As we were a Ellesmere Port a week or so before this happened, I did think about what we would have done if we had found ourselves the wrong side of this.  
 

If the lower basin at the Port is a no go you are totally stuck, but I am assuming once the water level get restored that will improve, and then allow passage to the MSC. I think what I have done is sort out passage to Salford Keys and then onto the Bridgewater.  Assuming the Polstock locks stay open then you have access to a decent chunk, with Bridgewater, Leigh branch and LL west of Wigan, and can go into Liverpool.  I would also have looked at the possibility of Ribble link, I think that is open again?  That would sort the rest of the summer out, then assuming nothing gets fixed, a truck back to the midlands.

23 minutes ago, john6767 said:

As we were a Ellesmere Port a week or so before this happened, I did think about what we would have done if we had found ourselves the wrong side of this.  
 

If the lower basin at the Port is a no go you are totally stuck, but I am assuming once the water level get restored that will improve, and then allow passage to the MSC. I think what I have done is sort out passage to Salford Keys and then onto the Bridgewater.  Assuming the Polstock locks stay open then you have access to a decent chunk, with Bridgewater, Leigh branch and LL west of Wigan, and can go into Liverpool.  I would also have looked at the possibility of Ribble link, I think that is open again?  That would sort the rest of the summer out, then assuming nothing gets fixed, a truck back to the midlands.

Have you not seen the photos of the MSC water level being very low by the Barton Aquaduct 

(Ps think there was a tournament going on at the Pickleball Court Wednesday eve)

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

Have you not seen the photos of the MSC water level being very low by the Barton Aquaduct 

(Ps think there was a tournament going on at the Pickleball Court Wednesday eve)

So that may be out, but it must be almost empty if that is the case.  So really stuck then, except for across the Mersey. When we were at the Port a gas tanker went up, and if I remember correctly from our trip up there on the Dannial Adamson those go to the pound below Salford Keys, so presumably the MSC has got into issues very recently.

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

So that may be out, but it must be almost empty if that is the case.  So really stuck then, except for across the Mersey. When we were at the Port a gas tanker went up, and if I remember correctly from our trip up there on the Dannial Adamson those go to the pound below Salford Keys, so presumably the MSC has got into issues very recently.

Photo's of low level here

Isn't the MSC sorted now?

I wonder where this (and other closures) leave people who have Continuous Cruising licences, but are now stuck within a small area for the foreseeable?

 

I have a CC licence and am currently on a waterway that is now completey isolated, and appears if the 12 week estimate to repair this leak is accurate, means I'll be there for the next 3 months. That takes me almost to my license renewal. 

 

When that comes around, since late April I'll have shuffled around in the same 20 mile area, but I also reckon that I probably won't have been 'clocked' by a licence checker at either end. I know I have been clocked once in that time at least right in the middle of the 20 miles.

 

I had planned to leave that waterway this weekend, and continue off on some more summer cruising, potentially up the Llangollen. That won't happen now. So essentially I'll have shuffled around the same area for almost 6 months, solely because of CRT closures/stoppages.

 

Wonder if I'm going to have a battle come license renewal?

 

4 minutes ago, junior said:

Wonder if I'm going to have a battle come license renewal?

 

Not if you haven't been receiving overstay warnings and notices, either by email or tied to the boat.

 

Have you looked at your full sightings log in your online account?  

26 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Not if you haven't been receiving overstay warnings and notices, either by email or tied to the boat.

 

Have you looked at your full sightings log in your online account?  

 

Yes, there's only a handful on there, all in the same small area 5 mile area between Feb and May. Despite me starting my license period in the West Midlands and cruising most of the Coventry Canal, most of the Trent & Mersey Canal, the whole Middlewich Branch, Audlem to Ellesmere Port on the Shroppie, part of the Bridgewater Canal and part of the Manchester Ship Canal and the whole River Weaver from end to end. 

 

That was all in the first 6 months of the licence. We planned to spend 3 months on the Weaver, and then go off and do a bit more cruising. But now we are looking at doing the whole second 6 month period of the licence on the Weaver if we now can't get off it for another 12 weeks.

If C&RT raise your long stay on the Weaver, I am sure your explanation of why will satisfy them, no matter what your sightings  say. I think even with out the stoppages, the Weaver has a fair number of continuous cruisers who spend months there.  

1 hour ago, junior said:

I wonder where this (and other closures) leave people who have Continuous Cruising licences, but are now stuck within a small area for the foreseeable?

 

I have a CC licence and am currently on a waterway that is now completey isolated, and appears if the 12 week estimate to repair this leak is accurate, means I'll be there for the next 3 months. That takes me almost to my license renewal. 

 

When that comes around, since late April I'll have shuffled around in the same 20 mile area, but I also reckon that I probably won't have been 'clocked' by a licence checker at either end. I know I have been clocked once in that time at least right in the middle of the 20 miles.

 

I had planned to leave that waterway this weekend, and continue off on some more summer cruising, potentially up the Llangollen. That won't happen now. So essentially I'll have shuffled around the same area for almost 6 months, solely because of CRT closures/stoppages.

 

Wonder if I'm going to have a battle come license renewal?

 

 

Some of us that got stuck on the lanky when rufford breached got overstay notices…but not the boat that had been dossing on the same 48hr mooring for 6 months because he gave the enforcement officer grief. Words with CRT management were exchanged and we pointed out we really couldn’t move far…..

 

I suggest if you do get any stress then don’t hesitate to move it up higher in CRT and point out it wasn’t by choice. 

We have a little conundrum with this stoppage.We have a rivers only licence and then buy 30days Explorer licences to cover the times when we are on the canals. It saves us a few quid each. With no stoppage we would have been back on rivers before our Explorer licence expired. We have explained the situation to CRT and they are not concerned about it at the moment but we may may end up having to pay for a full licence!!

13 minutes ago, Richard T said:

We have a little conundrum with this stoppage.We have a rivers only licence and then buy 30days Explorer licences to cover the times when we are on the canals. It saves us a few quid each. With no stoppage we would have been back on rivers before our Explorer licence expired. We have explained the situation to CRT and they are not concerned about it at the moment but we may may end up having to pay for a full licence!!

You will NOT Richard, as it is out of your hands that you cannot fulfil your licence requirements....unless they lift and lorry you back to a river where you can 'satisfy the board' that you are cruising correctly.

Hope this helps.

4 hours ago, junior said:

Wonder if I'm going to have a battle come license renewal?

"the applicant for the relevant consent satisfies the Board that the vessel to which the application relates will be used bona fide for navigation throughout the period for which the consent is valid without remaining continuously in any one place for more than 14 days or such longer period as is reasonable in the circumstances."

 

If your boat can't get off a limited section of waterway due to an unplanned stoppage, then staying within a small area for more than 14 days must necessarily be reasonable in the circumstances.

 

Probably a good idea to notify CRT in writing/by email though, explaining your predicament as you have done here, just so it is on the record should you get any queries in future.

Since the 7th of May we’ve been “spotted” in the same location at least three times and haven’t received an overstay notice. We’ve not informed the CaRT but then again we’re on the L&L. 

We have been back to Ellesmere Port to check our boat - its fine. The lower basin is starting to refill, there is water running down from the top into it and there is a large pump pumping water from the MSC into it. The level has risen about 2ft from last week. Some boats in it are moving to the Weaver later in the week.

All the moorers outside the museum had over staying emails yesterday. I spoke with the museum manager this morning and told him about them his comment was 'how to really piss off already pissed off boaters'!!

We are still looking at the possibility of being craned out, but the only crane point I have found is on land where the access is blocked by very large piles of rubble. CRT did use this last week to crane a boat in but because of other commitments we were unable to make use of the crane. They moved the rubble with a JCB and carefully put it back afterwards.

On 13/08/2025 at 21:48, Richard T said:

We have been back to Ellesmere Port to check our boat - its fine. The lower basin is starting to refill, there is water running down from the top into it and there is a large pump pumping water from the MSC into it. The level has risen about 2ft from last week. Some boats in it are moving to the Weaver later in the week.

All the moorers outside the museum had over staying emails yesterday. I spoke with the museum manager this morning and told him about them his comment was 'how to really piss off already pissed off boaters'!!

We are still looking at the possibility of being craned out, but the only crane point I have found is on land where the access is blocked by very large piles of rubble. CRT did use this last week to crane a boat in but because of other commitments we were unable to make use of the crane. They moved the rubble with a JCB and carefully put it back afterwards.

 

You seem to have your finger on the button with this a bit more than me. Have you heard any updates about re-opening dates? Is the latest info still the 12 weeks from whenever they last said that?

4 minutes ago, junior said:

 

You seem to have your finger on the button with this a bit more than me. Have you heard any updates about re-opening dates? Is the latest info still the 12 weeks from whenever they last said that?

Sorry no further information. Access to the breach site is a problem, on one side of the canal its a country park/nature reserve so access on the other side CRT are negotiating with the land owner. CRT are still saying 12 weeks which is about the length of time it took them to repair the one on the Macclesfield. Its further complicated by Tilstone lock being scheduled to close in early November until 19th December. So there will be no escape until Christmas!! Unless by crane or we get a lot of rain so that the Ashton, Peak Forest and Macc reopen.

Heard this is going to be a long term stoppage due to issues with access to the breach site. 

Certainly appears via the updates that progress is relatively slow. Like Marsh lock, and the Anderton Lift, its looking increasingly like it will not be reopening before the end of the year.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/019817a5-1267-7775-83bb-547ca398a9d1

 

Also a frustration glitch of the Canal and River Trusts stoppage site is that if you filter by type for "Navigation Closure" which is the first item in the list, you will not find the stoppage notice. Because it is listed under "Towpath and Navigation Closure" which is listed in the second half of the drop down list and hence easy to miss if you dont know the system.

^^^ That caught me out for a while!

2 hours ago, DHutch said:

Also a frustration glitch of the Canal and River Trusts stoppage site is that if you filter by type for "Navigation Closure" which is the first item in the list, you will not find the stoppage notice. Because it is listed under "Towpath and Navigation Closure" which is listed in the second half of the drop down list and hence easy to miss if you dont know the system.

I have stated this on here previously so I sent an email to CRT in July and they responded that it was a valid comment and would be sorting it out.

Perhaps if a few more boaters sent in a comment it may get more traction.

Edited September 30, 20251 yr by PeterF

8 minutes ago, PeterF said:

I have stated this on here previously so I sent an email to CRT in July and they responded that it was a valid comment and would be sorting it out.

Perhaps if a few more boaters sent in a comment it may get more traction.

Yeah I mean to do it, but have not done so yet. I was using it to look for a stoppage I knew existed, and finally worked it out after tracking down the stoppage using the map view and seeing what it was categorised as, but it could easily spoil someone's week and boat movement plans.

2 hours ago, DHutch said:

Yeah I mean to do it, but have not done so yet. 

Reported:  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/contact-us/form

Well done all you reporters - C&RT have changed the stoppages website to make it simpler.

Oh amazing. No reply to my email as yet.