Parking in town - Birmingham and Stratford

[basalt]

One of the appeals of having our tiny little boat is we're midway between Birmingham and Stratford, we like the idea of being able to chug into town, moor up, see a play/have a drink and potter back in the morning.

 

Security bugs me though - It would seem all too easy for a bunch of louts to undo the mooring ropes/clamber all over the boat etc. Are problems common or do people generally find it's ok?

[nicknorman]

Bancroft basin in Stratford is safe if noisy. You do occasionally get over-interested tourists wanting to get on your boat, but they are not doing it with any malicious intention. On the river is probably quieter and safer, but you have to pay for a mooring licence.

 

Central birmingham is likewise though can suffer from a rowdy drunken element on Friday and Saturday night. Moorings on Oozels street loop are probably the best as there is a lot of security cameras etc. as always its safety in numbers, and the only time we had a problem was outside the NIA in November when we were the only boat.

 

Just checking but you are aware that there are a lot of locks between Birmingham and Stratford, not exactly a morning's cruise from either back to a mid point!

[john6767]

Bancroft basin in Stratford is safe if noisy. You do occasionally get over-interested tourists wanting to get on your boat, but they are not doing it with any malicious intention. On the river is probably quieter and safer, but you have to pay for a mooring licence.

 

Central birmingham is likewise though can suffer from a rowdy drunken element on Friday and Saturday night. Moorings on Oozels street loop are probably the best as there is a lot of security cameras etc. as always its safety in numbers, and the only time we had a problem was outside the NIA in November when we were the only boat.

 

Just checking but you are aware that there are a lot of locks between Birmingham and Stratford, not exactly a morning's cruise from either back to a mid point!

 

I would second all that. Don't get too over concerned about what may happen, because mostly it is all good.

 

To further Nicks final point, I don't know where you are but even if you exclude the locks, ie start from above Lapworth, the run into Birmingham is a good 6 hours. From Kingswood you are really a longish day from both Birmingham and Stratford, Stratford being the most locks.

[Dave_P]

Hello Basalt.

 

Where are you moored? If it's halfway between Stratford and Brum it must be near Kingswood Junction. Either way it's a long day's cruise to either Stratford or Birmingham from there. I suspect you must be on the north stratford at Lyon's or Lady Lane maybe? Otherwise you may have underestimated how long it takes to get places by canal.

 

When I saw this thread, I thought you were asking for car parking advice and was ready to reveal some of by best secret parking spots around brum. You don't park a boat, you moor it.

 

There are lots of visitor moorings in central birmingham and they are generally safe. Some folks like to moor to a ring and pass a padlocked chain through it to stop their boat being cast adrift. Most don't bother though. I have known of ropes to be cut but it's very rare. You could moor in Brum every weekend for the next ten years and not have it happen to you.

 

If I were looking for a visitor mooring in Brum, I might do the same as Nick and moor on the Oozels St Loop between the sea-life centre and Bannatyne's Gym. It's quiet, it's got good security and it's close to everything you want. If you want some historic interest, then moor in Gas Street Basin. If you want to be close to elsan / water / bins / showers etc. moor at Holiday Wharf or Cambrian Wharf. If you like watching boats go past your window, moor on the mainline outside the NIA. Something for everyone!

 

You might also find you want to moor on your way into Birmingham. You need to be a bit more careful here as there's some spots I wouldn't recommend. Next to Shirley Drawbridge is fine and there's a pub nearby. Opposite Lyon's Boatyard is ok but you might want to protect your windows from stray golf balls. Personally, I wouldn't moor near King's Norton Junction. It's deceptive, the junction looks lovely and peaceful but it's a pretty rough area and boats must be easy prey round there. There are secure visitor moorings at Bournville which are fine but often full up. I wouldn't stop at the Selly Oak visitor mooring (too many tell tale bouquets of flowers tied to trees round there). The Vale in Edgbaston is a lovely place to moor, opposite the student halls. It's like a little green oasis and it's where I often go when I want a peaceful weekend.

 

Hope that helps.

[basalt]

I know it's called mooring - just me being deliberately obtuse . We're just on the east side of Brantwood tunnel at Lyons so I rekon about three and half hours to the Mailbox from there - considerably longer in the Stratford direction I know - that's probably be a long weekend trip. I am thinking of getting a couple of padlocks & chains - if nothing else they act as a visible deterrent ( or a challenge....)

Thanks for the info - looking forward to our first trip - once the water, electric and heating are remotely usable.

[RLWP]

Don't bother with the padlocks and chain, you won't need them

 

Honestly, you'll be fine!

 

Richard

[PaulG]

I've moored in Stratford and Central Brum many times. Both places can be noisy, but that sort of goes with the territory in popular tourist places. I've only ever had one problem in Stratford a few years ago when the mooring lines of several boats were released.

If I'm moored to bollards in a busy area I pass mooring chains around the bollard and keep my lines really tight, which makes it pretty close to impossible for the yobs to release them.

[Dave_P]

I know it's called mooring - just me being deliberately obtuse . We're just on the east side of Brantwood tunnel at Lyons so I rekon about three and half hours to the Mailbox from there - considerably longer in the Stratford direction I know - that's probably be a long weekend trip. I am thinking of getting a couple of padlocks & chains - if nothing else they act as a visible deterrent ( or a challenge....)

Thanks for the info - looking forward to our first trip - once the water, electric and heating are remotely usable.

You should be able to get to Brum in under three hours from there. It's a good run in. Tell us about your tiny boat? I'm picturing a 20-25ft Norman cruiser or something similar.

 

Another nice level cruise you could do would be alvechurch/tardebigge or head off to the black country to bumblehole etc. lots of lock free cruising options. Enjoy it.

 

Realistically it will take you a good 2-3 days to stratford from your home mooring.

[nicknorman]

Harking back to the OP, although having one's mooring ropes cast adrift is annoying, its hardly the end of the world since on a canal, a boat isn't going to come to any grief. Cutting can be worse because you have to splice or buy new rope. But its never happened to us (... famous last words!) although we always tie back onto the boat, and not just onto the bollard.

[RLWP]

we always tie back onto the boat, and not just onto the bollard.

 

As we do. Plus, on the BW bollards, like in the middle of Brum, we put a complete turn around the bollard. If the mooring line is tied up nicely, you can't lift it off the bollard.

 

Richard

[Dave_P]

Always best to be in the habit of tying back onto the boat. That way you can tighten your lines without getting off the boat. In extremely high winds this is important since you have no chance of the wind carrying the boat away from you. Also, as other have implied, it makes it harder for people to untie you.

[nicknorman]

 

As we do. Plus, on the BW bollards, like in the middle of Brum, we put a complete turn around the bollard. If the mooring line is tied up nicely, you can't lift it off the bollard.

 

Richard

 

I do a clove hitch around the bollard then back onto the boat. That makes it hard to remove if you are not familiar with the knot and the ropes are tight, but doesn't help Dave's point about being able to tighten from the boat - well not without one of the lines going slack anyway.

[basalt]

I always tie back to the boat - it makes untying easier and keeps the spare length off the mud. Our boat's a ratty little 20 springer in need of work - next weekend's our first full weekend of sorting it out.

[PaulG]

 

As we do. Plus, on the BW bollards, like in the middle of Brum, we put a complete turn around the bollard. If the mooring line is tied up nicely, you can't lift it off the bollard.

 

Richard

I've also used the tactic of a clove hitch on the bollard and then back to the boat. I thing my mooring chain method (in which the line also goes back to the boat) is even harder to remove.

[RLWP]

How hard does it need to be? You can't lift my loop off without untying the rope - the clove hitch would have to be undone in two places (on the boat, on the bollard). All we are trying to do is deter a bit of casual mischief

 

Richard

 

I suppose you could weld your boat to the bollard and cut it free with an angle grinder...

[basalt]

I suppose you could weld your boat to the bollard and cut it free with an angle grinder...

 

Surely that would ruin the batteries .

 

I have to admit I go out in Brm a lot and haven't seen any trouble around the boats but they look so vunerable.

[john6767]

So now that we know where the OP is, they have a nice easy 3 hour run into the centre of Birmingham. Being on one of the longest pounds in the country (I think), you could go out for a week and not do any locks if you wanted to. If you do 3 locks (each way) you could spend an additional week of lock free cruising too.

 

A nice day or overnight outing from Llyons would be to (almost) Lapworth, which gets you out into the country. You have to turn at the winding hole at Swallow Cruisers at Hockley Heath, as that is the last before the locks.

 

Like others I always take a full turn round the bollard and tie off on the boat, but you see lots of people who don't do that.

[Dave_P]

I always tie back to the boat - it makes untying easier and keeps the spare length off the mud. Our boat's a ratty little 20 springer in need of work - next weekend's our first full weekend of sorting it out.

I shall look out for you. If you moor in Gas Street Basin, come and say hi.

[OldGoat]

Echo all of the above, however -

we have been untied at both ends and cast adrift once by the service point near the Mailbox. At about 04:30hrs. It's always windy there and we were woken up by the boat crashing into the flats. Moored front and back with the lines being taken back to the boat.

 

It's the only place in central Brum we've ever had any trouble. Regularly moor outside the now defunct night club and restaurant - no problem except for the "Canadians" who start to bicker at sunlight.

NIA is our favourite spot - can get a TV picture there - try to moor elsewhere if whatever event has just closed and the removal crews work through the night. Even a bit further along the mainline is quiet and no problems there either.

Oozels loop is a bit oppressive past SeaLife and that Scottish Gentleman's place to my mind - the air conditioning runs all night long. Noisy.

 

 

[RLWP]

Echo all of the above, however -

we have been untied at both ends and cast adrift once by the service point near the Mailbox

 

 

Holliday wharf

 

Richard

[comfortably numb]

Interesting reading this because we are in Lapworth and on our way into Brum currently recovering from working the locks since Stratford. We've on several occasions moored near the NIA on the stretch between the bridges where the Main Line begins. We've never had any trouble and it hasn't been too noisy. Also a few weeks ago we moored overnight above Farmers Bridge Locks by the NIA just past the Flapper & Firkin. They are currently doing some building work to the NIA so it did get noisy from about 7.30am but was quiet in the evening.

 

We might try one of the other suggested places this weekend just for a change.

[nicknorman]

Other than Fri and Sat night, the whole area is reasonably quiet. The most likely loss of sleep will be due to the Canada Geese who have nothing better to do than squawk every 30 mins throughout the night. At breeding time, at least!

 

If you like Thai food, consider mooring outside the Kinaree, its always nice to have dinner whilst looking out at your boat, then its just a few paces back to it. Reasonably quiet, although the clanky metal pedestrian bridge can be annoying if you're too close to it.

[comfortably numb]

Thanks to DaveP for the suggestion of Shirley Drawbridge as possible overnight moorings.We are meeting some friends from Dickens Heath tomorrow night but didn't want to moor there because some of you have said it has a reputation, and our friends confirm that they've heard boaters have had problems. This is a rather posh area so it just shows no matter where, you can get problems.

 

Nice to meet Bunny today when we stopped for lunch at the top of the Lapworth Flight. I've only met AllanJ off the forum before this, and that was on the Middlewich Branch.

 

We'll be in Birmingham Friday night until Sunday so I might meet some more of you.

Edited October 2, 2013 by comfortably numb

[john6767]

Thanks to DaveP for the suggestion of Shirley Drawbridge as possible overnight moorings.We are meeting some friends from Dickens Heath tomorrow night but didn't want to moor there because some of you have said it has a reputation, and our friends confirm that they've heard boaters have had problems. This is a rather posh area so it just shows no matter where, you can get problems.

 

Nice to meet Happy Bunny today when we stopped for lunch at the top of the Lapworth Flight. I've only met AllanJ off the forum before this, and that was on the Middlewich branch.

 

We'll be in Birmingham Friday night until Sunday so I might meet some more of you.

I live in Dickens Heath and there is no reason not to moor there. The thing that people take exception to Dickens Heath about is that is is very modern, but I don't believe there are issues more than anywhere else, let's face it one forum member had his boat broken into a Warings Green, so you can get issues anywhere occasionally. There is a good spot to moor just before you get to Dickens Heath from Earlswood, just after you come out of the cutting, there are often 1 or 2 boats moored there. Shirley Drawbridge either side is fine as well.

[RLWP]

Dickens Heath is a modern commuter town and has very nice residents - but you'll never see one

 

Richard