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Safe to moor in Stoke??

casper ghost

By casper ghost
in General Boating

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mayalld Veteran II

mayalld

Posted
Posted
I'm almost at Stone on the T&M, so tomorrow I could venture into Stoke :lol: or stop short at Hem Heath. Never been up here before and have heard bad bad things. Anyone know what overnight mooring in Stoke is like, anywhere safe to stop.. Thanks..

 

Plenty of people stop at Etruria, or at the big lake thingy.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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Posted (edited)

Local advice to us was by Westport Lake, about a mile south of the tunnel.

 

An unexpected haven, and much recommended, (fantastic sunset too).

 

I doubt you would have problems at the tunnel mouth itself, and it's quiet enough, but by the lake is a much nicer place to stop IMO.

 

EDITED to remove that well known winged insect, the "Tunnel Moth".

Edited by alan_fincher
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Night Hawk Proficient

Night Hawk

Posted
Posted
Local advice to us was by Westport Lake, about a mile south of the tunnel.

 

An unexpected haven, and much recommended, (fantastic sunset too).

 

I doubt you would have problems at the tunnel mouth itself, and it's quiet enough, but by the lake is a much nicer place to stop IMO.

 

EDITED to remove that well known winged insect, the "Tunnel Moth".

 

Tunnel Moth is good...and an excellent indian take away in town...if you walk up the steps over the entrance, there's a menu pinned to the railings and they'll deliver!They make their own nan bread!

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PhilR Experienced

PhilR

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Posted

Casper

 

I agree with all the suggestions. They are all normally safe overnight moorings. Festival Park/Black Prince does suffer from traffic noise and/or noise from the China Garden pub - but there are loads of shopping/leisure facilities on the retail park. Westport Lake is a popular, but very pleasant mooring. There is a supermarket not to far away on the opposite side of the canal.

 

If it is still very busy on the T & M and you prefer an early passage through Harecastle Tunnel you might prefer to moor at Chatterley (immediately before the tunnel). This is a quiet and safe mooring and you will probably be in the first northbound convoy (they allow up to 8 boats at a time).

 

It should be a very easy run from Stone wherever you choose to moor. Where are you heading after Harecastle? - up the Macc or down the Cheshire locks?

 

Cheers

Phil

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purplehaze Collaborator

purplehaze

Posted
Posted
Quite agree, very good Toby Carvery.

 

Stewey

 

Me too, very good food and its cheap, also they do puddings with bottomless jugs of custard! When we ate there last year we were so full we had no room for any more drink and had to go back to the boat to lie down. We did book as we were going to be there on a Friday night but should be fine mid week. We live in Cambridgeshire and don't have any toby carvery's in the area but I wish we did!! :lol:

 

Julie

 

Casper

 

I agree with all the suggestions. They are all normally safe overnight moorings. Festival Park/Black Prince does suffer from traffic noise and/or noise from the China Garden pub - but there are loads of shopping/leisure facilities on the retail park. Westport Lake is a popular, but very pleasant mooring. There is a supermarket not to far away on the opposite side of the canal.

 

If it is still very busy on the T & M and you prefer an early passage through Harecastle Tunnel you might prefer to moor at Chatterley (immediately before the tunnel). This is a quiet and safe mooring and you will probably be in the first northbound convoy (they allow up to 8 boats at a time).

 

It should be a very easy run from Stone wherever you choose to moor. Where are you heading after Harecastle? - up the Macc or down the Cheshire locks?

 

Cheers

Phil

 

Well we were with Black Prince and I can't say we were bothered by the noise from either the road or the pub, mind you it was raining cats and dogs all night so very few people were sitting outside, I suppose it may be very different on a hot sunny evening as there is extensive outside seating at the pub.

 

Julie

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PhilR Experienced

PhilR

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Posted
Me too, very good food and its cheap, also they do puddings with bottomless jugs of custard! When we ate there last year we were so full we had no room for any more drink and had to go back to the boat to lie down. We did book as we were going to be there on a Friday night but should be fine mid week. We live in Cambridgeshire and don't have any toby carvery's in the area but I wish we did!! :lol:

 

Julie

 

 

 

Well we were with Black Prince and I can't say we were bothered by the noise from either the road or the pub, mind you it was raining cats and dogs all night so very few people were sitting outside, I suppose it may be very different on a hot sunny evening as there is extensive outside seating at the pub.

 

Julie

 

Julie

I assume you were probably moored in the marina? To be honest the noise isn't a problem to me, but on a warm dry evening the overnight towpath moorings, being either close to the road or close to the pub car park might be too noisy for some people. As I said this is no problem to me, but others might prefer a quieter mooring like Westport Lake or Chatterley.

 

Regarding the China Garden, there is something about the place that I don't find welcoming - it is probably just me being a northerner (?) but it has always had the air about it of being a *chain pub* with *chain food* and *chain staff*

I live about 13 miles away and know the place since it was built in 1984 (or was it 1985!). There are plenty of better real ale pubs further north!

 

Phil

(ducking under the parapet)

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Tiny Rising Star

Tiny

Posted
Posted (edited)

Me - I like the country. I have moored in Stoke but prefer (as many do) to moor out near the Wedgewood works a half mile below Trentham lock. (There are rings above the bridge and good moorings below.) Then, next day it's the tunnel by lunchtime and down to the moorings above Church Lawton for the night.

Edited by Tiny
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NB Alton Proficient

NB Alton

Posted
Posted
I've tied up at Longport Wharf 4 times in recent years with no problem. Best mooring for a visit to The Old Bulls Head in Burslem, Titanic brewery tap, the best pint in Stoke.

I regularly tie up outside the Etruria Industrial museum nr the service block at the start of the Caldon and also recommend the south end of Harecastle as a good quiet mooring. Middleport lake is also a popular spot. One of the few places that gets a bit of occasional trouble is the main line above Stoke top lock at Etruria.

 

Thanks for the suggestion of Longport Wharf Niel, where do you actually tie-up? The Old Bulls Head sounds like a very good idea.

 

Cheers, Brian

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