Leaving the car somewhere

[purple_pineapple]

Doing the 4CR in April, starting at Etruria, and I've been landed with a job interview right in the middle of our week - in Birmingham.

 

After lots of thought about getting to the interview (train, hire car, taxi) we've decided to take two cars, and leave one in a suitable location that I can pick it up mid-week. Our vague plan will put us at the Anchor Inn on Tuesday night (interview wednesday) so I'm hoping I can leave it there, although I will phone them first and ask. Do you folks think the owners are likely to allow that if we spend Tuesday night in the pub (always the plan!)? I'm also hoping for some thoughts on where I can drop it off on wednesday - about 8 hours cruising north of the Anchor. It will need to remain there until Saturday.

 

If anyone has any other ideas how I can manage this, feel free to suggest them!

 

Cheers!

 

Dave

[Pretty Funked Up]

One thought is... You pay the same car tax scheme as anyone else. You have the same right to park anywhere you like!! (unless marked otherwise OR private land like a pub)

Edited March 18, 2013 by Pretty Funked Up

[the grinch]

residential street parking is often the best as nobody knows which house (or not in your case) you are visiting carparks are in my opinion more dangerous as it soon becomes apparent that the car has been there a couple of days!

[purple_pineapple]

fair point! I was happy to park in the street, but the missus thought it was safer in a pub car park!

[Tuscan]

Doing the 4CR in April, starting at Etruria, and I've been landed with a job interview right in the middle of our week - in Birmingham.

 

After lots of thought about getting to the interview (train, hire car, taxi) we've decided to take two cars, and leave one in a suitable location that I can pick it up mid-week. Our vague plan will put us at the Anchor Inn on Tuesday night (interview wednesday) so I'm hoping I can leave it there, although I will phone them first and ask. Do you folks think the owners are likely to allow that if we spend Tuesday night in the pub (always the plan!)? I'm also hoping for some thoughts on where I can drop it off on wednesday - about 8 hours cruising north of the Anchor. It will need to remain there until Saturday.

 

If anyone has any other ideas how I can manage this, feel free to suggest them!

 

Cheers!

 

Dave

 

 

Just a word of warning if you are talking about the Anchor Inn at High Offley it's almost impossible to find by road, very very rural . It's a very small family owned pub so I would definitely call ahead and check as the lanes are a quite narrow so there is not a lot of other options there. The wharf. Just up from there is bigger and might give you another option. A good day later I would leave a car at Audlem if my memory serves me right

[purple_pineapple]

thanks tuscan - checking the maps, and there is very little road parking in this area at all - and i don't fancy leaving it in a farmers gateway for 4 nights! I agree about audlem (from Canalplan) so maybe i can get back in time to crew through the locks! Cheers for the tips about rurality!

[ditchcrawler]

When we left our boat for a fortnight we had a hire car from Enterprise. The good thing about them is they come and pick you up when you hire and take to back to the boat when you return. They picked us up and brought us back to Napton Top Lock. The earlier you book the cheaper the price. I saves the cost of taking a car somewhere, picking it up again afterwards and the worry while its there.

[Ange]

Definitely check with the pub owners. We've found them really variable - some are happy to take your money for beer and food but turn funny when they find out you're on a boat and want to use their car park for more than one night. Others have been brilliant and have no problem with us using their car park as much as we want. Naturally we feel it's only polite to buy lots of beer in the nice landlord's pub

 

Residential streets are our preference (we liveaboard and cc with a car by the way so we encounter this challenge all the time). We avoid parking outside someone's window, are careful not to make any maneuvering out of driveways difficult and preferably park our car under a street light.

[Pretty Funked Up]

They way i see it is... If you pay £580 a year road tax you have more right to park somewhere than a £30 a year faker

 

edit for

Edited March 18, 2013 by Pretty Funked Up

[Dr Bradley]

The Anchor has plenty of parking but they charge £2 a night. I have parked on the road outside, tucked well into the hedge. At the next bridge south there is a layby near to the bridge where I have parked for weeks without problems. I have had problems at Audlem - boat not car. In urban areas I agree with residential street parking but that dosen't really apply at High Offley. You should e fine in that area.

 

You will find other places to park safely on the Shroppie. I do it every year.

[Chris Pink]

When we left our boat for a fortnight we had a hire car from Enterprise. The good thing about them is they come and pick you up when you hire and take to back to the boat when you return. They picked us up and brought us back to Napton Top Lock. The earlier you book the cheaper the price. I saves the cost of taking a car somewhere, picking it up again afterwards and the worry while its there.

 

I agree, they are cheap as chips, the free lift can often be more hassle that it's worth but in this case a brilliant idea. You'll save on the petrol taking two cars.

[rgreg]

When we left our boat for a fortnight we had a hire car from Enterprise. The good thing about them is they come and pick you up when you hire and take to back to the boat when you return. They picked us up and brought us back to Napton Top Lock. The earlier you book the cheaper the price. I saves the cost of taking a car somewhere, picking it up again afterwards and the worry while its there.

I also have used Enterprise several times when away on the boat; a great service at a reasonable price.

[Doorman]

A good day later I would leave a car at Audlem if my memory serves me right

 

If you take this option we would be happy to keep our eyes on your car.

 

A couple of friends of ours operate a cheese boat (not one made of cheese as CarlT suggested) and have to leave their car in the village whilst out and about. They asked if we would watch over it recently and only this morning have I noticed something unusual about the car. No signs of forced entry, but obviously someone's entered the vehicle because it's far too tidy, which is most unusual for their car!

 

Seriously though, simply PM me with your car's description and registration number and I will let you know where best to leave it.

 

Mike

Edited March 19, 2013 by Doorman

[PeterScott]

I'm with the Residential Streets option. We do it frequently for a week or two. Find an 'AuntieMabel' spot - somewhere that all the residents think you're AuntieMabel visiting next door, whom they don't know very well.

 

A road with terraces and no garages will be too heavily parked-up overnight so wherever you choose, someone will usually park there: where all the houses have driveways a car on the road is too conspicuous. Semi-detached houses are good, and corners where a fence divides a garden from the sideroad work very well. Best to unload at the boat first - walking away from a car with a trolleyload of beer just invites comment :-)

[jelunga]

Definitely check with the pub owners. We've found them really variable - some are happy to take your money for beer and food but turn funny when they find out you're on a boat and want to use their car park for more than one night. Others have been brilliant and have no problem with us using their car park as much as we want. Naturally we feel it's only polite to buy lots of beer in the nice landlord's pub

 

Residential streets are our preference (we liveaboard and cc with a car by the way so we encounter this challenge all the time). We avoid parking outside someone's window, are careful not to make any maneuvering out of driveways difficult and preferably park our car under a street light.

Not near canal bridges on ring roads any more then?

[Machpoint005]

They way i see it is... If you pay £580 a year road tax you have more right to park somewhere than a £30 a year fakeredit for

If you pay that much VED each year you can afford to pay to park it somewhere. Mine's less than a quarter of that.

[Alway Swilby]

Why not take a detour off the 4 Counties at Aldersley Junction and nip up the Wolverhampton 21. You could easily be in Brum in a day and there's good moorings in the city centre. It would give you a talking point at the interview.

[Ange]

I'm with the Residential Streets option. We do it frequently for a week or two. Find an 'AuntieMabel' spot - somewhere that all the residents think you're AuntieMabel visiting next door, whom they don't know very well.

 

A road with terraces and no garages will be too heavily parked-up overnight so wherever you choose, someone will usually park there: where all the houses have driveways a car on the road is too conspicuous. Semi-detached houses are good, and corners where a fence divides a garden from the sideroad work very well. Best to unload at the boat first - walking away from a car with a trolleyload of beer just invites comment :-)

 

Good post!

 

I do like the "AuntieMabel spot" - we'll have to remember that one