Thames - Wey to K&A - moorings

[Johny London]

I will be cruising from the Wey to the K&A in May - not sure whether to make it a week or a months license. One thing I need to do is more up safely while I go away for a couple of days around mid May, so if I go for the month option, anywhere recommended either free/paid about half way along say between Windsor and Reading?

thanks

[MtB]

4 hours ago, Johny London said:

I will be cruising from the Wey to the K&A in May - not sure whether to make it a week or a months license. One thing I need to do is more up safely while I go away for a couple of days around mid May, so if I go for the month option, anywhere recommended either free/paid about half way along say between Windsor and Reading?

thanks

 

Do you mean 'going for it'? Or making a holiday of it?

If the former you can probably do Shepperton Wey to Reading K&A in two or three days so a week licence will be fine.  If the latter, get a month. The river is a great place to mess around on for a few weeks. 

Good moorings at Henley for as long as you like, £10 a night.

[RichLech]

Nice moorings in Cookham too. 6 or 7 pounds a night when I last stopped there.

I've seen boats left for a while behind Baths island in Windsor itself. Handy for railway station. Can't remember how much but not too bad for a relatively safe mooring.  

[OldGoat]

Echo most of the above - some additional thoughts:-

If you're not likely to pass this way again and have the time to potter, then definitely take a month's licence BUT don't limit yourself to the Shepperton to Reading bit - go further upstream to Oxford (well worth a visit) and beyond where there are 'proper locks'. Lots of places to moor both official and al fresco. If  the former, you ought to register with Thames Visitor Moorings as you have to claim your night's free mooring. There has been a lot of trouble with folks 'camping on' EA moorings for extended periods resulting in a more formal and aggressive approach to overstayers.

Try to avoid your transit through Windsor on the day of That Wedding as it is anticipated that there will be a lot of "white boats" milling around even though teher will be nothing to see from the River.

The various marinas can / could offer you overnight moorings for your unattended period but it'll be around £20 per night so best avoided unless you need access to public transport! Some locks have overnight moorings at a fiver (?) per night and they'll be reasonably secure, but they're very much on a 'demand' basis - sometimes on if the lockie likes 'the cut of your jib' basis - NBs aren't popular everywhere...

Hope this helps. 

[MtB]

11 hours ago, OldGoat said:

BUT don't limit yourself to the Shepperton to Reading bit - go further upstream to Oxford (well worth a visit) and beyond where there are 'proper locks'.

 

Swerving off at a tangent, you can (or could) experience a 'proper Thames lock' with those delightful capstan-operated gate paddles above Oxford by taking a short detour up the Kennet at Reading. The first lock onto The Kennet is the same design. Or rather, it was before they rebuilt the lock this winter. Did they put the proper capstan-paddle gates back or have they 'upgraded' them to hydraulic? 

If you take the detour, turn right when you get to Reading town centre, go through the 'prison loop' (where there are excellent town centre overnight moorings) which will post you back onto The Kennet where you can turn left and go back again through the same lock to rejoin The Thames.

[OldGoat]

11 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Swerving off at a tangent, you can (or could) experience a 'proper Thames lock' with those delightful capstan-operated gate paddles above Oxford by taking a short detour up the Kennet at Reading. The first lock onto The Kennet is the same design. Or rather, it was before they rebuilt the lock this winter. Did they put the proper capstan-paddle gates back or have they 'upgraded' them to hydraulic? 

If you take the detour, turn right when you get to Reading town centre, go through the 'prison loop' (where there are excellent town centre overnight moorings) which will post you back onto The Kennet where you can turn left and go back again through the same lock to rejoin The Thames.

Umm - possibly wires are getting crossed here? My response was to the OP who wanted to explore the  joys of the  Thames before descending into the hell of the K&A, so he would be using that lock anyway.

I've no real idea - but I suspect that Blake's was not electrified as the fall is very small and perhaps The Thames Conservancy felt there was less traffic to and from the K&A and customers wanting to use it would be competent enough to work a 'proper' lock....

[Johny London]

Thank you all for the excellent advice thus far. I've registered with the Thames moorings and have been busy studying the map they have - which I have to say is really rather good. I like the way you can add in the things you want.

For anyone else: https://www.thamesvisitormoorings.co.uk/map/

I think I'll take a months license as there seems to be no real problem getting moorings one way or another. Bit worried about the weather but fingers crossed it will have all blown over soon.

 

[MtB]

On 29/04/2018 at 10:34, OldGoat said:

Umm - possibly wires are getting crossed here? My response was to the OP who wanted to explore the  joys of the  Thames before descending into the hell of the K&A,

 

But Sir, SIR.....

 

K&A Hell doesn't really begin until Southcote Lock. 

 

Until then it is reasonably well behaved, so I hold that my suggestion remains valid. 

And besides it is an assent, not a descent 

[Johny London]

I've not heard of the hell of the K&A before - what's that all about?

[billS]

51 minutes ago, Johny London said:

I've not heard of the hell of the K&A before - what's that all about?

 

There are too types of lower Kennet hell - rainy  hell and sunny hell. One of these hells will always get you

 

Fobney lock - swimming pool for the under-privileged (sunny hell) and with a fierce bywash below the lock (rainy hell)

the Kennet below Fobney, capricious and fast after any rain (rainy hell)

County lock landing - tricky landing, miss it and you are on the weir barrier (rainy hell)

County lock - recreation area for the substance dependendent (sunny hell)

Brewey gut - one way traffic, fast flowing, tricky bridge to catch your cabin sides (rainy hell)

 

Actually - its all good fun

 

ETA - I've just realised that I have quoted you the downstream from Southcote Hell menu - only some of which is applicable to for travelling upstream.

Edited May 1, 2018 by billS

[MtB]

39 minutes ago, Johny London said:

I've not heard of the hell of the K&A before - what's that all about?

 

Its a terrible place, you don't want to come here. STAY AWAY!

 

But more seriously, people accustomed to the toytown locks and miles of easy bankside moorings of the midland canals moan about the massive heavy locks here, and the way you have to moor six feet out and use a gangplank most of the time as the banks are just rough and heavily overgrown, not piled.  

[Johny London]

Thanks for the tips - the Basingstoke has not been without its challenges - a fallen tree blocking the navigation, a log jammed in the prop, some paint scrapingly low bridges and plenty of plank mooring. Lots of general debris (branches etc), plenty of places to ground out on, and locks with gates that wouldn't fully open. Infact it's been my toughest cruise yet. As you say, all good fun - but hoping for an easier summer. 

[Peter X]

Reading is heaven once you know how to deal with it, if the Kennet is only flowing at a normal level. I'll add that you should always open the paddles on Fobney Lock carefully when going uphill, because they can produce a real torrent.

The Brewery Gut is a very interesting experience depending on when you do it, as you're effectively boating through the middle of a very busy shopping mall. The only place I've seen more gongoozlers is Camden Lock.

There are various places along the Thames where you can moor for free for more than one night, but I think generally that's because they have very poor land access so are less popular.

[Drayke]

On 01/05/2018 at 10:40, Johny London said:

Thanks for the tips - the Basingstoke has not been without its challenges - a fallen tree blocking the navigation, a log jammed in the prop, some paint scrapingly low bridges and plenty of plank mooring. Lots of general debris (branches etc), plenty of places to ground out on, and locks with gates that wouldn't fully open. Infact it's been my toughest cruise yet. As you say, all good fun - but hoping for an easier summer. 

Sounds just like the K&A.

[Detling]

One problem you may get is finding a gap long enough for a narrowboat on the moorings. The white plastic brigade like to leave 20 to 30 foot gaps which are fine for many of them to squeeze into but a tad short for us. I found it better to move early and stop by lunch time, the plastic boats do breast up but you can't breast onto them as you are too heavy.

[Johny London]

Only yesterday I found a 10ft tiddler slap in the middle of what must have been a 90ft space. I do wish people would think a bit more. 

[cuthound]

3 hours ago, Detling said:

One problem you may get is finding a gap long enough for a narrowboat on the moorings. The white plastic brigade like to leave 20 to 30 foot gaps which are fine for many of them to squeeze into but a tad short for us. 

 

Just start to breast up alongside them 

 

They will soon offer to move up ?