Quietest canal for summer

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Not a canal but come onto the Thames at Oxford Dukes cut and turn right. Within a few hours once you get above Pinkhill lock there is proper isolation.

Go up to Lechlade, and beyond the junction with the Thames & Severn Canal. There's still a public right of navigation, but you're very unlikely to see a boat up there. Did it in Fulbourne 20+ years ago continuing until we could go no further, then casually drifted backwards downstream until we got to a side stream entry where we could wind.

Other similar suggestions:

- The Upper Avon above Stratford - continue beyond the 'end of navigation' signs near the Red House and you may be able to get all the way up to Alveston Weir.

From the River Severn at Hawford ignore the Droitwich Canal and go up the River Salwarpe instead. There is a boatyard by the A449 bridge but you can carry on beyond that if your boat doesn't draw too much. Did that in a hire boat, much to the surprise of Sunday morning fisherman on the adjacent mobile home park, and to the consternation of two young girls in an unpowered inflatable we encountered coming downstream on a tight bend.

[Tony1]

3 minutes ago, StevieN said:

Not being a pedant..well...sort of, but ATM with the lift being out of action with very little confidence of it opening anytime soon and then closing for quite some time for major works, getting on the Weaver will only be possible by the MSC.

 

Just saying...!

 

A very fair point Stevie, and not pedantic at all.

I no longer follow the fortunes of the northern canals because I'm not there, so I didnt even know the lift was out of action (again). 

Its going to be a very quiet summer on the Weaver then, one images. Absolute bliss!

 

 

Edited March 8 by Tony1

[Arthur Marshall]

34 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

A very fair point Stevie, and not pedantic at all.

I no longer follow the fortunes of the northern canals because I'm not there, so I didnt even know the lift was out of action (again). 

Its going to be a very quiet summer on the Weaver then, one images. Absolute bliss!

 

 

I'd missed the lift being bust, too, and have lost track of when it's supposed to be closing for major refurb.

But if you just want a quiet, unpressured potter, the Middlewich link is one of my favourite lurking spots.

[Tony1]

15 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I'd missed the lift being bust, too, and have lost track of when it's supposed to be closing for major refurb.

But if you just want a quiet, unpressured potter, the Middlewich link is one of my favourite lurking spots.

 

Thinking about it, that could make a fantastic spring/summer cruise. Spend a month or two between Chester and Ellesmere Port in April/May, and then do a few miles along the ship canal and get onto the Weaver at Weston Marsh lock (assuming its working).

The OP might not know that you have to get a specific boat safety inspection for the ship canal, and pay a fee to cruise it - and it might cost a couple of hundred quid.

But imagine spending all summer on the Weaver, with hardly any boats around, and loads of free mooring spaces. 

That's got to be worth a few hundred quid, and tbh if I was still up there I'd be giving it some serious thought. Its a lovely waterway anyway, but with hardly any boats around it would be glorious. 

 

ETA - yes the Middlewich branch seems to be overlooked by most summer boaters, who just seem keen to get through it and move elsewhere. There was plenty of boat traffic during the times I was there in warmer weather, but not much of it was stopping.  Get some shopping in first though -  there were bugger all shops within easy reach! 

 

Edited March 8 by Tony1

[KezzerN]

Thanks everyone for your further input.  With rivers it isn't just the possibility of flooding, which terrifies me, it is also the depth: if I fall into the canal I can probably stand up and have my head above water, but rivers are so unpredictable on depth.  Add to that the under currents and whirl pools that can occur in rivers and they just put the fear of God into me.   Tidal rivers are even worse.  I remember as a child, holidaying abroad, and fishing from the side of a river near to a bridge.  People suddenly started screaming at us to get away from the water and back to the flat land.  Just as we reached the top of the banking this massive wall of water swept up from the sea and would have carried us away.  And don't get me going on the sea: absolutely terrified after nearly drowning when undercurrents grabbed me and threw me onto sharp jagged rocks.

[PeterScott]

 

and looking t'other way

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramsey Hollow Bridge  Middle Level.

 

[KezzerN]

 

Some of the suggestions have really surprised me because I thought they would be busy stretches with their proximity to cities, such as the Chester-Ellesmere Port section. I am glad I asked because they are places I would have avoided like the plague.

 

 

 

7 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

I guess attractiveness is subjective. Thought parts of it were fine. I stopped here to pick up some wood I spotted and carried it across the gangplank.

 

After I got going again I saw a fox swimming across the canal right in front of my boat. It obviously hadn't noticed the boat when it started its swim and it got a bit of a shock when it saw me bearing down on it.

 

 

 

 

This looks nice but that plank would worry me: I can see me wobbling along and going head first into the water!

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

Well yes and some parts of the Fen drains would rank as quiet. Someone posted a photo of their boat navigating up to the edge of New Bolingbroke in Lincolnshire, that is real frontier remote cruising.

 

The minor Lincolnshire drains are flooded for the summer and then drained for the winter to provide flood water run off capacity.

 

 

With the Fen drains do you initially access via a river?

 

 

Edited March 8 by KezzerN

[Russ T]

14 minutes ago, KezzerN said:

 

With the Fen drains do you initially access via a river?

Yes. Either via the Trent/Fossdyke and Witham for the Lincolnshire part. Or via the Nene for the Cambs part. However, as has been said. Don't be too scared about rivers. Pick the right time and they are lovely places to take a narrowboat, with planning.

 

If you are really brave, take a pilot accross the wash to connect the two. Many people on here have undertaken the trip and lived to tell the tale. Not me, I hasten to add. We have done both, but not crossed the wash.

Edited March 8 by Rod Stewart

[KezzerN]

22 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

 

and looking t'other way

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramsey Hollow Bridge  Middle Level.

 

 

 

 

Just looking at the website it says:

 

"There are currently nine Designated Rural Moorings within the Middle Level System. These are 24 hour stay moorings where mooring is allowed without seeking prior permission. They each consist of 5 mooring posts approximately 32m in length located at the toe of watercourse. These moorings have signs adjacent to them, and consist of driven timber posts and mown bankside vegetation. They are designed to be simple and no other provision or facilities provided. You may choose to stay overnight or simply stop here for a short break before carrying on."

 

So are these the only places that you can stop or are there other places suitable?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8 by KezzerN

[Russ T]

Just now, KezzerN said:

So are these the only places that you can stop or are there other places suitable?

Most of the middle level is private land. There are a few other places apart from the newly installed moorings that you can moor, but to be honest, the middle level is a very very quiet waterway with high banks in a lot of places and pretty boring (IMO), with few facilities. The Nene and Gt Ouse (and its tributaries), however are certainly worth a look.

[wandering snail]

In August, the Blaton-Ath.

[KezzerN]

17 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

In August, the Blaton-Ath.

 

 

Is that not in Belgium?

 

 

[wandering snail]

17 minutes ago, KezzerN said:

 

 

Is that not in Belgium?

 

 

Yep. The UK was not specified.

[agg221]

4 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

You're in the northwest, right?

One area that is super quiet even in summer is the stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port. 

Even in May and June, I recall there were only about 6-10 boats per day through there, if that many. It's only about 8 or 9 miles, but you can probably set up a CCing pattern that could last you through the summer, without getting into trouble with CRT. 

If you really need to escape the summer lunacy, that is a great stretch. 

 

Another quietish spot I found was south of Nantwich - there's a stretch of a few miles before the locks where its not as busy as it around Nantwich itself. You get passing boats, but not too many of the summer boaters bother to moor up in that stetch (for more than a day or so anyway).

 

If you want peace and quiet, do not bother with the Llangollen- certainly not the upper part of it.

But do yourself a favour, be sure to cruise it during the winter. Its an amazing experience once all the summer warriors have gone home, and it starts to quiet down. 

 

 

I would actually go further and say the Shropshire Union is pretty quiet at most places between Ellesmere Port and Audlem, the exceptions being Golden Nook, Barbridge to the middle of Nantwich and between Bunbury and Calveley (above the staircase locks), although it is a bit near the main road between Calveley and Barbridge at some points. If you don't need too much in the way of shop access, I reckon there are a few great spots between Beeston and Bunbury, ranging from almost moorland to feeling like it is in a tranquil river valley (although no need to worry @KezzerN, it is actually still the canal). That stretch rivals the Llangollen and the Caldon for attractiveness.

 

On the subject of the Llangollen, I recommend October/early November, while the leaves are still on the trees. It's pretty quiet the whole way up and very very pretty. It is also worth nipping down the three arms - Prees is very rural and you may well not see another boat, Whitchurch is likely to busier but has some nice moorings and Ellesmere allows you to moor right outside Tesco (we were very tempted to try and use the wharf crane to load the shopping...!)

 

Alec

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

Yep. The UK was not specified.

 

And I thought I could be awkward sometimes!! 

 

 

[Francis Herne]

All of the BCN away from the main line is very quiet all year round, particularly the backwaters.

 

Other than the permanent moorers on the arm there've been four boats on the Titford Canal this year. In the summer you might get one per week or so. The Wyrley & Essington, Rushall and Daw End, etc. are pretty much the same. There are some very nice spots out around Pelsall, Cannock Extension, Anglesey Branch. The Stourbridge gets maybe 6 boats per day in summer on average, fewer on the town arm, and again some nice mooring spots.

 

The Erewash is very quiet, accessed by only a very short river journey from Sawley to Trent Lock. The Chesterfield is also quiet but the Trent's in the way.

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, KezzerN said:

Some of the suggestions have really surprised me because I thought they would be busy stretches with their proximity to cities, such as the Chester-Ellesmere Port section. I am glad I asked because they are places I would have avoided like the plague.

 

The Chester to Ellesmere Port is quiet because most people don't want to tangle with Chester staircase, though it's simple enough. After that there's nothing but woods, my old mooring at Croughton (and a very nice pub and a walk to the zoo if you fancy it) and the Boat Museum at the end. I used to go halfway to Chester every Christmas and moor up in the woods till it was over. Can be a bit weedy, simply because so few boats travel it.

[Tony1]

17 minutes ago, agg221 said:

I would actually go further and say the Shropshire Union is pretty quiet at most places between Ellesmere Port and Audlem, the exceptions being Golden Nook, Barbridge to the middle of Nantwich and between Bunbury and Calveley (above the staircase locks), although it is a bit near the main road between Calveley and Barbridge at some points. If you don't need too much in the way of shop access, I reckon there are a few great spots between Beeston and Bunbury, ranging from almost moorland to feeling like it is in a tranquil river valley (although no need to worry @KezzerN, it is actually still the canal). That stretch rivals the Llangollen and the Caldon for attractiveness.

 

On the subject of the Llangollen, I recommend October/early November, while the leaves are still on the trees. It's pretty quiet the whole way up and very very pretty. It is also worth nipping down the three arms - Prees is very rural and you may well not see another boat, Whitchurch is likely to busier but has some nice moorings and Ellesmere allows you to moor right outside Tesco (we were very tempted to try and use the wharf crane to load the shopping...!)

 

Alec

 

My guess is that it is not only about what sections are quiet, or indeed attractive.

The OP is a relative newbie and is travelling solo (I think), and my assumption is they won't want their summer cruising ground to be a stretch that includes half a dozen double locks (including the very busy staircase lock at bunbury).

By the time your exceptions listed above (Barbridge to Nantwich, Bunbury to Calveley, etc) are all taken into account, it renders most of that stretch of limited appeal to the OP, as a summer cruising area for a newbie. 

Its a lovely stretch, and its worth travelling through for sure- but its not a place they can set up an easy, stress free cruising pattern for maybe two or three months during a busy summer. 

The OP wants to escape the crowds and the stress, and that's why the stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port is a far better option for them. 

 

And to the OP: if you do head for Chester, the Golden Mile (as the locals call it) is worth passing early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. 

 

[Col_T]

Not being a local, which bit is “the Golden Mile”???

[Francis Herne]

14 minutes ago, Col_T said:

Not being a local, which bit is “the Golden Mile”???

Golden Nook Farm - 1¼ mile of continuous offside mooring, which is tedious at the best of times but also makes passing oncoming boats slightly awkward in places, especially where the boats are double-moored.

[Tony1]

52 minutes ago, Col_T said:

Not being a local, which bit is “the Golden Mile”???

 

You didnt address me with your question.

But since I mentioned it, I will reply.

 

There's a stretch of about a mile or so, to the north and south of bridge 115 (at Golden Nook Farm), where there is a continuous line of moored boats (on offside moorings). 

The snag for passing boaters is that on the towpath side, for several long stretches, CRT have allowed the weeds (or reeds?)  to grow out from the bank, and the navigable width is reduced. Boats heading south (and thus on the towpath side) naturally want to avoid the thick weeds, and boats heading north (on the offside), naturally want to make sure they dont bump into the moored boats.

When there is a strong crosswind and a convoy of boats coming the other way, it can a get a tad stressful trying to squeeze through the limited width available, without bumping anyone.  

My own preference is to treat it like a staircase lock or other busy spot, and sneak through early in the morning before lots of boats arrive. 

 

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The Chester to Ellesmere Port is quiet because most people don't want to tangle with Chester staircase, though it's simple enough. After that there's nothing but woods, my old mooring at Croughton (and a very nice pub and a walk to the zoo if you fancy it) and the Boat Museum at the end. I used to go halfway to Chester every Christmas and moor up in the woods till it was over. Can be a bit weedy, simply because so few boats travel it.

 

My first time through the staircase locks was in winter and there were no volunteers - and the lower chamber was leaking, so it ended up being a right pain. 

But in warmer weather there will be volunteers, so the OP will be able to stay on their boat the whole time. 

The stops I tended to make were at bridge 133 (fast A road back into Chester if needed), or at bridge 134 (Chester Zoo, but also some local shops, including the all-important Dominos pizza).

My next stop was at bridge 137 (Stoak), which is within reach of Cheshire Oaks retail park (and the all important KFC).

After that was Ellesmere Port itself, and rather than moor next to the museum, I normally paid the money to moor down in the basin itself.

Not that the basin felt more isolated or more safe than the towpath outside the museum.

On many night in the warmer months I was the only boat in there, and I would have a brace of anglers sat close to the boat, smoking weed and wielding their instruments of death upon the fish (some of which were disconcertingly large).

So the place appears to be pretty easy for local lads to get into.  For the OP- if you go into the basin, don't treat it like a secure premises, like Northampton marina (as an example)- which has a 10 foot fence with spikes on the top, and a zombie-proof electric gate. 

Its not even angler-proof, so if the zombies show up, you've had it. 

 

Edited March 8 by Tony1

[Gybe Ho]

3 hours ago, KezzerN said:

 

With the Fen drains do you initially access via a river?

 

 

Not sure, I drive over the bridges a few times each week but have not yet considered the navigational challenges. Going off-piste in the Lincolnshire drains would be demanding for your first year of canal boating. If you did make it to New Bolingbroke I could drive down and take you to the shops.

 

I considered buying the lock keepers cottage at Antons Gowt on the River Witham a few years ago, that has a lock to drop into the drains. Rivers are typically placid in summer, you will more likely be wishing that was more flow in the river to break up the algae blooms that smother the Witham in the summer.

 

If you plan to navigate solo on rivers and falling in is a concern then consider how to get back on board from river level. A short strop of rope attached near the stern will give you something to grab, just make sure it cannot dangle too far and catch on the propellor. In practice people fall in when they don't think there is danger, e.g. coming home from the pub or carrying shopping on board

 

Has the jostling of your boat while moored prompted you to consider a quiet canal? I wonder if you are moored too tight and your ropes are snatching. In the marine world we attach fat rubber sausages to mooring ropes to give them some elastic give, makes a big difference. I have kept mine from my sailing days and intend to use them on the Cut but for some reason inland waterway folk don't use them. Another problem you might be experiencing is using the wrong sort of mooring rope. Strong braided rope with no elastic give is wrong, these give a jerky mooring experience, you want want weaker twisted mooring lines that are stretchy. 

[nicknorman]

7 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

Not sure, I drive over the bridges a few times each week but have not yet considered the navigational challenges. Going off-piste in the Lincolnshire drains would be demanding for your first year of canal boating. If you did make it to New Bolingbroke I could drive down and take you to the shops.

 

I considered buying the lock keepers cottage at Antons Gowt on the River Witham a few years ago, that has a lock to drop into the drains. Rivers are typically placid in summer, you will more likely be wishing that was more flow in the river to break up the algae blooms that smother the Witham in the summer.

 

If you plan to navigate solo on rivers and falling in is a concern then consider how to get back on board from river level. A short strop of rope attached near the stern will give you something to grab, just make sure it cannot dangle too far and catch on the propellor. In practice people fall in when they don't think there is danger, e.g. coming home from the pub or carrying shopping on board

 

Has the jostling of your boat while moored prompted you to consider a quiet canal? I wonder if you are moored too tight and your ropes are snatching. In the marine world we attach fat rubber sausages to mooring ropes to give them some elastic give, makes a big difference. I have kept mine from my sailing days and intend to use them on the Cut but for some reason inland waterway folk don't use them. Another problem you might be experiencing is using the wrong sort of mooring rope. Strong braided rope with no elastic give is wrong, these give a jerky mooring experience, you want want weaker twisted mooring lines that are stretchy. 

No. Loose springy lines for  mooring on lumpy water, perhaps. But on the canals tight stiff lines stop the (15 tonnes of) boat picking up speed with the suction from passing boats and then being snatched to a halt as the lines pull tight. People with loose thin lines complain about boats passing too fast. People with strong tight lines do not.

[KezzerN]

11 hours ago, KezzerN said:

 

 

Is that not in Belgium?

 

 

 

 

A newbie like me might have trouble getting my narrowboat across the English Channel, though I know it can be done in a narrowboat.

 

 

10 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

My guess is that it is not only about what sections are quiet, or indeed attractive.

The OP is a relative newbie and is travelling solo (I think), and my assumption is they won't want their summer cruising ground to be a stretch that includes half a dozen double locks (including the very busy staircase lock at bunbury).

By the time your exceptions listed above (Barbridge to Nantwich, Bunbury to Calveley, etc) are all taken into account, it renders most of that stretch of limited appeal to the OP, as a summer cruising area for a newbie. 

Its a lovely stretch, and its worth travelling through for sure- but its not a place they can set up an easy, stress free cruising pattern for maybe two or three months during a busy summer. 

The OP wants to escape the crowds and the stress, and that's why the stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port is a far better option for them. 

 

And to the OP: if you do head for Chester, the Golden Mile (as the locals call it) is worth passing early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. 

 

 

 

You are right: I want to limit my all round stress.  The thought of as a solo boater I would have a queue of impatient people behind me at locks is not appealing.  I also don't fancy squeezing between narrowboats on really busy sections.

 

 

9 hours ago, Francis Herne said:

Golden Nook Farm - 1¼ mile of continuous offside mooring, which is tedious at the best of times but also makes passing oncoming boats slightly awkward in places, especially where the boats are double-moored.

 

 

I hadn't realised Golden Nook Farm moorings covered such a long stretch. I had visions of half a dozen boats.

 

 

8 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

Not sure, I drive over the bridges a few times each week but have not yet considered the navigational challenges. Going off-piste in the Lincolnshire drains would be demanding for your first year of canal boating. If you did make it to New Bolingbroke I could drive down and take you to the shops.

 

 

 

That is a kind offer. I shall bear it in mind should I ever pick up the courage to do river stretches.

 

8 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

Has the jostling of your boat while moored prompted you to consider a quiet canal? I wonder if you are moored too tight and your ropes are snatching. In the marine world we attach fat rubber sausages to mooring ropes to give them some elastic give, makes a big difference. I have kept mine from my sailing days and intend to use them on the Cut but for some reason inland waterway folk don't use them. Another problem you might be experiencing is using the wrong sort of mooring rope. Strong braided rope with no elastic give is wrong, these give a jerky mooring experience, you want want weaker twisted mooring lines that are stretchy. 

 

 

I just like peace and quiet and like reducing the stress as much as possible.  My mooring has been fine with considerate boaters but some make no effort to slow down and that is when the boat gets rocked about.

 

 

10 hours ago, agg221 said:

On the subject of the Llangollen, I recommend October/early November, while the leaves are still on the trees. It's pretty quiet the whole way up and very very pretty. It is also worth nipping down the three arms - Prees is very rural and you may well not see another boat, Whitchurch is likely to busier but has some nice moorings and Ellesmere allows you to moor right outside Tesco (we were very tempted to try and use the wharf crane to load the shopping...!)

 

Alec

 

 

Thanks for the tip.  I shall bear it in mind for autumn cruising.

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The Chester to Ellesmere Port is quiet because most people don't want to tangle with Chester staircase, though it's simple enough. After that there's nothing but woods, my old mooring at Croughton (and a very nice pub and a walk to the zoo if you fancy it) and the Boat Museum at the end. I used to go halfway to Chester every Christmas and moor up in the woods till it was over. Can be a bit weedy, simply because so few boats travel it.

 

 

I love being amidst woods so that sounds great.

 

 

Edited March 9 by KezzerN

[dogless]

I'm not sure 'quiet' and 'summer' can be applied truthfully to canals these days ... there does seem to be an awful lot of boats about.

 

But we have found the Staffs and Worcester from Autherley down to Stourport to be very peaceful, very pretty, quieter than many canals, with narrow locks and loads of places to explore etc.

 

Of course the measure of busy is quite difficult to define ... one can travel for hours not seeing a moving boat, only to moor and discover you were in a procession of boats 😊

 

Rog