Welcome to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

[NB Alnwick]

On our way back from the Saul Festival last week, we moored for a couple of days on the River Avon opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We had been warned that the river level was expected to rise to a dangerous level and we were lucky that it didn't because during those two days, Jane had to travel back to Northamptonshire to work. On Saturday morning we attempted to enter the basin and canal but found the locks against us and all landing points securely guarded by 'Herras' fencing and a most confusing array of notices - see pictures below:

 

 

In order to enter the lock, it was necessary to disembark Jane on the other side of the River while she went to find someone in charge of the construction site, who then dismantled part of the fencing to let her in - the whole process took over an hour. It was a good job that the river did not reach dangerous levels when the only help I could muster would have been the ginger cat

[Sir Nibble]

Single handed, I would have strapped the boat to the lock gate and gone ashore that way. Whilst of course waiting for the man who says "Oi" to say "Oi".

[denboy]

thats a bloody appalling site considering that its right in the heart of site seer country you would think they would get there fingers out and sort it as quickly as possible :lol:

[carlt]

Front rope tied to fence, sharp reverse, untie rope and disembark through gap, now made, in fence.

[Liam]

Is that before, or after, the fence falls in the cut and blocks access to the lock?

[alan_fincher]

Is that before, or after, the fence falls in the cut and blocks access to the lock?

Graham is by all accounts more than capable of stemming up on things blocking the entrance to locks, without putting them there himself.

[NB Alnwick]

Single handed, I would have strapped the boat to the lock gate and gone ashore that way. Whilst of course waiting for the man who says "Oi" to say "Oi".

 

As may be obvious from the pics (above) I was holding the boat in position with the bow fender gently caressing the 'V' of the mitre gates but (with the winds and currents that had been forecast) climbing off the bow onto the slippery gates might well have been unacceptably hazardous. Other boats had been fortunate enough to enter the lock chamber when the gates had been left open with the passage of craft out of the basin and into the river but, as luck would have it, we were the first boat to use the lock on Saturday morning and found the bottom gates closed with a lockful of water behind them.

[Breals]

That's not good is it? The trouble is with signs is by the time your boat is close enough, you're too close anyway lol. In this instance I think I would have seen the Heras fencing, sussed something was up, and moored up opposite. Then I would have walked over with my windlass to have a closer look. If no one was coming I would have set the lock and opened the gates ready. If someone was going to come down, I'd just have walked back and waited for them to do all the work for me...

[Sir Nibble]

Report it to BW as a stoppage.

[Greybeard]

It's not good enough considering the link below!

 

http://www.macegroup.com/media/news/mace-g...afety-award-cdm

 

I can confirm that the site won't be completed until at least 2010....there's men on site still knocking big lumps off the building!

[BlueStringPudding]

On our way back from the Saul Festival last week, we moored for a couple of days on the River Avon opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

 

You passed us by Radford Bottom Lock a couple of days ago! I shouted a waved like a pillock but to no avail.

 

Edited to add that the work on the lock and Bancroft Gardens are nowt to with with the RSC - Startford council are doing that. The RSC work will finish in 2010. The council should have finished their work by Easter but they didn't. They've since said "the summer" is their deadline. None of it looks very finished from my front door at work, that's for sure.

Edited July 17, 2008 by BlueStringPudding

[bottle]

They've since said "the summer" is their deadline.

 

It will never be finished, we do not have summers any more .

[NB Alnwick]

That's not good is it? The trouble is with signs is by the time your boat is close enough, you're too close anyway lol. In this instance I think I would have seen the Heras fencing, sussed something was up, and moored up opposite. Then I would have walked over with my windlass to have a closer look. If no one was coming I would have set the lock and opened the gates ready. If someone was going to come down, I'd just have walked back and waited for them to do all the work for me...

 

The problem was not just on the Avon side - the 'Herras' fencing seemed to complete surround the lock on both sides

[Amduck]

The problem was not just on the Avon side - the 'Herras' fencing seemed to complete surround the lock on both sides

 

 

You have to walk all the way around, from the recreation ground on the opposite bank, into the basin, and can then access through the fence via a BW-padlocked section. I think there were notices attached to the last lock on the Avon, but I have to confess we didn't read them - I only realised what they must have been about once we found our way blocked like you did!!

 

We were very confused too, but were helped out by some kind moorers in the basin.