cruising on the Thames ?

[rufus2015]

We are thinking of spending a year on the (non tidal) Thames on our narrowboat. Can anyone tell us what the visitor moorings are like, are there plenty of free towpath moorings ? what time limits there are on them, ect ?

 

How does it differ in lifestyle to constant cruising on the canal ?

[BGA]

The Thames doesn't have a towpath, there are places to more free but mostly for limited time almost everywhere else someone will arrive in double quick time to charge you for mooring :-(

[Murflynn]

It may not be called a towpath now (although I believe it used to be), but there is a footpath on one side or the other for nearly all its length. I have managed about 20 days on the Thames to date in my yogurt pot and have never been charged for mooring in out-of-the-way spots.

[RichLech]

It won't be as easy as it is on canals. There are some Environment Agency moorings that are free for 24 hrs but then they can charge you - and frequently do as many are supervised by nearby lock-keepers. These EA moorings tend to be popular, especially in summer.

 

There are places where you can moor for free. It is really a case of looking out for signs stating mooring fees. If you don't see one and think it is suitable, try it but be prepared for some-one to turn up and expect to be paid.

 

Most of the towns charge for overnight so best avoided (£11 0r £12 in Marlow; £9 I think in Henley) Abingdon is an exception - a lot of moorings and free for 7 days.

 

As you cruise the Thames and speak to others you will soon learn where the nice, free spots are and you should be OK. Just don't expect it to be as easy as canal towpath mooring.

 

Be aware you can be caught by flooding. Winter before last Thames was on red boards for several months.

[Martin Megson]

 

Be aware you can be caught by flooding. Winter before last Thames was on red boards for several months.

 

I remember it well.

[Lady Muck]

I wouldnt want to do it in the winter because of the flooding, some of the safe spots that friends used to use when it flooded are now out of bounds. A lot of the cruisers we see are on Gold licenses and come off the river in late autumn.

I don't have any problems finding free moorings but if you want to cruise like this, you'd need to move quite often, use an anchor, or tie to trees and use a tender for bankside access. It's really different to the canals.

 

You're permitted to drop anchor for 24 hours as long as you're not in the navigation channel, that usually means in a backwater, out of the sight of any houses, for us.

 

The visitor moorings are sparse and are only 24 hours.

 

What you could do is try to strike deals with landowners, when they come yo collect money, to stay longer, you might be able to bargain down. My mate managed to get a month near Windsor for £90, no idea where, though, we have family in Goring and we struck a deal with the fishing bailiff ( who my brother in law knows) for two weeks on a fishing peg, out of the fishing season.

[Peter X]

Last month I went whizzing through from Oxford to Reading while helping to move a boat to the K&A, armed with a list of the free mooring places I'd got from a topic on here, and there were places available, although I think when we arrived at Goring shortly before sunset we took one of only two remaining. But remember it's a wide river so breasting up will often be possible.

 

As Lady Muck said, it's probably not such a nice place to be in winter. The Thames and its tributaries drain a decent sized chunk of England, so while it's usually quite slow flowing and tame it can be a bit of a beast when there's more water on the move. I've seen it quite a lot from the banks in various places (albeit mostly on the tidal section in London) and wouldn't fancy being out on it in a flood.

[rufus2015]

Ok , thanks everyone.

 

I will go for a shorter trip and look more to passing through to Oxford to rejoin the canal system. I will forget the idea of living there in the way I do on the cut. I wouldn't be able to afford or accept paying to moor, being a skinflint !

[Murflynn]

if you don't need to go ashore, you can moor up to trees on most uninhabited islands with no risk of anyone harassing you apart from, possibly, the odd wild camper.

 

there are lots of islands.

[Bacchus]

The Thames is a great place for a cruise, but not ideal for "spending a year"

 

This is one of my local pubs in summer, a great place to moor for a pint...

 

 

 

And here is the same place in Feb last year...

 

[OldGoat]

Ok , thanks everyone.

 

I will go for a shorter trip and look more to passing through to Oxford to rejoin the canal system. I will forget the idea of living there in the way I do on the cut. I wouldn't be able to afford or accept paying to moor, being a skinflint !

DO please, consider re-joining the canal via Duke's cut (rather than turning right after Osney lock. You'll get the chance to use a real Thames lock with balance beams. There are also lots and lots of places to moor at that end of the River.

[Drayke]

There are lots of free mooring on the Thames and lots of 24hr moorings from Teddington to Lechlade, so go and enjoy.

 

Fred

[blackrose]

The Thames is a great place for a cruise, but not ideal for "spending a year"

I spent 3 ideal years living on the Thames but I had a safe mooring. I loved it in summer or in winter. Been living on rivers for 5 years now. So much more dynamic, alive and challenging than most canals. I'd hate to have to go back to living on canals now.

Edited August 12, 2015 by blackrose

[Theo]

Just come off the Thames. Plenty of mooring for shorter boats and GRP cruisers but less for a 60 footer. It's a truly lovely river though and the lock keepers are friendly and helpful. Makes you lazy, though.

 

N

[OldGoat]

Just come off the Thames. Plenty of mooring for shorter boats and GRP cruisers but less for a 60 footer. It's a truly lovely river though and the lock keepers are friendly and helpful. Makes you lazy, though.

 

N

 

 

Enjoy it while you can.

If CaRT ever take over the lockies will be the first to go.

That doesn't bother narrowboaters - but is surely scares the poo out of local boaters.