Moorings around Watford with parking nearby

[jasonlovesthegroove]

Hello. Well I'm so new to boating, I haven't got a boat yet. I plan to enter this world within the next few months and I'm doing my homework! As well as studying boats, I'm looking at the mooring options in my area. This is where I was hoping I may get some help on here... I am looking at the local marinas, but also wondered if cruising could be a possibility, at least at first, but getting my children to school and me to work is what's worrying me. I was wondering if anyone has any info on places to moor in the Watford area where I can leave my car nearby.(which they're happy to share!) They go to school in North Watford so the section from around Cassiobury Park up to around Kings Langley would be most ideal. The Grove area is pretty close to school. I hope this isn't considered cheating!, as I am more than happy to do the leg work myself, and will in time, and indeed have been doing already, but time may not be on my side and I could use some local know how.

 

Thanks, Jason.

[Grace and Favour]

Welcome to the Forum, Jason.

 

Unfortunately I don't know the Watford area, (although other members doubtless do - - and will be able to answer your questions about the locale.

 

However, if you have children at school, you won't find it very easy to constantly cruise (in fact - it's darn near impossible !)

Get a local long term mooring, see what CRT have available on towpath moorings, and investigate all the marinas

 

If you haven't done this yet - have a look at the CRT pages here

[jasonlovesthegroove]

Welcome to the Forum, Jason.

 

Unfortunately I don't know the Watford area, (although other members doubtless do - - and will be able to answer your questions about the locale.

 

However, if you have children at school, you won't find it very easy to constantly cruise (in fact - it's darn near impossible !)

Get a local long term mooring, see what CRT have available on towpath moorings, and investigate all the marinas

 

If you haven't done this yet - have a look at the CRT pages here

Thanks, and esp as my daughter is Grace! Yes I was was thinking this myself.. long term moorings make good sense. I am considering two marinas with availability, although as this will be our first experience of the life, I was rather thinking that being ON the canal might make it more real for my young girls though where they can see the canal rather than being in a marina looking at other boats! Yes I have my eye on the CRT towpath moorings in the area. Point fully taken about cruising and schools, thanks again.

Jason.

[mark99]

Hi Jason.

 

I talked to you I reckon at the water point at Cassio-bridge a week or so ago (dead mens shoes lol). Packet Boat lane too far?

 

There are some on line moorings at Springwell / Ricky - not sure if any vacancies at the mo. I think you are doing the best thing - getting on the towpath and asking.

[Tuscan]

Make sure you do some research , children will need clean clothes, use lots of water , need lots of power for tv, games etc, fill the toilet etc. marina might be a better first start before moving to a towpath mooring once you have more experience of boat living.

[jasonlovesthegroove]

Yeah mark, I think so. Thanks man.

Make sure you do some research , children will need clean clothes, use lots of water , need lots of power for tv, games etc, fill the toilet etc. marina might be a better first start before moving to a towpath mooring once you have more experience of boat living.

Very good call sir. Thanks.

[jasonlovesthegroove]

Hi Jason.

 

I talked to you I reckon at the water point at Cassio-bridge a week or so ago (dead mens shoes lol). Packet Boat lane too far?

 

There are some on line moorings at Springwell / Ricky - not sure if any vacancies at the mo. I think you are doing the best thing - getting on the towpath and asking.

Yeah Packet Boat is too far really.

[alan_fincher]

Being blunt, you are talking about an area where the level of enforcement on boats with no home mooring declared has been ramped up massively in the recent time since the Canal and River Trust was formed out of British Waterways.

 

I would suggest that if this continues, trying to satisfy them about "bona fide for navigation" whilst trying to keep in easy distance of a school is likely to present you with the same problems as many before you will have already experienced.

If I am getting the right feeling for your circumstances, I think the area you are suggesting is now one of the hardest to "continually cruise" over only a relatively small patch, without attracting the continuous attention of enforcement staff.

 

Unfortunately this attention has resulted in many who used to not have a home mooring now seeking one, and as a result CRT permanent moorings have regularly attracted winning bids well beyond the guide prices, (in the most extreme maybe £3,000 to even £5,000 PA for fairly basic unserviced tow-path locations at the more popular sites). I think this has calmed down a bit now, but moorings sell in that area at well over "guide" simply because people who used to "continually cruise" no longer find what they used to do now satisfies CRT.

[junior]

Bridgewater Boats at Cassio Bridge is a nice small marina with car parking. There is also Harefield Marina but it looks a bit exposed to me and I wouldn't want to be in there in the winter. There are a few CRT mooring sites in that area I think but I don't know the parking situation at them.

[mark99]

Harefield Marina does not do residential.

[jasonlovesthegroove]

Thanks all. Looking like a marina for me then. Winkwell and Apsley are both options and seem very friendly. Shame about the cruising situation though, quite fancied it, still may do it, for a bit at least.

 

Cheers for now..

[Grace and Favour]

Thanks all. Looking like a marina for me then. Winkwell and Apsley are both options and seem very friendly. Shame about the cruising situation though, quite fancied it, still may do it, for a bit at least.

 

Cheers for now..

The beauty of having a boat, AND a marina mooring, is that you can take the kids out for weekends. school holidays - whenever you wish (work permitting) without having to CC in adverse conditions. It really is a great way to start boatlife!

[mark99]

Thanks all. Looking like a marina for me then. Winkwell and Apsley are both options and seem very friendly. Shame about the cruising situation though, quite fancied it, still may do it, for a bit at least.

 

Cheers for now..

 

 

Make sure you visit Winkwell and are happy with the train noise. The trains are very close, fast and frequent. Looks a decent enough place. There is a pub virtually next door .

[dor]

If you go for a marina mooring, make sure they are happy about residential AND young children. Some marinas will turn a blind eye to someone living on their boat in a non-residential marina (and most marinas are non-residential) but may see it differently if young children are involved.

[alan_fincher]

I know a lot of forum members have been there, but, (costs apart!), I couldn't be doing with Apsley.

It seems to me a lot like living in a goldfish bowl, and the complete antithesis of why I like being on a boat.

No doubt very good for facilities and public transport though, (although Apsley is a relatively minor rail station, and lots of local trains don't stop there).

[KevMc]

I know a lot of forum members have been there, but, (costs apart!), I couldn't be doing with Apsley.

 

It seems to me a lot like living in a goldfish bowl, and the complete antithesis of why I like being on a boat.

 

No doubt very good for facilities and public transport though, (although Apsley is a relatively minor rail station, and lots of local trains don't stop there).

 

I think I know what you mean about being in a goldfish bowl but I quite like people wandering by and the train station is far enough away not to be noisy and there are at least 2 trains an hour throughout the day with more at rush hours. The facilities around Apsley are great - pub, restaurants and supermarket just around the corner.

 

But it is expensive - close on £7k residential

[mark99]

 

I think I know what you mean about being in a goldfish bowl but I quite like people wandering by and the train station is far enough away not to be noisy and there are at least 2 trains an hour throughout the day with more at rush hours. The facilities around Apsley are great - pub, restaurants and supermarket just around the corner.

 

But it is expensive - close on £7k residential

 

That pub opposite is a rip off!

[KevMc]

 

That pub opposite is a rip off!

 

We have to keep the riff raff out somehow ;-p

 

Seriously - it isn't the cheapest around but Fullers aren't known for their cheap ale - it's no more than 10-20p more expensive than other pubs nearby... if you want cheap you have to hike up to the old town

[mark99]

 

We have to keep the riff raff out somehow ;-p

 

Seriously - it isn't the cheapest around but Fullers aren't known for their cheap ale - it's no more than 10-20p more expensive than other pubs nearby... if you want cheap you have to hike up to the old town

 

 

Ok thanks for the tip. It's nicely situated. NB The meal I had in there was terrible.

[KevMc]

 

 

Ok thanks for the tip. It's nicely situated. NB The meal I had in there was terrible.

 

I used to eat there a lot but the food has gone a bit pretentious and very pricey - the pie and mash is usually the best dish. I quite like the Indian across the bridge and the other half says the veggie food is good at Woodies. Calzone is OK for pizza too - I struggle to finish their takeaway 15 in for £9.99 though. Again you can get better value away from the canal - and there is a strange rule that the restaurants on the marina side have to close at 6pm on Sunday which is a bit of a pain in the summer.

[mark99]

 

I used to eat there a lot but the food has gone a bit pretentious and very pricey - the pie and mash is usually the best dish. I quite like the Indian across the bridge and the other half says the veggie food is good at Woodies. Calzone is OK for pizza too - I struggle to finish their takeaway 15 in for £9.99 though. Again you can get better value away from the canal - and there is a strange rule that the restaurants on the marina side have to close at 6pm on Sunday which is a bit of a pain in the summer.

 

Kev - you will have to put a picture of your self up as your avatar rather than a young Bill Oddie.

[mark99]

Incidently to the OP - the offside moorings at Cassio were managed/owned by

 

 

"Cassiobury Farm and Fishery"

 

It's an old watercress bed with Lake, 11 acres or so and about a dozen canal moorings. I know because at one time, three or four years ago it came up for sale - and I got the details and price.

 

 

Might be worth ringing them?

Edited April 28, 2014 by mark99

[KevMc]

 

Kev - you will have to put a picture of your self up as your avatar rather than a young Bill Oddie.

 

[John Williamson 1955]

Just uphill from Batchworth lock (Lock 81) is what used to be called Chapman's Farm on the offside with offside residential moorings that never seem to get advertised. The entrance is off Moor Lane, near the terrace on the South side of the road. There used to be a stretch of EA water on the South of the canal just below the road bridge, which had boats on it many years ago.

 

There are also residential moorings on the Chess upstream of Lock 81A.

[junior]

What about the place where Tadworth is? I'm not sure what it's called and it looks a bit grim from the outside. It does seem to go in quite far out of sight so mwybe it's better the further in you go.