Foxton is Rubbish

[Tonka]

23 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

North Kilworth is a hire base these days.

 

Foxton (or Market Harborough) is a sensible destination from UCC at Braunston, Kate Boats at Stockton Top, Clifton Cruisers at Rugby, Wyvern at Linslade and ABC at Rugby or Gayton.

Calcutt Boats from Calcutt

[Captain Pegg]

4 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Calcutt Boats from Calcutt

 

Yep. Them too. Lots of hire bases in that neck of the woods. Because there’s lots of lovely canal.

 

Napton Narrowboats is another.

[davem399]

3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Yep. Them too. Lots of hire bases in that neck of the woods. Because there’s lots of lovely canal.

 

Napton Narrowboats is another.

And Black Prince at Wigrams.

[IanD]

40 minutes ago, pete23 said:

The Welford Arm is lovely,   Even more so now as the “ Friends of the Welford Arm “ look after it and carry out maintenance..

 

That’s going back a few years, I guess 30yrs plus some.

 

The late 80s, possibly 1987 or 1988...

 

 

9 minutes ago, davem399 said:

And Black Prince at Wigrams.

So nothing nearer than the GU then -- nothing along the Leicester Line or the Soar? Nothing in Market Harborough any more?

 

If so, there are plenty of hire bases a few days travel away (so you can get to Foxton and back in a week) but nothing nearby. All those bases also offer other routes to go on, so only a fraction of the hire boats from them go to Foxton and back. The Leicester Ring (we've done this twice) opens up more bases, but not many people take 2 week boating holidays.

 

I'm sure if there was still a hire base at Market Harborough there would be more hire boats at Foxton, and the pubs there would be open for longer like they used to be... 😉

[matty40s]

34 minutes ago, IanD said:

The late 80s, possibly 1987 or 1988...

 

 

So nothing nearer than the GU then -- nothing along the Leicester Line or the Soar? Nothing in Market Harborough any more?

Somebody above has already stated North Kilworth is now offering hire boats. 

There is also weedon narrowboats.

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Somebody above has already stated North Kilworth is now offering hire boats. 

There is also weedon narrowboats.

I hadn't spotted North Kilworth, obviously they're nearby but only have 4 boats. Weedon is one of the many bases on the GU.

[Captain Pegg]

8 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Somebody above has already stated North Kilworth is now offering hire boats. 

There is also weedon narrowboats.

 

North Kilworth is an odd one. I'm sure I've seen ABC boats that were based there - possibly as a one season thing after they ceased using Market Harborough?? - but now the boats available for hire from there look like privately owned boats and it's not one of ABC's listed bases. ABC's smaller bases do seem to be quite transient. It follows their marina ownership.

[Chris Lowe]

59 minutes ago, IanD said:

Nothing in Market Harborough any more?

Union Wharf Narrowboats.

[Rob-M]

3 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

Union Wharf Narrowboats.

Mrs-M has just told me they had hire boats as well as day boats and there is boutique boats operating out of Market Harborough as well.

[DHutch]

On 05/09/2023 at 10:13, dmr said:

Is it possible that all the "£25 per day" and related signs makes boaters feel unwelcome?

Quelle surprise.. 

 

On one level I understand it to a certain extent, and compared to a short term Marina mooring it isn't even that bad, however it does come over as unfriendly and with current interest rates I can see it being only a matter of time before the sign department gets some more work!

 

Liverpool docks was one of the first places where you could pay to extend your stay in an otherwise time limited mooring, and where space etc allows it appears a reasonable business model and adds to the overall flexibility options. 

 

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

8 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

Union Wharf Narrowboats.

 

That's their one and only standard hire boat in addition to the two day hire boats.

 

As @Rob-M says there also boutique boats and there's three of them.

 

 

[Jon57]

4 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

 

 

 

That is a lock that certainly looks better than back in the 1970s.

 

Then it had just acquired gates with that awful hydraulic paddle gear;

 

Everything I had heard until you posted this was that, irrespective of intended destination, broad/wide canal gates are manufactured at Stanley Ferry, whereas those for narrow canals are manufactured at Bradley on the BCN.

 

So I'm kind of surprised if Stanley Ferry made this one.

Yes it was. Didn't take a picture. But certainly had the name plate stating Stanley ferry. Probably made it from the off cuts from the man locks 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Mike Todd]

3 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

The unintended consequence of that is likely to be that you pressurise the proprietors to work ‘unpaid overtime’.

 

I suspect they set their opening times around a reasonable working day for themselves.

 

To open in the evening is likely to be difficult for them to justify as it would require hiring additional staff.

 

A check online suggests there may no longer be hire boats based at Market Harborough. While nowhere is likely to be able to survive on passing hire boat trade the presence of a hire base about an hour or two’s cruise away is a likely source of useful trade if only for one or two days a week. Enough to make the difference between opening or not on an evening at least at weekends perhaps. Hire boat traffic is often very specific to the day in question.

 

I asked 'cos at the back of my mind was that CanalBoatClub did turn arounds from there but I see their web site does not list it (now?)

 

Also, I sort of recall having difficulty over short term mooring in the basin depending turnaround day for someone.

 

The photos here https://www.unionwharfharborough.co.uk/moorings/ suggest my memory is not entirely faulty.

[Chris Lowe]

I found a strange boat at Welford.

 

 

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, buccaneer66 said:

I found a strange boat at Welford.

 

 

Its a dumper , been there months....😎🤪

[Rob-M]

3 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Its a dumper , been there months....😎🤪

And tied with a centre line.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

34 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

And tied with a centre line.

yeah,

tied like a Twat!

Signal here is rubbish. 
Sorry Buccaneer66

would have liked to catch you 

[alan_fincher]

51 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

And tied with a centre line.

 

To be fair, at that location, it hardly likely to be unsettled by another boat going past at great speed!

[Chris Lowe]

20 minutes ago, Goliath said:

would have liked to catch you 

I checked both boats, all locked up tight, even hung around with a pint for a while.

[Stroudwater1]

15 hours ago, DHutch said:

Quelle surprise.. 

 

On one level I understand it to a certain extent, and compared to a short term Marina mooring it isn't even that bad, however it does come over as unfriendly and with current interest rates I can see it being only a matter of time before the sign department gets some more work!

 

Liverpool docks was one of the first places where you could pay to extend your stay in an otherwise time limited mooring, and where space etc allows it appears a reasonable business model and adds to the overall flexibility options. 

 

 

 

I believe that you pay from the moment you book now at Liverpool, and not for an extended stay. Shame as it seemed very quiet in July. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

12 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

I checked both boats, all locked up tight, even hung around with a pint for a while.

we were in pub

 

Pm on way

[Rob-M]

1 minute ago, Goliath said:

we were in pub

That's unusual