What is better: Leicestershire Ring clockwise or anticlockwise

[Swiss]

Hi all

This is my first post, after I am reading this forum for years already. I am Swiss and my English might be a bit Swinglish. Please be tolerant.

We (my better half and me) have 16 weeks experience on UK canals. We plan now to do the Leicestershire ring next June. We booked a boat for 3 weeks, so that we have time to visit the towns along the canals.

My questions: What is better, clockwise or anticlockwise? Starting Point will be Coventry basin. How strong is the river Soar and is there any danger that the river could be impassable in June?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Tiggs]

Clockwise is best!

 

No anti-clockwise is best!

 

Actually I don't think it matters.

 

Normally the Soar is very weak BUT there is a small chance (1 in 70, I would estimate) that it will be impassable for a few days in June.

 

The Trent (which you have to go on too) is normally a bit faster than the Soar but less likely to be impassible.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Is this your first river trip?

 

If there is a moderate current - and that is fairly rare in June - then I would advise you go upstream (ie clockwise).

 

Although it will be slower (say 3 mph upstream rather than 5 mph downstream) you will feel (and be) much more in control of your boat. Stopping (eg if you meet a boat coming the other way at a bridge) is simple, you just reduce the engine speed until you are not moving over the ground.

 

On the other hand, if you are confident there will be only a weak current, then you may as well go downstream (anti-clockwise)... That would also give you more time for a detour via Birmingham on the way back, if you've not been there before.

 

[sorry, I should really translate that into kph]

[matty40s]

although I don't mind which way I do it, it is one of my favourite rings, I would swing to anti clockwise in the Summer.

The reason I say this is because the locks from Kibworth top lock to Leicester quite often have an empty pound or two for whatever reason.

Coming down the flight it is easy to take water with you, and indeed you can see the pound below to let water into if needed.

 

Coming out of Leicester the other way - it can be a long walk to let water down into the pound you are wanting to enter next. and you are taking the water from the next pound up...........

 

 

water wise, it is a much shorter river section on the Trent to go uphill on if the rivers are lively. The Soar can flood at any time of year, but tends to go down as fast as it goes up in normal years.

[NickF]

I have done it twice both times anti-clockwise (down the Soar up the Trent). I am not a fan of the West side of the ring so personally I would turn right instead of left at Fazely and come through Birmingham and Hatton. That is because I like locks! Whatever you do I am sure you will have a great trip.

[Richard T]

Its a great trip round the ring a good diversion is to go up the Ashby. We have done it three or four times. Always clockwise - the reason for this is that if the river does go into flood the places to wait for it to go down are much nicer north of Leicester than south, it is quite a long way from Kilby Bridge to Kings Lock where the canal and river join and there is no winding hole above Kings so its not easy to turn and go back. However I think Matty has some logic with saying anti- clockwise you take the water with you going down hill.

There have been several threads on the forum about where to stop - if you do a search they will come up.

Enjoy the trip

[Swiss]

Dear advisors
Thank you very much for your hints. Up to now haven't we been on a river (except on the Caldon, which doesn't count). I had the gut feeling, it could be easier to drive and to moor against the flow. Additionally I thought, that there would be less traffic going clockwise.

 

I ordered the Canal Companion and the Nicholson Guide so I can see what you mentioned. Maybe the solution is to decide on site, when the weather condition are foreseeable.

 

Best Regards
Jörg

[NickF]

I think in June you can be 95% sure you will not have any problems with flood, but you are right when it is flowing fast on the Soar it is easier to handle the boat going upstream. As for coming down the Trent it is not such an issue as there is so much more space and you can always turn round and face upstream if you need to moor.

[Pennie]

Definitely do the Ashby, its wonderful. Direction in my opinion depends on where you start, you want to get Leicester out the way as soon as possible as its the worst bit, so many locks in so little time, but after that its a lovely jaunt. Was my first boat trip this last summer and it was wonderful and we enjoyed it very much

[Richard T]

Just a reminder of what the Soar can be like - these were November 2012. Note the boat in the lock - guess whose it is!! The second featured boat is ours just after we bought it.

Please don't be put off by these images these were some of the highest recorded levels.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Richard T

[Best Mate]

I can remember that. We had just bought our boat, and decided to take it out for a few days, got to crossington lock. And had to leave Iit from the 20th November till the 6tn January, when we finally got it back to Mercia.

Did the ring earlier this year, the first time been back on the soar, and loved it, so don't let it put you off.

[NickF]

Just a reminder of what the Soar can be like - these were November 2012. Note the boat in the lock - guess whose it is!! The second featured boat is ours just after we bought it.

IMG_2409.JPGIMG_2395.JPGIMG_2396.JPG

Please don't be put off by these images these were some of the highest recorded levels.

Are the second two Sileby?

 

I took these two photos in March 1982! Much more peaceful! I don't think it has changed much since then!

 

 

[Richard T]

Are the second two Sileby?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes they are taken from the end of Mill Lane. I had to walk through water to get there. It did get worse than this - the water came up to the lower white railing.

Thanks for posting the old photos - it hasn't changed much.

[bizzard]

I once knew an elderly minicab driver who was frightened to turn right at cross roads and road junctions, ''clockwise'' so he always either turned left ''anticlockwise '' or went straight on. He would scribe huge loop after loop after loops, all the time slowly but surely getting nearer and nearer to his destination, but at the expense of enormous amounts of time, mileage and petrol and was quite annoying for the customer who might have only wanted to get heavy shopping home in the next road to the shop. Often there was talk of the customers shopping products running out of date, going orf and stinking and water and maggots crawling about in the car too from thawed out frozen foodstuff. But he was a nice old chap and they usually forgave him.

Anyway, because that it is LHD on the waterways and so if you're also paranoid about similar turnings and paranoid about turning, instead, LEFT instead of right at canal junctions it might be the best thing to pick a clockwise ring. Hope this helps.

[NickF]

I once knew an elderly minicab driver who was frightened to turn right at cross roads and road junctions, ''clockwise'' so he always either turned left ''anticlockwise '' or went straight on. He would scribe huge loop after loop after loops, all the time slowly but surely getting nearer and nearer to his destination, but at the expense of enormous amounts of time, mileage and petrol and was quite annoying for the customer who might have only wanted to get heavy shopping home in the next road to the shop. Often there was talk of the customers shopping products running out of date, going orf and stinking and water and maggots crawling about in the car too from thawed out frozen foodstuff. But he was a nice old chap and they usually forgave him.

Anyway, because that it is LHD on the waterways and so if you're also paranoid about similar turnings and paranoid about turning, instead, LEFT instead of right at canal junctions it might be the best thing to pick a clockwise ring. Hope this helps.

Great idea till you do the Cheshire ring where you have to turn right to go left at Hardings Wood

[bizzard]

Great idea till you do the Cheshire ring where you have to turn right to go left at Hardings Wood

That's cranky.