Thames in October?

[Hornblower]

Hello,

 

I just startet planning our Narrowboat-Holiday for autumn 2015. The idea is to start in Reading and get via Thamse to London and back. Maybe including a bit of "Lee and Stort" and "Basingstoke Canal". The date is fix: last 2 weeks of October 2015.

 

My hope is that the mooring-situation in London at that time of year isn´t as bad as in the mainseason. My worries are if the Thames is not navigable at the end of October. What do you think?

 

Cheers

Hornblower

[mark99]

In the lap of the gods. As someone who has mucked about on the Thames for donkeys years I've known late October's with no flow and others with red boards. I'd put it 70 30 in your favour.

[Scholar Gypsy]

There were a lot of boats in the Kings Cross area when I walked along the towpath on Saturday..

 

On the holiday plan, as a matter of interest what do the hire company say - I am assuming you are hiring - about what happens if the Thames is on red boards all fortnight? Do they offer a refund, or alternative dates?

[Proper Job]

Even with the recent rain, the Thames is still currently a pussy cat.

 

Pick another year, at the same time it will be a tiger that will bite your arse

 

As mark99 says, it's in the lap of the gods

[Hornblower]

Thanks for your replies.

 

A chance about 70 to 30 in my favour doesn´t sound too bad.

If the Thamse would really be unnavigable at that time we could take the Kennet & Avon as alternative. And I think that´s what the hirecompany would say.

 

More interesting is what would be if the Thames gets unnavigable during our holidays so we can´t get back.

[ditchcrawler]

Thanks for your replies.

 

A chance about 70 to 30 in my favour doesn´t sound too bad.

If the Thamse would really be unnavigable at that time we could take the Kennet & Avon as alternative. And I think that´s what the hirecompany would say.

 

More interesting is what would be if the Thames gets unnavigable during our holidays so we can´t get back.

So how would you get to the K&A, or is that where you are starting from.

[Proper Job]

Don't forget that at either end of the K&A, the river Kennet and the river Avon are integral parts of the navigation system and, when in flood, will effect the ability to navigate

[OldGoat]

As a general rule of thumb, if next summer it's been raining solidly for ages in the Thames catchment area, then heavy rain just before your holiday might be cause for concern.

 

Usually in October the River is calm and it takes a helluva lot of rain to cause even a 'flash flood' (wrong term) and that usually disappears in a couple of days or less.

 

If the land in the catchment areas - remember that the Thames collects water from tributaries well away from the main channel - is already like a sponge in the bath, then there is a cause for concern.

 

Does that make sense?

 

 

[blackrose]

Keep your eye on the weather and on river conditions.

 

http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

[cereal tiller]

As a general rule of thumb, if next summer it's been raining solidly for ages in the Thames catchment area, then heavy rain just before your holiday might be cause for concern.

 

Usually in October the River is calm and it takes a helluva lot of rain to cause even a 'flash flood' (wrong term) and that usually disappears in a couple of days or less.

 

If the land in the catchment areas - remember that the Thames collects water from tributaries well away from the main channel - is already like a sponge in the bath, then there is a cause for concern.

 

Does that make sense?

 

 

When you say'Flash Flood do you mean a 'Freshet'?which is the normal term for a brief increase in river flow.

 

CT

[Sarahr]

Thanks for your replies.

 

A chance about 70 to 30 in my favour doesn´t sound too bad.

If the Thamse would really be unnavigable at that time we could take the Kennet & Avon as alternative. And I think that´s what the hirecompany would say.

 

More interesting is what would be if the Thames gets unnavigable during our holidays so we can´t get back.

The river Kennet which runs at Reading end of the K&A navigation is much more treacherous than the river Thames when in flood, if the Thames is on red boards you wont be able to up the K&A believe me!

[OldGoat]

When you say'Flash Flood do you mean a 'Freshet'?which is the normal term for a brief increase in river flow.

 

CT

I'm obliged.

I've never hear that term before (unless it's something you've magiced up)

 

I'm trying to keep the terminology simple, 'cos folks on here don't understand water that flows other than through locks.

(no disrepec' man)

[dmr]

The river Kennet which runs at Reading end of the K&A navigation is much more treacherous than the river Thames when in flood, if the Thames is on red boards you wont be able to up the K&A believe me!

 

This is very true

We came down the Kennet in April to find the Thames on yellow boards and thought "thats good we can relax a bit now!"

Just came down the Thames on Sunday with almost no flow, we are now thrashing up the Kennet, getting pushed sideways at the lock landings etc etc, and its not even up for the winter yet.

 

............Dave

[blackrose]

The river Kennet which runs at Reading end of the K&A navigation is much more treacherous than the river Thames when in flood, if the Thames is on red boards you wont be able to up the K&A believe me!

 

I went up the K&A last year while sections of the Thames I'd just been on were on Red.

 

Yes, it was treacherous!

Edited October 21, 2014 by blackrose

[Hornblower]

The answer of the hirecompany was to always have an alternative route in mind and the Kennet and Avon would unlikely be unnavigable ... Navigable but treacherous?

 

If I want to get to London via boat and off the mainseason I have no other chance. I think we give it a try. We are not new to narrowboating (including the Severn and Thamse near Oxford) so we shall be able to handle even "suboptimal" conditions.

[ditchcrawler]

The answer of the hirecompany was to always have an alternative route in mind and the Kennet and Avon would unlikely be unnavigable ... Navigable but treacherous?

 

If I want to get to London via boat and off the mainseason I have no other chance. I think we give it a try. We are not new to narrowboating (including the Severn and Thamse near Oxford) so we shall be able to handle even "suboptimal" conditions.

Where are you hiring from. If its the upper Thames how would you get down to Reading if its in flood, Early this year reading was impassable while the Thames was on yellow.

[Hornblower]

We would start from Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet & Avon Canal. So we could leave out the Thamse if too dangerous.

[WJM]

Going upriver from Aldermaston you are above some of the most difficult parts of the River Kennet, but there will still be some pinch points until you get onto the canal The canal and the river join somewhere just above Newbury.

 

I too would give you 70/30% in favour for your October plans, maybe even 80/20% ;-) Having been on the Thames all year long for the last 26 years my observation is that it usually takes till November or December for the river to fill up.

 

Also, I personally would not include the Basingstoke Canal on an itinerary like yours. Although it is navigable, just, the process is tedious. You have to book in advance, travel with the assistance of canal staff. It is all very well if you have time, but you could do four times as much boating on any other waterway. No offence Leo2 and co, but is true?

 

 

 

And certainly in previous years, mooring in London tends to be less fraught once the cold weather sets in.

Edited October 22, 2014 by WJM

[junior]

Have you thought about Hiring from Black Prince at Willowtree Marina in London? This would guarantee you being able to visit London by boat, and if there is no problems with the Thames you could still do your proposed route, just from a safer start point.

[TheBasingstokeCanalSociety]

I think it appropriate to respond to comments made above about the Basingstoke Canal.

Since Easter last year the canal has been navigable along its full length of 32 miles. There has been a well-publicised landslip at Dogmersfield which caused a temporary closure. However though this is still awaiting repair it has been passable to narrow boats nearly all of this year.

The question is often asked: why are there restrictions in opening times on the Basingstoke and why is it necessary for rangers to be around. This is explained at length in a previous post, which I encourage you to read. There are good reasons.

 

Despite what you might read on this forum, the response of boaters who have taken the time to cruise the Basingstoke seem to be resoundingly positive. Here is one example. The canal, and the management of it, still seem to be subject to criticism by a few boaters from afar, which is particularly disappointing if their experience of it is not recent. We encourage boaters to see for themselves what an attractive waterway it is.

 

Martin Leech

The Basingstoke Canal Society

[Hornblower]

I just came across this thread and want to give a short belated report about our trip.

 

The river condition was just perfect, nearly no current. Even the short part of the tidal Thamse between Teddigton and Brentford was easy (in the short time frame we had for the passage). The mooringsituation in London was OK (we stayed some nights in Limehouse basin). Unfortunately there was no time left for the "Lee and Stort" or the "Basingstoke".

 

The weather couldn´t have been better and there was so much to see left or right of the river and the canals through London. One of the highlights was a trip with my kayak on the Thames from Limehouse to St. George Wharf and back, a fantastic adventure.

 

We had a lot of marvellous narrowboat-holidays in the past 10 years and this one was definitely one of the best!

 

Thank you for all the informations in this thread.

[blackrose]

Glad to hear you had a good trip.

Edited March 15, 2016 by blackrose