Narrowboat to York - which route?

[homer2911]

Fresh from successes in recent years on the Manchester Ship Canal, the tidal Thames, the Bristol Channel and River Trent to Leeds, we are contemplating a trip to York.

 

The Trent to Keadby holds no fears, following an engine failure close to West Stockwith that stopped my heart for a few minutes - my exhaust disintegrated under the bandage, flooding the engine compartment with black oily smoke and choking the air intake! Had I known that was the cause, I could have whipped off the covers to let some air in and re-started the engine, but heigh-ho!

 

Is the Trent Falls route out of the question?

[Midnight]

Trent Falls is always an option but weather conditions can cause it to be a bit rough. I've only done it once from Torksey to Naburn and encountered a thunderstorm and weather front about a mile from apex lamp. There was some soiled underwear moments as we bounced through the waves on the Ouse until we reached Blacktoft.

 

I'm sure there's other here who have found it like a mill pond so check the weather first seems a sound idea.

[Guest]

Fresh from successes in recent years on the Manchester Ship Canal, the tidal Thames, the Bristol Channel and River Trent to Leeds, we are contemplating a trip to York.

 

The Trent to Keadby holds no fears, following an engine failure close to West Stockwith that stopped my heart for a few minutes - my exhaust disintegrated under the bandage, flooding the engine compartment with black oily smoke and choking the air intake! Had I known that was the cause, I could have whipped off the covers to let some air in and re-started the engine, but heigh-ho!

 

Is the Trent Falls route out of the question?

Boaters have done it that way but arguably the safer route is in at Keadby then S&K, New Junction. A&C, The Aire and then the Selby to the Ouse. That would be the route I would choose any way.

 

I don't see the need to take on the additional risk personally.

[Naughty Cal]

No reason you cant do Trent End if the weather is absolutely right. We have been there and it has been like a mill pond. On the other hand we have been in some god damn horrible conditions as well.

 

You will need to get your tide timings right as the tide flows very quickly. Get it wrong and you will be pushing it which will be no joke in a narrowboat.

 

If you get there too early for rounding the Apex light and turning up the Ouse then the anchorage is a lovely spot in nice weather for a spot of lunch.

 

The approach to Trent End on a good day

 

 

The anchorage on a lovely hot day.

 

 

Apex Light

 

[homer2911]

Thanks folks for the helpful replies. My gut says ' Trent Falls? No ************* way!'

[Machpoint005]

My gut says 'A64'.

[Naughty Cal]

Thanks folks for the helpful replies. My gut says ' Trent Falls? No ************* way!'

It's really not that bad if you get the right weather.

[Guest]

Thanks folks for the helpful replies. My gut says ' Trent Falls? No ************* way!'

There is an old thread here you might want to have a read through.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=33815

[Victor Vectis]

Watch out for the dead cow floating somewhere between Selby and Naburn.

[Tim Lewis]

Fresh from successes in recent years on the Manchester Ship Canal, the tidal Thames, the Bristol Channel and River Trent to Leeds, we are contemplating a trip to York.

 

The Trent to Keadby holds no fears, following an engine failure close to West Stockwith that stopped my heart for a few minutes - my exhaust disintegrated under the bandage, flooding the engine compartment with black oily smoke and choking the air intake! Had I known that was the cause, I could have whipped off the covers to let some air in and re-started the engine, but heigh-ho!

 

Is the Trent Falls route out of the question?

 

Did the Trent Falls Route from Keadby many years ago on the way to the IWA National at Wakefied (We are too long for Thorne Lock)

 

The trip was expertly organised by members of Strawberry Island boat club who nearly called it off due to suspect weather conditions.

 

It was a great day, the organisers had arranged for a crane barge to be anchored at Trent Falls for convoy to moor up to whilst the tide changed.

 

It was also our longest boating day ever in both hours and miles, some 16 hours by the time we got to Linton Lock.

 

Tim

[mrsmelly]

Fresh from successes in recent years on the Manchester Ship Canal, the tidal Thames, the Bristol Channel and River Trent to Leeds, we are contemplating a trip to York.

 

The Trent to Keadby holds no fears, following an engine failure close to West Stockwith that stopped my heart for a few minutes - my exhaust disintegrated under the bandage, flooding the engine compartment with black oily smoke and choking the air intake! Had I known that was the cause, I could have whipped off the covers to let some air in and re-started the engine, but heigh-ho!

 

Is the Trent Falls route out of the question?

Hi

 

Ive done The end a few times but only in proper boat shaped boats. I was going to do it 3 years or so ago but took my seventy foot narrowboat through Thorne lock instead. Its deffo do able in a narrowboat but they are realy floating bathtubs meant for the ditch system. I tend to agree with Martin when he says why place yourself at additional risk. Keadby and up the Selby is a great run.

If your boat is one inch longer than a seventy foot Steve Hudson ( I quote the make as who knows how accurate a boat length realy is? ) tho it will not go thro Thorne lock.

 

 

Tim

[Tony Dunkley]

Fresh from successes in recent years on the Manchester Ship Canal, the tidal Thames, the Bristol Channel and River Trent to Leeds, we are contemplating a trip to York.

 

The Trent to Keadby holds no fears, following an engine failure close to West Stockwith that stopped my heart for a few minutes - my exhaust disintegrated under the bandage, flooding the engine compartment with black oily smoke and choking the air intake! Had I known that was the cause, I could have whipped off the covers to let some air in and re-started the engine, but heigh-ho!

 

Is the Trent Falls route out of the question?

No, but its very risky with a narrow boat unless you know the Trent sufficiently well to be sure you can get to Trent end on the ebb without grounding, to either catch the first of the flood up the Ouse or wait for it there.

Below is a Post about this from a thread last year : -

 

"Of course you don't attempt it in bad weather or fog. But, as long as you are prepared to sit on the mud and wait for the incoming tide if you go aground, I don't see that it is in any way dangerous for a narrowboat. Lets face it, the local narrowboaters do the Humber to the River Hull often enough."

 

You've identified there the circumstances when a narrowboat is probably most likely to come to grief in the Humber or lower Ouse and Trent. Grounding and then waiting for the next tide certainly isn't a problem, but the arrival of that next tide may turn into a potentially very dangerous situation, depending on whether you've sat down on mud or sand and if the tides at that time are big Springs which start running up at a very brisk pace right from the first of the flood.

Narrowboats, like any flat bottomed vessel, can 'suck in' to soft mud when drying out and then fail to lift before getting swamped on the on the next tide. A few hard bursts of ahead and astern are likely to do the trick, but, depending on such as freeboard and hull openings, there can be no guarantees.

If you've grounded on a big tide and get swung beam on to the flood as you float free, particularly on the outer end of a sandbank, a vessel with so narrow a beam and probably very small GM could be rolled over by the force and rate of the incoming tide.

I would suggest limiting passage by narrowboat in these waters to the times around the smallest Neaps, when the first of the flood is nothing more than a gentle and slow rise in water level, which will neither try to roll you over nor swamp you before you can get free if you're in soft mud. Of course, both these potential dangers can be much reduced, but never completely eliminated, if you're with someone who has sufficiently good, and very importantlyup to date local knowledge to avoid grounding in the first place. The fact that there has not yet been, as far as I am aware, any really serious mishap with a narrowboat in this area, doesn't mean that they are suitable or safe vessels for use in these waters. You can get away with walking across the M1, but it doesn't make it a safe or advisable thing to do.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Tony Dunkley

[homer2911]

HiIve done The end a few times but only in proper boat shaped boats. I was going to do it 3 years or so ago but took my seventy foot narrowboat through Thorne lock instead. Its deffo do able in a narrowboat but they are realy floating bathtubs meant for the ditch system. I tend to agree with Martin when he says why place yourself at additional risk. Keadby and up the Selby is a great run.If your boat is one inch longer than a seventy foot Steve Hudson ( I quote the make as who knows how accurate a boat length realy is? ) tho it will not go thro Thorne lock.Tim

Blimey! We've struggled with 62 ft in Throne Lock.

[Tony Dunkley]

Blimey! We've struggled with 62 ft in Throne Lock.

 

Aren't 'Throne' locks normally fitted on bog doors?

[Scholar Gypsy]

A bit off topic, but I went to a fascinating talk today by a senior bod from the EA on flood defence, and he had a rather fine photo of water coming over the top of the wall at Keadby, on a very high surge tide 12 months ago. Scary!

[homer2911]

Aren't 'Throne' locks normally fitted on bog doors?

Dislexia rules KO :-)

[Tony Dunkley]

A bit off topic, but I went to a fascinating talk today by a senior bod from the EA on flood defence, and he had a rather fine photo of water coming over the top of the wall at Keadby, on a very high surge tide 12 months ago. Scary!

That tide was 2 metres above predicted height at Hull. It flooded the pumproom at Keadby pumping station and put the electrics and power out of action on Ocean lock at Goole.

[Scholar Gypsy]

That tide was 2 metres above predicted height at Hull. It flooded the pumproom at Keadby pumping station and put the electrics and power out of action on Ocean lock at Goole.

 

yes, the pumproom at Keadby got a mention - a bit hairy for the people inside who were trying to keep it going, I think. Here are a couple of pictures from the EA (5-6 December 2013).

 

Edited January 23, 2015 by Scholar Gypsy

[homer2911]

I'm sure that the whole group has been dying to know what we did in the end! Here we are, moored at Museum Gardens in York, after navigating the Trent to Keadby, etc etc and travelling up the tidal Ouse from Goole to Naburn yesterday. Planning to reverse the journey on Sunday, with a 7.30am exit from Naburn lock. Great trip so far, with Leeds based daughter and 9 yr-old grandson visiting this afternoon and each day for three days. Luvverly!

[ValandPete]

Glad you enjoyed the trip. Don't think we will do it again any time soon, getting into Keadby Lock between two narrowboats already in there was scariest experience of my life! Hope it went well for you and enjoy your return trip.

 

Val

[arcsyst]

I'm sure that the whole group has been dying to know what we did in the end! Here we are, moored at Museum Gardens in York, after navigating the Trent to Keadby, etc etc and travelling up the tidal Ouse from Goole to Naburn yesterday. Planning to reverse the journey on Sunday, with a 7.30am exit from Naburn lock. Great trip so far, with Leeds based daughter and 9 yr-old grandson visiting this afternoon and each day for three days. Luvverly!

We're there, what's your boat?