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Mooring on River Thames - reality?


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1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

 Just edited my last post to pint them to Caversham Boat Services who have always accommodated our boat for a week or so at reasonable cost. As it is on an island it is also pretty secure.

 

Seeing the rates for the Town moorings and as I think the Leander Club have let the moorings to a third party I dread to think what that would cost. Any idea?

7 day rate is £55 according to this website https://where2moor.co.uk/mooring/mill-meadows-henley-rg9-1hg/ 

Which is not bad

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Moorings around Henley-ya (joke) used to be managed (Excelently) by SRB moorings - but Steve has retired and I've no idea what current arrangements are (one reason was that he got so much hassle from all sorts of boaters that the joy was taken away. Time was when folks respected each other and usually a balamce could be struck. Now it's a matter of keeping schtum - certainly not a good idea to publish locations on any forum.

 

We've given up boating for other reasons, thus I'm not up to date.

It's not all doom and gloom - just sensible not to publish a list. If you can get a copy of Chris Cove Smith's "The River Thames Book" - available on Amazon at sensible prices - especially if you go fro what appears to be out of date.  Its simple and clear maps indicate where moorings are likely to be. Especially on the upper -upper Thames (joke) - but you're not going there.

Otherwise you'll be obliged to do a best guess and be prepared for changes in your plan.

 

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The other moorings around Henley - both sides running up to Temple Island and on the right up towards Hambleden Lock - are done by Hobbs now. £12 per night in all places I think. Just moor and they will appear in their boat to take payment before long. Always been friendly with us. 

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Leaving a boat moored at Henley or on Wallingford Town moorings for a week would be possible.

It would be highly unlikely that security would be an issue, I'd feel confident with leaving a boat there unattended from that point of view.

The only worry I would have is if there was a possibility of heavy rain causing the river to go into flood.

 

Keith

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1 hour ago, Steilsteven said:

Leaving a boat moored at Henley or on Wallingford Town moorings for a week would be possible.

It would be highly unlikely that security would be an issue, I'd feel confident with leaving a boat there unattended from that point of view.

The only worry I would have is if there was a possibility of heavy rain causing the river to go into flood.

 

Keith

Wallingford is £12 per night up to five nights, then £50 per night thereafter. 
https://www.wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/wallingford-town-council-moorings-policy/

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2 hours ago, Boat afloat said:


Geez!!!!!

 

 

Yes, I thought it was cheap too!  

 

The thing is, these charges exist in order to control/prevent the CMers. CRT has a problem with CMing because mooring on the towpath is free.

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On 09/07/2022 at 21:33, Thames Bhaji said:

The other moorings around Henley - both sides running up to Temple Island and on the right up towards Hambleden Lock - are done by Hobbs now. £12 per night in all places I think. Just moor and they will appear in their boat to take payment before long. Always been friendly with us. 

 

Before long = around 2 minutes after you jump off with lines in our experience 😃- its not an overnight charge either, we only stopped for a few of us to have a drink at 2PM

 

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2 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 

Before long = around 2 minutes after you jump off with lines in our experience 😃- its not an overnight charge either, we only stopped for a few of us to have a drink at 2PM

 

Correct it’s  for mooring for up to 24hrs 

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32 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

At least the last time I looked Marlow allowed free mooring until 4pm and then it was about £12 for overnight.

Robbery - it's a grotty mooring (meaning the one below the lock...

OTOH the ones in the town are much nicer. I wonder wheter you can moor by the church?

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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Robbery - it's a grotty mooring (meaning the one below the lock...

OTOH the ones in the town are much nicer. I wonder wheter you can moor by the church?

I meant the town mooring in the park. The one below the lock is/was an old TC 24 hour mooring. I think the EA still have responsibility for it. I agree it is not a very good mooring, one narrow boat and it is nearly full.

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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Robbery - it's a grotty mooring (meaning the one below the lock...

OTOH the ones in the town are much nicer. I wonder wheter you can moor by the church?

We did briefly three years ago though on a shallow drafted hire nb, its pretty shallow though a nice setting. 

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30 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

one narrow boat and it is nearly full.

 

 

The Thames isn't 100% ideal for narrow-boats, this being one of the main reasons. Many moorings are aimed at providing a facility for half a dozen cruisers but can be completely taken by one or two narrow-boats.

 

There isn't much of a culture of rafting on the inland waterways, and in any case I think most small cruisers would see rafting next to a 70' narrow-boat a bit like tying on to a train and having no clue how to get ashore even if they did.

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I was in Marlow last Saturday in my electric canoe. Did stop by the church for a quick shop visit but no they won't let bigger boats moor there. Understandable as its a nice place to sit and watch the River without boats blocking the view. 

 

The little mooring below the lock is full of canal boats I think that may now have been "lost" as it "seems to be" an EA owned asset with no patrols. Or perhaps it is council owned I'm not sure. Same boats have been there a while now. A little bit upsetting to see a narrow boat on the bit in the start actual lock cut which was deliberately made with low edge and no mooring rings and picnic benches as a way for locals to access the water. Rather rude to block this sort of public facility. This is the type of thing which will piss people off. Also lock cuts should be No Mooring under the byelaws.

 

Oh well we have what we have. The River has changed over the years. Still nice but it has changed. Overpopulation in the UK does have side effects.

 

On the Thames forum someone suggested calling it the Thames Canal...

 

 

ETA in Marlow there is often space on Higginson Park just above the Salters landing stage for a few hundred yeards then after the little brook there is a free bit but no rings there and very low piling.

 

After that there is a long stretch of towpath and a ratty lady opposite in a big house who shouts that one is not allowed to moor there. Quite fun if you like hollering across the River "I have to get something for the baby from Sainsbury's love".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by magnetman
  • Greenie 1
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On 09/07/2022 at 11:00, Bargebuilder said:

That's why I used the anchor...

 

Because you didn't want bollockings from passing crusties or because you didn't want to kill trees?

 

I don't think a loose mooring rope around a tree has and detrimental effect upon it. 

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On 11/07/2022 at 17:52, Bacchus said:

 

There isn't much of a culture of rafting on the inland waterways, and in any case I think most small cruisers would see rafting next to a 70' narrow-boat a bit like tying on to a train and having no clue how to get ashore even if they did.

 

Not in my experience. I've had lots of cruisers brest up to my boat on the Thames. As for culture, the EA were actively encouraging boaters to brest up to each other at busy moorings when I was living on the Thames 10 years ago, I'm not sure if that campaign is still going, but they even sent out "Welcome to moor alongside" window stickers with licences. 

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On 12/07/2022 at 09:46, magnetman said:

Oh well we have what we have. The River has changed over the years. Still nice but it has changed. Overpopulation in the UK does have side effects.

 

 

Yes I've been saying that for years. Lots of people complain about the waterways becoming overcrowded with miles of moored liveaboards, but they can't seem to put 2 & 2 together and don't understand cause & effect. 

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1 hour ago, Murflynn said:

if DEFRA can feed grey squirrels contraceptives then why can't the Home Office do the same for humans?

Are you sure you've come to the right topic?

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  • 9 months later...
On 09/07/2022 at 09:28, MtB said:

 

Broadly speaking, no. The Thames is not like the canals where you can just pitch up and moor randomly on the towpath. Booking into marinas etc is almost your only option. I've an idea there are a few EA moorings at locks but moorings on the Thames are (almost) never free. Expect to be charged £5 or £10 a night. 

 

Overnight mooring for free is not so hard if you are happy to stay on the boat. Just tie to an overhanging tree! 

 

This almost sounds as though I might find someone with a mooring who I could pay £10 a night for over the long-term. £3650 a year... I'm guessing that's not what you meant, but if that sounds possible, I need to work out how to find me one!

2 minutes ago, captain flint said:

 

This almost sounds as though I might find someone with a mooring who I could pay £10 a night for over the long-term. £3650 a year... I'm guessing that's not what you meant, but if that sounds possible, I need to work out how to find me one!

I mean, I assume the places you're talking about have  max stay of 14 nights or less

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