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Better Boating Links to Liverpool


Ray T

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More boaters are set to enjoy the delights of Liverpool in the Leeds & Liverpool Canal’s bicentenary year, thanks to new arrangements introduced by the Canal & River Trust.

 

The new procedures mean that up to six boats can travel each way along the Pier Head Canal Link every day except Tuesdays. This gives boaters more flexibility over arrival and departure days into Salthouse Dock, compared with the old system which had designated ‘in’ and ‘out’ days.

 

The new Liverpool Canal Link booking process has been trialled since August 2015 and was voted a winner by boaters using the new service. This flexible booking system will now be replicated for the 2016 boating season which begins on March 21.

 

One of the advantages of the new system is that boaters can now cruise straight to the end of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at the Eldonian Village without needing to book a passage from Aintree. This means that during popular times, such as the Mersey River Festival in June, boaters have the alternative of mooring on the main line of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to access the city centre attractions about a mile away.

 

With only 45 Liverpool Waterfront visitor berths available in Salthouse Docks, this will mean many more boaters will be able to enjoy the city, adding vibrancy to the canal through Sefton and North Liverpool.

 

Steve Bergquist, customer operations manager with the Canal & River Trust, explained: “This new arrangement is a huge step forward and it’s great that in the canal’s bicentenary year, many more boaters will be able to enjoy the fantastic facilities on offer in this amazing city.”

 

Roger Homewood and his two friends, John Owen and Chris Long, are all major converts to Liverpool as a boating destination. The three of them all brought their boats down the link last October to enjoy a week moored in Salthouse Dock.

Roger said: “I hadn’t ventured into Liverpool at all until five years ago. I came on the train for a walk round and decided at that point to bring the boats in. This is my fourth time in three years and my second this year. I don’t get tired of it.

 

“In terms of boating, it is a very, very interesting journey. And considering you are coming through the outer suburbs of a city, it’s a nice, friendly and interesting destination.”

 

Roger and John recommend staying overnight at Bridge 10 at Melling, Holmes Swing Bridge, next to the Bootle Arms, before coming down the Liverpool Link.

 

Favourite visitor attractions include the World Museum, Maritime Museum, the free guided tour around the excavated 300 year old Pier Head docks, and a trip on the Mersey Ferry over to Birkenhead and a train to Chester. Roger’s advice to other boaters: “Just do it!”

 

Assistance from Liverpool’s cheery volunteer lock keepers is all part of the experience of travelling down the Stanley Lock flight (past the biggest brick-built building in the world, Stanley Tobacco Warehouse).

 

John said: “This is the first time I have brought my own boat but it won’t be the last. The lock keepers were very helpful, very cheerful.”

 

Lee Cox (38) is a volunteer team leader on the Stanley Flight and loves the outdoor life and helping boaters travel through the six locks which connect the end of the Leeds & Liverpool canal to Liverpool’s southern docks.

 

He started volunteering four years ago picking litter but after 12 months became a volunteer lock keeper and has never looked back. He has even got his stepson Mark McCumsekey involved too. He also enjoys being out on the canal bank, keeping it tidy, removing rubbish, painting locks and clearing weeds.

 

Mark said: “There are loads of letters from boaters complementing us and saying how much they appreciate our help. We try to be as helpful as possible. We try and muck in and we’re not afraid of getting our hands dirty.”

 

For more information about the Liverpool Link go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk or to book a passage in advance email: enquires.northwest@canalrivertrust.org.uk.

 

ENDS

 

For further media requests please contact:

Lynn Pegler on 07783 686246

Lynn.pegler@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Edited by Ray T
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Glad to see the 'restrictions' on accessing Liverpool have been eased... however the Tuesday closure still makes it nigh on impossible for us as hirers. I looked at this for our May 2015 trip. We needed an 8 berth boat, and the nearest we could find was at Claymore at Preston Brook. It is within a weeks cruise of Liverpool (..just..) Leaving Preston Brook on the Friday afternoon would have seen us at Wango Lane bridge for the Monday Morning passage to Liverpool. However, with no passages on the Tuesday, we would not have been able to leave Liverpool until Wednesday morning, which would then not have left us enough time to get back to Preston Brook for Thursday Evening/ Friday Morning. Until it is open on a Tuesdsay, we're knackered !

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Glad to see the 'restrictions' on accessing Liverpool have been eased... however the Tuesday closure still makes it nigh on impossible for us as hirers. I looked at this for our May 2015 trip. We needed an 8 berth boat, and the nearest we could find was at Claymore at Preston Brook. It is within a weeks cruise of Liverpool (..just..) Leaving Preston Brook on the Friday afternoon would have seen us at Wango Lane bridge for the Monday Morning passage to Liverpool. However, with no passages on the Tuesday, we would not have been able to leave Liverpool until Wednesday morning, which would then not have left us enough time to get back to Preston Brook for Thursday Evening/ Friday Morning. Until it is open on a Tuesdsay, we're knackered !

It could be worth discussing you plans with Claymore as they might let you hire for an extra day or two. We hired from them many years ago and asked to do 10 days instead of 7 and they were happy to accommodate us.

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Canal Boat Cruises at Riley Green have an 8 berth boat and actually advertise Liverpool as a one week cruise, although I can't see it being any more possible than from Claymore assuming a start on Friday, Saturday or Monday. At either base you should be able to do it in a week with a Monday start, but maybe that's a problem with needing a extra day off work?

 

Another left field choice could be to ask either of them if you could oink up with another hirer and do two one-way cruises over a fortnight? A bit problematic for the hirers but they might be interested in an experiment to see if they could then offer to others?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Does anyone know whether the 08:00 passage is available into the link on Thursdays and whether it's also available locking back onto the canal on Fridays? It says passage both ways on the information page but doesn't specify which times are available on which days.

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Does anyone know whether the 08:00 passage is available into the link on Thursdays and whether it's also available locking back onto the canal on Fridays? It says passage both ways on the information page but doesn't specify which times are available on which days.

Does it not say down Stanley Locks at 8am and up (from Mann Island) at 12.30, every day except Tuesday?

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I got it the wrong way round. Page 5 of the Information Guide tells you.

Ah thanks, just seen it!

 

So basically it's a free run now between Aintree and Stanley locks, not bound by time limits? Are there still CRT staff/volunteers on hand to operate the two swing bridges en route or do they need to be booked additionally now (as I may be single handed)?

 

Also do you know how long it takes from Melling to the top of Stanley locks?

Edited by Philip
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I queried how the bridges would operate with CaRT and this is their answer:

 

'I can confirm that bridges 6 & 9 will be open daily at 9:30 till 10:30 and also 13:00 till 14:00 during the season, there will be one designated team who will travel between bridges during these times to allow customers through, customers could experience delays but we hope this will be minimal as the feedback from our trial in 2015 did not highlight any issues with this element of the procedure.'

 

However, I would assume there is only one team which might mean you arrive at B6 but have to wait because the team is at B9 so by the time you've been let through the window for B9 might have closed. Perhaps someone who experienced the system last year will tell us.

 

CRT did say they are hoping to reinstate the services at Eldonian Village so you could spend 14 days there as well as your 7 in Salthouse. I expect the IWA rally there will concentrate their minds.

Edited by pearley
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Thanks. Plan is to go down on the Thursday of Easter week then back up the Friday morning; work commitments won't allow for a longer stay. I've not actually booked it yet so all depends on whether there are any spaces left for passage along the link and in Salthouse Dock.

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Liverpool is great. I would recommend it to all.

That said, I find this all very odd we went in 2014 as a group of about 10 and came out in a group of about 10.
No problems at all .

On the way out we all had to stop at the second bridge until the CRT van arrived from the first bridge. (Standard key and Push button control bridge) a one man job for a boater but a 2 man job for CRT.

 

Warning
Not all the pontoons were full size, if the wind gets up, as it did for us it can be very very uncomfortable on a short pontoon.

Edited by oboat
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Just to remind everyone.

Magnesium anodes don't last long in salt water.

Just look at the bubbles coming from them on some of the Narrow boats in Salthouse dock!

I think 2 weeks is the maximum advised.

I must admit I didn't give it a thought when we took a winter mooring there 2 years ago. Anodes did last longer than 2 weeks though, but gone after 2 months. I bought one from the Chandlers and hung it down by the prop with a bonding cable too the hull. Seemed to do the trick.
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Last time we went down we moored at hancocks swing bridge the day before going down the next morning, had no problems at all and could watch the bike racing at aintree race course from the canal. But we may of been just lucky, or they new my better half was from Bootle so stayed away.

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Liverpool is great. I would recommend it to all.

That said, I find this all very odd we went in 2014 as a group of about 10 and came out in a group of about 10.

No problems at all .

 

Same here - when we came out last year there were 10-12 boats in front and apart from a longish delay floating around the dock at the first link lock nobody seemed to have any issues. We were last and followed all the boats in front who were taking turns to open the swing bridges. We never had to take a turn despite some boats mooring up along the route and we were still only in second place when we arrived at the Ship at Heskayne. I have no idea why CRT need to open the bridges from Aintree to Liverpool. I wonder if, in the fullness of time, it will be unrestricted.

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This is Good news for us boaters, and a great example of a Restoration scheme paying back.

Maybe the "It will never happen, there's no point it doesn't go anywhere" brigade should give it a try.

I would highly recommend the Philhamonic on Hope street great real ale and even the Gents are Listed

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Allegedly, the reason that the first 2 bridges, (Hancock & netherton) have to be operated by CRT is because they are main ambulance routes. Whether this is fact I have no idea.

Sort of what we were told. A major hospital either side of Hancock's, three or more schools. On our first visit all six boats waiting had to be untied, out in the channel and ready to go the minute the bridge started to open. The man from CRT (actually BW then) said that being harangued by angry mothers late getting their kids to School was common.

  • Greenie 1
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