What is the River Usk & Wye like??

[LadyB]

Hi there,

I am new so please bear with me, i will hop over to the newbies page to properly introduce myself

 

I need some advice from fellow live-a-boards who know the River Usk & Wye as i have never been.

I currently live on the River Thames on a private mooring. I am wanting to move my narrow boat to Wales to be with my fiance. Can anyone tell me if the River Usk or Wye are navigable/livable? I cant find anything searching google... Any help or advice would be grand Thank you!!

[saltysplash]

Ive taken a canadian canoe trip down the Wye as far as Monmouth, Apart from the short section at Symonds Yat that has a trip boat and maybe the lower sections towards chepstow the marjority of it is shallow.

 

there is the Monmouthshre and Brecon Canal but wou will need to have the boat transported by road as it has no link to the main system

[MtB]

Hi there,

I am new so please bear with me, i will hop over to the newbies page to properly introduce myself

 

I need some advice from fellow live-a-boards who know the River Usk & Wye as i have never been.

I currently live on the River Thames on a private mooring. I am wanting to move my narrow boat to Wales to be with my fiance. Can anyone tell me if the River Usk or Wye are navigable/livable? I cant find anything searching google... Any help or advice would be grand Thank you!!

 

I'm fairly sure the Wye is not navigable by narrowboats. I had a holiday fishing there as a teenager and I don't remember any boats at all.

 

No idea about the Usk though...

 

Mike

[LadyB]

Thank you SaltySplash. So its not really suitable for a narrowboat then? The M&B canal is a possibility however finding a residential mooring will be the biggest problem hoping i could find a private one on one of the rivers.

[the grinch]

the Wye is a dangerous fast flowing river few venture up there and those that do usually have dutch barges or similar wide beams

 

the link onto the Mon and Brec canal in Newport disappeared years ago under a bypass!

Edited October 8, 2012 by hamsterfan

[Richard Fairhurst]

...when it's in flood. That was the trick that Frank Barton used to get the Dutch barge Wye Invader up to Hereford: wait until the river's in flood and there's a decent depth of water over the rapids, make sure you have the most powerful engines money can buy, and go for it. Even then, it took him the best part of a year to get up-river.

 

That was accomplished when there was no confirmed navigation authority for the Wye. These days the EA are in charge, and I strongly suspect any powered vessels outside their accepted bounds (e.g. the pleasure-boat stretch at Symonds Yat) would not be dealt with sympathetically.

[LadyB]

Thank you for the replies people .. soooo.. the River Wye is defo a no go unless i want to ride the rapids!! Any more thoughts on the Usk?? Or maybe somewhere else that isnt over an hour commute to Newport which is where my fiances business is??

[rjasmith]

Thank you for the replies people .. soooo.. the River Wye is defo a no go unless i want to ride the rapids!! Any more thoughts on the Usk?? Or maybe somewhere else that isnt over an hour commute to Newport which is where my fiances business is??

 

I would think the Usk is similar to the Wye ie fast, shallow and rocky but like Mike the B this is based on schoolboy canoeing trips I did on bits of it above the tidal limit 40 years ago! Below the tidal limit I suppose there might be the possibility of doing a one-off trip on a seagoing boat a little way up but definitely no good for residential use in a narrow boat.

 

The Mon and Brec may be the only solution.

 

Richard

[JDR]

The Usk is a fishing rather than boating river. The river is in spate for a lot of the winter months, being fed by the Black Mountains. Great area for walking, especially West of Abergavenny and the whole region is God's own country if you ride a motorbike. The river follows a similar course to the Mon and Brec, lying in the same valley as the A40 until Trecastle/Sennybridge. Definite non starter for narrowboats.

Edited October 9, 2012 by JDR

[Graham Davis]

Sorry Lady B, but you are going to have to completely reconsider your options. As others have stated neither river is at all suitable for a narrowboat, so your only possiblity is the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. Whether there are any residental moorings on that canal I do not know, you would be best asking the local CaRT office for details.

[LadyB]

Thanks Graham, yes im keeping an eye on the M&B canal moorings on the auction page but as we all know residential moorings are few are far between... sigh.. may have to find something this side of the Bridge.

[purple_pineapple]

Aren't the swansea and neath canals down that neck of the woods somewhere? Would they be suitable?

[magpie patrick]

This an area that is "off the system" so to speak

 

The Usk is navigable as far as Caerleon, but the only moorings are on bouys mid channel, and are not suitable for a canal boat

 

The Wye can be navigated as far as Hereford in a large continental barge, but you must be prepared to take at least 18 months for this and then expect to be refused planning permission for the barge to be moored. I kid you not, around 30 years ago someone did exactly that.

 

Penarth Marina may be an option, but it won't be cheap. Swansea Marina may also be a possibility. In any event all the above involve passage across the Severn Estuary.

 

The other options involve the boat being craned out, as there is no water connection at all.

 

 

The Swansea Canal only exists between Clydach and Ynysmeudwy, and is not navigable in any recognisable sense of the word. The Neath Canal is navigable for much of its length, but not well navigated at all (I'm not sure there are any boats on it). The Brecon and Abergavenny Canal is very popular, navigable for 33 miles but also a tad short of permanent moorings.

 

Edited to add, apologies for being so blunt and Lancastrian, just come back from a spell with my parents! Good look with the fiancé, partners mean more than boats do

Edited October 9, 2012 by magpie patrick

[LadyB]

This an area that is "off the system" so to speak

 

The Usk is navigable as far as Caerleon, but the only moorings are on bouys mid channel, and are not suitable for a canal boat

 

The Wye can be navigated as far as Hereford in a large continental barge, but you must be prepared to take at least 18 months for this and then expect to be refused planning permission for the barge to be moored. I kid you not, around 30 years ago someone did exactly that.

 

Penarth Marina may be an option, but it won't be cheap. Swansea Marina may also be a possibility. In any event all the above involve passage across the Severn Estuary.

 

The other options involve the boat being craned out, as there is no water connection at all.

 

 

The Swansea Canal only exists between Clydach and Ynysmeudwy, and is not navigable in any recognisable sense of the word. The Neath Canal is navigable for much of its length, but not well navigated at all (I'm not sure there are any boats on it). The Brecon and Abergavenny Canal is very popular, navigable for 33 miles but also a tad short of permanent moorings.

 

Edited to add, apologies for being so blunt and Lancastrian, just come back from a spell with my parents! Good look with the fiancé, partners mean more than boats do

 

ooops did that wrong! hahaha..

 

Thank you and yes you are right.. my partner is more important we dont HAVE TO live on it.. but he is very smitten with boat life ( i give him living a winter on board ) haha..

 

I do have my work cut out finding somewhere that's for sure! Not the first time ive had probs finding a mooring! Anyone who knows Oxford knows the problems.

 

I just dont understand why the planning regs are so damn tight! If you moor your boat.. whats the difference if you live on it or not!! Sigh..

 

And thanks again to everyone with some insight! Ive been banging my head trying to find out information! Any more ideas.. type away!!

[JDR]

Another option would be the Gloucester and Sharpness. Either Saul Junction or online moorings crop up occasionally.Would mean a longish drive to Chepstow down the A48 then on to Newport via M4/A48.

[LadyB]

Thanks JDR yes it may come to that. At least it will cut down the fuel costs somewhat! A 2 hr journey plus the Bridge costs its a small fortune every week to oxford! He spends more than i earn weekly! Ahhh the joys of having a big work horse truck :/

[Graham Davis]

Another option would be the Gloucester and Sharpness. Either Saul Junction or online moorings crop up occasionally.Would mean a longish drive to Chepstow down the A48 then on to Newport via M4/A48.

 

Pedant alert.

Actually it would be down the A38 onto the M5, then M4 to Newport/Cardiff.

The A48 is on t'other side of the Severn to Saul.

[LadyB]

Maybe ill just plonk her on the docks

[matty40s]

Here's an Usk webcam linky, watch it go up when it rains tommorow.Usk on Farson D W site

[JDR]

.

Edited October 10, 2012 by JDR

[AJLintern]

How about Lydney? That's on the right side of the river.

[Doug Scullery]

It's also worth considering Bristol Harbour (although I believe there's a long waiting list for moorings) or the River Avon between Bath and Bristol. It's fairly commutable but you do have to take into account bridge tolls.