Tardebigge locks direction

[Kent Tool]

We are planning a circular trip from Overwater Marina to Tewkesbury and wish to take the Tardebigge Locks in one direction and the Severn in the other. So which direction, up or down, the locks is the most convenient? We will be traveling the Bank Holiday week and the first two weeks of June.

[Dave_P]

We are planning a circular trip from Overwater Marina to Tewkesbury and wish to take the Tardebigge Locks in one direction and the Severn in the other. So which direction, up or down, the locks is the most convenient? We will be traveling the Bank Holiday week and the first two weeks of June.

IMO locks are easier going up. Rivers are easier going down. If you have time, do the Gloucester and Sharpness too. It's well worth it.

Edited November 14, 2016 by Dave_P

[___]

We are planning a circular trip from Overwater Marina to Tewkesbury and wish to take the Tardebigge Locks in one direction and the Severn in the other. So which direction, up or down, the locks is the most convenient? We will be traveling the Bank Holiday week and the first two weeks of June.

Do you mean a circular via the Avon and Stratford or back up the Severn to Stourport?

 

I wouldn't think it particularly matters which way you tackle Tardebigge and would give more thought to the river sections.

 

JP

[spadefoot]

If you start at the bottom, it's most convenient to do them in an uphill direction. And vice versa.

[NB Lola]

I prefer going down locks, something to do with boat movement in a filling lock for me.

[NickF]

Not a big deal at Tardebigge, marginally easier going down but I would consider river sections and let that dictate my direction of travel.

[Sea Dog]

We moor not far from the bottom, so we're fairly regular 'Tardebiggers'. Such a question never even crossed my mind and, now that it has, I can't for the life of me say whether I prefer up or down. I'd be inclined to base my choice of direction on the river transit or, more likely, where the better stops work out to be for the clockwise and anticlockwise routes.

[Neil2]

I'd go straight down to Tewkesbury and then see how much time you have left. Then you leave options open for the route back through Birmingham.

 

Unless of course you are thinking of doing the Avon as part of this circuit but I doubt you could do that in two weeks.

 

Tardebigge locks are fast fillers so up or down don't make much difference it's more to do with the traffic and whether you get lucky.

 

 

[Chewbacka]

IMO locks are easier going up. Rivers are easier going down. If you have time, do the Gloucester and Sharpness too. It's well worth it.

If you are thinking of going down to Gloucester - it is an interesting city - call Gloucester lock in the new year as the lock is shut for a few hours if the tide is high enough (Spring tides) to go over the weir at Gloucester - You do not want to be in the parting until the river has calmed down. Depending upon river levels, tides etc (speed of river flow) it can take a couple of hours longer going North than South.

 

http://www.gloucesterharbourtrustees.org.uk/pdf/Boaters_Guide_(1).pdf

 

Don't plan on mooring on the river during bank holiday weekends in a narrowboat, I doubt you will find a space long enough.

 

Also check River levels nearer the time as prolonged wet or dry weather will limit opening hours.

 

Added

1) The guide linked to above is quite old and a bit out of date for example it states a pump-out as £10, and does not mention Sainsburys as you leave Gloucester heading south.

2) The two hours trip difference I mentioned above is Gloucester to Tewkesbury as +1 and Tewkesbury to Worcester also +1 depending on flow.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Chewbacka

[___]

I'd go straight down to Tewkesbury and then see how much time you have left. Then you leave options open for the route back through Birmingham.

 

Unless of course you are thinking of doing the Avon as part of this circuit but I doubt you could do that in two weeks.

 

Tardebigge locks are fast fillers so up or down don't make much difference it's more to do with the traffic and whether you get lucky.

 

It reads as though it is three weeks which is ample time to do the ring via the Avon. Stratford to Tewkesbury is the equivalent of two days cruising in net transit time. Tewkesbury to Worcester is one and it really isn't worth breaking that journey unless you have a particular desire to see Upton-on-Severn.

 

Tardebigge locks never seem to be very busy outside of peak hire season and even then it's pretty much only Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons when you are likely to see any number of boats on the flight. I think a lot of folk choose to stay either above or below them.

 

JP

[Mal in Somerset]

It's definitely a lot easier doing the Severn downstream particularly if the river is running a bit. Earlier this year we went to the Upton Jazz Festival. The river was still on amber when we left Diglis and we made Upton in no time at all. Winding under Upton bridge was exciting particularly when the boat is travelling sideways faster than it normally goes forward. After the festival we travelled back up to Stourport and our Beta 43 found it fairly hard work even though the river was just back on green by then. (Edited: Just checked log - Diglis to Upton 2 hours downstream, 4.5 hours upstream!)

 

Tardebigge locks are really pleasant either way. We normally moor at Stoke Green (Boat and Railway) at the bottom and aim for Hopwood at the top (or vice versa). The Tardebigge flight itself takes us just over 4 hours with no traffic rising to 41/2 to 5 hours if busy, (although we have done it without seeing another moving boat all day). That's with one driving and one locking, so with the trip through Alvechurch at one end and the 5 Stoke locks at the other, Stoke Green to Hopwood makes the day about 7 to 8 hours.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Mal in Somerset

[PaulG]

I agree. If there's any "fresh" in the river, then it is better going downstream from Stourport.

Obviously it will take some time to get from Overwater to Stourport, and conditions on the Severn can change pretty quickly, so I'd suggest going this way round, just in case.

As others have said, Tardebigge is much the same in either direction, not much in it really.

[Neil2]

It reads as though it is three weeks which is ample time to do the ring via the Avon. Stratford to Tewkesbury is the equivalent of two days cruising in net transit time. Tewkesbury to Worcester is one and it really isn't worth breaking that journey unless you have a particular desire to see Upton-on-Severn.

 

Tardebigge locks never seem to be very busy outside of peak hire season and even then it's pretty much only Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons when you are likely to see any number of boats on the flight. I think a lot of folk choose to stay either above or below them.

 

JP

 

Yes you could do it in two days but IMHO that would be the wrong way to cruise that river. By all means blast down the Severn it's boring but you really want time to linger on the Avon.

[___]

Yes you could do it in two days but IMHO that would be the wrong way to cruise that river. By all means blast down the Severn it's boring but you really want time to linger on the Avon.

Which is why I said 'two days equivalent net'. But I disagree there is any such thing as the right or wrong way to spend your own leisure time. I did the Avon in less than 48 hours at the end of the summer. It was either that or go via the 105 locks from Stratford to Droitwich by canal including a sixth passage of Tardebigge in the space of 9 months.

 

JP

[john6767]

 

Yes you could do it in two days but IMHO that would be the wrong way to cruise that river. By all means blast down the Severn it's boring but you really want time to linger on the Avon.

I agree blast the Severn but take your time on the Avon. The Avon locks are a lot easier going down, the Severn it slower upstream but no harder, so given choice i would go that way

[ditchcrawler]

I agree blast the Severn but take your time on the Avon. The Avon locks are a lot easier going down, the Severn it slower upstream but no harder, so given choice i would go that way

I am getting confused here, if the OP is going down the Severn to Tewkesbury I cant see how he can do Tardebigge without coming back up the Severn to Worcester as the Avon would take him to Stratford

[FadeToScarlet]

I'd prefer going down, but only because the gates have beautiful round strapping posts that it's an absolute joy to use, and you get good at it by the time you get to the bottom.

[john6767]

I am getting confused here, if the OP is going down the Severn to Tewkesbury I cant see how he can do Tardebigge without coming back up the Severn to Worcester as the Avon would take him to Stratford

You are right it is not clear exactly what route the OP is talking about, I was mainly responding to others comments about both the Severn and Avon.

[Neil2]

I am getting confused here, if the OP is going down the Severn to Tewkesbury I cant see how he can do Tardebigge without coming back up the Severn to Worcester as the Avon would take him to Stratford

 

We were surmising that he might be heading down to King's Norton junction and doing a circuit from there.

 

If that is the case then you would almost certainly go clockwise to avoid locking up the Avon.

[ditchcrawler]

 

We were surmising that he might be heading down to King's Norton junction and doing a circuit from there.

 

If that is the case then you would almost certainly go clockwise to avoid locking up the Avon.

If doing the Avon I would rather do it down hill, Much easier than pushing against the flow and easier up the Severn.

[Mrs Trackman]

Years ago, we used to hire from TTardebigge with school children. We always started off down the locks, by the time we were in Worcester the children all knew how to do locks-& had used up surplus energy and were totally enthused by canals. We always timed them and raved about the time they'd taken. No one bothered to remember how long the last group had taken!