Living Aboard in the Cambridge area

[Cairokid]

Hi. We've just begun investigating living on board a canal boat and would appreciate any advice. We're both in our 60s, have lived aboard a sailing yacht for a couple of years in the past (in the Med not UK), and husband was 30+ years in the RN handling boats so we're not new to boats..

 

However neither of us know the first thing about boating on canals, or anything about canals themselves.

 

We'd appreciate advice on suitable size. I think we'd want something wide for living on but what are the size restrictions, advantages of bigger/smaller boats?

 

We'd want a permanent berth near Cambridge but would hopefully make a few journeys each year to explore. Any advice about options please?

[Traveller]

Don't know about residential moorings around Cambridge, although there are certainly some in that area, but that city is a long way from the canals - it sits in the middle of the Great Ouse river system.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Traveller

[MtB]

We'd want a permanent berth near Cambridge

 

 

Hopefully you have a property portfolio you can sell to fund that, then!

[Arthur Brown]

The name place nice residential moorings are simply NOT CHEAP. PLUS in most cases you only buy a licence to moor you will likely not own anything so there will be no asset to sell at any time. Go through the budgeting very carefully, work out who will be your navigation authority, (start with CaRT or EA ) see what type of rules they impose. You will always need to move for getting water in and waste off the boat.

[Scholar Gypsy]

With a wide boat (over 7 feet) you are constrained to the Nene and Ouse river systems - unless you fancy crossing the Wash, which is feasible, if a bit uncomfortable?

 

Moorings in Cambridge are tricky: nearby there are some at Upware, Fish and Duck, Ely, Streatham etc.

[Cairokid]

Thanks. I'll investigate this. Is there a book or chart I can get that shows the canal system in the UK?

[john6767]

The area that you are talking about is rivers not canals. You can get a good overview of the network, including wide/narrow waterways from here

[Phil Ambrose]

You may well be better off looking for resi moorings further away as I read somewhere there is a 5 year waiting list for moorings in Cambridge. Out in the Fens nowhere is too far away, for example we moor at Isleham which is some 20 odd miles away but in terms of time at 40 minutes is fairly close (if you drive)

Phil

[Alan de Enfield]

. Out in the Fens nowhere everywhere is too far away, ...........................

 

That's why the locals have 6 fingers and webbed feet, and, if you want to do your family tree you just borrow your neighbours and copy theirs.

[pearley]

There was a widebeam for sale with a mooring at Upware in May.

[OldPeculier]

Hartford Marina might be a good place to start. Not cheap, but could be useful to get started while you look for something more suitable.

http://www.hartfordmarina.co.uk/index.html

[Felshampo]

That's why the locals have 6 fingers and webbed feet, and, if you want to do your family tree you just borrow your neighbours and copy theirs.

Thats rather insensitive. I was sympathising with a local recently whose seperation was finally legal. I consoled him by saying" you may be divorced but hey....at least your still related."

[Traveller]

There-again, Cambridge is one of the faster growing areas so I expect there are many "imports" now.

[pearley]

Hartford Marina might be a good place to start. Not cheap, but could be useful to get started while you look for something more suitable.

http://www.hartfordmarina.co.uk/index.html

Or you could buy the whole Marina. £2.5 million I think I read.

[Texasboater]

Ely is nice and the train is fast into Cambridge.

[pearley]

Ely is nice and the train is fast into Cambridge.

I seem to recall that that stretch of railway had more complaints than any other.

[Traveller]

I seem to recall that that stretch of railway had more complaints than any other.

It did, and probably still does, but it is much improved. I have used it a few times over the last couple of months with no material issues. May have been lucky I guess.

[Phil Ambrose]

 

That's why the locals have 6 fingers and webbed feet, and, if you want to do your family tree you just borrow your neighbours and copy theirs.

Six fingers are an asset when laying the banjo too.

 

Phil

[Alan de Enfield]

Six fingers are an asset when laying the banjo too.

 

Phil

 

They also help with your 12x table

[ditchcrawler]

Just don't challenge us East Anglian's to a swimming race.

[FadeToScarlet]

Putting it bluntly, you won't get a mooring in Cambridge, I'm afraid. The residential moorings are run by the City council, who have in their wisdom closed the waiting list for places because it was too long, taking 4-6 years for a narrowboat and up to 30 for a widebeam, and now have a waiting list for the waiting list!!!

 

Other places that have residential moorings:

 

-Brown's field in Fen Ditton, a 15 minute cycle ride from Cambridge City centre; there is one boat for sale here with a mooring. It is a widebeam, 9'6" I think by 60' or so. This is the closest available mooring to Cambridge.

 

-Upware marina. Moorings often available- there is a widebeam boat for sale there now- but the only way into Cambridge is by car, there is no public transport apart from a 45 minute cycle away to an unreliable bus.

 

-Moorings by the Stretham road bridge, by Minerva the large Dutch barge.

 

-Pope's corner marina, just outside Ely

 

-Some residential moorings at Stretham, down the Old West river

 

-Cathedral marina in Ely

 

 

All of these, with the exception of Cathedral and Brown's Field, would need a car to commute in.

 

There are other marinas down the Bedford Ouze, such as Hartford, some of which offer residential moorings, and the new guided busway offers a good way into Cambridge.

Hopefully you have a property portfolio you can sell to fund that, then!

Actually, it's pretty damn cheap here, which is why the waiting list is so long. The city council full residential moorings in the city centre are an absolute bargain, which is why there was such a long waiting list. It's cheaper by far to have a full resi mooring in the city centre, which is supposed to be your only residence, than it is to have a non residential mooring in a marina in the middle of nowhere- which is why we have the opposite problem to the rest of the country, people not living on full residential moorings, rather than them living on leisure moorings!

 

The local marinas and farmer's moorings are also pretty reasonable too, although not in the city centre they aren't too expensive either.

 

Despite the restricted supply around here, moorings are in general well below what would be the market rate elsewhere.

[Felshampo]

Six fingers are an asset when laying the banjo too.

 

Phil

Diddle ing ding ding ding ding ding ding....!

[Peter-Bullfinch]

What about St Ives and the 'guided bus' service to Cambridge.

[Cairokid]

The area that you are talking about is rivers not canals. You can get a good overview of the network, including wide/narrow waterways from here

Fantastic resource. Thanks so much for the link.

[Cairokid]

Putting it bluntly, you won't get a mooring in Cambridge, I'm afraid. The residential moorings are run by the City council, who have in their wisdom closed the waiting list for places because it was too long, taking 4-6 years for a narrowboat and up to 30 for a widebeam, and now have a waiting list for the waiting list!!!

I should have clarified that we have no particular wish to be in Cambridge itself. My daughter and her family live in a village near Royston so I'd like to be within travelling distance of them by car. Cambridge was just the nearest place I thought people would recognise the name of.

 

Other places that have residential moorings:

-Brown's field in Fen Ditton, a 15 minute cycle ride from Cambridge City centre; there is one boat for sale here with a mooring. It is a widebeam, 9'6" I think by 60' or so. This is the closest available mooring to Cambridge.

-Upware marina. Moorings often available- there is a widebeam boat for sale there now- but the only way into Cambridge is by car, there is no public transport apart from a 45 minute cycle away to an unreliable bus.

-Moorings by the Stretham road bridge, by Minerva the large Dutch barge.

-Pope's corner marina, just outside Ely

-Some residential moorings at Stretham, down the Old West river

-Cathedral marina in Ely

All of these, with the exception of Cathedral and Brown's Field, would need a car to commute in.

There are other marinas down the Bedford Ouze, such as Hartford, some of which offer residential moorings, and the new guided busway offers a good way into Cambridge.

Thanks for these. I will investigate them. I think we'd need a little car of some sort from what you say which is okay.

 

Actually, it's pretty damn cheap here, which is why the waiting list is so long. The city council full residential moorings in the city centre are an absolute bargain, which is why there was such a long waiting list. It's cheaper by far to have a full resi mooring in the city centre, which is supposed to be your only residence, than it is to have a non residential mooring in a marina in the middle of nowhere- which is why we have the opposite problem to the rest of the country, people not living on full residential moorings, rather than them living on leisure moorings!

The local marinas and farmer's moorings are also pretty reasonable too, although not in the city centre they aren't too expensive either.

Despite the restricted supply around here, moorings are in general well below what would be the market rate elsewhere.

All sounds good. I'm going to hire a car for a look around when I'm there in mid August, then we plan to hire a boat for a short time later in the year to see how we get on. Seems sensible to try it out before making such a big investment.

 

Are there ever any boats available for longer term rent than just a few weeks?

Edited July 22, 2015 by Cairokid