Cruising From Newbury to Oxford

[Rbrt]

Hi everyone,

Im new here and new to boating. 
Im hoping to take ownership of my new second hand boat at the end of June. 
I’m  taking the 2 day Helmsman course in July. 
I need to move the boat from Newbury up to the midlands at the beginning of August. 
I’m a little nervous about the rivers as I will only have a few weekends worth of practice before the big cruise.

What do you guys think? Is this a good idea or bad?

I would really appreciate some advice beforehand so I am better prepared. 
I am considering getting the boat moved up to the Oxford canal by a boat mover but would like to do this myself if it’s not too much to take on. 

Thanks everyone 

 

Rob

[BEngo]

Newbury to Oxford is a fairly easy run.  The Kennet locks can be a bit heavy, and the stretch through Reading above County lock can be "interesting"  if the river is running.  That said it is summer, and dry atm.  If you are doing it in August most of the River Thames locks will be manned, and there should be other boats about.  The locks that are not manned will mainly be power operated.  You can just about do Blake's Lock to Isis Lock on a single one day licence ( which is actually a bit longer than just one day, expiring at midnight on the day after you buy it), provided you get to Blake's early and go long.

 

Life will be a lot easier if you have, or can find, some crew.  That way you dont have to stop for s brew or food.

 

Go for it.

 

N

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

At that time of year the Thames will be more like a very wide canal that a river save for a very freak spell of rain. The Kennet can react fast to heavy rain, but again it is unlikely. If anything the flow on the Kennet is likely to be stronger than on the Thames but you will be going downstream.

 

You will need a Thames EA license for a one-off passage, but check how you now need to apply for one. One day licenses that in effect were almost 48 hours long could be obtained from Caversham lock. Most can do Reading to Oxford on a one-day licence by putting in almost two long days. If you are not in a hurry you could get a week's EA license and visit Lechlade while on the Thames and you would have plenty of time.

 

At that time of year many of the locks between reading and Oxford l have lockkeepers, but not during their lunch break. Nowadays single handing self operation of the locks is easy as you will be going up. A bit more difficult rope wise when  going down.

6 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Newbury to Oxford is a fairly easy run.  The Kennet locks can be a bit heavy, and the stretch through Reading above County lock can be "interesting"  if the river is running.  That said it is summer, and dry atm.  If you are doing it in August most of the River Thames locks will be manned, and there should be other boats about.  The locks that are not manned will mainly be power operated.  You can just about do Blake's Lock to Isis Lock on a single one day licence ( which is actually a bit longer than just one day, expiring at midnight on the day after you buy it), provided you get to Blake's early and go long.

 

Life will be a lot easier if you have, or can find, some crew.  That way you dont have to stop for s brew or food.

 

Go for it.

 

N

 

 

 

 

I suspect Blakes lock will not be manned so the OP may have to buy the license at Caversham. I can hardly remember when I last saw Blakes lock manned.

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

If anything the flow on the Kennet is likely to be stronger than on the Thames but you will be going downstream.

 

^^^This^^^

 

You'll be going downstream through the half-mile narrow twisty bit into Reading town centre which will be the most challenging bit of an otherwise benign and easy cruise. It's the going downstream that can be the problem as you'll be getting carried along by the current so you need to keep up some through-the-water speed in order to be able to steer. And this can feel uncomfortably fast especially if you meet a boat coming the other way but it's a mistake to slow down! 

 

The only other tricky bit is the lock and swing bridge at Woolhampton. The River Kennet joins the cut across the exit of the lock and if there's any flow on it will sweep you left into the moored-up widebeam thats been there since the dawn of time. Also you'll need to stop immediately you're through to moor up and open the swing bridge which again can be tricky as you'll be going downstream with the flow so bags of astern can be needed to actually stop the boat. 

 

Apart from that its a great trip! 

 

P.S. forgot to say I'm fairly local so if you're single handing and would like some help through Woolhampton, I can perhaps turn up and help. Having someone to open the swing bridge for you can be dead useful as it saves you having to stop, moor and DIY. Just tear out of the lock and keep going, straight through the open bridge.

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Rbrt said:

I’m  taking the 2 day Helmsman course in July. 
I’m a little nervous about the rivers as I will only have a few weekends worth of practice before the big cruise.

You should be fine. People with no experience hire boats on the Thames all the time, and all the tuition they get is a quick intro from the hire company. With a 2 day course under your belt and some practice on your own boat before the main trip, you will be far more experienced than they are.

[Rbrt]

Hi David,

Thank you for the reassurance. Wife says I’m overthinking it. 😁

 

How easy is it to find mornings along the Thames? I am happy to pre book and pay to ensure I get moored up without issues. 

Thanks to all of the posters for all of the advice. I really appreciate. I will go though them all again later to pull out the specifics. 
It looks like I’ve landed in a good forum 👍

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Rbrt said:

Hi David,

Thank you for the reassurance. Wife says I’m overthinking it. 😁

 

How easy is it to find mornings along the Thames? I am happy to pre book and pay to ensure I get moored up without issues. 

 

That may well not be easy in July/August if you are trying to do it on a 24 hour licence.  Many of the "free" unofficial moorings seem to be taken up with long term linerboards so that leaves the "official" ones. If you are willing to tie the bow to a tree and sit there overnight it should be no problem, otherwise an early afternoon stop may be called for. Most Thames moorings have to be paid for, but I have never heard about booking them. Abingdon has a lot of free mooring, but it is popular.

 

Thinking about the 24 hour licence, I think that you would be looking for a mooring around Clifton Hampden/Abingdon. You used to be able to moor on the north bank (towpath side) above Clifton Hampden bridge with the fee (for a local school) payable in the village shop.

[Rbrt]

35 minutes ago, MtB said: 

P.S. forgot to say I'm fairly local so if you're single handing and would like some help through Woolhampton, I can perhaps turn up and help. Having someone to open the swing bridge for you can be dead useful as it saves you having to stop, moor and DIY. Just tear out of the lock and keep going, straight through the open bridge.

Thank you, I will bear that in mind. I might try a little recon trip up to Woolhampton to check it out once I’m on the boat. 

[MtB]

21 minutes ago, Rbrt said:

How easy is it to find mornings along the Thames?

 

It's far more difficult than on the canals although still pretty easy. On the cut you can pretty well stop anywhere you like and knock some mooring stakes in. On the Thames, most of the banks are privately owned but there are lots of public moorings. The main difference is you'll generally find yourself relieved of ten quid per night in most places on the Thames which can come as a bit of a shock to canal boaters who think mooring up for free is a Human Right!

 

This applies especially if you expect to get off the boat and have a stroll into a village centre for a meal or shopping. If you really do just want to stop and stay on the boat, there are loads of places where you can get into the side overgrown with trees and undergrowth and just tie to a tree for a few hours or overnight. Anyone wanting to challenge you doing this would have to firstly spot you doing it, and secondly turn up in a boat themselves so (IME) it never happens. 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by MtB
Add a bit.

[enigmatic]

11 minutes ago, Rbrt said:

Hi David,

Thank you for the reassurance. Wife says I’m overthinking it. 😁

 

How easy is it to find mornings along the Thames? I am happy to pre book and pay to ensure I get moored up without issues. 

Thanks to all of the posters for all of the advice. I really appreciate. I will go though them all again later to pull out the specifics. 
It looks like I’ve landed in a good forum 👍

Moorings are usually found at locks and usually either charged for or free for first night, charged for second, paid to the lockkeeper. Might be a lot busier in summer than when I was there.

 

The locks on the Kennett and Avon are harder work than the Oxford, but you'll likely be able to share the work with another boat passing the same way as you. The Oxford canal is nice and you should do it yourself  

Fobney Lock outside Reading is another one where help is useful, as it's very leaky so you might need quite a bit of force to open the lock gates.

Thames locks are dead easy, with powered gates and usually a lock keeper in summer.

[Rbrt]

6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

It's far more difficult than on the canals although still pretty easy. On the cut you can pretty well stop anywhere you like and knock some mooring stakes in. On the Thames, most of the banks are privately owned but there are lots of public moorings. The main difference is you'll generally find yourself relieved of ten quid per night in most places on the Thames which can come as a bit of a shock to canal boaters who think mooring up for free is a Human Right!

 

This applies especially if you expect to get off the boat and have a stroll into a village centre for a meal or shopping. If you really do just want to stop and stay on the boat, there are loads of places where you can get into the side overgrown with trees and undergrowth and just tie to a tree for a few hours or overnight. Anyone wanting to challenge you doing this would have to firstly spot you doing it, and secondly turn up in a boat themselves so (IME) it never happens. 

 

 

Just a few posts in and I’m already feeling much happier about this. It’s a big adventure and I’m sure I will be really glad I did once I’m finished. 

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

Moorings are usually found at locks and usually either charged for or free for first night, charged for second, paid to the lockkeeper. Might be a lot busier in summer than when I was there.

 

 

I think that is a dangerous generalization. Some, but not all locks have moorings that you might be able to pay the lockkeeper for if they are not already taken. On the stretch the OP is travelling the only EA 24 hour mooring close to a lock that I can think of are Goring and Sandford. Osney does not count because the OP will need to be off the river by then (assuming as 24 hour licence).

[john6767]

If the OP is under a lot of time pressure to move the boat fair enough, but why not get a week licence for the Thames as it’s not that much more than a day and then you remove the time pressure.

 

On the Reading to Oxford section the only place I can think you might want to pay is Beale Park, but if you object to a tenner there are other options that are free.

Edited May 31, 2023 by john6767

[enigmatic]

16 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think that is a dangerous generalization. Some, but not all locks have moorings that you might be able to pay the lockkeeper for if they are not already taken. On the stretch the OP is travelling the only EA 24 hour mooring close to a lock that I can think of are Goring and Sandford. Osney does not count because the OP will need to be off the river by then (assuming as 24 hour licence).

There are also moorings at Day's Lock (£10, with a privately owned field if they're full) and Clifton Lock (£10), Mapledurham (£5) and Iffley lock (maybe better to continue to Oxford by that stage). The big advantage of the locks is relatively knowledgeable lockies and telephone numbers so you can ring ahead and ask. The non EA moorings at Pangbourne and Abingdon are close enough to the locks for lockies to tell you if they're busy and point out you've gone past them too. I'd probably aim to arrive in late afternoon at Goring and stop there (free for first night... if lots of other boats haven't got there first) but I'm aware it's going to be busier in summer than when I visited.

 

My understanding is that the lockkeepers at places like Benson and Culham lock would probably let you overnight on the "layby" for a fee in summer if you'd been through Wallingford (nice, obvious public moorings not next to a lock) without finding a spot and run out of time to get to Abingdon too.

 

 

28 minutes ago, john6767 said:

If the OP is under a lot of time pressure to move the boat fair enough, but why not get a week licence for the Thames as it’s not that much more than a day and then you remove the time pressure.

I do think this is a good idea, as the Thames is nice (also makes finding mooring in Oxford easier)

[Lily Rose]

35 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I think that is a dangerous generalization. Some, but not all locks have moorings that you might be able to pay the lockkeeper for if they are not already taken. On the stretch the OP is travelling the only EA 24 hour mooring close to a lock that I can think of are Goring and Sandford. Osney does not count because the OP will need to be off the river by then (assuming as 24 hour licence).

 

Unless something has changed there are also EA moorings (about 3 or 4 narrowboats worth) above Abingdon lock. They're just past the waterpoint and pumpout. They are often full by late in the day, if not earlier, though.

 

If the OP's timings require/suit a stop at Abingdon then I would suggest starting to look for somewhere as soon as he leaves Culham lock. There are a few spaces on the left just up from Culham lock. There is also a very good wild mooring space opposite the entrance to Abingdon marina (or at least there was in 2018 when I made use of it). Once past the marina start looking for spaces on the R/H side opposite the almshouses, church and pub. Between the bridge and the lock there are numerous moorings on the right and several on the left at Abbey Meadows and the outdoor swimming pool. Beyond that there are a number of spaces on the right just before the lock.

 

All of these are popular but Richard (Abingdon lock keeper) has told me on more than one occasion that the river has been quieter ever since Covid so there might well be a space or two still available late in the day in August. If not, the river is wide enough for breasting up. I'd be surprised if it was not possible to find at least one narrowboater willing to allow someone arriving late in the day to do so, particularly if they intend setting off fairly sharpish the next morning. There's a large Waitrose nearby as well, useful if a bit of shopping is needed at that point in the trip.

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Rbrt said:

Hi everyone,

Im new here and new to boating. 
Im hoping to take ownership of my new second hand boat at the end of June. 
I’m  taking the 2 day Helmsman course in July. 
I need to move the boat from Newbury up to the midlands at the beginning of August. 
I’m a little nervous about the rivers as I will only have a few weekends worth of practice before the big cruise.

What do you guys think? Is this a good idea or bad?

I would really appreciate some advice beforehand so I am better prepared. 
I am considering getting the boat moved up to the Oxford canal by a boat mover but would like to do this myself if it’s not too much to take on. 

Thanks everyone 

 

Rob

Lots of hirers do it every year with a lot less knowledge than you will have having done the RYA course

[Rbrt]

52 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

There are also moorings at Day's Lock (£10, with a privately owned field if they're full) and Clifton Lock (£10), Mapledurham (£5) and Iffley lock (maybe better to continue to Oxford by that stage). The big advantage of the locks is relatively knowledgeable lockies and telephone numbers so you can ring ahead and ask. The non EA moorings at Pangbourne and Abingdon are close enough to the locks for lockies to tell you if they're busy and point out you've gone past them too. I'd probably aim to arrive in late afternoon at Goring and stop there (free for first night... if lots of other boats haven't got there first) but I'm aware it's going to be busier in summer than when I visited.

 

My understanding is that the lockkeepers at places like Benson and Culham lock would probably let you overnight on the "layby" for a fee in summer if you'd been through Wallingford (nice, obvious public moorings not next to a lock) without finding a spot and run out of time to get to Abingdon too.

 

 

I do think this is a good idea, as the Thames is nice (also makes finding mooring in Oxford easier)

 

[dmr]

There are a few potentially tricky bits on the Kennet (in addition to Woolhampton and Reading) but as said above, hire boaters do it quite often. If you have any spare days how about boating up to Kintbury or Hungerford to get a few hours of experience of handling the boat (including a tiny bit of river cruising) and then turn round and tackle the Newbury to Thames section?.

[Rbrt]

50 minutes ago, dmr said:

There are a few potentially tricky bits on the Kennet (in addition to Woolhampton and Reading) but as said above, hire boaters do it quite often. If you have any spare days how about boating up to Kintbury or Hungerford to get a few hours of experience of handling the boat (including a tiny bit of river cruising) and then turn round and tackle the Newbury to Thames section?.

Would a run to Hungerford be an easier start then? Sounds like a good plan. 

[dmr]

Much easier, Newbury to Hungerford is canal, with just an easy bit of river or two (you might not even even notice) and the locks are mostly a lot easier. Below Newbury is much more River including a few potentially tricky bits, and the locks are more variable and a couple can be a bit intimidating.

Newbury to Hungerford is a very nice boating. We moored on the Kennet just below Newbury for two years and went to Kintbury most weekends whilst we worked on sorting out jobs, houses and children to let us go CC'ing 😀)