14 days from shardlow? Leic ring vs T&M?

[Adora Belle]

we have 13-14 nights to cruise from shardlow and would like a at least 2 days no cruising or short cruising during the holiday. Is the Leicester ring do able in 11 days ish? or the alternative is the full length of the trent and mersey and back?

Our plan on the Leicester is to do Leicester first and get through the city and southside in one day?

 

also does either route have any decent attractions near for a change of scenery, we have been to Drayton manor before which we enjoyed?

 

Thanks

[Guest]

we have 13-14 nights to cruise from shardlow and would like a at least 2 days no cruising or short cruising during the holiday. Is the Leicester ring do able in 11 days ish? or the alternative is the full length of the trent and mersey and back?

Our plan on the Leicester is to do Leicester first and get through the city and southside in one day?

 

also does either route have any decent attractions near for a change of scenery, we have been to Drayton manor before which we enjoyed?

 

Thanks

 

We did it from Napton anti-clockwise in 14 days easy peasy - not particularly long days cruising either.

 

I would say yes as long as you max out the days you are actually underway...

 

I take it do you mean Northside from Leicester city in one day.

 

Be aware of the trent and soar in flood which can disrupt your plans...

[Adora Belle]

We did it from Napton anti-clockwise in 14 days easy peasy - not particularly long days cruising either.

 

I would say yes as long as you max out the days you are actually underway...

 

I take it do you mean Northside from Leicester city in one day.

 

Be aware of the trent and soar in flood which can disrupt your plans...

 

Thanks Martin, we assumed it was do able but handy to speak to those who have done it. I have sailed down the soar from Trent lock a few times, so i am aware of its issues thanks, to think a few weeks back we was worried about the lack of water at foxton and the GU, hence the T&M as an alternative!

[Guest]

Thanks Martin, we assumed it was do able but handy to speak to those who have done it. I have sailed down the soar from Trent lock a few times, so i am aware of its issues thanks, to think a few weeks back we was worried about the lack of water at foxton and the GU, hence the T&M as an alternative!

 

When we did it (April 2010) we met a family on the Coventry coming the other way claiming they were on target to do it in a week...

 

I didn't comment at the time but that type of 'extreme narrowboating' is not for me.

[Capt Ahab]

we have 13-14 nights to cruise from shardlow and would like a at least 2 days no cruising or short cruising during the holiday. Is the Leicester ring do able in 11 days ish? or the alternative is the full length of the trent and mersey and back?

Our plan on the Leicester is to do Leicester first and get through the city and southside in one day?

 

also does either route have any decent attractions near for a change of scenery, we have been to Drayton manor before which we enjoyed?

 

Thanks

We did the ring in ten days which included a day and a half at each end to get from and to our mooring at Gailey. The weather was good which made the longish days a pleasure.

Have you used CanalPlan to work out a schedule?

[Adora Belle]

We did the ring in ten days which included a day and a half at each end to get from and to our mooring at Gailey. The weather was good which made the longish days a pleasure.

Have you used CanalPlan to work out a schedule?

 

No, i havent tried canal plan, i will google it and see, i take it you have?

[matty40s]

No, i havent tried canal plan, i will google it and see, i take it you have?

canal plan

Aim to go up the Watford flight and maybe up the end of the Welford Arm for an overnight stop, lovely place.

Leicester is a bit of a slog, it takes over 6 hours from kilby bridge to the city centre (the excellently placed Castle Garden moorings) .

I would do the route anti-clockwise, as then you get the flow of the Soar.

 

The other reason for the anti-clockwise advice is that the locks fall from Saddington down to Leicester, and even though we have had oodles of rain, some of the pounds still get low. Taking a lock full of water down with you(and perhaps more if you can see it is low) is far easier than going ahead several locks to let water down.

Edited June 27, 2012 by matty40s

[Tuscan]

canal plan

 

Leicester is a bit of a slog, it takes over 6 hours from kilby bridge to the city centre (the excellently placed Castle Garden moorings) .

I would do the route anti-clockwise, as then you get the flow of the Soar.

Aim to go up the Watford flight and maybe up the end of the Welford Arm for an overnight stop, lovely place.

 

 

Definitely a short diversion up the Welford Arm, lovely isolated moorings in that area

[Proper Job]

Now that the restrictions have been lifted, I'm back on plan to be doing it later this year.

 

We're aiming to start from Braunston and do the ring anti-clockwise. Hopefully time will permit a trip up the Erewash and the Ashby

[matty40s]

Wthout the jaunt up to Welford, it is eight 9 1/2 hr days.

[Proper Charlie]

70 hours according to this:

 

http://www.valleycruises.co.uk/leicestershireshire_ring.htm

[matty40s]

I upped the speeds om the river sections and the narrow locks, canal plan comes up with

 

73 hours, 26 minutes which is 7 days, 3 hours and 26 minutes at 10 hours per day

 

now.

[Woodstock]

We're looking at doing the Leicester ring in August or September.

Adora Belle- would you mind updating how you get on and any tips and reccomendations?

 

Have a great trip

Jackie

[PeteS]

We did the ring in 2009 and for info here are our day start and finish points and total time for the day. Some of the days were a bit short as the weather was terrible with rain most days and so I either took shelter below once I'd had enough for the day, or waited and started late.

 

We started on Friday evening which is why the first day is short

 

Day Start Day Finish Total travel time (hrs)

Syston Barrow on Soar 2.0

Barrow on Soar Shardlow 8.0

Shardlow Willington 6.0

Willington Alrewas 7.5

Alrewas Hopwas 4.5

Hopwas Atherstone 8.0

Atherstone Hawkewsbury Jcn 7.0

Hawkesbury Jcn Hillmorton 9.0

Hillmorton Norton Jcn 9.0

Norton Jcn Welford Jcn 7.5

Welford Jcn Mkt. Harborough 8.0

Mkt.Harborough Br 73 (Fleckney) 3.5

Br 73 Blue Bank Lock 8.0

Blue Bank Lock Birstall 4.0

Birstall Syston 2.0

[Adora Belle]

We're looking at doing the Leicester ring in August or September.

Adora Belle- would you mind updating how you get on and any tips and reccomendations?

 

Have a great trip

Jackie

 

Yes no problem, im feeling more confident now with the advice and timings i have seen.

 

canal plan

Aim to go up the Watford flight and maybe up the end of the Welford Arm for an overnight stop, lovely place.

Leicester is a bit of a slog, it takes over 6 hours from kilby bridge to the city centre (the excellently placed Castle Garden moorings) .

I would do the route anti-clockwise, as then you get the flow of the Soar.

 

The other reason for the anti-clockwise advice is that the locks fall from Saddington down to Leicester, and even though we have had oodles of rain, some of the pounds still get low. Taking a lock full of water down with you(and perhaps more if you can see it is low) is far easier than going ahead several locks to let water down.

 

Our thinking for clockwise, is to get the leicester bit (and foxton) out of the way in the first bit so we can relax more the second week, as we know the stretch from Tamworth back to Shardlow, but yes i can see the point of going downhill!