Yorkshire to bristol

[Thunderchild1]

Finally got a mooring down near Bristol! Any good ideas on how to get my 37ft narrowboat down there from South Yorkshire? I've got a lead on a HIAB but not sure if it's a too good to be true offer.... And does anyone know of a place nr bristol that where I can have the boat put into the water? Any advice would be welcome...

[ditchcrawler]

Finally got a mooring down near Bristol! Any good ideas on how to get my 37ft narrowboat down there from South Yorkshire? I've got a lead on a HIAB but not sure if it's a too good to be true offer.... And does anyone know of a place nr bristol that where I can have the boat put into the water? Any advice would be welcome...

There is a yard in Bristol Harbour that could put it in for you.

[blackrose]

Any good ideas on how to get my 37ft narrowboat down there from South Yorkshire?

 

Take it by water yourself if you have time. You'll remember the trip for the rest of your life - and by the time you get to Bristol you'll be a superb helmsman.

 

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

Edited October 19, 2015 by blackrose

[Murflynn]

There is a yard in Bristol Harbour that could put it in for you.

Bristol Marina - 50T boat hoist.

[nipper]

Best arrange by land or get a temporary mooring, because you wont get far before March!

 

Winter Stoppages!

 

Nipper

[Thunderchild1]

 

Take it by water yourself if you have time. You'll remember the trip for the rest of your life - and by the time you get to Bristol you'll be a superb helmsman.

 

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

Thank you for the welcome onto the forum :-)

[Dave_P]

My advice, weather permitting, would be to head for Keadby lock and take the River Trent to Trent Lock. The on the River Soar to Leicester and the Grand Union. Then down the Oxford Canal to the Thames which will take you into the Kennet & Avon to Bristol. A wonderful adventure.

 

If the tidal Trent makes you nervous then try heading for Castleford and Wakefield. Take the Rochdale over the Pennines to Manchester. Then, Bridgewater Canal, Shroppie, BCN, and onto the Grand Union heading south to pick up the Oxford Canal. Another great route but would take longer.

 

Boats are designed to travel by water, not on the back of trucks.

[Peter X]

 

Take it by water yourself if you have time. You'll remember the trip for the rest of your life - and by the time you get to Bristol you'll be a superb helmsman.

 

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

Seconded.

 

paulmeds of this forum (see under Crew Swap) did a long trip in July (but shorter than yours), steering his narrow boat from Crick to Caen Hill, despite never having steered a narrow boat before. He wisely hired an expert for the first day to teach him the controls and how to steer, plus taking him through Braunston tunnel, and he also had me along as crew for the first 7 days of the 9 day trip to do the locks and much of the cookery.

 

If over the last few weeks you haven't yet coughed up for two cranes and a lorry ride, which over that distance will probably work out cheaper than a professional boat mover, please stop and think how much fun it would be to take the boat there yourself. The chances are that someone among your friends and family will be adventurous enough to go along as crew, otherwise there's always Crew Swap.

 

Winter stoppages are a problem, but with careful planning of your schedule you can dodge around them, particularly if you break your journey up into chunks. Boat moving in winter is fine as long as you have a working stove and the canal isn't iced over. However if you go down the South Oxford at Christmas when the stoppages are scheduled to have ended, you may end up waiting at Oxford if you're unlucky and the Thames is in flood. Or you may want to wait until spring and go then.

[Tony Dunkley]

Finally got a mooring down near Bristol! Any good ideas on how to get my 37ft narrowboat down there from South Yorkshire? I've got a lead on a HIAB but not sure if it's a too good to be true offer.... And does anyone know of a place nr bristol that where I can have the boat put into the water? Any advice would be welcome...

 

The first bit of the route South would be quicker and easier by going up the Trent from Keadby instead of crossing the Pennines first.

There is a stoppage on the Trent at Town Lock in Newark which is due to end on 14 December.

If you want to go that way, but are not familiar with the lower Trent, then I can either provide you with pilotage up to Newark, or above, or bring the boat upriver for you.

[johnnie1uk]

You cant get passed Culham lock on the Thames untill 4th March, to get into the K&A.