Skipton to Ripon cruise

[floatingphil]

Hi chaps & chappesses

 

We are moored near Skipton and are thinking of taking the boat up to Ripon later in the year to visit friends. Bit of a long way round at 98 miles but just wondered if anyone could offer any advice on this trip. We only got the boat in October but consider ourselfs reasonable compentent on the tiller. That said ,we have no tidal river experience and the trip includes some of the Ouse .I read the Selby stretch can be tricky!. Is this a straight forward trip and how easy are the river sections to navigate? I see on waterscape a VHF radio is not mandatory but is advised. Should I be carrying one? We are thinking of May time , maybe after the Skipton festival.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

[Mac of Cygnet]

Hi chaps & chappesses

 

We are moored near Skipton and are thinking of taking the boat up to Ripon later in the year to visit friends. Bit of a long way round at 98 miles but just wondered if anyone could offer any advice on this trip. We only got the boat in October but consider ourselfs reasonable compentent on the tiller. That said ,we have no tidal river experience and the trip includes some of the Ouse .I read the Selby stretch can be tricky!. Is this a straight forward trip and how easy are the river sections to navigate? I see on waterscape a VHF radio is not mandatory but is advised. Should I be carrying one? We are thinking of May time , maybe after the Skipton festival.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

 

Yes, the Yorkshire Ouse can be a bit fierce especially on Spring tides, but as long as you line yourself up properly before the bridges (you'll be going very fast!) you'll be alright. The only really tricky bit is getting back into Selby lock, where you should be going across the river as soon as you go under the bridge, and completely turned round by the time you get to it, to enter the lock against the flow. (Howard Anguish may be along in a minute to say you should be going through the bridges backwards too - the very thought of that makes my blood run cold - we've had that 'discussion' on another forum )

 

The upper Ouse can be a bit of a featureless drag in parts, but entering York by the river is by far the best way to see the city.

 

You can use VHF between Selby and Naburn, but mobile phone is quite adequate.

 

Enjoy it. You might just see me.

 

Mac

[Guest]

Hi chaps & chappesses

 

We are moored near Skipton and are thinking of taking the boat up to Ripon later in the year to visit friends. Bit of a long way round at 98 miles but just wondered if anyone could offer any advice on this trip. We only got the boat in October but consider ourselfs reasonable compentent on the tiller. That said ,we have no tidal river experience and the trip includes some of the Ouse .I read the Selby stretch can be tricky!. Is this a straight forward trip and how easy are the river sections to navigate? I see on waterscape a VHF radio is not mandatory but is advised. Should I be carrying one? We are thinking of May time , maybe after the Skipton festival.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

 

Have no experience of boating the route in question but have walked the Ripon Canal a few times.

It is another very nice stretch of the system and Ripon it self is a very nice place to visit.

 

My only tidal boating experience is on the broads the hairiest being through Yarmouth and across Breydon and back and I will add you do need to keep your wits about you, it can be a bit disconserting when the boat is going one way and you want it to go another....

 

we misjudged the timing though which made it a little bit hairier and a harder slog than it need be.

[floatingphil]

Have no experience of boating the route in question but have walked the Ripon Canal a few times.

It is another very nice stretch of the system and Ripon it self is a very nice place to visit.

 

My only tidal boating experience is on the broads the hairiest being through Yarmouth and across Breydon and back and I will add you do need to keep your wits about you, it can be a bit disconserting when the boat is going one way and you want it to go another....

 

we misjudged the timing though which made it a little bit hairier and a harder slog than it need be.

 

 

Yes , we did the Broads too and got sucked into Yarmouth!!. Interested to now how and why you pilot a boat backwards under a bridge. Sounds great fun

 

Phil

[jez1954]

Hi chaps & chappesses

 

We are moored near Skipton and are thinking of taking the boat up to Ripon later in the year to visit friends. Bit of a long way round at 98 miles but just wondered if anyone could offer any advice on this trip. We only got the boat in October but consider ourselfs reasonable compentent on the tiller. That said ,we have no tidal river experience and the trip includes some of the Ouse .I read the Selby stretch can be tricky!. Is this a straight forward trip and how easy are the river sections to navigate? I see on waterscape a VHF radio is not mandatory but is advised. Should I be carrying one? We are thinking of May time , maybe after the Skipton festival.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Hi Phil,

 

I cruise the Ouse, Ure and Ripon canal a lot as I am based at Boroughbridge. Although I have no experience south of Naburn (tidal Ouse) I am told that the lock keepers at both Selby and Naburn won't let you out until conditions are right (I'll put this to the test in a few months when I intend to go down to Selby canal when I get my new outboard installed). North of Naburn is a doddle and there are 3 good mooring points (with pubs) after leaving York and before Boroughbridge (Darnly Arms, Linton Lock (and village) and the Aldwark Arms. There is also a nice sandy beach to front end onto at Beningborough Hall (confluence of Nidd and Ouse) - at least I've seen river cruisers beached there.

The only problem can be flooding - the Ure extends 40 miles into the Dales after Ripon and can rise quite quickly when it's wet up there but you can take refuge in the cuts at Milby Lock (Boroughbridge), Westwick Lock (Newby Hall) and Ripon.

If you spend a night in Boroughbridge let me know and I'll pop over and have a pint - I only live 6 miles away.

Phylis did the Selby/Ouse/Ure/Ripon trip last year so maybe she'll offer words of wisdom too.

 

Cheers,

 

Jez

[floatingphil]

Hi Phil,

 

I cruise the Ouse, Ure and Ripon canal a lot as I am based at Boroughbridge. Although I have no experience south of Naburn (tidal Ouse) I am told that the lock keepers at both Selby and Naburn won't let you out until conditions are right (I'll put this to the test in a few months when I intend to go down to Selby canal when I get my new outboard installed). North of Naburn is a doddle and there are 3 good mooring points (with pubs) after leaving York and before Boroughbridge (Darnly Arms, Linton Lock (and village) and the Aldwark Arms. There is also a nice sandy beach to front end onto at Beningborough Hall (confluence of Nidd and Ouse) - at least I've seen river cruisers beached there.

The only problem can be flooding - the Ure extends 40 miles into the Dales after Ripon and can rise quite quickly when it's wet up there but you can take refuge in the cuts at Milby Lock (Boroughbridge), Westwick Lock (Newby Hall) and Ripon.

If you spend a night in Boroughbridge let me know and I'll pop over and have a pint - I only live 6 miles away.

Phylis did the Selby/Ouse/Ure/Ripon trip last year so maybe she'll offer words of wisdom too.

 

Cheers,

 

Jez

 

Hi Jez

 

Thanks for the info, maybe its not as dawnting as it sounds. Will give this some thought. It would be good to cruise through York, i'm reckonong on about 6 days or so to complete and would want to leave the boat for a few weeks at Ripon b4 the return journey. Are there safe moorings up there? We are stuck between two stoppages at the moment so anywhere is an adventure.!! Always up 4 a beer, will keep you posted

 

Phil

[jez1954]

Hi Jez

 

Thanks for the info, maybe its not as dawnting as it sounds. Will give this some thought. It would be good to cruise through York, i'm reckonong on about 6 days or so to complete and would want to leave the boat for a few weeks at Ripon b4 the return journey. Are there safe moorings up there? We are stuck between two stoppages at the moment so anywhere is an adventure.!! Always up 4 a beer, will keep you posted

 

Phil

Phil,

 

The moorings above York (up to and including the Basin at Ripon Canal Head) are all 48hrs max (except when flood conditions prevail) so leaving the boat for "a few weeks" could be tricky. Ripon Motorboat Club does have some visitor moorings but how long you could get one for I don't know - you could try ringing on 01765 601751. Failing that, there is Ripon Racecourse Marina (a commercial operation 01482 224148 - a Hull dialing code for some strange reason!), they may also be able to accommodate you.

 

Jez

[howardang]

Phil,

 

The moorings above York (up to and including the Basin at Ripon Canal Head) are all 48hrs max (except when flood conditions prevail) so leaving the boat for "a few weeks" could be tricky. Ripon Motorboat Club does have some visitor moorings but how long you could get one for I don't know - you could try ringing on 01765 601751. Failing that, there is Ripon Racecourse Marina (a commercial operation 01482 224148 - a Hull dialing code for some strange reason!), they may also be able to accommodate you.

 

Jez

Ripon is part of BWML and is admisistered via Hull Marina, hence the 01482 post code. Incidentally the number you gave is the fax number - the tel no is 01482 609960

 

Cheers

 

Howard

[RichardH]

Before setting off fill the water tank. This is to ensure a plentiful supply of cold water should you need to ‘drop the calorifier’ to cool the engine.

 

Ensure the Anchor is in position and free of tangles

 

To pass commercial traffic on the A&C coming towards move over to right to give them deep water and then turn into wake of commercial boat such that you hit wake at 45 to 90 degrees

 

What the traffic lights at the Aire and Calder Locks mean by their colours.

 

Red - WAIT - lock keeper on duty

Green - enter the lock - lock keeper on duty

Amber - User Operation

 

However……don’t automatically move into the lock if it is on Green. Always check behind you to ensure a 300 ton sand barge is not heading into the lock - this happened to me at Ferrybridge and was not great !

 

Leaving Selby, the lockie will give comprehensive instruction on cruising tips. He will give you advice at Selby of how to get back into lock. There are two ways essentially:

1. To turn some way before the lock and go down river backwards slowly with the tide and then turn into the lock

2. To start turning a little way before the lock and pass the lock in the last part of the turn putting on power to aim into the lock and then power off when you hit slack water - lockie normally tells you what to aim at and when to power off.

 

Although there are moorings at the River Foss prior to getting to York centre they are quite a long way from the centre, but are walkable.

 

There are also moorings just before Ouse Bridge

 

Best mooring immediately after Lendle Bridge, think it's called Castle Meadow

 

DO NOT rely on being to get water in York, best to top up at Selby or Naburn before going onto York and to top up at either Naburn or Selby on way back.

[Speedwell]

We did the tidal bit many years ago. Going up on a medium tide was no trouble. Coming back was much harder as you have to go against the tide for the first hour or so, which meant a lot of hard engine work for relatively little progress. The tide swirls a bit at Selby railway bridge, so it is necessary to keep well to the centre of the arch.

When we got to Selby, several boats were waiting in mid stream for the lock to be ready. One boat had gone so far downstream that I rounded up in front of him, expecting him to come up past us but he did not do so and the lock keeper called us in first. The other boat had to wait for the next locking and the couple on it were rather annoyed with us but who am I to argue with a lock keeper ?

There must be a moral in this story somewhere

Arthur

[Naughty Cal]

As has been said before, the water flows very quickly through Selby, but once through the town it tends to settle down. The lock keepers will give you all of the advice you need. It is a lovely stretch of river and canal all the way into Ripon. Enjoy it but stay safe, and remember to leave slack in your mooring lines to account for any rise/fall in water levels.

[floatingphil]

Before setting off fill the water tank. This is to ensure a plentiful supply of cold water should you need to ‘drop the calorifier’ to cool the engine.

 

Ensure the Anchor is in position and free of tangles

 

To pass commercial traffic on the A&C coming towards move over to right to give them deep water and then turn into wake of commercial boat such that you hit wake at 45 to 90 degrees

 

What the traffic lights at the Aire and Calder Locks mean by their colours.

 

Red - WAIT - lock keeper on duty

Green - enter the lock - lock keeper on duty

Amber - User Operation

 

However……don’t automatically move into the lock if it is on Green. Always check behind you to ensure a 300 ton sand barge is not heading into the lock - this happened to me at Ferrybridge and was not great !

 

Leaving Selby, the lockie will give comprehensive instruction on cruising tips. He will give you advice at Selby of how to get back into lock. There are two ways essentially:

1. To turn some way before the lock and go down river backwards slowly with the tide and then turn into the lock

2. To start turning a little way before the lock and pass the lock in the last part of the turn putting on power to aim into the lock and then power off when you hit slack water - lockie normally tells you what to aim at and when to power off.

 

Although there are moorings at the River Foss prior to getting to York centre they are quite a long way from the centre, but are walkable.

 

There are also moorings just before Ouse Bridge

 

Best mooring immediately after Lendle Bridge, think it's called Castle Meadow

 

DO NOT rely on being to get water in York, best to top up at Selby or Naburn before going onto York and to top up at either Naburn or Selby on way back.

 

 

Thanks for all in info everyone, very usefull. Sounds terrifying The mooring issue may be a problem because i want to leave the boat for a few weeks, I will see what I can sort out. It maybe we go west up the L&L for our 1st long cruise instead. Bit more simples!

 

Cheers Phil

[Guest]

Thanks for all in info everyone, very usefull. Sounds terrifying The mooring issue may be a problem because i want to leave the boat for a few weeks, I will see what I can sort out. It maybe we go west up the L&L for our 1st long cruise instead. Bit more simples!

 

Cheers Phil

 

West from Skipton along the L&L is brilliant.

[rgreg]

Thanks for all in info everyone, very usefull. Sounds terrifying The mooring issue may be a problem because i want to leave the boat for a few weeks, I will see what I can sort out. It maybe we go west up the L&L for our 1st long cruise instead. Bit more simples!

 

Cheers Phil

 

Either way you choose it's a great cruise. Don't be scared off by the tidal stuff - just do your preparation before-hand and if possible tag along with another boat- gets the adrenaline going a bit and you'll love it.

[floatingphil]

Either way you choose it's a great cruise. Don't be scared off by the tidal stuff - just do your preparation before-hand and if possible tag along with another boat- gets the adrenaline going a bit and you'll love it.

 

 

Yes was going to say tagging along with another boat would be good......... Any takers??

 

Phil

[Naughty Cal]

Yes was going to say tagging along with another boat would be good......... Any takers??

 

Phil

 

We would but we are not going that way this year.

 

Some photos might encourage you though. Here you go:

 

The tidal Ouse

 

York Centre

 

Linton Lock

 

Ripon Canal Basin

 

Naburn Lock Moorings

Edited February 3, 2010 by Phylis

[rgreg]

Yes was going to say tagging along with another boat would be good......... Any takers??

 

Phil

 

Chances are you'll meet another boat at the tidal lock - you could always ring the lock keeper who'll advise on likelihood of this.

[floatingphil]

We would but we are not going that way this year.

 

Some photos might encourage you though. Here you go:

 

The tidal Ouse

 

York Centre

 

Linton Lock

 

Ripon Canal Basin

 

Naburn Lock Moorings

 

 

Looks very nice, you sold me on it Phylis , better check the life jackets..... Will my meezly 35hp barrus 3 cylinder in a 47ft Nb cope with the tide i wonder?

 

Phil

[Naughty Cal]

The lock keepers will let you out at the right time so that the tide helps you on your way. both upto Naburn and back down to Selby. Your engine will have very little work to do. Narrowboats make the journey all the time. It isnt that bad, really

[Guest]

Just some more photos if you're interested. Taken on one of my canal side forays.

 

 

Ripon Racecourse Marina

 

 

 

 

Ripon Canal

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the section of the River Ure just after where boats switch from the canal to the River.

 

 

 

 

an this is Rohdesfield Lock - which I understand is the most northerly lock on the main system - worth coming just to say you've passed through.!!!

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

 

We had a moment coming upto that bridge where we didnt think we would fit through even with the hood down. Turned out we had loads of room and it was just the line of sight that was throwing our perspective off

 

Ripon Canal

 

Ripon Sanitary Station

Edited February 3, 2010 by Phylis

[Guest]

We had a moment coming upto that bridge where we didnt think we would fit through even with the hood down. Turned out we had loads of room and it was just the line of sight that was throwing our perspective off

 

Just for accuracy though Phylis you've caught the label to my next picture when you've selected it. That of course isn't the Ure but rather the canal itself.

 

Cheers,

[Naughty Cal]

Just for accuracy though Phylis you've caught the label to my next picture when you've selected it. That of course isn't the Ure but rather the canal itself.

 

Cheers,

 

You are of course correct

[Guest]

You are of course correct

 

Thanks for the edit..