Southern Stratford Canal

[David Schweizer]

My Wife has decided that we are going to do the Stratford Canal next year, which is fine with me except that I am not sure whether we will be able to get through all the locks. The last time I did the Stratford was in a Northwich Star in the days when the National Trust ran the Southern section, and we got very firmly wedged in on of the locks. It took us several hours to get free and had to reverse back through several locks before we could wind.

 

I have heard that one or two of the locks are still a bit tight, and our boat is only a smidgen under 7ft wide. Has anyone with a wider boat managed it in recent years or will we be wasting our time trying?

 

P.S. It was our boat which caused the hold up on the Southern Oxford two years ago whe we got wedged between the wall and bottom gate trying to exit Somerton Deep. Everyone was very good natured about it but it took the backlog several hours to clear. I dont really want a repeat performance.

Edited October 16, 2008 by David Schweizer

[T.A]

We did the the southern Stratford this year we found the locks a bit tight I think we were warned that 47 is narrow but from memory I think we got stuck in 44 we did manage to free ourselves after about 10 to 15 minutes. We according to our boat buiders have a beam of 6'10" it's a narrow canal (the narrowest we have been on in our limited cruising) but never the less a lovely canal. It would be a shame not to attempt it, it may be worth while just having a walk or bike ride down that section and see a boat or two pass through the locks then make a judgement call?

[PaulG]

My Wife has decided that we are going to do the Stratford Canal next year, which is fine with me except that I am not sure whether we will be able to get through all the locks. The last time I did the Stratford was in a Northwich Star in the days when the National Trust ran the Southern section, and we got very firmly wedged in on of the locks. It took us several hours to get free and had to reverse back through several locks before we could wind.

 

I have heard that one or two of the locks are still a bit tight, and our boat is only a smidgen under 7ft wide. Has anyone with a wider boat managed it in recent years or will we be wasting our time trying?

 

P.S. It was our boat which caused the hold up on the Southern Oxford two years ago whe we got wedged between the wall and bottom gate trying to exit Somerton Deep. Everyone was very good natured about it but it took the backlog several hours to clear. I dont really want a repeat performance.

 

I know that Stratford Bottom Lock (the first one going north from Bancroft basin) is a bit tight. I drove into it last year with my 2-inch fenders still down, and jammed halfway into the lock. Reversed back out, lifted the fenders, and the boat went in OK. Lucky I was going "uphill" 'coz it might have got a bit exciting going the other way!

 

With fenders up, all the other locks were fine.

Edited October 16, 2008 by PaulG

[sociable_hermit]

Yeah, the first one out of Bancroft Basin is definitely tight. We were warned about it and made sure all side fenders were on the roof the first time we went through.

 

Second time around the crew and I forgot all about it, until they'd opened the bottom gates and I was in the concrete trough of the road bridge about to go in. Suddenly the penny dropped - uh-o! I left her idling forwards, jumped onto the towpath, ran up to the front which was in fresh air between the bridge and the gates, jumped up onto the roof and pulled all the fenders up as the boat passed beneath me. I knew she couldn't go off course because the trough is so narrow, but the lockside gongoozler there looked absolutely amazed! Crew members did an excellent job of pretending this sort of thing was perfectly normal by not saying a word

 

From what I can remember all of the initial flight are fairly tight, but the first one is the worst.

[AlanJ]

How do they compare to the locks at Hurleston?

I know the bottom lock there is renouned for being the tightest on the cut but this sounds like we have another contender...

[Tim Lewis]

I know that Stratford Bottom Lock (the first one going north from Bancroft basin) is a bit tight. I drove into it last year with my 2-inch fenders still down, and jammed halfway into the lock. Reversed back out, lifted the fenders, and the boat went in OK. Lucky I was going "uphill" 'coz it might have got a bit exciting going the other way!

 

With fenders up, all the other locks were fine.

 

We have just recently taken Fulbourne (7' 0.5") up the Southern Stratford, we too had trouble with the first lock but think it might have been the bottom gate not quite opening fully, we also had a similar problem about four locks up.

 

Apart from that it was a breeze.

 

Tim

Edited October 16, 2008 by Tim Lewis

[David Schweizer]

We have just recently taken Fulbourne (7' 0.5") up the Southern Stratford, we too had trouble with the first lock but think it might have been the bottom gate not quite opening fully, we also had a similar problem about four locks up.

 

Apart from that it was a breeze.

 

Tim

Thanks Tim, That's what I wanted to hear, someone who managed the Southern Stratford recently with a boat slightly wider than ours managing to get through. We are also quite deep as wel, l but I guess at 33" we are not as deep as Fulbourne so that should also be ok.

[Hairy-Neil]

I brought Nuneaton & Brighton up the Stratford about 10 years ago. Nuneaton was tight in one lock towards the top of the Wilmcote flight (3rd from the top???), even with the chains pulled in.

 

It also wedged tight in a (split bridge) bridge hole just north of Wilmcote. The bridge has subsided and one side leans in towards the top. Only a problem for work boats with bows high out of the water.

 

Brighton came through both of these spots fine, but wedged firmly in the upper gate area of the lock with the tiny iron aquaduct above it and was a devil to tow out. I'm certain it was the gate not opening fully that was the problem.

 

About 7 years ago I took the BW heritage boat, 'Swift' (ex Cowburn & Cowpar) down to Stratford without any problems, though I noted that the rubbing strakes of Swift have, in places, been narrowed with a gas-axe.

[Keeping Up]

The boat that we used to own, Thistle. spent many years towing the butty Dipper. When we bought Thistle, an American bought Dipper and had a cabin fitted with the intention of living on board at Stratford, but the people who did the work reportedly forgot to wind the chains in first so the end result was about 7'2" wide. He never managed to get to Stratford, despite trying quite hard.

[ditchcrawler]

I know that Stratford Bottom Lock (the first one going north from Bancroft basin) is a bit tight. I drove into it last year with my 2-inch fenders still down, and jammed halfway into the lock. Reversed back out, lifted the fenders, and the boat went in OK. Lucky I was going "uphill" 'coz it might have got a bit exciting going the other way!

 

With fenders up, all the other locks were fine.

We never cruise with fenders down, we only use them for mooring. I did once forget and it was just below Hurleston and got well stuck.

[dave moore]

Hi all

Southern Strat wasn't a problem 2 years ago with Resolute, and she's built to 6'11"..neither was Hurleston several years ago...so go for it, I'd say. Paul Aldridge achieved notoriety on an early Waterworld when he got Uranus jammed, she's a wide old girl with a well deck, so liitle can be done to ease her. I was there in 64 for the opening Festival...lock 44 was certainly the sticking point! I recall gangs heaving on ropes along with land rovers and tractors adding extra "thrutch" Those were the days!

Cheers

Dave

[Hobbler]

but wedged firmly in the upper gate area of the lock with the tiny iron aquaduct above it and was a devil to tow out.

 

 

Last time I was down there was about 10 years ago and we struggled with a 6ft 10" boat in the same spot but I think its been sorted now - only lock I occasionally hear mentioned as a problem is 47 and that is only rarely.

[saltyseadog]

I did the Stratford canal this year, hired a boat from Anglo Welsh at Wooton Wawen, I presumed that their boats are built to navigate the stratford canal - to my amazement every lock we went through & every bridge we went under was very tight - you just can't help hitting the sides on that canal - no wonder boat owners like to have their fenders down. Did the whole Avon Ring - didn't enjoy it - probably the worst narrow boat holiday so far.

 

 

 

My Wife has decided that we are going to do the Stratford Canal next year, which is fine with me except that I am not sure whether we will be able to get through all the locks. The last time I did the Stratford was in a Northwich Star in the days when the National Trust ran the Southern section, and we got very firmly wedged in on of the locks. It took us several hours to get free and had to reverse back through several locks before we could wind.

 

I have heard that one or two of the locks are still a bit tight, and our boat is only a smidgen under 7ft wide. Has anyone with a wider boat managed it in recent years or will we be wasting our time trying?

 

P.S. It was our boat which caused the hold up on the Southern Oxford two years ago whe we got wedged between the wall and bottom gate trying to exit Somerton Deep. Everyone was very good natured about it but it took the backlog several hours to clear. I dont really want a repeat performance.

[Chris Pink]

Widening the discussion slightly but I have often wondered that if you get a sticky lock it's usually down to one point why it cannot be fairly simply 'adjusted' with hammer and chisel or angle grinder.

 

Mind I've adjusted a few with my boat before now.

[denboy]

Widening the discussion slightly but I have often wondered that if you get a sticky lock it's usually down to one point why it cannot be fairly simply 'adjusted' with hammer and chisel or angle grinder.

 

Mind I've adjusted a few with my boat before now.

no such thing as simple nowadays you would need a method statement schedule of works risk assessment permission from English heretics a consulting company environment assessment manager project manager oh and a note from me mam :lol:

[Derek Porteous]

Last time I was down there was about 10 years ago and we struggled with a 6ft 10" boat in the same spot but I think its been sorted now - only lock I occasionally hear mentioned as a problem is 47 and that is only rarely.

 

Yep, we had a problem exiting lock 47. We did the Wilmcote locks three times this year (Stratford-Wootton Wawen-Stratford and then back up north again).

 

Our boat "Free time" is, as far as I know, a standard 6ft 10in wide. No problem going up, but did get struck coming down at Lock 47. Took about quarter an hour and lot of jumping up and down to free her. I put it down to the fact that the holding tank had filled up a bit making Free Time list a little to one side. Made sure we had a pump out at Western Road marina before attempting it again.

 

Derek

 

Been through Hurleston with no problems.

Edited October 31, 2008 by Derek Porteous