loughborough basin services

[alant]

Ooooh i thought, I will just pop down to the new wharf and do my water/refuse/cassette empty...and have a look at the place.

Well, firstly who designed the boat access to the 'facilities'...a non-boater? There is no adequate provision for tying up, and so people have to use the railings, which are now breaking as they are being roped to....then you have to climb up via two ladders, thats if you can get a suitable and safe part of your boat next to the ladder.....then you have to climb the ladder with your full cassette....really convienient...then you find that in addition to the BW key on the doors the doors are double locked with another Yale...then you ring BW on your mobile....then they say "ring Newark"....then you swear the bloody incompetent designers and BW as consultees...then you go back down the bloody ladder....then you notice the metal ladders project beyond the plastic buffers and are scraping the paint off your boat...then you give up vow not to go back doen there again, and do a difficuly wind and go away full cassettes and all.

 

All that after I had only just recovered from the bloody stupid so called booking system at Watford, don't ever turn up there below the locks and imagine you are in a lock queue whilst those in the know behind you nip past and book in, commenting I should of seen the notice that was actually out of sight....anyone know where I can get bionic eyes?

[Derek Porteous]

[

All that after I had only just recovered from the bloody stupid so called booking system at Watford, don't ever turn up there below the locks and imagine you are in a lock queue whilst those in the know behind you nip past and book in, commenting I should of seen the notice that was actually out of sight....anyone know where I can get bionic eyes?

 

Couln't agree more. Did exactly the same a fews weeks ago. Luckily by the time I found this out (an hour later) I was still in the group of six boats as originally scheduled, but bumped down two places. Bizarre!

 

I knew the rules by the time I got to Foxton, but disappointly there were only two of us descending, so never did get to book in.

[cotswoldsman]

Ooooh i thought, I will just pop down to the new wharf and do my water/refuse/cassette empty...and have a look at the place.

Well, firstly who designed the boat access to the 'facilities'...a non-boater? There is no adequate provision for tying up, and so people have to use the railings, which are now breaking as they are being roped to....then you have to climb up via two ladders, thats if you can get a suitable and safe part of your boat next to the ladder.....then you have to climb the ladder with your full cassette....really convienient...then you find that in addition to the BW key on the doors the doors are double locked with another Yale...then you ring BW on your mobile....then they say "ring Newark"....then you swear the bloody incompetent designers and BW as consultees...then you go back down the bloody ladder....then you notice the metal ladders project beyond the plastic buffers and are scraping the paint off your boat...then you give up vow not to go back doen there again, and do a difficuly wind and go away full cassettes and all.

 

All that after I had only just recovered from the bloody stupid so called booking system at Watford, don't ever turn up there below the locks and imagine you are in a lock queue whilst those in the know behind you nip past and book in, commenting I should of seen the notice that was actually out of sight....anyone know where I can get bionic eyes?

 

I used the facilities on Tuesday (8 July) and found them very good, my cassette fitted underneath the railings and tied up using bollards don't uderstand the other yale thing just used my BW key. Winding round was no problem but then I am only 60 ft. Guess this goes to show that we all see things differently.

[carpetbloke]

Ooooh i thought, I will just pop down to the new wharf and do my water/refuse/cassette empty...and have a look at the place.

Well, firstly who designed the boat access to the 'facilities'...a non-boater? There is no adequate provision for tying up, and so people have to use the railings, which are now breaking as they are being roped to....then you have to climb up via two ladders, thats if you can get a suitable and safe part of your boat next to the ladder.....then you have to climb the ladder with your full cassette....really convienient...then you find that in addition to the BW key on the doors the doors are double locked with another Yale...then you ring BW on your mobile....then they say "ring Newark"....then you swear the bloody incompetent designers and BW as consultees...then you go back down the bloody ladder....then you notice the metal ladders project beyond the plastic buffers and are scraping the paint off your boat...then you give up vow not to go back doen there again, and do a difficuly wind and go away full cassettes and all.

 

All that after I had only just recovered from the bloody stupid so called booking system at Watford, don't ever turn up there below the locks and imagine you are in a lock queue whilst those in the know behind you nip past and book in, commenting I should of seen the notice that was actually out of sight....anyone know where I can get bionic eyes?

I did visit these fscilities twice and they were double locked with a Union lock in addition to the B.W. lock.

After a few phone calls I was passed to B.W.B. Fazeley and was told that there had been a dispute with the contractor involved with the build.

The problems have now been sorted and the doors are able to be opened with the B.W. key.

I always park on the pontoons but can see it must be awkward at the ladders, i`m just glad there`s a shower in the area now.

[redfastlad]

been to Loughboro and its ok spin the boat then walk her up to the water point while the ladies go shopping and it all worked ok for me.

[benfordboy]

Seems to me most folk would rather moan about BW given the Chance.

 

So my twopennorth....

 

Watford Flight - It is well known (Never mind 'Booking In') that you cannot traverse the flight withought seeing the lockie (As foxton) this is in all guides (Although Nicolson lists opening times wrongly). Is it so hard to walk the flight see the lockie & sort it out - Normaly to be told to come up the first locks then wait for the staircase.

 

Loughborough - Yes ladder moorings are poor - but dont you remember what was there before ?? Facilities on the soar are few, I have taken both cruisers & narrowboats into the wharf without diffculty. The moorings are rarely full & for a facility stop its not the end of the world surely ?

 

For showers heading North on the Soar / Trent - Limited at Sawley at peak times , 60ft only at Beeston, Impossible at Gunthorpe in summer months.

 

Lets make the most of it - The wharf could have been just student accomadation & no BW facilites