Thames and Trent

[Blake]

I knnow I am risking an influx of info but we are planning a few months on our boat including

Uxbridge to the Kennt & Avon

thames from K&A junction to Oxford

and further afield - across the Pennines

 

Please will members give advice including which way woudl they reccommend acrossthe Penines and which route at the East end - we have never been on tidal before.

 

thanks in advance

Victoria & Martin on Blake

[Bones]

I knnow I am risking an influx of info but we are planning a few months on our boat including

Uxbridge to the Kennt & Avon

thames from K&A junction to Oxford

and further afield - across the Pennines

 

Please will members give advice including which way woudl they reccommend acrossthe Penines and which route at the East end - we have never been on tidal before.

 

thanks in advance

Victoria & Martin on Blake

 

Wow! That sounds like one fabulously exciting trip! I can offer you no advice because I can't plan a thing - other than drinking beer with boaters! I thought I would post my well wishing all the same, and I hope you will keep a cruise diary whilst on your travels!

[Derek Porteous]

Please will members give advice including which way woudl they reccommend acrossthe Penines and which route at the East end - we have never been on tidal before.

 

thanks in advance

Victoria & Martin on Blake

 

Hi Victoria,

 

We did Ripon down to the London Ring last year. We went down via the Leeds Liverpool (taking in Chester and the Llangollen on the way, down the Shropshire, through Wolverhampton and Birmingham onto the Oxford and then the Thames. Coming back we came over the Pennines via the Huddersfield.

 

Whilst the Huddersfield is the more direct route, it is very heavy work on the locks and you can expect some minor damage in the Standedge Tunnel (or at the very least a lot of soot deposits on your paintwork). You will also have to pre-book the tunnel

 

The Leeds Liverpool is longer, but easier. It is mostly rural but does go through some urban areas where it is not recommended that you leave the boat unattended. Having said that, we never had a hint of a problem the whole trip apart from being untied in the middle of York (but that it another story….)

 

Both routes are very pretty, interesting and a lot of fun. You may like to have a look at Pennine Waterways web site for a virtual cruise at http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/

 

The other two options are to come over the Rochdale, (currently closed due to a breach) or come down the Tidal Trent. We did the Rochdale a couple of years ago. Again you have to book and again you need to be careful in a few urban areas (this time we did get hassle, not in Manchester as you would expect, but in Rochdale itself).

 

Never done the Trent, that is our next trip in 3 weeks time.

 

Whichever route you choose, the scenery is fantastic and I am sure you will have a great time.

[Hairy-Neil]

If you do the tidal Trent I'd recommend you go upstream, and make the passage with another boat. That way you can each look out for the other in the event of problems.

[Blake]

Wow! That sounds like one fabulously exciting trip! I can offer you no advice because I can't plan a thing - other than drinking beer with boaters! I thought I would post my well wishing all the same, and I hope you will keep a cruise diary whilst on your travels!

 

thank you for your thoughts. We boiught the boat 2 years ago with this in mind but it has got put off. The great thing is that Martin is a vicar but the village where he ministers has a canal (at Wilstone on the Aylesbury Arm) but it did have a canal. We have used the boat as the mobile vicarage which has been good fun but we havent spent as much time on her as we thought we would. this 41/2 months is going to be. We are planning to go to Bristol then Oxford, Notingham, Chesterfield, Selby, ripon, skipton, Whaley Bridge, Anderton, Llangllen, Worcester, Warwick and home - I cant believe we're almost on our way. I will try to keep a diary - i know I will regret it if I dont

Best wishes

victoria

[Boaty Jo]

We were lucky enough to do a similar trip but leeds/liverpool west to east (superb especially after Burnley), through Leeds to Keadby and UP the Trent. As first timers I'm not sure we would have been as comfortable going down the tidal Trent. Many others have though without (too much) problem.

It'll be the trip of a lifetime. Bon chance!

[adam1uk]

I will try to keep a diary - i know I will regret it if I dont

Best wishes

victoria

 

Why not keep a blog, posting as you go round? It's a great way for your friends and family to keep up to date with where you are and what you're doing (and plenty of other people will enjoy reading it too).

 

I subscribe to quite a few. Here's a selection, so you can see the sort of thing I'm talking about:

 

http://www.choiceforum.co.uk/blog/noproblem.html

 

http://nblyra.blogspot.com/index.html

 

http://nbsanity.blogspot.com/index.html

 

http://seyellas-journey.blogspot.com/index.html

[Jon]

Don't forget our very own blog system here too!

 

Jon

[GRPCruiserman]

You've just GOT to do The leeds Liverpool, it's superb, especially around Skipton and Gargrave, but keep going past Wigan to Burscough, then if you have time, go down The Rufford Arm, and even do the Lancaster if you have time, but DEFINATELY go as far as Burscough; after the first two or three miles west of Wigan, the stretch between Crook Hall and Burscough is beautiful and VERY under rated and under used (no queueing for locks there!!).

 

The Bridgewater is also lovely in some places, and very inetresting in others. Sale and Altringham have really gone upmarket in recent years and the long straight bit is now packed with Audi TTs and new BMWs, rather than the drunken Junkies that you used to get. 40 odd miles without a single lock then another 20 after a small stop lock (at the top of The Trent and Mersey, just after the tunnel at Preston Brook).

 

The Northern Trent and Mersey is cracking too, very pretty.

 

I loved The Trent, but first time out, just make sure you have your engine well serviced, do your VHF licence, and take all the good advice you can, oh, and make sure you fill up with fuel!! We had a detour to Lincoln which was nice, and also some way up The Chesterfield Canal, which was also very Pretty.

 

The Aire and Calder is also pretty good in places, especially around Ferrybrige and Leeds, stay in the Armories Basin, it's dead safe and waking distance from Leeds city centre. You can moor at Keadby behind the biggest fence you've ever seen only accessable by boaters as well.

 

Enjoy it, you'll love it.

Edited April 13, 2007 by GRPCruiserman