advice on exactly where to moor and whether it's limited and likely to fill up by lunchtime? There are places you can rely on space any time but sadly much of the towpath just isn't very moorable even if you are prepared to jump off and then use a long gangplank. If you are hiring and trying to go as far as possible in a limited time you unfortunately can't expect good moorings on a canal like the K&A. It has short stay moorings but these fill up early with people on more leisurely journeys. 

[David Schweizer]

59 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

I won't comment much about the fact "rough" looking boats upset you, except to say I rather enjoy the diversity and variety of boats you get on the K&A compared to parts of the midlands where every boat looks the same😅, provided they arent a safety hazzard who cares. But people's complaints about mooring issues interests me. The problem with the K&A is some boaters expectation of being able to drop a pin on a map and plan to arrive at that spot at 7pm and moor. This can work in the Midlands where its easier to mark in a map the stretches of canal that aren't possible to moor to. If you hired did the hire company give detailed advice on exactly where to moor and whether it's limited and likely to fill up by lunchtime? There are places you can rely on space any time but sadly much of the towpath just isn't very moorable even if you are prepared to jump off and then use a long gangplank. If you are hiring and trying to go as far as possible in a limited time you unfortunately can't expect good moorings on a canal like the K&A. It has short stay moorings but these fill up early with people on more leisurely journeys. 

 

Have you ever been on the K&A? The problem of short term visitor moorings between Bradford on Avon and Bath being almost fully occupied by liveaboard boats has been a problem on the K&A for years.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Have you ever been on the K&A? The problem of short term visitor moorings between Bradford on Avon and Bath being almost fully occupied by liveaboard boats has been a problem on the K&A for years.

It seem too bad when we did that stretch in 2018

[David Schweizer]

6 hours ago, nicknorman said:

It seem too bad when we did that stretch in 2018

 

I assume that you meant "It didn't seem too bad when we did that stretch in 2018", and you are correct. There was a bit of a push from C&RT  a few years ago to clear overstaying on the short term visitor moorings, but things have worsened in the last eighteen months.

[nicknorman]

10 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

I assume that you meant "It didn't seem too bad when we did that stretch in 2018", and you are correct. There was a bit of a push from C&RT  a few years ago to clear overstaying on the short term visitor moorings, but things have worsened in the last eighteen months.

Yes I did!

[Dave123]

23 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Have you ever been on the K&A? The problem of short term visitor moorings between Bradford on Avon and Bath being almost fully occupied by liveaboard boats has been a problem on the K&A for years.

I spent a considerable part of the last 3 years on the K&A as far west as Devizes. Cant comment on specifics of the Bath/BoA stretch, haven't been there in 12 years but I suspect covid is behind any recent changes. This has been the case elsewhere in the country where it has been easy for people to get permission to remain on visitor moorings, whether rightly or wrongly.

The points I was trying make relates to the rest of the K&A. The OP mentioned Hungerford, Devizes and Newbury. I was curious as to the expectations of the OP regarding mooring availability in addition to mooring vacancy. If the OP had hired (Which it sounds like) I think hire companies need to give more route advice. Eg this stretch is usually full early, this stretch is unsuitable to moor to, this stretch always has space. 

As an anecdote, I've been moored at Thatcham on the VMs, with space for another boat yet overhead a passing hire boat heading to Newbury, late evening, saying let's just carry on for another 30 minutes, unaware the next viable mooring is Newbury which can be 3 to 4 hours cruise. 

[David Schweizer]

1 hour ago, Dave123 said:

I spent a considerable part of the last 3 years on the K&A as far west as Devizes. Cant comment on specifics of the Bath/BoA stretch, haven't been there in 12 years but I suspect covid is behind any recent changes. This has been the case elsewhere in the country where it has been easy for people to get permission to remain on visitor moorings, whether rightly or wrongly.

The points I was trying make relates to the rest of the K&A. The OP mentioned Hungerford, Devizes and Newbury. I was curious as to the expectations of the OP regarding mooring availability in addition to mooring vacancy. If the OP had hired (Which it sounds like) I think hire companies need to give more route advice. Eg this stretch is usually full early, this stretch is unsuitable to moor to, this stretch always has space. 

As an anecdote, I've been moored at Thatcham on the VMs, with space for another boat yet overhead a passing hire boat heading to Newbury, late evening, saying let's just carry on for another 30 minutes, unaware the next viable mooring is Newbury which can be 3 to 4 hours cruise. 

 

You may be correct about the "covid factor" but that doesn't explain the unregulated overstaying at the western end of the K&A for the last 20 years, As for further east , mooring never was that plentiful except at a few select places, not helped by the shallow edges built to accomodate the barrel hulled Honey Street barges. I used to overwinter near Bradford on Avon, and single handed the entire length of the K&A in both directions each year until 2005, I regularly needed to deploy my 12ft gang plank when stopping overnight. In those days there were a number of locks where getting off to work them involved mooring at the nearst bridgehole for access!!

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by David Schweizer

[David Mack]

When I last boated the western K&A in 2019 we had no trouble getting a 70ft mooring on the 48 hour visitor moorings at Bathampton quite late in the day, both on the way out and on the way back. But I did note that the whole stretch from Bathampton to Bath was littered with 48 hour mooring signs, even though most of the length had shallow edges, little bank protection and an overgrown towpath edge. Presumably the intention is not to designate this length as a mooring for up to 2 days, but more as a discouragement to those who might want to moor for longer.

Edited July 14, 2021 by David Mack

[booke23]

1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

I regularly needed to deploy my 12ft gang plank when stopping overnight.

 

Sorry to change the subject of this thread, but I have just bought a boat that I am going to base on the K and A (Not CCing) on a leisure mooring. I plan to cruise extensively on the whole length have been pondering what size gang plank to get and was thinking 8ft. Should I really consider a 12ft plank?

[David Mack]

I have never used longer than about 8ft, although just occasionally the bank end has been resting in shallow water rather than on the bank proper, so you have to jump the last bit to avoid wet feet.

But before getting a longer plank ask yourself if you are capable of deploying and recovering it. If you can't there isn't much point in having one.

Edited July 14, 2021 by David Mack

[booke23]

 

18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I have never used longer than about 8ft, although just occasionally the bank end has been resting in shallow water rather than on the bank proper, so you have to jump the last bit to avoid wet feet.

 

That's good to know, thank you.

 

19 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But before getting a longer plank ask yourself if you are capable of deploying and recovering it. If you can't there isn't much point in having one.

 

This is a very good point and with this in mind I intend to go down the Aluminium ladder route. The 8ft ladder I'm looking at is 4.5kgs and with aluminium plate walkway attached should weigh around 6kgs so should be reasonably easy to handle. 

[David Schweizer]

6 hours ago, booke23 said:

 

Sorry to change the subject of this thread, but I have just bought a boat that I am going to base on the K and A (Not CCing) on a leisure mooring. I plan to cruise extensively on the whole length have been pondering what size gang plank to get and was thinking 8ft. Should I really consider a 12ft plank?

 

Of course it depends upon the draught of your boat, Helvetia drew something like 30 inches, and 10ft would normally have been long enough, but 12ft was a failsafe. An 8ft plank would have been too short at some locations. My plank was a re-purposed scaffold board, and I never had any problem manouvering it, I had a 1" hole drilled  at both ends with a rope in one of them,  just in case it fell into the canal and could be retrieved.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by David Schweizer

[David Schweizer]

10 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Of course it depends upon the draught of your boat, Helvetia drew something like 30 inches, and 10ft would normally have been long enough, but 12ft was a failsafe. An 8ft plank would have been too short at some locations. My plank was a re-purposed scaffold board, and I never had any problem manouvering it, I had a 1" hole drilled  at both ends with a rope in one of them,  just in case it fell into the canal and could be retrieved.

 

 

After six years we moved the boat to a permanent mooring in the Midlands and decided never to return it to the K&A, despite living less than 2 miles from it. I soon found that a 12ft plank was no longer needed and It was shortened, initially, to 10ft, and eventually 8ft which was more than adequate for "normal" canals!

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by David Schweizer

[booke23]

15 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Of course it depends upon the draught of your boat, Helvetia drew something like 30 inches.

 

Very true, our draft is somewhere around 24 inches.

 

4 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

After six years we moved the boat to a permanent mooring in the Midlands and decided never to return it to the K&A, despite living less than 2 miles from it.

 

Interesting. We are intending to 'Marina hop' every year or two and we haven't ruled out moving it onto the Thames or the Oxford canal in future.  

Edited July 15, 2021 by booke23

[Dave123]

I have a very shallow drafted Liverpool hull, just under 2ft I think, and only needed a gangplank once on the K&A. It depends how happy you are to hop across a short gap to get on and off at some places. And what kind of cruising and mooring you plan to do.