Llangollen overload

[dor]

As reported on Narrowboatworld today, apparently a Planning application has been put in for a 300 boat marina on the Llangollen canal, a short way above Hurleston Junction locks.

 

Given that the Llangollen is considered to be near saturation in the summer, this seems like madness to me. The IWA has expressed concerns, but the local branch are said to be supporting it.

 

I could understand it if it was the other way round, I find it remarkable that the local branch can support such a large marina in a busy area like this. It is not as though there are large numbers of linear moorings (unlike the Shroppie approaching Chester, where another marina is being planned). Holdups at Hurleston are bad enough already in the summer.

[John Orentas]

I would be interested to know to what degree a marina contributes to local congestion, I moor on a canal that is very popular. Being a short trip off the Cheshire Ring we have large numbers of passing boats but on an average day very few of the moorers in the marina take their boats out, and those that do take off for other areas and do not contribute to local congestion at all.

[David Schweizer]

I would be interested to know to what degree a marina contributes to local congestion, I moor on a canal that is very popular.  Being a short trip off the Cheshire Ring we have large numbers of passing boats but on an average day very few of the moorers in the marina take their boats out, and those that do take off for other areas and do not contribute to local congestion at all.

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I used to moor almost opposite Braunston Marina, and I am not aware of it making any significant contribution to the number of boats passing. What does appear to contribute to congestion is too many Hire boats located in one small area, especially when it is on a canal with only one access point. For a while I was moored on the K&A between Bradford on Avon and Bath near my home. I calculated that there were approaching 80 hire boats located within a days cruising from Bradford on Avon, and all of them seemed to want to moor there on every Sunday during the Summer. On top of that we were trying to operate three scheduled afternoon journeys on a trip boat at the same time, sometimes it took us half an hour to get off our mooring and into the lock, a distance of 30 metres!

[bottle]

In the article it mentioned that part of the marina was for a hire boat company.

 

I think the entrance will be just above the reservoir on the llangollen.

[dor]

My experience locally is that marinas close to locks do lead to holdups. At Cholmondeston lock coming south, it is not unusual at weekends to find six or eight boats waiting for the lock, when there was no queue at the previous lock. Whilst it is a deep lock and relatively slow to cycle, boats leaving the marina certainly add to the congestion.

[Jon]

Can anyone confirm the amount of public moorings available in Llangollen itself? When I when a few years ago, there wasn't many. Has this been improved now?

 

Jon

[Liam]

I was in Llangollen 2 weeks ago weighing up the white water rafting. As usual, I ended up on the cut, and it's exactly as it was when I visited a few years earlier.

 

The trip boat is still operating across the aquaduct and there's still horse drawn trip boats going up and down, but as mooring goes for pleasure boats - it's very poor. A shame really, as it's a lovely peice of cut in a nice part of the country.

[NB Willawaw]

Did you go to J.J's Liam ?

 

Mark

 

 

I was in Llangollen 2 weeks ago weighing up the white water rafting. As usual, I ended up on the cut, and it's exactly as it was when I visited a few years earlier.

 

The trip boat is still operating across the aquaduct and there's still horse drawn trip boats going up and down, but as mooring goes for pleasure boats - it's very poor. A shame really, as it's a lovely peice of cut in a nice part of the country.

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[dor]

I was in Llangollen 2 weeks ago weighing up the white water rafting. As usual, I ended up on the cut, and it's exactly as it was when I visited a few years earlier.

 

But what about the new marina with mooring for 30-odd boats?

[John Orentas]

In my experience new marinas don't help the visitor mooring situation at all, make it worse if anything.

 

Llangollen does still have the phenomena of waves of visiting boats, get there on the right day and you will have no problems at all. The trick is to pick the right day, or if you don't just hover about outside the town for a day and the crowds will disappear.

 

But is it really that bad, perhaps I have been lucky but I have never found it that so much of a problem and I have certainly never regretted doing the trip.

Edited April 8, 2005 by John Orentas

[dor]

Try arriving mid-week in early August John!

 

I tend not to go further than Trevor between May & September.

[John Orentas]

Dor quote:

 

"Try arriving mid-week in early August John!"

 

Well thats what I was getting at, those of us that have our own boats have more options, make sure you arrive at the end of the week.

[Liam]

Did you go to J.J's Liam ?

 

Mark

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JJ's ?

[Tim]

Returned from Llangollen last August, arrived at New Marton locks, it was a Sunday afternoon, I was the 14th (yes, fourteenth!!) boat in line to go down. It was certainly a personal best (I can't remember more than 4 or 5 in the past). Anyway, it was a stark reminder about what you can expect here during the summer.