Visitor moorings in Oxford

[Peter Thornton]

We are about to have a month on our shared boat Sunseeker and are planning to do the Oxford/Thames/Grand Union ring, with an excursion to Little Venice.

 

We'd like to stop in Oxford for a couple of nights. Can anyone advise on the best place to moor, for sightseeing?

 

Thanks

 

Peter

[IdealStandard]

We are about to have a month on our shared boat Sunseeker and are planning to do the Oxford/Thames/Grand Union ring, with an excursion to Little Venice.

 

We'd like to stop in Oxford for a couple of nights. Can anyone advise on the best place to moor, for sightseeing?

 

Thanks

 

Peter

 

Are you coming from North or South? There are two ways on/off the Thames, one called Duke's cut and the other one. The best spot to access the nice bits of Oxford is at the very Southern tip of the Oxford canal. You can walk over the footbridge to Jericho and walk into town with ease from there.

 

There are some 48h moorings right by the spot I mentioned and some longer stay further North nearer the Agenda 21 moorings.

[frangar]

When we went to Oxford we dropped onto the Thames and moored below Osney Bridge....was fun manoeuvring around all the expensive yoghurt pots but thanks to the flow made one of our better arrivals!!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[alan_fincher]

It is often recommended that rather than tying up on the Oxford cut to venture out onto the moorings just above Osney Lock on the Thames. These certainly give good access to the much visited part of the city, without too long a walk.

 

A word of warning to the uninitiated, though. Unusually all the river water actually passes through the stretch with the moorings on, and which is no more than about 50 feet wide - the weir-stream around the lock only forks just above it - on most Thames locks it is further away, and much of the river flow is diverted long before the lock, meaning you have little flow to contend with at those points, normally.

 

But the peculiarities at Osney mean the stretch with the moorings on is relatively fast flowing, and you can easily get caught out trying to moor a narrow boat there, even if the river is benign elsewhere. Basically get a line off at the upstream end first, and get it secured, the flow will then "park" the downstream end close to the bank. But if, (for example), coming downstream you put someone off at the front and they secure a rope, there is a very good chance your back end will get dragged round by the flow, which, (depending on boat length), may either wedge you across the river, or cause you to involuntarily point the wrong way. (Plesae don't ask how we know this - other than we did it perfectly the second time we went there! )

 

There are also reasonable moorings on the Oxford canal towards its bottom end, which we have used too, but I think I prefer mooring on the River.

 

(Before anyone corrects me, I guess I should have been saying "Isis" not "Thames" ? )

Edited February 23, 2013 by alan_fincher

[Peter Thornton]

Sorry, I should have said that we are doing it anticlockwise and therefore coming into Oxford from the North. I thought we'd stay on the Oxford and there seem to be some nice moorings on the stretch South East, past Isis lock. it's quite difficult to see the layout actually - the Nicholsons are on the boat - I'm working with canalplan, the Thames Ring Atlas and google maps.

If we moor there then we're going to have to go North again to wind and I think that the winding hole just by the lock is too small for a 58 ft boat?

 

Then there's the Thames licence. Do we just buy this from the 1st looks keeper on the Thames?

[alan_fincher]

If you mean the stub of canal that passes Isis lock, and heads a short way South East, I'm not convinced there is much (if any) public mooring there. It is usually full of live-aboard boats, I thought?

 

I think if you plan to stop on the Oxford you need to do so well before Isis lock. (Nicholson's incidentally claims winding for only 50 feet above the lock - others may know if that is sensible or not).

 

Yes, you can buy your Thames licence at your first lock. I don't, however, know what the situation is if you don't reach your first lock for a day or two, which would be the case if you decided to go out on to the River at the Sheepwash Channel, but moor up above Osney Lock for a couple of days before continuing. I'mot sure if you would get a tap on the window or not!

 

We need someone like Bones or Proper Job who regularly do this kind of thing!

 

If you mean the stub of canal that passes Isis lock, and heads a short way South East, I'm not convinced there is much (if any) public mooring there. It is usually full of live-aboard boats, I thought?

 

I think if you plan to stop on the Oxford you need to do so well before Isis lock. (Nicholson's incidentally claims winding for only 50 feet above the lock - others may know if that is sensible or not).

 

Yes, you can buy your Thames licence at your first lock. I don't, however, know what the situation is if you don't reach your first lock for a day or two, which would be the case if you decided to go out on to the River at the Sheepwash Channel, but moor up above Osney Lock for a couple of days before continuing. I'mot sure if you would get a tap on the window or not!

 

We need someone like Bones or Proper Job who regularly do this kind of thing!

[Paringa]

Coming up the Thames you have Iffley lock and some 24hr moorings on the left by the Isis pub - not a great place but ok if you can get moored - the village itself has a good pub. Then further up you get to the college boathouses and you can moor on the left opposite Christchurch meadows, then you have a stroll into Oxford. Or pass under Folly bridge and head up to Osney which you have heard about...

 

Get your licence from the first lock keeper. Enjoy

 

Down it will be Kings or Osney, up it will be Teddington...

Edited February 23, 2013 by Paringa

[Keeping Up]

After Isis lock ETA along the stub that Alan FIncher mentions) the first stretch of mooring is residential, but there are just a couple of nice visitor moorings right at the end. The winding point there is too short for your boat and you would have to reverse back to isis lock again (which is not difficult because there are plenty of residential boats to bounce off and their occupants will rush out to help you pass them)

 

Yes you can simply buy your Thames licence from the first lock-keeper.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Keeping Up

[Martin Megson]

Hi,

Another recommendation for the 48 moorings just above Isis lock.

 

If you are about to setting off shortly you need to be aware of the following lock closures on the Thames:

 

Thames Closures

[Peter Thornton]

Oh dear, hadn't spotted those - I'd been looking for stoppages on the Waterscape site. We're cruising during the whole of March so I guess we're now going clockwise! Thanks for spotting that.

[Peter Thornton]

And now I'm up against the Braunston stoppages! Looks like it's just not possible to do the ring in March!

[Graham Davis]

Out of season we managed to moor at the visitor moorings in the Jericho area with no problems. Some nice coffee houses and restaurants in that area.

[ditchcrawler]

If you mean the stub of canal that passes Isis lock, and heads a short way South East, I'm not convinced there is much (if any) public mooring there. It is usually full of live-aboard boats,

There is visitor moorings at the end but you can't wind, so have to back out. It is very handy for the town and we have moored there a couple of times with no problems. Very nice Thai just over the bridge from there. See our BLOG

[OldGoat]

If you are going clockwise, then you will already have a Thames Licence - so that's no longer an issue.

 

Given that there are two good mooring possibilities:-

Christchurch meadow; opposite the boathouses.

Quiet but have been known for being cast adrift in the small hours. The solution is to moor the upstream end of the boat to one of the rings set in the WALL of the bank. Always take your line back onboard. Probably not a problem well out of season.

You can stay here for a reasonable time.

Avoid the short length (notices here) where somebody keeps a punt under ! the towpath

Above Osney lock.

This section is monitored and patrolled by the Lockie - first two days free.

This is a surprisingly quiet mooring - given that Osney Bridge carries the old A34 over the cut and the railway station is not far away. Lots of rings on the towpath and the town City centre is much nearer than from CCM

There is usually room if you arrive in the morning, but again out of season should not be a problem

 

Iffley moorings, such as they are are a fair way from the centre and not reccommended - the lockie has a lot of trouble with local yoof smashing the equipment and torching his car.

 

I have always found the sparse moorings above Isis lock to be full and anyway the canal and towpath are narrow, the latter is difficult to hammer pins in. Can be quite gloomy in places as overhung by trees.

 

Plug time - I reccommend SoJo chinese restaurant in Hythe Bridge Street (you'll be passing by if mooring at Osney. Select your own mix Mongolian Wok for £7 DIm Sum and other dishes very reasonable. As reccommended by Giles Coren. Well frequented by visiting Chinese folk. Good chinese supermarket opposite.

Orford City Council run an excellent walking tour; retired Dons take you into colleges not generally open to the public and give an insight into its history.

There are good and unusual museums, particularly Pitt Rivers (behind the Natural History).

End plug