Too many 48 hour moorings.

[LoneWolf]

I agree Madcat, the 48Hr time limit is ridiculous & unnecessary given that its only busy for a couple of months in the summer.

But then i would say that cos I'm an ambler - i need to fit work in with the moving & shopping etc

There is a reasonable amount of non-shelfy non-time-limited moorings on the shroppie

 

I can see them being useful signposts for people unfamiliar with the canal & there used to be room for a few boats on the ends of them for people who wanted to stay longer but they are creeping & expanding to take up all the available deeper areas in some places.

 

Was there a 'no return' sign at Gnosall? lol - i didnt see it & i'll be back within 28 days.

I mean where do they get that from? I've been through Gnosall down to Brewood & now i'm on my way back, perfectly reasonable cruising pattern - am i going too fast for em?

 

I suppose you could argue that if mooring IS a problem, then a restriction on the amount of time any one boat can moor at the decent bits is valid. If I remember the Shroppie rightly, the society have done a fair bit of improvement round their restricted mooring sites, including putting in rings & picnic areas etc. It's pretty useful for holiday makers.

 

...

 

It's not much of an improvement though. They've just taken a nice piled bit & bunged in some unnecessary rings.

The picnic tables are good for cutting up wood on though

 

If they really wanted to improve things they'd sort out CaRT 'official' ie on their guides moorings like they one at the top of Adderley where the shelf is far too big and jagged to moor withought huge tyres. It's not uncommon to find someone overnighting on the lock landing because they thought they could moor before the locks

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

CRT have been around and introduced new mooring limits to our local visitor mooring spots, most are now 24 or 48 hours. Not that the local bridge hoppers are taking any notice mind, they are still firmly rooted to the spot!!

 

Not much of a problem at the moment but it will become one now that summer is on its way and the canal and river are becoming busier again.

 

Interestingly CRT seem to have taken over the VM's at the local pubs which had always been signed as private moorings for patrons only. Not anymore now they are both 48 CRT VM's.

[Dave_P]

I know that some 48 hour moorings are needed and have no objection to the principle of time limited moorings for those boaters who are moving every day or two but it seems to be getting a bit crazy. There is a need to provide adequate spaces for longer stays too. Its all a question of balancing the needs of all. I was quite frankly astonished to find 48hour signage in the middle of no where at the bottom of the Shroppie.

I was also offended by the "no return within 28days sign on the 5 day moorings at Gnosall,how un welcoming.I like a relaxed trip with a chance to get away from the boat and take a bus trip to local towns or a cycle ride just to explore, I suspect Iam not alone in this,not everybody is hell bent on getting as far as they can or racing round a ring. I could easily while away a week at a number of favourite spots and of course while Iam there Iam likely to be buying food and possibly other goods and services. In these difficult times the visitor spend can boost the local economy,a good summer's trading could possibly keep a place viable and help it through the quieter months. When I escape from my mooring I just want to relax and be happy and not be boating every other day,I got the long days mad dash stuff out of my system years ago.Good Luck to those that enjoy it but please CART provide for your more sedate customers as well.

 

Edit to add, Anybody else feel the same? I'm sure there must be. I just want adequate provision for longer stays and a more welcoming approach to slow wandering type of customers as well as the short term visitors.

Madcat - I raised this very same issue about a week ago on this forum and was called a selfish asshole for my trouble. I was accused of not knowing how to tie my boat properly and of being an overstayer who deprived others of mooring. All untrue of course.

 

For what it's worth, I wholeheartedly agree with you. 14 day visitor moorings exist in abundance in some areas, while in others they're like hens teeth. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to this.

[Grace and Favour]

I suggest that one of the basic problems to this whole issue, is, of course, that CRT will be damned for whatever they do.

 

For there is an (almost) boundless mix of boaters on the canals, from permanent marina dwellers, to extremely enthusiastic CC'ers - and the hard truth is that they will all have different requirements of visitor moorings, and with many able to construct a reasonable argument why their particular requirements are the most deserving.

[madcat]

Grace & Favour Iam not saying that there should be no 48 hr moorings just raising the very real issue that there are way too many of them and not enough 7 day and 14 day moorings available. 48hrs just seems to be becoming the default setting for all designated visitor moorings. CaRt has customers who have varied needs and must try to cater for most not just one particular sort of customer.It is about compromise and fair usage.

Issues of overstaying and thoughtless behavior are a whole different thing and require some intelligent solutions and a bit of targeted enforcement. Making ordinary customers feel harrassed and hounded and hassled will not improve anything.

 

Hastings I don't think there should be no 48hr moorings just not so many. How do you work out who spends what compared to how long they stay? in the days I only overnighted on moorings and moved each day I spend nothing on route.I brought all i needed with me,re stocked at my destination and journeyed home without troubling any shops or pubs en route. Now I seek a slower pace of life I have time to leave the boat and wander away from the cut in search of shops pubs etc.

Sorry Shebdon breach had such a bad effect on the local economy but Iam not surprised,take away the passing boats and your customers are not there. Mind you I am not likely to stay long enough to trouble your area if the only customers you want are the 48hr mob I can keep going in search of a more welcoming spot no bother.

[Grace and Favour]

What's an "ordinary customer"?

[BiggusDickus]

I'm an "ordinary customer" I don't feel hounded,harrassed or hassled.

[Hastings]

Mind you I am not likely to stay long enough to trouble your area if the only customers you want are the 48hr mob I can keep going in search of a more welcoming spot no bother.

No - it's not that we're saying that moorings should be 48 hours or less. Where we are, we've got 24 hour, 48 hour, 5 day and unlimited (i.e. 14 day) moorings, all very close to each other. We just hope that people moor at the place that suits their needs best.

[Lady Muck]

Very difficult on the Shropie. I agree there are certainly to many 48h moorings on the Shroppie

Not sure I have noticed too many on other canals.

Aire and calder seems to be all 48 hour. On the Shroppie we didnt bother with the official vms, time limits just too short for us.

[Naughty Cal]

Aire and calder seems to be all 48 hour. On the Shroppie we didnt bother with the official vms, time limits just too short for us.

It seems to work well there though. Very little issue with overstaying and you can pretty much guarantee a mooring spot wherever you plan to stop.

 

Of course casual 14 day mooring isnt really an option either given that the commercials will rip pins out.

 

That said we have found one spot just outside Pollington where it was possible to moor securely which didnt appear to have a time limit. A lovely green where we have had some great BBQ's.

 

I think most people see the Aire and Calder as a through route not a destination which is a great shame.

[Guest]

It seems to work well there though. Very little issue with overstaying and you can pretty much guarantee a mooring spot wherever you plan to stop.

 

Of course casual 14 day mooring isnt really an option either given that the commercials will rip pins out.

 

That said we have found one spot just outside Pollington where it was possible to moor securely which didnt appear to have a time limit. A lovely green where we have had some great BBQ's.

 

I think most people see the Aire and Calder as a through route not a destination which is a great shame.

 

 

Is that the spot where it meets New junction canal??

 

There are rings/bollards there and yes I think you are correct no time restriction IIRC (other than 14 days of course)

 

It's a nice spot.

[Naughty Cal]

Is that the spot where it meets New junction canal??

 

There are rings/bollards there and yes I think you are correct no time restriction IIRC (other than 14 days of course)

 

It's a nice spot.

No.

 

It is just before the bridge as you head towards Pollington. No rings or bollards but you can get ropes down the back of the piling.

 

I know where you mean though but we have never stopped there. We always head to the moorings by the lift bridge if we stop there as it is a nice walk to the pub.

[Guest]

No.

 

It is just before the bridge as you head towards Pollington. No rings or bollards but you can get ropes down the back of the piling.

 

I know where you mean though but we have never stopped there. We always head to the moorings by the lift bridge if we stop there as it is a nice walk to the pub.

 

 

I will look out for it - never noticed it before.

[Dave_P]

 

 

I will look out for it - never noticed it before.

Naughty Cal is quite right. I passed it today and it looked good, if a little windswept.

[madcat]

OK Grace and Favour I will have a go at defining an ordinary boater,in truth i think its the biggest and most varied group of boaters. Starting with boaters who probably have particular priorities.

 

Perhaps start with Hire and Share boaters, generally I would imagine these people to be time limited and hoping to get the best Holiday possible while they have use of the boat. I agree that a fair chance of mooring at popular places and being able to stop for pub meals etc could easily be a high priority.I agree they need the short term VM's

 

Community boats,likely to need convenient and well maintained visitor moorings,more users for good quality short term VM's

 

Disabled boaters, a real variety of needs from nothing special to quite specific ie wheelchair accessable towpath. Likely to need short and long term VM's

 

Commercial boats,needs depend on trade.

 

Taking those out leaves all the rest of us,a right mixed bag of ordinary boaters. The largest category of CaRT's boating customers by far I would think. Plus anybody I have arbitarily put in the other groups who thinks I've got it wrong and they are ordinary boaters too. Anyway this vast group of ordinary boaters will need every sort of mooring from an hours on the services for water etc and many and varied times spent on visitor moorings depending on what their particular plans happen to be at the time. We are all different and a one size fits all policy is going to leave a lot of boaters feeling their needs are being overlooked.

 

All this is about choice, give us the option to stay longer if we wish,its what some of us like to do. I wouldn't abolish all 48hr moorings,in the past I've been glad of a handy overnight stop and may well be so in the future.Just give us 7 days and 14 days as well and please don't 48hr places in the middle of nowhere. Maybe in the winter theres little enough traffic to relax the rules. It all becomes a bit silly if you are frozen in anyway

Edited April 17, 2013 by madcat

[madcat]

Hastings I'm not really sure where you are describing so give us a bit of detail and next time past I may try your longer term moorings and have a look what the area and its businesses have to offer. So might other readers of this thread,maybe its time to spread the word a bit about good pubs and shops near the canals

Edited April 17, 2013 by madcat

[Hastings]

Hastings I'm not really sure where you are describing so give us a bit of detail and next time past I may try your longer term moorings and have a look what the area and its businesses have to offer. So might other readers of this thread,maybe its time to spread the word a bit about good pubs and shops near the canals

I'm talking about Audlem, one of the few villages or towns that's actually adjacent to the Shroppie. Within about 5-100 yards of the canal are three pubs, canal shop and needlework, two cafes, pharmacy, butcher, health food shop, post office, pine shop, bike shop, dry cleaner, flower shop, newsagent, fish & chips, pizza/kebab shop, hairdresser and Coop. Also, CofE and Methodist churches (and Baptist about 300 yards further).

 

There are 24 hour, 48 hour and 5 day moorings very close to the village (between locks 11 and 14), and 14 day moorings above lock 3 (a little over 1/2 mile, or below lock 15 (about 1/4 mile).

 

Something for everyone, then, with plenty of mooring spots to choose from.

[jenboater]

but rather the fact if you moor other than on a VM which will have rings or bollards you will be pulled adrift by the commercials.

Found one jammed across a cut one day after the dredge boats had gone past - complete with pins and painters.

[madcat]

Thanks Hastings Audlem is favourite place to stop for me,I didn't visit this year due to getting ill which was disappointing