Visitor Moorings In London Docklands

[Staarek]

I was wondering if it’s possible to moor overnight anywhere around London Docklands? Are there any visitor moorings in Millwal inner/outer docks, north/middle/south docks? I’ve got some friends from aboard coming to visit soon and I would like to take them on a trip on Thames and if possible have a little cruise around Canary Wharf and docklands.Thanks!

[Tim Lewis]

I was wondering if its possible to moor overnight anywhere around London Docklands? Are there any visitor moorings in Millwal inner/outer docks, north/middle/south docks? Ive got some friends from aboard coming to visit soon and I would like to take them on a trip on Thames and if possible have a little cruise around Canary Wharf and docklands.Thanks!

West India/Millwall docks are run by CRT so worth ringing them to find out the lock and mooring charges.

 

I seem to remember that they don't encourage trips round the docks especially as there is a swing bridge on a busy road to get you to the Millwall south docks

 

Tim

Edited June 10, 2014 by Tim Lewis

[Paringa]

West India was a no for me but try South Dock or good old Limehouse for a night.

[WJM]

Limehouse is the obvious place - you can just turn up without any complex pre-booking (daytimes) and it is usually easy to find a one night mooring.

[Staarek]

Thanks everyone.

[Pete & Helen]

Limehouse is the obvious place - you can just turn up without any complex pre-booking (daytimes) and it is usually easy to find a one night mooring.

 

Do you have to book in with anyone, or call before arriving, or is it just as per standard visitor moorings? how long can you stay? any cost?

[blackrose]

 

Do you have to book in with anyone, or call before arriving, or is it just as per standard visitor moorings? how long can you stay? any cost?

24 hour free visitor moorings along the wall, first come-first served, or you could probably get a pontoon mooring on the marina if you want to pay. If the visitor moorings are full bresting up is the norm with the owners permission. Otherwise try the entrance to the Limehouse cut just off the basin. I moored there for a couple of nights.

Edited July 3, 2014 by blackrose

[Pete & Helen]

24 hour free visitor moorings along the wall, first come-first served, or you could probably get a pontoon mooring on the marina if you want to pay. If the visitor moorings are full bresting up is the norm with the owners permission. Otherwise try the entrance to the Limehouse cut just off the basin. I moored there for a couple of nights.

Thanks :-)

[leeco]

Just seen a mooring go for 15k there.

[magnetman]

£15k in Limehouse or did you mean Docklands? ? Or Blackwall Basin maybe?

 

The ones in Blackwall are 38 metre x 5 which might explain the high cost as you can get a full size Freycinet (French barge) on those

 

24h is free on marina wall but they clobber you after that £25 a night I think.

 

You can go round the corner onto Limehouse cut and moor in the refugee camp if necessary

2 week mooring (or unlimited depending on your attitude to these things.

[blackrose]

These are the free 24 hour moorings along the wall.

 

 

This is the entrance to the Limehouse cut from the basin - a decent second option if the wall is full up and you don't mind mooring under a footbridge. You can tie to the ladder and the chains in the side of the wall.

 

If you aren't familiar with the area it all seems very affluent, but don't let that fool you. Take a walk away from the river towards Commercial Road and you will see another side.

Edited July 3, 2014 by blackrose

[magnetman]

Interested by that last bit Mike.

 

Its London after all, you always get laahdidaah million pound houses bits with grotty estates round the corner.

 

BTW the moorings in your second picture are generally pretty full up these days hence the 'refugee camp' description. You can normally get in nearer to Commercial road/DLR bridge which is OK but it is not quite as well manicured and affluent if that is important.

[Old Son]

This is the entrance to the Limehouse cut from the basin - a decent second option if the wall is full up and you don't mind mooring under a footbridge. You can tie to the ladder and the chains in the side of the wall.

It wasn't empty like that at Easter. You would not have gotten a dinghy moored.

[leeco]

£15k in Limehouse or did you mean Docklands? ? Or Blackwall Basin maybe?

 

The ones in Blackwall are 38 metre x 5 which might explain the high cost as you can get a full size Freycinet (French barge) on those

 

24h is free on marina wall but they clobber you after that £25 a night I think.

 

You can go round the corner onto Limehouse cut and moor in the refugee camp if necessary

2 week mooring (or unlimited depending on your attitude to these things.

This one https://www.crtmoorings.com/vacancy/vacancy_details.php?id=6455

 

Like you say its a massive mooring.

[magnetman]

Anyway Blackrose's pictures are dated 2006. Yes it is a bit of a hellhole round the corner near Commercial road but my boat is there which enhances the area quite significantly and 160 new build flats are coming so the area is on the up

 

(Ok it'll be a bin until I die but I am committed now with children in local school etc)

 

There are also embryonic plans for a 2015 canal festival with beer and boats. Watch this space

 

We have a festival this Sunday at the canal park (by the entrance to Limehouse cut) with beer and other activities. Next year possibly a bit of boating too if it can be organised.

[blackrose]

Interested by that last bit Mike.

 

Its London after all, you always get laahdidaah million pound houses bits with grotty estates round the corner.

 

 

I'm glad my post piqued your interest.

 

Yes, I'm from London so I know that there's a huge disparity of wealth within relatively small areas. I was just making the point that if someone's come into the basin from the river they might not realise that it isn't typical of the area.

Anyway Blackrose's pictures are dated 2006.

 

No, only one of them is dated 2006. The other two are from 2010.

 

Here's another bad quality phone picture from 2010 showing mostly empty 24 hour visitor moorings along the wall.

 

Edited July 5, 2014 by blackrose

[Peter X]

When I worked at Canary Wharf (1995-97; my old office window is visible in Blackrose's photo, had a grand view upriver), I was struck by how empty the various docks around it were. Of course the big cargo ships which used them were made obsolete in the 1960s by containerisation and the even bigger ships which use Tilbury and Felixstowe, so they're long gone, but there's a lot of mooring space there and a lot of money to be made in residential mooring fees, subject to planning permission and of course pontoon access; those dock sides are very high.

 

Someone mentioned a swing bridge and I suppose boat access in general may be the problem; opening some giant gates/bridges was justified for big ships in the commercial days, but they don't want to be doing that too often for smaller leisure boats. Hence those big moorings in Blackwall Basin I suppose. £15000 to moor a vessel that size in such a desirable area looks a bit of a bargain really.

 

Historically the East End, including the riverfront all the way downstream from Wapping, was the poorest part of London, but I think I can confidently guess that by now anywhere with a view of water is going to be very expensive indeed. Especially on the Isle of Dogs with all those offices.

[magnetman]

I'm intrigued about all the water space including West India Quay where CRT have 5 or 6 resi moorings for large barges but space for at least the same again, and lots of other space in other docks. I am guessing there is some sort of planning restriction to do with residential units in commercial areas?

Another thing is there may not be much demand because when a mooring cost rises towards the cost of land based dwellings it is less attractive as it is no longer a cheap option and you have to have fairly significant capital to buy a decent sized boat in the first place.

 

They could spend a load of money on building moorings only to discover the market does not exist.

 

 

Sorry Mike my mistake re your photo date codes. When I walked past earlier today there were some spaces there actually, opposite the million pound brick boxes

 

The black wall basin mooring was a 'leisure mooring' and its not really that 'desirable' down there imo