Where to leave a car when crusing!

[Peter Reg]

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone knows where to park a car safely when Crusing? I'm a new liveaboard and I'm heading down to Oxford then the Thames to lo London then the K&A ! (Taking about 2 or 3 months) I will need the car sometimes and I've been quoted at some marinas on the way about £20 a week to park, is this a normal thing many liveaboards do? then I'll have to catch a bus or train to retrieve the car when needed!

Sorry about this silly question,

Thanks

[casper ghost]

When I chugged from Llangollen to Oxford I shuffled a car, cycling back to fetch it. I tended to park in an area with nice houses, just on the street, didn't matter if it was close to canal as I had my bike. BUT, in all the time I had the car, and for all the miles I must have cycled, I didn't use the car for anything, except driving home twice...

Casp'

[Terryb]

Been thinking about that for myself. While I'm around Hertford working, I'll shuffle the car up and down using the ped. But when I eventually go full time CCing, I may just sell the car and buy a tatty one whenever I need one.

[Peter Reg]

When I chugged from Llangollen to Oxford I shuffled a car, cycling back to fetch it. I tended to park in an area with nice houses, just on the street, didn't matter if it was close to canal as I had my bike. BUT, in all the time I had the car, and for all the miles I must have cycled, I didn't use the car for anything, except driving home twice...

Casp'

That's a good idea, I have a bicycle with me,

Thanks

[Rob-M]

It may be more cost effective to hire a car whenever you need one. I've hired from Enterprise and they will come and pick you up from the boat and drop you off again after you return the car.

[Ange]

We shuffle the car around with us. Mostly we do relatively short cruises so Dave can walk or cycle back, but when the canal is running beside a railway line or near a bus route we'll leave it for two or three days and use public transport.

 

We park it in laybys in the countryside and residential streets in the town - preferably under a street light and trying to avoid parking right outside someone's house.

 

We use Google Earth to scout out the parking near our next intended mooring.

 

Edited fat fingers on tablet

Edited February 21, 2015 by Ange

[rubblequeen]

Yes Google Earth is your friend check out the neighbourhood and double yellow lines.. All above I've done also at times asked the landlord of a pub and have never been refused. Helps to have eaten there.

[junior]

As others have said, I shuffled my car around with me last year no problem whilst CC'ing from London to Manchester and back again with a few detours in the middle. I utilised on street parking close to the canal, lay-by's, supermarkets and retail parks (be aware of every car shufflers nightmare though, the 3hr max parking restrictions). Also you'll be surprised how many little car parks CRT have by the canal.

I mainly did 4 or 5 days at a time without the car and then get a train or bus back to pick the car up. You do need to think ahead slightly, but i found it quite easy. Probably the longest walk i ever had to do was from Braunston to Long Buckby station, not one I'll be doing again in a hurry!

[Peter Reg]

Thanks for all your comments and ideas ?

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

I have had the car badly damaged when I left it in a quiet lay-by overnight. I found it better to leave in front of houses.

[DHutch]

I basically only get to boat at weekends, maximum a week here and there, and also go for the 'outside nice houses' option, the only other option if its only a few days is a pub with a large carpark. Have a meal or some drinks there friday night, raise the question, often works if they have enough spaces to tolerate extras.

 

Assuming you own a house, the other option is just to leave it at home and get a train/taxis to the boat.

 

As long as you dont have an alarm that uses power 2-3months should be fine to leave a car with no real prep.

 

 

 

Daniel

[rgreg]

When I went on a six month cruise around the system I began by shuffling the car. It wasn't many weeks before this became quite restrictive and laborious so I took the car home. On the odd occasions I needed a car I used Enterprise, who picked me up and dropped me off at the boat.

[Mac of Cygnet]

For the past 9 years I have cruised around the system from April to October, nipping back home to Scotland at intervals, by public transport, with the dog. I have never felt the need for a car while on the boat.

[Nightwatch]

We leap frog the car from point to point. It is a bit tiresome. We had all intensional of getting rid of the car but find we are using it quite a lot. We also store stuff in it. Charity shop stuff mainly as we find what we need and what we would have liked.

 

I do worry a little when we haven't seen the car for a couple of nights. We also had a six mile hike a couple of days ago to 'fetch it'. With the two 13 weeks old JRTs we carried them some of the way. Little legs and soft joints and bones.

 

We have moved into unfamiliar ground now so suspect parking is a bit hit and miss from now on.

 

Oh! The love of boating.

Spelling. Can't be bothered changing.

[Peter Reg]

I don't have a house anymore, my boat is my home for now, I think I will have to leave the car outside a friends house, then catch a bus or train when I need it.

Thanks again for your comments ?

[MtB]

Yes a bike is the way to car-shuffle. In broad terms it takes one hour to towpath-cycle back to the van (parked where I started) for every three hours of cruising time.

 

Got the van broken into a couple of weeks ago parked by the cut. Nothing taken, not even the MASSIVE bronze propeller in the back on it's way up to REGINALD. Amazing!

 

Still not sure if that's what they were after but the alarm scared them away, or they simply didn't realise what it was...

 

 

MtB

[Laurie Booth]

I get my man to do it.

[p6rob]

For the last 14months I've cc'd around the Warwickshire ring and had to commute to work in Coventry 5 days a week. I've tended to park in laybys, decent looking streets or pub car parks (with permission). Depending on how far it was from car to boat I've either walked, cycled, used public transport or got a friend to drive back. Most of the time it's worked well. I bought an inflatable kayak off Delta9, the idea being to use it as another alternative

 

I'm vagueley planning a trip up to my sister's in Cheshire and across the Pontcysllte aqueduct sometime in the next 18 months. I'll still need to work but in theory I won't need to go to the office, so I'll leave the car with friends or family and hire a car to get back if necessary

[Detling]

a lot of retail parks now use ANPR cameras to record you in and out so overstaying can be expensive.

[jake_crew]

Boatyards used to let us do this FOC for just one night but most seem do charge nowadays.

 

I've used pub car parks, with permission, but not for too long.

 

But parked in a prosperous side street seems to work well for longer periods. At Cropredy a few years back, the no-parking cones were put in front of our car. Luckily I'd parked there 5 mins before the council / police appeared.

 

But don't leave anything on show, not even a coat.