Walsall moorings

[adam1uk]

Has anyone moored in the Walsall area, and if so where would be best? I'm thinking the options are probably Sneyd Junction, top of the Walsall Locks, or the wharf at the end of the Walsall town arm.

 

The views of anyone who's been there would be most welcome.

 

Adam

[Jim]

Has anyone moored in the Walsall area, and if so where would be best? I'm thinking the options are probably Sneyd Junction, top of the Walsall Locks, or the wharf at the end of the Walsall town arm.

 

The views of anyone who's been there would be most welcome.

 

Adam

 

Adam,

The only one of these I have stopped at is at the top of Walsall locks. The designated visitor mooring there is on the offside and is "secure" (i.e. access is through a lockable gate). Its only big enough for one or two boats and when I arrived there was a BW workboat taking up the whole space, so i just tied up abreast of it. There are also some bollards on the towpath opposite, but these are obviously less "secure". Its very much an "urban" location but seemed - and proved to be - OK for one night.

I was going to stop at Sneyd, which on the face of it is a better mooring, but I was put off by the uncertainty over access. The pedestrian gate to the site was locked and fitted with a non-standard padlock and the gates on the road access would have been an insurmountable barrier had we returned late at night to find them locked. As there is no towpath access and as there was no one around to ask we pressed on to Walsall Top. (If anyopne else knows the arrangements here I'd be interested to learn them for next time).

I've never stopped at the Town Arm, but what would put me off is the fact that I've never seen anyone else tied up there either.

If you do stop at Walsall Top I can recommed the Rose & Crown nearby!

Jim

[lydfordcastle]

Short Heath Bridge (on the Wyrley and Essington) is a superb mooring if you like good, very friendly pubs with a good selection of small shops nearby. The BW mooring is offside and is fenced, access being with a BW key. Only problem is that someone appears to be using it as a long term mooring so space is limited. However, both pubs made us very welcome and we had a wonderful two night stay. Later ventured down to Walsall basin (via Longwood junction, and the Tame Valley canal - don't ask why!!) and once again found it a nice spot with very easy access to the town centre and no problems encountered apart from a crowd of Polish fishermen. Realised later that a better approach is via Birchillls junction, not via Tame Valley and Darlaston, as almost every bridge on the Walsall canal has its own resident shopping trolley, mattress and three piece suite.

[Hairy-Neil]

I was going to stop at Sneyd, which on the face of it is a better mooring, but I was put off by the uncertainty over access. The pedestrian gate to the site was locked and fitted with a non-standard padlock and the gates on the road access would have been an insurmountable barrier had we returned late at night to find them locked. As there is no towpath access and as there was no one around to ask we pressed on to Walsall Top. (If anyopne else knows the arrangements here I'd be interested to learn them for next time).

 

We tied up at Sneyd one night on last summer's trip. Soon found we couldn't open the gate, however a resident on the moorings offered to let us out and gave us his phone number to let us back in when we rolled in from the pub. We protested that it might be 12.30 to 1.00am before we got a taxi back from Wolverhampton after a curry but he was adamant he would still be up and about....... True to his word he opened up and let us back in. We repaid him with a case of beer before we left in the morning.

[carlt]

no problems encountered apart from a crowd of Polish fishermen.

Why was this a problem? I'd have bought some Brasso off them. Far better than the tinned stuff.

[Hairy-Neil]

I'd be cagey about overnighting at the basin moorings, though if they set you adrift you'd not go far. Have spent a couple of nights in the past on the visitor moorings above the top lock. No problems on the boat, but my car got seriously vandalised one night on the bridge. Two broken windows, wrecked passenger door, dents in the bonnet and roof where somebody walked up and over it.... Less than a fortnight after I'd had it resprayed too.....

[pearley]

Stopped at all three of these at all times of the year. Never had any problems.

Edited September 10, 2008 by pearley

[Speedwheel]

I went to the new art gallery at the end of the walsall town arm a couple of weeks ago. It looked like it had been closed off as there was a floating barrier accross th entrance.

[adam1uk]

Thanks for your replies. I suspect we'll end up at the top of the Walsall locks, as that works best time-wise.

[lydfordcastle]

I went to the new art gallery at the end of the walsall town arm a couple of weeks ago. It looked like it had been closed off as there was a floating barrier accross th entrance.

It's a sprung weed barrier and you can drive through it as it's only a very light return spring. It's there to stop the dreaded duckweed spreading into the basin