Mooring overnight

[MedMan]

What rules are there about where you can moor for the night? Do you have to moor in a designated spot or can you just tie up to the bank? Is it usual to have to pay?

[dor]

Simple: Standard towpath, up to 14 days. Visitor moorings (identified by posts & signs and, usually, mooring rings, depends what the sign says, they can be 24 hour, 48 hour or 120 hour (5 days). Marinas, by negotiation, and they will probably charge you maybe £5 per night, but you will probably get a 230V hookup for that. Also some security. Then there are the Llangollen mooringw, which represent a dangerous precedent in that they are BW moorings but they will charge you £5 pernight, not just in the marina but on the towpath as well.

 

So in summary: moor anywhere you like on the towpath for up to 14 days unless it specifies otherwise.

 

The Offside is generally private, so it is not good form to moor there without permission.

[DHutch]

...can you just tie up to the bank?

As dor said, you can moor on any tow path for upto 14days without telling or paying anyone.

- You can them do another decent days crusing (say 8miles), and moor for another 14days, and so on.

 

 

Daniel

[Guest]

"... the Llangollen mooringw, which represent a dangerous precedent in that they are BW moorings but they will charge you £5 pernight, not just in the marina but on the towpath as well."

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Dor

Have I read you correctly? Are you saying that BW charge £5 per night to moor anywhere on the towpath along the Llangollen?

No, wait a minute, just re-read it. You mean on the BW moorings that are on the towpath. Stupid of me (it's a bit early still!)

 

Peter

Edited July 12, 2005 by Guest

[colinjw]

What rules are there about where you can moor for the night?  Do you have to moor in a designated spot or can you just tie up to the bank?  Is it usual to have to pay?

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To answer your first question:

Do not moor:

Very near bridges

Near winding holes (usually "No Mooring " signs)

On bends

At lock mooring bollards

Anywhere that can cause an obstruction.

etc

 

It's amazing how many boaters moor inconsiderately and cause hassle.

 

As far as I know, there are very few places where you have to pay to moor on the towpath side.

[dor]

Dor

Have I read you correctly? Are you saying that BW charge £5 per night to moor anywhere on the towpath along the Llangollen?

No, wait a minute, just re-read it. You mean on the BW moorings that are on the towpath. Stupid of me (it's a bit early still!)

 

The £5 charge is only applied in Llangollen itself. I.e. after the narrow bit there are some moorings and a water point. Also a BW hut. The charge applies to these moorings and the marina. Once you pass these first moorings there is another narrow bit, then you go under a bridge where a trip boat is often moored. You can't moor here, but a bit further on is the marina.

 

You can stop for up to 4 hours before 4pm for free, after that you have to pay your money.

[Richard Bustens]

did you have a good week Dor, im'e sorry that the weather forcast i gave you was not correct.....

[dor]

hi Richard. Yes an excellent week. Nice and peaceful - very easy going. Only really got wet once coming back up the Frankton locks when we had to go on command. But next time I'll go in the summer!

[Jaysay]

It might be worth adding, for the sake of clarity, that all the above applies to canals only. On rivers, mooring is either banned or you have to pay (indicated by signs stating the charge).

 

Add to Colin's list, 'do not moor on swing or lift bridge moorings'.

[John Orentas]

Just for the record let us not dwell too much on this "Where can you moor" thing, we could be sending the wrong messages. Don't even think about it, you can moor anywhere you like on the system, all we have to do is not to intrude on other peoples enjoyment of the waterways which will be instinctive for 99.9% of us.

[fender]

Yeah - could turn into a debate thingy on Continuous Constipation... now lets take the much safer Frinton for Incontinents route I'd like to point out that I dont agree with Jaysay that moorings on rivers are 'banned' - its just that those that are free are generally more difficult to find, for example on the Thames there are many delightful secluded moorings - its just a case of knowing or finding where they are.

Edited July 14, 2005 by fender

[Jaysay]

Yeah - could turn into a debate thingy on Continuous Constipation... now lets take the much safer Frinton for Incontinents route    I'd like to point out that I dont agree with Jaysay that moorings on rivers are 'banned' - its just that those that are free are generally more difficult to find, for example on the Thames there are many delightful secluded moorings - its just a case of knowing or finding where they are.

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Well, that's a nicer way of putting it perhaps and I don't want to put anyone off rivers (which I happen to enjoy more than canals). But we are misleading the man if we tell him that he can moor "anywhere" on rivers provided "he doesn't spoil other peoples' enjoyment". At best it runs the risk of a demand for money at an awkward time; at worst it can mean (as happened to a friend of mine) being cast adrift by an irate farmer during the night.

John - I do think your mediation should be fair: he did ask "where can I moor overnight" ; in the circumstances, I don't think my reply is "dwelling on the where can I moor thing".

[Guest]

"... cast adrift by an irate farmer during the night ... ?"

There is a thread recently that stated that this is against Maritime Law and punishable by 10 years in jail. Jon? You're the legal eagle.

 

Peter

[nbtafelberg]

Yes I agree.

 

It is illeagal to cast a boat adrift (apart from being dangerous).

 

Anyway--- Here's my experience

 

River Wey Navigation : - You can moor most places if you can find somewhere deep enough especially when the River is so low.

 

Thames :- In towns there are designated Mooring places that MOSTLY cost around £4 a night which is very good value in Windsor for instance where you can moor with in 10 minutes walk of the castle. The poor car drivers pay moor (parden the pun) than we do.

 

On the canals :- Depends where you are but its always safest to use designated mooring places and not just moor up anywhere you feel like.

 

If you see my boat Tafelberg (www.tafelberg.co.uk) and you can't find a mooring you can moor up against her (as long as you are not a plasticator).

[John Orentas]

Where does all this rubbish come from.

 

"Its always safest to use designated mooring places and not just moor up anywhere you feel like".

 

No, no, no You can moor anywhere you like, every time someone says things like this it nibbles away at the total freedom we have always enjoyed.

 

"Designated mooring places" are a recent phenomenon, their existence certainly does not mean you cannot or are even discouraged from mooring elsewhere, mind you if we keep getting responses like the one above the future will not look very bright.

 

And who says that a mooring charge of £4 a night is very good value, to moor on a waterway which all of us already own, I certainly do not.

[Richard Bustens]

I Think Paul is refering to mooting on flowing rivers not canals,?

[John Orentas]

Richard.

 

I think he specifically mentioned canals, I still think we are free to moot anywhere.

[nbtafelberg]

Richard

 

I am just talking from experience. You can't just moor anywhere on the Thames to start with nor the Wey Navigation, you have to take into account the depth of the water and who owns the house to which you are trying to moor.

 

Experienced boaters learn the best places to moor up but I would never tell a Novice boater just to moor "anywhere".

 

If you do the River Wey in a 70 foot boat you'll see the problems - for instance because the navigation is actually not that wide and is not too brilliantly dredged you need almost the whole navigation width to get round some corners which are 90 degrees with a small bridge over them.

 

When a hire boat (and it happens) moors on the corner it makes life very difficult and can result in beeching. THey also regularly moor opposite Pyrford Marina entrance which is also a winding hole, again this means that what should be a 15 minute turn round can take up to half an hour with a 70 foot boat.

 

SO I don't know what you do on canals but I would advise a new boater to go to recongised moorings until they know the area and where it is good to moor.

 

I wish I did own the river, then I wouldn't have to pay a license fee? Why should I pay a license fee to use something I own?

 

Interesting comments. I think it shows the difference in rules and guidance between navigations. For example on the Wey Navigation you leave the lock gates open when completed a lock, on the Thames/Grand Union failing to close both gates can result in staircases of locks being drained of water.

 

This happened to us at 8pm on the Hanwel Flight, someone had left the lower gates open of the bottom two locks which result in our boat being firmly grounded in the MIDDLE of a pound. Luckily my Father was on the bank and was able to go back up and send enough water down to float the boat.

 

Thats what I think anyway.

 

If it says NO MOORING then its not a good idea to moor there, it may say it because there are large boulders underneath the water that will damage your boat.

 

I laughed at this one "No, no, no You can moor anywhere you like, every time someone says things like this it nibbles away at the total freedom we have always enjoyed." says two things.

 

a. Try mooring underneath Tower Bridge or accross the mouth of the Paddington Arm

b. We don't have total Freedom any more, we have people who regulate our use of the waterways with licenses and stoppages. In the winter we were stuck between Bell Weir Lock and Shepperton Lock for nigh on 2 months, givinig only 4 miles of navigable water. Hardly freedom. Without a boat license you can't get anywhere through a lock on the thames - hardly freedom. You can't get a license without a permanent mooring/continous cruising license and you can't get a mooring without a Boat Safety Certificate. Freedom? Also on the Thames there are times when you cannot navigate the water as it is in flood, if you do its VERY dangerous as its hard to even stop the boat going down stream.

 

Yes, we have a sort of Freedom but all freedom has boundries.

[John Orentas]

Paul.

 

It wasn't Richard it was me. Quotation from your reply:

 

"On the canals :- Depends where you are but its always safest to use designated mooring places and not just moor up anywhere you feel like".

 

I am talking from experience, if you constantly ask for rules and regulations you will get them, this is not about mooring at someones garden or under Tower Bridge as you well know.

 

And who are all these 'novice boaters' who seem to be persistently seeking guidance from you.

Edited July 15, 2005 by John Orentas

[MedMan]

Very many thanks for all your replies - much appreciated.

[DHutch]

Very many thanks for all your replies - much appreciated.

Dont worry!

[Jaysay]

Very many thanks for all your replies - much appreciated.

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I bet you wished you had never asked!

[anthony]

out of interest.

If you was asked for a 4 pound fee to moore John how would you escape not paying this?

or what would you give as an answer?

Thanks.

Edited September 10, 2005 by anthony

[Khayamanzi]

I believe 'mooring' is defined something along the lines of only when the boat is physically attached to the bank by some means. There was a rumour of a boater who objected to a BW mooring fee being charged and so came alonside the bank, dropped his anchor and used his plank to get to the bank. When the BW chappie came to charge he simply pulled in the plank and asked the guy to prove that he was actually 'moored' to his bank!! Apparently the guy was very disgruntled but drove off admitting defeat.

 

As for the mooring issue, I always took it as simply anywhere that you can find water and wish to along the towpath side, (quite apart from those common sense places as identified in all the boaters handbooks and guides - do rivers have official tow-paths?). In most situations and in my experience, official mooring places are put in at popular areas such as clustered around pubs and towns: this prevents over-erosion by continuous use of mooring stakes. I personally try to avoid these areas as I don't go boating to be squeezed in with dozens of others, some of whom will stagger back from pubs late at night!

 

As a point of interest you will discover that there are many, many official mooring rings put in along the Shropshire canals, ( and I include the Llangollen branch in that). The reason for this is none other than to attempt to reduce the risk of erosion and breeches by mooring stakes being pulled out by passing, (speeding,) boats.

 

I only worry that with the expansion of BW pubs, there might be a conscious decision on their part, (but not publicised,) to only dredge official mooring areas thus forcing boats to moor up and use their pubs. I have certainly noticed over the years that it is becoming harder and harder to find sufficient depth of water along more remote areas of the canal even if there are railings to secure up against. Whilst using this platform I wonder what your views are Paul on the Thames requesting narrowboats to double up. I personally object to this idea strongly as we pay more for being longer and I for one, go boating for the peace and privacy of the waterways??

[matt]

I recently moored up at Goring on the Thames early in the day (I'd been warned moorings were in short supply in that area).

 

By 4pm a couple of people had given me some really dirty looks and one even shouted out me for the 60ft I was taking up.

 

Got a nice picture of me moored up between in a middle of a row of million pound white cruisers with my wheelbarrow and logs on the roof.

 

I have to say the Thames (unless you are on a gold license) is massively overpriced for what you get in the way of amenities. A lot people I speak to love it, but I find it one of the most stressful places around (Napton->Braunston now exceeds it).