Bridgewater Canal

[Horace42]

 

A 7-day Bridgewater licence, for CRT-licensed boats wanting to stay on the Bridgewater for longer than their free 7 days, costs £40. Boats with permanent moorings on the Bridgewater need an annual Bridgewater licence, which allows them a certain amount of free use of certain nearby stretches of CRT waterways. I don't know the details, but you could look into it on their website if you like:

 

http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/boating/licensing

Thanks. I went to the link. I couldn't find any info on 7-day licenses other than an annual one at £135 to £295 (depending on length - with a nasty £150 penalty for late payment) with concessions for 7 days.

It's all academic to me. Regretfully we are not likely to make our way that far up north - as much as we would like to - but it is interesting to keep informed.

[StarUKKiwi]

Hmm, Liverpool is on my to do list. How active are they at logging boats, what's the chances of being logged going from Rochdale Canal to Wigan in a day, possibly 2? Take a chance and cough up for a visitor permit on the way back if collared. Cart say they are in discussion with Peel, wonder what their agenda is?

Very easy, they log you at each entrance - it is a way for Peel to generate money

[JohnEW2912]

Thanks. I went to the link. I couldn't find any info on 7-day licenses other than an annual one at £135 to £295 (depending on length - with a nasty £150 penalty for late payment) with concessions for 7 days.

It's all academic to me. Regretfully we are not likely to make our way that far up north - as much as we would like to - but it is interesting to keep informed.

 

It's only 6 days cruising from Tamworth to the Bridgewater.

[jam]

Very easy, they log you at each entrance - it is a way for Peel to generate money

How do they manage that with 3 entrances and one EO?

Edited June 4, 2016 by jam

[Richard10002]

How do they manage that with 3 entrances and one EO?

 

Thats what I thought? The enforcement of the rule relys on you being seen, and recorded, on the Bridgewater en route to Liverpool, and being seen again on the return trip. By one guy.

 

Personally, I would pay the £40. CRT only allow Bridgewater licence holders 7 days, with distance limits, but no apparent return time limit. They do allow 14 days if travelling on the Liverpool Link, (which I understand is recorded as you have to book?

[Cheshire cat]

There are now a group of boats resident on the bottom most part of the Rochdale. Previously they would have been on the Bridgewater. I think it is another case of the masses taking the rap for the few.

 

I saw the EO knocking off at half past four on Tuesday evening.

[Richard10002]

I thought there was talk of offering permanent moorings to boats at Castlefield?

[Horace42]

It's only 6 days cruising from Tamworth to the Bridgewater.

It was not just the trip to the Bridgewater as such - it is quite a nice trip from Polesworth.- although we would probably take twice that long. We had a big loop in mind - Leeds & Liverpool and back via the Trent (or Nene) - but the number of locks puts us off - and tidal waters.

I very much regret that our age has brought with it physical limitations that we would be silly not to recognise we risk serious injury by accident if we take on too much.

We did plan to do it a couple of years ago - when we had a keen boating friend and his wife to help. A crew of 4 makes an incredible difference when there are lots of locks - but fate dealt a wicked blow and he died last year.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we paid £26 to pass through the Rochdale locks 20 years ago - in fact to be exact they were with us then, and it was he who actually paid cash out of his own pocket. It closes a chapter so to speak.

We set our sights locally now.

[magictime]

It was not just the trip to the Bridgewater as such - it is quite a nice trip from Polesworth.- although we would probably take twice that long. We had a big loop in mind - Leeds & Liverpool and back via the Trent (or Nene) - but the number of locks puts us off - and tidal waters.

I very much regret that our age has brought with it physical limitations that we would be silly not to recognise we risk serious injury by accident if we take on too much.

We did plan to do it a couple of years ago - when we had a keen boating friend and his wife to help. A crew of 4 makes an incredible difference when there are lots of locks - but fate dealt a wicked blow and he died last year.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we paid £26 to pass through the Rochdale locks 20 years ago - in fact to be exact they were with us then, and it was he who actually paid cash out of his own pocket. It closes a chapter so to speak.

We set our sights locally now.

 

I completely take your point regarding that big, ambitious loop, but it's maybe worth making the point that once you get north of Middlewich, the cruise up to and including the Bridgewater would be virtually lock-free. In fact it would arguably make a nice break from locking if done as a detour from the Four Counties Ring, if you consider that part of your local cruising area.

Edited June 5, 2016 by magictime

[Cheshire cat]

The Bridgewater is lovely at this time of year and so wide and deep. A true luxury, The rochdale 9 are a shock to the system after this especially the eighth lock which sadly, is a truly shocking place to be.

[Horace42]

 

I completely take your point regarding that big, ambitious loop, but it's maybe worth making the point that once you get north of Middlewich, the cruise up to and including the Bridgewater would be virtually lock-free. In fact it would arguably make a nice break from locking if done as a detour from the Four Counties Ring, if you consider that part of your local cruising area.

Yes you are right. Although we have 'Heartbreak Hill' from Harecastle/Kidsgrove and they really get us down metaphorically and literally/) but a trip on the Weaver via the Anderton Lift is a worthwhile detour.

And as an aside, re that trip, and totally off-topic, our 30 year old BL1500 engine went dead on us - goodness knows why at the time - but it turned out to be the 1/2" drive shaft inside the diesel injector pump had snapped - but luckily only 200 yds from home on the return trip.

We dread to think what might have happened to us had it broke on the Weaver.

[homer2911]

Presumably not as it specifically says 7 consecutive days.It's going to make it difficult to visit Liverpool now.

Nonsense. Preston Brook to well beyond Waters Meeting is very do-able in one day let alone seven

[DeanS]

Unfortunately, the canal businesses on the Bridgewater have lost about £1000 of business/year from me due to the enforcement. Not a lot, but it all adds up I'm sure.
If you want some "real" boating...mooring in out the way places...far from the noise of the city...going up the Rochdale is awesome...

[magictime]

Nonsense. Preston Brook to well beyond Waters Meeting is very do-able in one day let alone seven

 

Yes, but it's the 'no return within 28 days' rule that's worrying people. If you travel via the Bridgewater to Liverpool and then turn around and head back, you might well be back on the Bridgewater long before 28 days have elapsed.

[Keeping Up]

Yes, but it's the 'no return within 28 days' rule that's worrying people. If you travel via the Bridgewater to Liverpool and then turn around and head back, you might well be back on the Bridgewater long before 28 days have elapsed.

Exactly!

[Mike Todd]

It was not just the trip to the Bridgewater as such - it is quite a nice trip from Polesworth.- although we would probably take twice that long. We had a big loop in mind - Leeds & Liverpool and back via the Trent (or Nene) - but the number of locks puts us off - and tidal waters.

I very much regret that our age has brought with it physical limitations that we would be silly not to recognise we risk serious injury by accident if we take on too much.

We did plan to do it a couple of years ago - when we had a keen boating friend and his wife to help. A crew of 4 makes an incredible difference when there are lots of locks - but fate dealt a wicked blow and he died last year.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we paid £26 to pass through the Rochdale locks 20 years ago - in fact to be exact they were with us then, and it was he who actually paid cash out of his own pocket. It closes a chapter so to speak.

We set our sights locally now.

Not quite sure how you get to Nene from L&L without going on Trent and GU or out to sea.

[TheBiscuits]

Not quite sure how you get to Nene from L&L without going on Trent and GU or out to sea.

 

Take the M1 to Northampton ...

[Horace42]

Not quite sure how you get to Nene from L&L without going on Trent and GU or out to sea.

Nor are we. But we had a 'ring' in mind when talking about it a few years ago but apparently it is not possible without going on unknown tidal water - which terrifies my wife - so any tidal river is not acceptable - and certainly a sea route is out of the question.

[DeanS]

Exactly!

 

Yes, but you can take a left at Wigan, go to Leeds, down through Huddersfield and come back to Manchester on the Ashton.....unless you're a wide beam

[David Mack]

 

Yes, but you can take a left at Wigan, go to Leeds, down through Huddersfield and come back to Manchester on the Ashton.....unless you're a wide beam

Or head back to Manchester via the Calder & Hebble and Rochdale in a wide beam (once they've got the landslip, breach and fallen bridges sorted).

[Keeping Up]

Yes, but you can take a left at Wigan, go to Leeds, down through Huddersfield and come back to Manchester on the Ashton.....unless you're a wide beam

No I can't! Narrow beam but 67 ft long.

[Tim Lewis]

IWA Presss Release:

 

PRESS RELEASE: IWA CAMPAIGNS FOR BRIDGEWATER CANAL LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS

Issue date: 7th June 2016

 

Boaters using the waterways of the North West of England will know that there has long been a reciprocal agreement in place to allow boats licensed on the Bridgewater Canal to access local CRT waterways, and for CRT licence holders to use the Bridgewater Canal to travel between the Rochdale, Trent & Mersey and Leeds & Liverpool Leigh Branch canals, without any additional charge. The Bridgewater Canal Company (BCC) has recently changed the reciprocal agreement and IWA is concerned that this may affect boaters with CRT licences who wish to use the Bridgewater Canal to access other CRT waters for a short period and then return the same way. IWA North West Region is continuing to lobby on behalf of all boaters and businesses in the area in an effort to mitigate any adverse affects from the changes.

 

Current enforcement activity along the Bridgewater Canal already seems to be discouraging CRT licensed boaters from making the transit from Preston Brook to Leigh and Manchester as they may be charged a £40 supplementary licence fee for the return journey. It is expected that if this trend continues the local businesses along the Bridgewater will suffer as visitor numbers reduce.

 

CRT had recently extended the reciprocal agreement to allow additional time for Bridgewater licensed boats to visit Liverpool, and so it is particularly disappointing that there seems to be no 'reciprocation' from BCC to encourage CRT craft to visit the Bridgewater Canal.

 

Mike Carter, IWA North West Region Chairman, said “IWA is campaigning for a system that allows suitably licensed boats to be able to visit all locations surrounding the Bridgewater Canal, including Manchester, Liverpool, Wigan, Blackburn, Middlewich, Barbridge and Kidsgrove. IWA considers that both CRT and BCC should be encouraging visitors to the area by maintaining a reasonable licensing policy that avoids isolating these locations for both Bridgewater and CRT licensed craft”.

 

ENDS

[Horace42]

PRESS RELEASE: IWA CAMPAIGNS FOR BRIDGEWATER CANAL LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS

 

See details previously posted. Issue date: 7th June 2016

Would those likely to be affected by these charges say it was the result of carefully thought out pricing trickery whereby they are designed to make you once for a service that should be free, or make you pay twice for a service you only need once.

That is, inventing a case, the basic period of license is just a fraction short of the time it takes to make a reasonable round trip - thus you pay again if you cant't quite do it in the time.

Like hospital car parking charges. The basic 'free' 15 minutes, allows no time to do anything useful except maybe drop someone off, or one hour never enough to keep am appointment even when on time - so you are forced to buy an extra couple of hours to avoid penalties for overstaying due to their failure to keep to the appointed time - you know what I mean. Clever tricks rather than fairness.

[cuthound]

My understanding is that it has come about because of CRT licenced boats overstaying on the Bridgewater, resulting in stricter enforcement.

 

Another case of the selfish few spoiling it for the many.

[magictime]

It's frustrating that even the IWA press release doesn't make this explicit, but - given that most boaters aren't going to take more than 2-3 days to traverse the Bridgewater - it does sound as if people are being asked to pay £40 if returning within 28 days regardless of whether they've 'used up' their free 7 days.

 

This just makes no sense. Why on earth should you be able to cruise from Preston Brook to Leigh and back for free over the course of 7 consecutive days, but have to pay £40 to make the same trip in the same length of time if split into two parts by a trip to Liverpool, or Wigan, or Plank Lane for that matter? It's not as if you're making additional use of the Bridgewater.