Yorkshire

[ramblin]

Title says it all!

 

Just wondering what the mooring / ccing situation is around West/south yorks.

 

I may be interested in getting hull made in the area and fitting for basic home for a year or two but from what I've read the live aboard situation seems really precarious at the moment and complying with crt policy/finding mooring seems the main problem.

 

Do crt consistently apply cc policy across network or are some areas, namely yorks, more live-aboard friendly than say London Oxford etc?

 

Any tips for possible reasonable moorings/marinas or general insights into life afloat in the area would be greatly appreciated!

 

Could procuring a new hull help to get somewhere to store boat as I'd need at least a month to paint, line etc?

 

C

[Dave Payne]

Rules is rules, please dont think you get away with it more in certain places, this is not the right way to start your life on the cut.

 

Its easier to stay within the rules in some parts of the network, say Brum, or i find it easy cruising the coventry and ashby to stay within the rules and not on the naughty list in CRT towers.

[ramblin]

Hi david, I don't intend to but it does sound like the guidance is hazey to say the least and liable to change. I envisage either getting a mooring or ccing around sw yorks doing much more than 25 in a year. My thinking was more along the lines of are you more likely to get loads of hassle in busy areas and it does seem from the outside that crt are essentially trying to do away with live aboards, or at least to make it as unattractive as possible.

Edited October 28, 2016 by ramblin

[Naughty Cal]

CRT are not trying to "do away" with liveaboards, you have completely the wrong end of the stick there. What they are trying to do is to get ALL boaters to comply with the few very simple terms and conditions of their licence.

 

It should be fairly easy to stick within the CCing guidelines on the Yorkshire waterways, there are plenty of them to choose from.

 

One thing to bear in mind is that a lot of the designated visitor moorings in the area are 24 or 48 hour moorings so you will have to move on a regular basis if you plan to use these.

[Dave_P]

West Yorkshire is a great place to cc. I did it myself for a while. Reasons for this include:

 

1. Quiet canals leading to less pressure on moorings.

2. Canals tend to follow railway lines making commuting and the 'car shuffle' easy.

3. Lovely countryside.

4. Great pubs!

 

A typical cruising pattern could be:

 

1. Slaithwaite

2. Linthwaite

3. Huddersfield

4. Brighouse

5. Elland

6. Salterhebble

7. Sowerby Bridge

8. Mytholmroyd

9. Hebden Bridge

10.Todmorden

11. Hebden Bridge

12. Mytholmroyd

13. Sowerby Bridge

14. Salterhebble

15. Elland

16. Brighouse

17. Mirfield

18. Dewsbury

19. Wakefield

20. Dewsbury

21. MIrfield

23. Huddersfield

24. Linthwaite

25. Slaithwaite

 

With a 14 day stop at each point it would pretty much take a year to get back to where you started and you'd only be covering a small part of West Yorkshire. You could also go exploring the Aire and Calder to Castleford, Goole and Leeds. The L&L through Leeds to Saltaire and beyond. You also have the S&SY down to Sheffield.

 

Really great area to go boating and hardly anyone up there.

[ramblin]

I got that from news articles... "Boating family unable to educate children due to crt harassment" type of thing!

[Naughty Cal]

I got that from news articles... "Boating family unable to educate children due to crt harassment" type of thing!

Perhaps read the CRT terms and conditions and not the news

West Yorkshire is a great place to cc. I did it myself for a while. Reasons for this include:

 

1. Quiet canals leading to less pressure on moorings.

2. Canals tend to follow railway lines making commuting and the 'car shuffle' easy.

3. Lovely countryside.

4. Great pubs!

 

A typical cruising pattern could be:

 

1. Slaithwaite

2. Linthwaite

3. Huddersfield

4. Brighouse

5. Elland

6. Salterhebble

7. Sowerby Bridge

8. Mytholmroyd

9. Hebden Bridge

10.Todmorden

11. Hebden Bridge

12. Mytholmroyd

13. Sowerby Bridge

14. Salterhebble

15. Elland

16. Brighouse

17. Mirfield

18. Dewsbury

19. Wakefield

20. Dewsbury

21. MIrfield

23. Huddersfield

24. Linthwaite

25. Slaithwaite

 

With a 14 day stop at each point it would pretty much take a year to get back to where you started and you'd only be covering a small part of West Yorkshire. You could also go exploring the Aire and Calder to Castleford, Goole and Leeds. The L&L through Leeds to Saltaire and beyond. You also have the S&SY down to Sheffield.

 

Really great area to go boating and hardly anyone up there.

Lets not forget the Selby canal and the Trent and Ouse are also within easy reach.

[ramblin]

Awesome dave, it's nice to hear something encouraging! I know there's loads of canals and great countryside up north and was hoping it wouldn't be as hard to settle or cruise as the south.

[David Mack]

I got that from news articles... "Boating family unable to educate children due to crt harassment" type of thing!

 

CRT guidance and BW guidance before it have long made it clear that being tied to a particular location for work or education does not exempt you from the requirement to follow the continuous cruiser requirements if that is what you are licenced as. So you either CC properly, and accept the extra travelling to work/school/college that this implies, get yourself a home mooring where you can stay much of the time (and if you also move from time to time your home mooring does not have to be officially residential), or you don't live on a boat.

 

As Dave_P and NC have pointed out, the public transport connections in and around West Yorkshire make commuting from a wide area much easier than in some parts of the country.

[Robbo]

Finding a home mooring in Yorkshire should be fairly easy as even on CRT's site they come up quite regularly. Even if CCing there is plenty of canals to explore.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Could procuring a new hull help to get somewhere to store boat as I'd need at least a month to paint, line etc?

 

C

 

Very true - at least a month !!

 

Don't underestimate the amount of work, especially if you are trying to liveboard at the same time. It would not be unrealistic to say that 1 year would not be unreasonable (unless you were not working and spending all day everyday fitting out - then you may do it in 6 months)

 

Ask the question on here "how long to do a fit out" and see what responses you get from people who have done it.

[Dave_P]

Awesome dave, it's nice to hear something encouraging! I know there's loads of canals and great countryside up north and was hoping it wouldn't be as hard to settle or cruise as the south.

I have no evidence other than what I've seen and heard but I feel the enforcement approach is probably a little more laid back in Yorkshire than in London, Oxford, or Bath. Not saying that you can take the piss but so long as you plod about from one place to the next fairly steadily, you should be fine. I suspect you'd be ok just going up and down Calderdale from Brighouse to the Summit, although that would be slightly under CRTs suggested minimum cruising range, so don't quote me! You'd be fit from doing all those locks though!

[mrsmelly]

I got that from news articles... "Boating family unable to educate children due to crt harassment" type of thing!

 

Its nothing to do with CART harrasing anybody, it is far more to do with some modern boaters views that boating is a cheap lifestyle and not complying with the very few very basic easy to comply with rules. In short and I have said it time and time again over many liveaboard years to many people it is NOT a cheap way to live. I have roughly worked out the cost of living on a steel narrowboat costs similar to living in a 2/3 bed house ASSUMING ownership in both cases. There is no more problem getting kids to school for a family living on a boat than there are families confined to houses, its more down to attitude.

 

Tim

[ramblin]

Sure, I can imagine things would get pretty crazy on the cut with no regs and have no intent to take the pass but my fear is that the licence conditions are not clearly defined or enshrined in law. Presumably crt policy will to some extent adapt to the demand on the network, which must cast a shadow of doubt over the boating community.

 

Someone suggested to estimate time and cost then double it or something for fitouts so yup I think a month is optimistic! Will call a few builders and see what their storage arrangements are like.

 

Understood about the costs. In my case I'm going to relocate to yorks as housing is insane where I am. The options appear to be buying a small terrace in rough area or doing the nb thing. The latter sounds far more appealing and I think im compatible with a nomadic lifestyle so 90% sold

Edited October 28, 2016 by ramblin

[mayalld]

Sure, I can imagine things would get pretty crazy on the cut with no regs and have no intent to take the pass but my fear is that the licence conditions are not clearly defined or enshrined in law. Presumably crt policy will to some extent adapt to the demand on the network, which must cast a shadow of doubt over the boating community.

 

 

Nope, it casts a shadow of doubt over those who want it both ways.

 

If you want to be in 1 place, get a mooring

If you want to be all over the place don't.

 

Claim to be going all over the place but actually staying in pretty much the same place, and say goodbye.

 

The moment you start asking "how far do I need to move to be OK", you are on the slippery slope, because you are saying that you want to be in 1 place but move as little as you need to in order to get away with it.

[Naughty Cal]

Sure, I can imagine things would get pretty crazy on the cut with no regs and have no intent to take the pass but my fear is that the licence conditions are not clearly defined or enshrined in law. Presumably crt policy will to some extent adapt to the demand on the network, which must cast a shadow of doubt over the boating community.

 

Someone suggested to estimate time and cost then double it or something for fitouts so yup I think a month is optimistic! Will call a few builders and see what their storage arrangements are like.

 

Understood about the costs. In my case I'm going to relocate to yorks as housing is insane where I am. The options appear to be buying a small terrace in rough area or doing the nb thing. The latter sounds far more appealing and I think im compatible with a nomadic lifestyle so 90% sold

No.

Sure, I can imagine things would get pretty crazy on the cut with no regs and have no intent to take the pass but my fear is that the licence conditions are not clearly defined or enshrined in law. Presumably crt policy will to some extent adapt to the demand on the network, which must cast a shadow of doubt over the boating community.

 

Someone suggested to estimate time and cost then double it or something for fitouts so yup I think a month is optimistic! Will call a few builders and see what their storage arrangements are like.

 

Understood about the costs. In my case I'm going to relocate to yorks as housing is insane where I am. The options appear to be buying a small terrace in rough area or doing the nb thing. The latter sounds far more appealing and I think im compatible with a nomadic lifestyle so 90% sold

Time to take the rose tinted specs off!

[Neil2]

I don't think CRT take a different attitude to enforcing the regs depending on the waterway, in fact on some of the quieter canals a CCer flounting the rules would be more obvious. Some years ago we were forced off our home mooring by the water shortage on the Leeds Liverpool, - we were advised by BW to move as they couldn't maintain the water level in the pound - so we left the boat moored on the towpath of a lower pound during this period of a few weeks and someone reported us.

[Naughty Cal]

I don't think CRT take a different attitude to enforcing the regs depending on the waterway, in fact on some of the quieter canals a CCer flounting the rules would be more obvious. Some years ago we were forced off our home mooring by the water shortage on the Leeds Liverpool, - we were advised by BW to move as they couldn't maintain the water level in the pound - so we left the boat moored on the towpath of a lower pound during this period of a few weeks and someone reported us.

The EO has been very active on the Fossdyke and Witham this year which we see as a good thing as there were a few who were blatantly taking the pish. Much less so now.

[ramblin]

Believe me my specs aren't rose tinted!!! I I fully appreciate the warts as well as the romance associated with less conventional lifestyles, though it's probably safe to say such lifestyles are incompatible with most people's way of living and commitments. Maybe a case of too many expecting their cake after eating it!

 

It's been really useful to hear your feedback because I had developed a an apparently skewed perspective of the cc situation. Which is probably much like the van dwelling types in places such a Cornwall... Those that chose to live in such a way and don't mind the inconvenience of it get on very well with the local council police etc, and are respectful so they are let be. On the other hand if you decide to park 7tonne of scrap metal outside a million pound home, and live in it full time then the council vosa police etc will make life very difficult!

Edited October 28, 2016 by ramblin

[Dave Payne]

Ramblin, do it, I'm one year in now and loving it, the important part is understanding the terms of your licence, keep moving and stay of crt's radar and you will be fine.

 

Also read up a lot, on here, blogs and anything else you can learn from to better understand what's in store for you.

 

It's a great life!

[Alan de Enfield]

........... but my fear is that the licence conditions are not clearly defined or enshrined in law.......

 

The licence conditions ARE clearly defined in law (the 1995 British Waterways Act), the problem is that with people taking the 'urine' C&RT have an uphill battle enforcing the law, C&RT have been known to put their own interpretation onto the law in order to try and enforce what they want / need / see as the requirements.

 

There have been a couple of threads on the subject on this forum, however both recently been 'closed' and we are not allowed to discuss them, but we can discuss 'canal law' in general if you wish to pose a specific question.

[ramblin]

Ramblin, do it, I'm one year in now and loving it, the important part is understanding the terms of your licence, keep moving and stay of crt's radar and you will be fine.

Also read up a lot, on here, blogs and anything else you can learn from to better understand what's in store for you.

It's a great life!

Cheers david!

[ramblin]

The licence conditions ARE clearly defined in law (the 1995 British Waterways Act), the problem is that with people taking the 'urine' C&RT have an uphill battle enforcing the law, C&RT have been known to put their own interpretation onto the law in order to try and enforce what they want / need / see as the requirements.

 

There have been a couple of threads on the subject on this forum, however both recently been 'closed' and we are not allowed to discuss them, but we can discuss 'canal law' in general if you wish to pose a specific question.

The current situation/requirements are clear and if do go cc route will keep logs etc and cruise in the spirit of the law.

 

Is there any info on the future of legislation / guidelines? I've read that a review was authorised in 2013 (wiki continuous cruiser) but has not been utilised.

[Alan de Enfield]

The current situation/requirements are clear and if do go cc route will keep logs etc and cruise in the spirit of the law.

 

Is there any info on the future of legislation / guidelines? I've read that a review was authorised in 2013 (wiki continuous cruiser) but has not been utilised.

 

I can see no chance of any new legislation in the next few years - parliament has its hands full with those 'noisy neighbours' over the channel, they won't be concerned about making living on the canals easier for a few hundred 'drop out hippies'.

[mrsmelly]

 

I can see no chance of any new legislation in the next few years - parliament has its hands full with those 'noisy neighbours' over the channel, they won't be concerned about making living on the canals easier for a few hundred 'drop out hippies'.

 

" Drop out Hippies " I will have you know I am " Canal Trash " and proud of it and even have a T shirt to prove it!!

 

Tim