A genuine question - please be gentle !!

[chubby]

Hello ,

 

is it possible to journey around the system and remain within say , 1 hours commute to london ? after yrs of thinking , Earlier this yr i bought my first boat . i love it & it is my pride & joy . it has needed work and needs more still next yr etc .

I have a resi mooring and this yr thats been fine but tbh i feel like im missing out . i read on here of folk doing this cruise and that and feel like a bit of a fraud .

To explain further . I work in london as a tourist guide . im able to work in wonderful places such as westminster abbey , windsor castle and hampton court palace amongst many others - its a great job that i love . im also studying for my " knowledge" to get a black taxi license and this will take another two yrs max . so i need to be nr london tho not necessarily in london . In Summer i work 6 days a week . In Winter i make my savings last and only work 4-6 days a month and commit to 50 hrs knowledge study per week .

My thoughts are this - can i legitimately cruise around london , say as far as hertford, bishops stortford thru london and onto the GU to ? . I want to do it legitimately , fairly - not breaking rules etc and not being a nuissance to other boaters . Maybe i could CC most of the yr and get winter moorings in/near London or ideally get a " home " mooring close ish say , Cowley , or maybe further away , for example where i can leave the boat when visiting family in Suffolk and where i can even " live " for a few weeks at a time before moving off again? I feel like ive made a big step in buying my boat after a few yrs of indecision but feel im not using it for what it was designed for . I realise that my " cruising pattern " would represent only a small area of the system but i would feel like im making the most of both my boat and the waterways in a way im unable to if i remain on my mooring and at a later date ( ie when ive got my taxi license ) i can go further afield . Whatever happens i think i shall remain put until maybe March before moving off to allow for making some changes to the boat .

Am i being daft ? Can it be done ? I'm no stranger to making an effort & Im on the boat by myself . I feel more of a floater than a boater and if its feasable then i think i might give it a shot . Maybe even retain my current mooring for a month or two to see how it goes ? Any advise is very welcome .Sorry for the lengthy post but thought id explain my circumstances fully ,

 

cheers

chubby

[Tuscan]

Yes if you move every 14 days and you take in the London waterways. That said I am not a London boater so have a quick look at the "London boaters" forum and ask them the same question. Then rush back here of course.!

[Lady Muck]

You can and people do and you would be well within the law, but its getting so popular (an extra 50 boats without moorings arriving in the area you describe every single month) that it is beginning to cause conflict - just look at London Boaters Facebook group tonight to see what I mean.

 

I have lots of friends who do it, but I would not want to do it myself. I'm just not sure how easy it will be going forward as London is getting packed out. I have a mooring too but I still cruise - what's stopping you doing the same? If the situation changes you could find yourself regretting giving up that residential mooring.

[chubby]

Thanks guys .Lady Muck ... I've read some of your posts previously about the situation in central London and i'm grateful that you've taken the time to reply to my post aswell . When Ive cycled around bits of London by the canal recently when doing my knowledge ive had a bit of a reccy . Just south of broadway mkt and also in islington there are bits looking overcrowded . To be honest my "plan" (??) would involve largely ignoring stopping in these areas as that situation doesn't appeal at all . I would have to pass thru these areas of course which i,d look forward too but im thinking of stopping for a week-ten days at a time in places such as Enfield , Waltham Abbey and beyond and then return , stopping in slightly different places before heading out beyond London via the GU .Its only do able tho if im able to get to railway stations . Out on GU near Southall i see a number of boats moored up regularly and the canal seems very quiet , little traffic and stopping regularly appears to. cause no probs at all . I might ( probably will ) hold onto my mooring and see if i can get out cruising nearby next spring to see how viable my ideas are . My mooring is privately owned and i need no license so id get a 3/6 month license which is a financial hit if i retain the mooring but i feel it would be worth it as im finding things a bit claustrophobic here tbh . Has anyone got info ( i will look myself - im not being lazy !) on thier experiences . Railway stations used , supermarkets etc .

Thanks again

[matty40s]

I did this for two years, Leighton Buzzard and Milton Keynes to the west and, as you say, hertford and b.stortford to the east. Involves a lot of planning, especially in winter (if I did it sgain, I would take a winter mooring).

[chubby]

Cheers Matty 40s

 

Thats exactly what im thinking . Cruise out beyond London and remain within commuting distance . Id get to work , study whilst using the waterways and using my boat . I would the look to get a winter mooring . I looked on CRT website and there were moorings at Greenford , Kensal Rise and even at Paddington - these seemed v pricey but id be prepared to accept that IF it enables me to cruise the rest of the year . In the winter my tourism work goes quiet and i commit to my Knowledge studies with my saved up summer earnings so being close to London or even IN london at this time could be ideal ?

Im off now into Town to do my knowledge for 5 hrs or so around Shoreditch ..... joy ????

 

cheers again

[sassan]

I don't know the situation in London, but here is what I understand. There's plenty enough length of waterways and public transport is sufficiently good for you to manage this (without breaking either the rules, or some folks' interpretation thereof). However, the problem will be in finding available spaces.

 

My advice is, if you can, start doing it, but don't give up your mooring for a couple of months, until you've decided if it's practical or not.