Upper Thames: mooring and parking options

[Stroudwater1]

You really need to look on a map of some sort to match a road to near the river. All the road bridges are the obvious ones. Have 5p pieces ready for Swinford toll bridge
We’ve recently been up from Oxford to Lechlade, no problems mooring in general. It’s not like a canal, no Armco it’s pretty much pins and bollards occasionally. Best to keep the upstream part of your boat into the bank and be sure you have inserted preferably two pins in the upstream mooring. 
As MrSmelly  mentions the corners can be a challenge  it’s surprising in parts how much current there is. Corners are pretty easy going upstream but easy to mess up downstream as the current is pushing you faster than you realise towards the outside of the corner.

It’s usually very quiet. Do let GRP boats past, they go pretty fast. Watch out for crazy electrically powered punts at Newbridge. 

 

Kelmscott is 48 hrs mooring currently. It was deserted.
The part halfway up we found fairly tedious, a bit like the Severn, high banks not much to see but reeds and reeds.
 

At least you can see fish as the water is nice and clear. We also saw kingfisher’s myriads of swallows and house martinis and even a grass snake crossing the river. It’s good to swim in too with the usual be carefuls. 

You use lines fore and aft in Thames locks and switch engine off, they are lenient with an old engine.  
 

[SFen]

On 08/09/2023 at 10:28, magnetman said:

There is parking by the River at Kelmscott. 

ALso moorings. I don't know if anyone manages those moorings they used to be free but this could have changed. 

 

Very important to not block the road as the fire brigade come and do pump practice occasionally. 

 

This looks perfect, thanks. Struggling to find the parking location on Google though. Any chance of of a What3Words location please? 

[magnetman]

spaceship kindness hypocrite

[Stroudwater1]

12 minutes ago, SFen said:

This looks perfect, thanks. Struggling to find the parking location on Google though. Any chance of of a What3Words location please? 

There’s a track that continues past Kelmscott Manor where you probably could park, being mindful of others getting past. It’s pretty quiet in the village and IIRC there’s little or no parking restrictions further into the village. The 48 hour mooring limit I suspect is policed as there wasn’t anyone there. There is some moorings just downstream from the 48 hr limit but that was pretty busy 

It’s a couple of years since I was there by car though 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Stroudwater1

[MtB]

5 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

You use lines fore and aft in Thames locks and switch engine off, they are lenient with an old engine.  

 

Also they go loopy at you if you only open one gate, despite each gate being about 10ft wide. Open them both. 

 

Easier than would first appear as there will be a long aluminium pole for you to push the far gate open. Shame we don't have these on the cut.

 

 

They really don't mind at all keeping a vintage lump running, but they do expect you to ask. If you don't, you're likely to be told to shut it down. All a bit of a charade really, especially if you're the only boat in the lock

 

 

[magnetman]

Thames byelaws

 

 

48. Vessels to be made fast in locks

The master of a vessel (including a tug with a tow) after entering a lock shall ensure that the vessel is controlled by mooring lines from the shore to the bow and stern of the vessel in such manner as to prevent the vessel from running foul of the gates or works or other vessels in the lock. Provided that this byelaw shall not apply to vessels in use by the Navigation Authority or by the police, fire and ambulance services when in the execution of their duties.

 

 

50. Precautions while waiting to enter and when in a lock

a) ...

b) ...

c) When a power-driven vessel enters any lock on the river, the master of any such vessel after complying with the requirements of byelaw 48 shall then immediately stop the vessel’s engines. The master shall ensure that the vessel’s engines are not restarted until the lock-gates are opened for the egress of the vessels then in the lock. Provided that the provisions of this paragraph of this byelaw shall not apply to a vessel when no other vessel is passing through the lock at the same time.

 

51. Restrictions of noise near or in locks

Subject to the provisions of byelaw 58 when any vessel is approaching, waiting to enter, entering or has entered any lock on the river, the master of the vessel shall ensure that no sound or noise from any engine, radio, television, sound amplification equipment or musical instrument or any other source on his vessel occurs which may interfere with any communication of instructions or of information between any persons engaged in assisting the passage of any vessel through by or over any lock.

58. Masters of vessel to obey authority officers

The master of every vessel shall obey and conform to the directions of any officer of the authority relating to the use navigation mooring or unmooring of such vessel.

 

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-navigation-licensing-and-general-byelaws-1993/the-thames-navigation-licensing-and-general-byelaws-1993

 

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Provided that the provisions of this paragraph of this byelaw shall not apply to a vessel when no other vessel is passing through the lock at the same time.

 

Good find!!

 

So no legal obligation to stop the motor when alone in a lock. Vintage lump or not. 

 

 

[magnetman]

If you are the only boat in the lock the engine can stay on. Lock keepers know this and I have seen them hold back narrow boats with Bolinders type engines and put them through alone.

 

That is the byelaw however there is also the noise byelaw to contend with and following instructions given. 

 

I actually got into this with an experienced lock keeper not relating to my own boat at one stage and he suggested that in reality the boater probably can leave the engine running because it is unlikely to be so loud that instructions will not be heard. 

 

 

 

 

However... It could be a reasonable cause for annoyance. 

[PaulJ]

Im not sure what regulations the occupants were breaking on this camping boat I was alongside in Romney lock a few weeks ago- 

but I can confirm that Thames Lockies really do not like you to jump on top of your crew while locking.

The lady crew member had the highest pair of heels Ive ever seen anyone boat in (you can just see it in the air😀)

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

12 hours ago, magnetman said:

If you are the only boat in the lock the engine can stay on. Lock keepers know this and I have seen them hold back narrow boats with Bolinders type engines and put them through alone.

 

That is the byelaw however there is also the noise byelaw to contend with and following instructions given. 

 

I actually got into this with an experienced lock keeper not relating to my own boat at one stage and he suggested that in reality the boater probably can leave the engine running because it is unlikely to be so loud that instructions will not be heard. 

 

 

 

 

However... It could be a reasonable cause for annoyance. 

I suspect another reason for this byelaw is to stop boats using their engine to control their position in the lock. That's what the bow and stern line are for.

[magnetman]

16 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

I suspect another reason for this byelaw is to stop boats using their engine to control their position in the lock. That's what the bow and stern line are for.

 

As I understand it this goes back to when there were a lot of petrol engined boats on the River. Fire hazard. 

 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

 

As I understand it this goes back to when there were a lot of petrol engined boats on the River. Fire hazard. 

 

 

Or more urgently, a CO poisoning hazard too, in an empty lock full of boats with petrol engines running. 

 

 

[Ken X]

There are other hidden hazards to the engines off policy, as we found out at one lock.  The lockie placed us, a 70 ft hire boat, at the front left side of the lock.  To our right, with a reasonable gap, was a seriously large plastic boat with flying bridge etc. On opening the gates we eased forward only to see the plastic boat swerve quickly to port and bounce off our boat.  No damage done that we could see and we all tootled off to the next lock where we came in last behind said boat.  When moored, the crew came back down the lock to speak to us.  "Terribly sorry about the incident at the last lock, are you OK". We checked and all was well.

What happened apparently was that they hadn't realised that their port engine had not started, and on pouring on the coals they got lots of starboard engine only, causing the swerve and subsequent collision. Funny old game this boating lark. 🙂

[Stroudwater1]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Or more urgently, a CO poisoning hazard too, in an empty lock full of boats with petrol engines running. 

 

 

Whattt? Plenty of petrol engines boats used deep narrow locks for years with no risk. Some still do with their outboards.
Surely that’s a bit OTT. Since when did a boater die from petrol engine CO poisoning in any lock let alone Thames wide ones?. Though a heavy gas it’s not an enclosed space even on still days and the worst petrol engine doesn’t spit out pure CO displacing all the air? 

More CO poisoning likely daily in the Mersey tunnel I suspect. 
 

In fairness all this engine off and control with lines has meant Thames lock gates are in very good nick. Well balenced little leakage (relatively) and the wood in decent condition. The abuse that lockgates get on canals is very much worse, gates unbalanced and badly mashed within a year. 

[Mike Todd]

15 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Whattt? Plenty of petrol engines boats used deep narrow locks for years with no risk. Some still do with their outboards.
Surely that’s a bit OTT. Since when did a boater die from petrol engine CO poisoning in any lock let alone Thames wide ones?. Though a heavy gas it’s not an enclosed space even on still days and the worst petrol engine doesn’t spit out pure CO displacing all the air? 

More CO poisoning likely daily in the Mersey tunnel I suspect. 
 

In fairness all this engine off and control with lines has meant Thames lock gates are in very good nick. Well balenced little leakage (relatively) and the wood in decent condition. The abuse that lockgates get on canals is very much worse, gates unbalanced and badly mashed within a year. 

Have you been recently? Some Thames locks beginning to look like CaRT ones . . . (and they do not, on the mechanised ones, have the excuse/reason that narrowboats go through single gate openings . . .)

[Stroudwater1]

2 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

Have you been recently? Some Thames locks beginning to look like CaRT ones . . . (and they do not, on the mechanised ones, have the excuse/reason that narrowboats go through single gate openings . . .)

Yes, the other week, only to the Upper Thames though. These all looked very decent. The lockies were advised to “keep out of the sun”  so much poling of lockgates confirmed really well balenced beams. Gave an opportunity to look closely at many too….
 

I’m not sure that keep out of the sun was the whole message passed to lockies, there may have been a “and only go into the sun when boats pass” omitted from their reading of instructions ?