Coventry Basin

[Roving-Roy]

Thinking of stopping here in June 2023.  Is it safe?  Anyone heard of any problems?  Thinking of stopping overnight or would you advise going back to Greyhound.

[ditchcrawler]

Its fine, have breakfast at Playwright's before you leave https://www.playwrightscafe.co.uk/  The quietest spot in MOI is next to the swing bridge , Island side.

[Roving-Roy]

Thanks

[Jen-in-Wellies]

It may be that @ditchcrawler is the only boater to survive an overnight stop there. 😀

 

I've stayed several times, but this was a few years back. Pretty quiet for a city centre.

[Alan de Enfield]

Its going back a few years but we hated it - Dog-poo central.

 

It looked as if every dog owner in the city used it as an "exercise" area and that they had never heard of poo-bags. It was like playing an enormous game of hop-scotch as you tried to move around the basin.

 

Never went back so it may have changed.

[ditchcrawler]

34 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Its going back a few years but we hated it - Dog-poo central.

 

It looked as if every dog owner in the city used it as an "exercise" area and that they had never heard of poo-bags. It was like playing an enormous game of hop-scotch as you tried to move around the basin.

 

Never went back so it may have changed.

Volunteers regularly litter pick the area and towpath, I have never experienced dog poo there

[Ken X]

Have visited several times over the years.  Checking my records we were last there in 2018.  It was fine then but has never been a place to worry us unduly.  Like all town centre moorings people pass through.  As it will be June when you visit you can leave it quite late to change your mind and nip back to the Greyhound.  Depends on your personal comfort zone. 

 

Would recommend the Coventry Music Museum if Two-Tone is of interest. Other musical inhabitants of Coventry are catered for such as Delia Derbyshire etc.

[Hudds Lad]

We were there just before royalty paid a visit and the City of Culture thing happened so the towpaths had just been upgraded on the way in, but can agree with @Alan de Enfield that there were a lot of dog eggs around, mostly on the cafe side of the basin which put us off overnighting.

 

Seem to recall the bridge into the basin being quite tight too, so perhaps not for those with a lot of stuff on the roof.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

 Seem to recall the bridge into the basin being quite tight too, so perhaps not for those with a lot of stuff on the roof.

Not as tight as it looks, narrow yes.

 

[Alway Swilby]

We have just stayed in Coventry Basin for two nights last night and the night before (Saturday and Sunday). There was no dog poo. There was a few pedestrians coming and going all day long and in the evening there were some youngsters having a beer or two and chatting away but they had mostly gone by 11pm and didn't prevent us sleeping. The whole basin certainly felt safe and clean. The litter bins were emptied on the Sunday morning. It was a good spot for a supermarket delivery too.  We were last there in 2018 when there was a hire base taking up the whole of one arm but they are no more so the whole basin looks to be available for mooring. The route in and out has been cleaned up too. What were derelict factory sites have had housing built on them improving the look of the canal the whole way in and the towpaths have been improved. Lots of families out walking and enjoying themselves.   No propeller fouls at all from Hawkesbury Junction and return.

All in all it just generally felt much improved from four years ago. A bit of culture seems to have done it some good.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, Alway Swilby said:

A bit of culture seems to have done it some good.

Nice to hear that not all the culture wasn't taken away in a big lorry at the end of Coventry's year in the limelight. 😀

[Victor Vectis]

2 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

We have just stayed in Coventry Basin for two nights last night and the night before (Saturday and Sunday). There was no dog poo. There was a few pedestrians coming and going all day long and in the evening there were some youngsters having a beer or two and chatting away but they had mostly gone by 11pm and didn't prevent us sleeping. The whole basin certainly felt safe and clean. The litter bins were emptied on the Sunday morning. It was a good spot for a supermarket delivery too.  We were last there in 2018 when there was a hire base taking up the whole of one arm but they are no more so the whole basin looks to be available for mooring. The route in and out has been cleaned up too. What were derelict factory sites have had housing built on them improving the look of the canal the whole way in and the towpaths have been improved. Lots of families out walking and enjoying themselves.   No propeller fouls at all from Hawkesbury Junction and return.

All in all it just generally felt much improved from four years ago. A bit of culture seems to have done it some good.

 

Yeahbut......

 

Does it get the feline paw of approval?

😀

[Alway Swilby]

26 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

Yeahbut......

 

Does it get the feline paw of approval?

😀

No! Although she did quite like climbing the Christmas Tree for about 10 minutes! 😄

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Nice to hear that not all the culture wasn't taken away in a big lorry at the end of Coventry's year in the limelight. 😀

Hull managed to hold on to some of the good vibes too after their year.

Edited November 14, 2022 by Alway Swilby

[ditchcrawler]

11 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

No! Although she did quite like climbing the Christmas Tree for about 10 minutes! 😄

 

Does the boss know about that?

 

[Awayonmyboat]

I left my boat there for four days last summer (when you could book extended stays during the City of Culture period) and this year I stayed there for two nights. Both times I've had an enjoyable stay and nil issues. For a city centre mooring it is quiet (quieter than Birmingham or Leicester). It currently seems under used and I would encourage more people to moor there.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

 Coventry has always given me the heebie-jeevies 

 

[Bod]

Do you still need to book?

 

Bod

[Roving-Roy]

No idea.  Did not even know you had to book in the past.

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

20 minutes ago, Bod said:

Do you still need to book?

 

Bod

not for the heebie-jeevies 👍

they’re a freebie. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Goliath

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, Bod said:

Do you still need to book?

 

Bod

No.

I was there two weeks ago, only 3 visiting boats plus a resident, Tucana.

No dog poo either.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Ray T

[rgreg]

I stayed there for a few nights this summer without any issues. I actually found the basin quite interesting and it's a great base to explore the city from.

[Stroudwater1]

It’s a good place to moor. Would encourage a visit to the city centre which is an easy walk in and has been done up nicely plus the cathedral which is a 1950s masterpiece that I didn’t think I would enjoy but did. The ruins of the old cathedral was rather poignant being right next door plus being in the early months of the war in Ukraine . There’s the motor museum too.
 

We visited over the Easter Bank holiday this year and there was only one spare mooring. Would have been more if we had needed to as some boats were moored with large gaps of 30 + foot between them ☹️There are a few spaces just outside the basin that seem OK too. Friends moored there in 2021 and left their boat there for a week. 
 

We are deep drafted and did scrape somethings through a couple of bridge holes so idled fine through a few on the way back. 

[Laurie Booth]

I stayed for two nights this year, all OK.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Laurie,

Maybe next time I’m over that way you can ride shot gun for me? 😃

[Laurie Booth]

On 16/11/2022 at 16:21, Goliath said:

Laurie,

Maybe next time I’m over that way you can ride shot gun for me? 😃

No problem, love to