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York to Ripon


KenK

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When we start cruising again in March we will start from Skipton and head to York. The boat is 60 feet long and according to Nicholson's the locks from York to Ripon are 57 feet but they are broad locks.

Does anyone know (not guess) if you can get a 60 foot boat up to Ripon?

Thanks in advance

Ken

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Yes definitely 60 ft we had fun on the Bingley 5 trying to open the gates.

Thanks for the info I'll see if we can aquire a copy of Imrays book, be a shame to come all this way and not complete the eastern side. Great so far I love retirement.

 

Ken

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Can also give a yes definitely you will get a 60' boat to Ripon, although with the usual diagonal across the lock approach. Hopefully they have carried out some maintenance on Oxclose Lock but if they haven't be aware that it can be a PITA to operate. When we passed through the water was leaking under the top gate cill at a fair old rate. Going up it was difficult to empty the lock enough to open the bottom gates to get into the lock, and coming down the force of the water coming under the cill pinned my boat against the lock wall so I couldn't reverse the boat to open the bottom gate. Fortunately there was a helpful couple of guys on the lockside who I threw a rope to to pull the stern out of the water flow coming under the cill, without their assistance I'd have had to refill the lock and reposition the boat in the lock.

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Thanks for the replies, we drove over to Ripon yesterday before heading home for Christmas. Looked at the last lock and at the end of the canal, lock looks doable but the end of the canal is not exactly inspiring, especially in the cold and rain. I couldn't see anywhere to moor or any reason to although the church is very impressive. Probably turn into another Lancaster canal moment, reached the end just to at we had.

Ken

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Plenty of mooring in the basin at the very end. Ripon has plenty to see and do. You would struggle to do it justice in the 48 hours you are only supposed to stay. 

On 12/12/2017 at 16:16, KenK said:

Thanks for the info I'll see if we can aquire a copy of Imrays book, be a shame to come all this way and not complete the eastern side. Great so far I love retirement.

Ken

A bargain

https://www.amazon.co.uk/North-East-Waterways-Derek-Bowskill/dp/0852880995

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5 minutes ago, pearley said:

Plenty of mooring in the basin at the very end. Ripon has plenty to see and do. You would struggle to do it justice in the 48 hours you are only supposed to stay. 

Just had another look on Google maps, the basin looks so much better in the photo on streetview taken on a sunny day in Spring. 

It is difficult to be inspired when its throwing it down and freezing to boot. Yorkshire has not been kind to us so far, we spent September and early October there and it rained every day at some point, OK sometimes when we were in bed. Next years aim is to cover all the rivers and canals on the eastern side of the country starting in the North and heading slowly south so as it seems we can do it we will and hopefully we'll echo your view of Ripon, sunshine would be a bonus.

 

Ken

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5 hours ago, KenK said:

Thanks for the replies, we drove over to Ripon yesterday before heading home for Christmas. Looked at the last lock and at the end of the canal, lock looks doable but the end of the canal is not exactly inspiring, especially in the cold and rain. I couldn't see anywhere to moor or any reason to although the church is very impressive. Probably turn into another Lancaster canal moment, reached the end just to at we had.

Ken

We were there in the summer and it was fine, I've certainly been to worse canal termini (Slough Arm!). The mooring was OK too, just a few yards back from the end of the canal. One ritual I'd certainly recommend whilst in Ripon (if you haven't already seen it) is the 9pm 'setting of the watch' by the Ripon Hornblower (Wakeman). I'm prepared to be corrected but I believe it is the oldest continuous ceremony in the world since it started back in 886. They still have the horn presented by Alfred the Great (although no longer used in the ceremony).

Edited by Wanderer Vagabond
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On ‎15‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 17:26, pearley said:

Plenty of mooring in the basin at the very end. Ripon has plenty to see and do. You would struggle to do it justice in the 48 hours you are only supposed to stay. 

A bargain

https://www.amazon.co.uk/North-East-Waterways-Derek-Bowskill/dp/0852880995

The moorings in the basin are only 48 hours. However there are several other places to moor near to the town, The sanitary station mooring will accommodate a 60ft boat then there's the wooden jetty just up from the boat club. Another decent mooring is on the offside immediately above Bell Furrows Lock (2nd last) and the towpath side too.

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1 hour ago, Midnight said:

The moorings in the basin are only 48 hours. However there are several other places to moor near to the town, The sanitary station mooring will accommodate a 60ft boat then there's the wooden jetty just up from the boat club. Another decent mooring is on the offside immediately above Bell Furrows Lock (2nd last) and the towpath side too.

When we stayed there 5 or 6 years ago we were warned not to overstay or a Councillor who lived opposite would report us. As we were the only boat there we stayed 3 days with no problem. Afterwards I wrote to BW/CRT pointing out the stupidity of such a short stay given the few boats who actually get there and how much there is to do in the area. Their response was that it was the council who imposed the time limit it. I wrote to Ripon Town Council who replied to the effect that it wasn't them either and forwarded my email to the local Tourist Board. After that I heard no more. 

I take your point about the other moorings. We did moor at the sanitary station on our first visit as that was then the end of navigation. However, as one gets older there is a certain reluctance to walk further than necessary. 

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