My Teddington to Brentford dilemma!

[nipper]

Hi All!

 

On the advice of the Teddington Lock keepers, I phoned up Brentwood Lock to arrange a passage through the lock from the Thames onto the Grand Union at the high water tide tomorrow.

 

Those that will know, will be aware that there is an answering service at that lock, you have to leave a message stating boat name, phone number etc.

I left my message at 10-15 this morning!

Tomorrows morning hight tide at Richmond is at about 09-05 am, so locking out at Teddington at that time would be fine for entering Brentwood an hour or so later!

I have waited all day at the Kingston Moorings for the reply to that phone call.
No reply has been given by Brentford.

So, what do I do now?

Do I sit here and wait for that call or do I mosey on down to Teddington Lock first thing in the morning and perhaps take the tide and see if I can find a safe mooring outside the Brentwood Lock Gates, or do I just sit here, by then overstaying at these Kingston Moorings, and wait?

Also by then, of coarse, my transit permit from the Wey to Teddington would have run out as well.

At 4-30 this afternoon I did repeat my message to Brentford just in case they had tried to phone me and because of bad phone reception, didn't get the reply call, which is very good here!

What's to do?

Nipper

Edited November 4, 2015 by nipper

[Martin Megson]

Having done the trip a few times I'd suggest you head to Teddington and ask the lock keeper to confirm Brentford will be manned before you leave.

[ditchcrawler]

I have never had a reply from them

[RichardN]

My advice would be to not leave Teddington unless you know that Brentford will be open for you. If they got your message there will be someone there and they will answer your phone at 9am, otherwise leave a message and go down on Friday.

[OldGoat]

TL is open 24/7 so you could ring tonight as one of the duty staff is narrowboat friendly (well they mostly are). It doesn't mean that they can do anything at this late hour - but it might save you a wasted trip.

An other thought is that - surely there's a phone number for London region CaRT office. I'm a Thames based boaters - so don't know the inns and outs of CaRT's hierarchy.

 

Remember that now is definitely the off season - so on one hand TL may well be accommodating in letting you stay 'for a period of time....' (put your own interpretation on this) and on the other, CaRT may have gone to sleep as it's their off season as well.

 

The web suggests the phone no: is

oh two oh eight 940 8723 (but EA have centralised (!) their numbers so it may not answer....

 

 

Comment:

I'm disappointed that whilst a public body - EA Thames region - maintain their duty to keep their navigation open (subject to published closures), CaRT 'appear' not to have similar procedures in place.

[magnetman]

Go down to teddington first thing in the morning and moor as close to the lock as possible on the layby (right hand side before blue bridge)

 

If there are other canal boats pointing towards the lock ask if they are going to Brentford. If they are then go with them. If not then you could ask the lock keeper at teddington but in my experience they are a bit keen to tell you to check with Brentford first which gets you back to square one.

 

I would not personally go down to Brentford unless I was sure there would be a lock keeper in attendance - I have only done that trip in the summer manning hours which iirc are march to September. Its possible that if you have not got a confirmed booking there will be nobody there to let you in. It is not possible to operate the Thames lock at Brentford yourself as far as I know.

 

WJM is the forum expert on Brentford to Teddington

[dmr]

We did it the other way a couple of weeks back. Phoned CaRT a couple of days beforehand and got ansafone.

Got a call from CaRT about 6pm the same evening to confirm and apologise for not phoning back sooner.

So.....if CaRT have not phoned you back to confirm then I would NOT go through Teddington.

 

CaRT lock keeper turned up well in advance of our requested time, and phoned Teddington for us as we left., well done CaRT

 

.....................Dave

[nipper]

I have just spoken to the duty lockie at Teddington and he suggested the same!

 

Apparently nobody went down to Brentford this afternoon, so the Brentford duty lockie would not have been there to pick up my phone message!

 

He may be there tomorrow morning to get the tide and pick up my message then, or perhaps he may not!

 

I shall get down the for 7-30 ish and wait as close to that lock as possible, The Teddington lockie said he would make a note of my call, so tomorrow mornings staff will be aware of my needs!

 

What a way for CART to run an entrance to there waterway!

 

Nipper

[mark99]

I have just spoken to the duty lockie at Teddington and he suggested the same!

 

Apparently nobody went down to Brentford this afternoon, so the Brentford duty lockie would not have been there to pick up my phone message!

 

He may be there tomorrow morning to get the tide and pick up my message then, or perhaps he may not!

 

I shall get down the for 7-30 ish and wait as close to that lock as possible, The Teddington lockie said he would make a note of my call, so tomorrow mornings staff will be aware of my needs!

 

What a way for CART to run an entrance to there waterway!

 

Nipper

 

Does not sound like a logical system.

 

Doomed in off-season from the day no-one books a passage.

Edited November 4, 2015 by mark99

[nipper]

Yes, it's quite bizarre really.

 

But, why go to the lengths of issuing this notice containing "Canal & River Trust - Thames Lock (Brentford) Availability"

 

http://www.thamescruising.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/8181-tidal-lock-times-2015.pdf.

 

How the some of CART works is really quite remarkable!

 

Nipper

[Tim Lewis]

Hi All!

 

On the advice of the Teddington Lock keepers, I phoned up Brentwood Lock to arrange a passage through the lock from the Thames onto the Grand Union at the high water tide tomorrow.

 

Those that will know, will be aware that there is an answering service at that lock, you have to leave a message stating boat name, phone number etc.

 

I left my message at 10-15 this morning!

 

Tomorrows morning hight tide at Richmond is at about 09-05 am, so locking out at Teddington at that time would be fine for entering Brentwood an hour or so later!

 

I have waited all day at the Kingston Moorings for the reply to that phone call.

No reply has been given by Brentford.

 

So, what do I do now?

 

Do I sit here and wait for that call or do I mosey on down to Teddington Lock first thing in the morning and perhaps take the tide and see if I can find a safe mooring outside the Brentwood Lock Gates, or do I just sit here, by then overstaying at these Kingston Moorings, and wait?

 

Also by then, of coarse, my transit permit from the Wey to Teddington would have run out as well.

 

At 4-30 this afternoon I did repeat my message to Brentford just in case they had tried to phone me and because of bad phone reception, didn't get the reply call, which is very good here!

 

What's to do?

 

Nipper

 

Had a similar dilemma last year when going from Limehouse to Brentford and this was in May!

 

In the end we (and one other) went for it as not to would have meant having to wait a couple of days.

 

We got to Brentford to find no lock keeper but a person, who if I remember lived in the house by the lock, contacted the lock keeper and we got through soon after. There had been some confusion as we had cancelled a previous booking due to Limehouse lock being broken but it was still annoying that several messages had gone unanswered.

 

Tim

Edited November 4, 2015 by Tim Lewis

[GUMPY]

here's a curved ball!

I will often leave Teddington for Brentford 3hrs before high water, this means having to use the lock at Richmond (costs £5 from memory) and pushing the tide from Richmond to Brentford. You then arrive at Brentford as it opens and if they are not there you have ample time to return to Teddington before high tide. Or if really brave time to get to Limehouse

 

Eta you could phone limehouse and get them to book you through Brentford, come to that I thought it was one number for all CRT Thames access locks now.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Loddon

[nipper]

All is now sorted!

 

Just had a call from the Brentford lockie,all apologetic, he wants me to leave Teddington at 9 to allow him time to get to the lock!

 

I wonder if they all use CWF?

 

So thanks for all your inputs, I can go to bed a happy man!

 

I will now wake up in the morning and see that it is pis....g down and will do so for the whole of tomorrow morning! Hehe!

 

Nipper

[alan_fincher]

Glad it is sorted,

 

We have had similar ambiguities trying to book a passage in at Brentford in the past, and those were not even "out of season" times.

 

From memory, (I may be wrong!), I'm not even convinced that when you leave an answerphone message that it is actually Thames Lock Brentford that you are leaving it at.

 

Another issue we had, (I have no idea if it has changed since) is that some sources used to give an email address to message in lieu of telephoning. When I challenged why emails wee not responded to either, I was told nobody looks at that email account.

 

Before anybody thinks I am CRT bashing, we have only ever tried in BW days, so our experiences may well not be the same now.

[mark99]

Glad it's sorted.

 

If you fancy a laugh to get over it, have a pint in Teddington and look at the estate agents windows. Lummie the houses cost a bit!

[nipper]

Yes, I had confusion in the summer when i was told that Limehouse was only opening at HW and i should go to Brentford.

 

It took me quite a while to get to Brentford, as i was on the Lea at the time, only to see, on leaving Brentford lock, a number of boats going Teddington way, only to find out that they had left Limehouse a couple of hours before!

 

It really wants somebody to shake up the Thames entrance system, get all repairs sorted, and not to fob there costumers off with silly excuses. Then, perhaps,least we may have a better system for doing, what for many, is a trip of a lifetime, for others a huge question mark!!

 

Nipper

[zenataomm]

........................... Tomorrows morning hight tide at Richmond is at about 09-05 am, so locking out at Teddington at that time would be fine for entering Brentwood an hour or so later!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strewth, Teddington to Brentwood in an hour, personally I'd have doubted it! Perhaps you could time lapse video it for us?

[nipper]

Strewth, Teddington to Brentwood in an hour, personally I'd have doubted it! Perhaps you could time lapse video it for us?

Well, thats what the Brentford Lockie said to me an hour ago!

 

Leave Teddington at 9am and i will have the lock ready for you at 10am!

 

I will, of coarse, leave earlier and take my time and to make sure he doesn't get on his bike and peddle back home again!

 

Nipper

[mark99]

I think Brentford and Brentwood are getting mixed up.

[Tam & Di]

Strewth, Teddington to Brentwood in an hour, personally I'd have doubted it! Perhaps you could time lapse video it for us?

 

I hope you manage to find Brentford OK - it's really confusing to have Brentford keep turning into Brentwood in this thread. There's a Brentwood in Essex but you'd probably be lucky to get there in an hour by car.

 

 

Tam

[nipper]

Well, i knew what I meant and most others did too!

 

Can't an old man have a little nonsence now and again and I have had a stressful day!

 

Nipper

[ditchcrawler]

Well, i knew what I meant and most others did too!

 

Can't an old man have a little nonsence now and again and I have had a stressful day!

 

Nipper

Do you think your name is Tim, you will be hitting lock gates next.

[nipper]

Do you think your name is Tim, you will be hitting lock gates next.

Na! I don't have , a Director, Camera man, editor and any other person in the dam way, like that poor chap has!

 

Nipper

[ditchcrawler]

Na! I don't have , a Director, Camera man, editor and any other person in the dam way, like that poor chap has!

 

Nipper

Funny that's my view

[blackrose]

I once had to wait for about an hour on the Thames in front of Brentford lock because the part time, temporary lockkeeper was late. If he hadn't turned up I'd probably have gone back as far as Isleworth and put the boat down at the draw dock, or if I left it too late for that I wouldn't have a problem taking to ground in the middle of the creek, but only because I've seen it at low tide. I'm not sure if I'd do that on a narrowboat though. I know I'm not going to tip a 12ft widebeam even if it comes down on a steep slope.

Edited November 4, 2015 by blackrose