Marsworth Bargain

[GeoffS]

What a bargain compared to what others went for in the last 2 years and what I, and probably some others on here, considered possibly needing to bid!

 

A sign of the times or the new auction system?

 

Auction

[pmms]

was this for the Marsworth resi moorings? We looked at those back in 2001 but they were very poor resi moorings, on the towpath, you had to move (albeit not very far) for facilities no official car parking and a shared mail box, in the end we applied for ( and got ) one at Stoke Bruerne, expensive but lovely mooring and nice people to boot.

 

Paul M

[Steilsteven]

was this for the Marsworth resi moorings? We looked at those back in 2001 but they were very poor resi moorings, on the towpath, you had to move (albeit not very far) for facilities no official car parking and a shared mail box, in the end we applied for ( and got ) one at Stoke Bruerne, expensive but lovely mooring and nice people to boot.

 

Paul M

 

Why would you want to boot nice people?

 

Coat!

[Hippoclides]

was this for the Marsworth resi moorings?

 

No, it appears to be a leisure mooring:

 

https://www.bwmooringvacancies.com/search/vacancy_details.php?id=2563

 

Does anyone know if BW ever auction towpath moorings for widebeams? The GU is a wide canal but I can't think of the last time I saw a vacancy on it for a boat over "2.1m/6.89ft".

[Davidss]

Does anyone know if BW ever auction towpath moorings for widebeams? The GU is a wide canal but I can't think of the last time I saw a vacancy on it for a boat over "2.1m/6.89ft".

The GU may be considered a 'wide canal', but from memory widebeam boats cannot travel North of Watford.

Perhaps that should be better phrased as 'Isn't there a large proportion of the GU which is inaccessible to widebeam boats?' Thus towpath moorings suitable for widebeams will naturally be restricted.

 

Cheers.

[GUMPY]

The GU may be considered a 'wide canal', but from memory widebeam boats cannot travel North of Watford.

Perhaps that should be better phrased as 'Isn't there a large proportion of the GU which is inaccessible to widebeam boats?' Thus towpath moorings suitable for widebeams will naturally be restricted.

There are no restrictions on the GU apart from the bridge at Blue Lias.

BW do not restrict the movement of wider boats right up to Camp Hill, however they have decided not to offer wider moorings as policy, not just north of Watford.

Historically the limit was Berkhamsted but nothing has ever been put down in law.

Edited January 7, 2011 by idleness

[alan_fincher]

For years BW have pushed the line that "wide beams should not be moored on-line north of Berkhamsted", whilst continuing to say that the canal can be navigated by wide-beams over that stretch.

 

I don't think they can really be serious, but where they do expect a wide beam to moor overnight if travelling north seems a bit unspecified!

 

The daft thing is that moorings like those at Marsworth can easily accommodate a wide-beam without causing an obstruction, (there has for example been a L&L short boat noored there many years), but they advertise as maximum 7 feet.

 

Meanwhile a massive 14 foot wide-beam is permanently moored just above the Marsworth locks, such that if a WB or breasted pair does moor even vaguely opposite, then the passage is severely restricted.

 

It also seems to have been accepted to allow a further massive barge to moor up near Stoke Hammond, and that's definitely an addition within the past year or two.

[Keeping Up]

For years BW have pushed the line that "wide beams should not be moored on-line north of Berkhamsted", whilst continuing to say that the canal can be navigated by wide-beams over that stretch.

 

I don't think they can really be serious, but where they do expect a wide beam to moor overnight if travelling north seems a bit unspecified!

 

The daft thing is that moorings like those at Marsworth can easily accommodate a wide-beam without causing an obstruction, (there has for example been a L&L short boat noored there many years), but they advertise as maximum 7 feet.

 

Meanwhile a massive 14 foot wide-beam is permanently moored just above the Marsworth locks, such that if a WB or breasted pair does moor even vaguely opposite, then the passage is severely restricted.

 

It also seems to have been accepted to allow a further massive barge to moor up near Stoke Hammond, and that's definitely an addition within the past year or two.

 

That barge which has been there - the site of the old Stoke Hammond sewage works - for the last year or is merely the newly-built replacement for its elderly (1897) predecessor that had been there for around 7 or 8 years. I don't know the situation now but certainly up until a couple of years ago their mooring, like mine, was specifically stated to extend to a maximum of 8ft from the bank (just sufficient for a narrow boat plus fenders).

[alan_fincher]

BW do not restrict the movement of wider boats right up to Camp Hill, however they have decided not to offer wider moorings as policy, not just north of Watford.

 

This one at Cowley was for up to 4.2m, which is not far off 14 feet.

 

Several advertised at this width at this site.

 

Similarly this at Browns Meadow Several here up to 4.2 metres.

 

Also 3.5 metres at Gayton

 

They have also had ones at up to 2.8 metres at Knowle and 2.6 metres at Blue Lias & Fenny Stratford amongst others.

 

So I don't think there is a definite policy of "nothing over 7 feet" on the GU, even up on the Birmingham line.

 

BW do not restrict the movement of wider boats right up to Camp Hill, however they have decided not to offer wider moorings as policy, not just north of Watford.

 

This one at Cowley was for up to 4.2m, which is not far off 14 feet.

 

Several advertised at this width at this site.

 

Similarly this at Brown's Meadow Several here up to 4.2 metres.

 

Also 3.5 metres at Gayton

 

They have also had ones at up to 2.8 metres at Knowle and 2.6 metres at Blue Lias & Fenny Stratford amongst others.

 

So I don't think there is a definite policy of "nothing over 7 feet" on the GU, even up on the Birmingham line.

Edited January 7, 2011 by alan_fincher

[koukouvagia]

That barge which has been there - the site of the old Stoke Hammond sewage works - for the last year or is merely the newly-built replacement for its elderly (1897) predecessor that had been there for around 7 or 8 years.

 

This earlier barge was being moved last year and became firmly wedged in the narrows just south of Leighton Buzzard (which was the subject of a recent posting). The new owners tried to flush it through by half emptying the Church – Grove pound which meant for the first time ever I got stuck in the pound above Grove. Short of dismantling the brickwork at the narrows (was there a swing bridge there once?) I'd be interesting to see how it managed to get through. Or is it still stuck there?

[GUMPY]

This one at Cowley was for up to 4.2m, which is not far off 14 feet.

 

Several advertised at this width at this site.

 

Similarly this at Brown's Meadow Several here up to 4.2 metres.

 

Also 3.5 metres at Gayton

 

They have also had ones at up to 2.8 metres at Knowle and 2.6 metres at Blue Lias & Fenny Stratford amongst others.

 

So I don't think there is a definite policy of "nothing over 7 feet" on the GU, even up on the Birmingham line.

 

I didn't say 7ft I just said wider moorings!

Cowley and Browns meadow do not surprise me, however I was turned down for an offside mooring near Watford but a NB was later approved. BW said at the time that was their policy.

[GeoffS]

This earlier barge was being moved last year and became firmly wedged in the narrows just south of Leighton Buzzard (which was the subject of a recent posting). The new owners tried to flush it through by half emptying the Church – Grove pound which meant for the first time ever I got stuck in the pound above Grove. Short of dismantling the brickwork at the narrows (was there a swing bridge there once?) I'd be interesting to see how it managed to get through. Or is it still stuck there?

 

Its been gone a long time and it must have gone a long way south as Ive not seen it. I went past it when it got stuck and met the guy at Grove and he was quite embarrassed but was at pains to assure me I would get through although it looked like the canal was blocked. IIRC they said BW would have to dredge to get them through