Bristol Avon

[blackrose]

On 30/04/2019 at 17:51, Johny London said:

Having just been up to Hanham lock and back this week (April 2019) I thought I'd share what I learned.

 

1. This is the pontoon that is now taken over by crusties...

 

2. This pontoon is on your left, just east of Swineford lock. However, on both occasions when I went past it was rendered nearly inaccessible by moored boats... unlicensed by the look of it.. it is for facitilty use only.

 

3. There was no one at all moored at Hanham pontoon, itself far and away the longest mooring.

 

To sum up, it was a great stretch of river but hopeless for actually stopping to explore anything - though I did get lucky with a night on the 24hr pontoon at Keynsham - it only holds two boats and one had taken root, so considering it was Sunday lunch time I couldn't believe my luck! Slap up in the pub nearby, which was a decent 7/10 but a full 10/10 for the Proper Job ale.

 

I also tried several impromptu moorings but either couldn't get near enough to the bank or got stuck  Though one or two boats had succeeded in places - it pays to know the river well, but of course it was my first time on.

I remember stopping there to empty my cassette and fill up with water about 6 years ago. I think I made some lunch there while waiting for the tank to fill. It was a useful spot.How do those crusties expect anyone else to be able to use the facilities? Do people just brest up to their boats?

[ditchcrawler]

47 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 How do those crusties expect anyone else to be able to use the facilities?  

They dont, its their spot

[Johny London]

It rather seems that you can just buy a boat, moor it at everyone's inconvenience and at no expense to your self without fear of anything being done about it. I suspect this is why we end up with the likes of DE springing up in places, ruining it for everyone but in the opposite way (too many rules).

I'm certainly not a stickler for rules, quite the opposite - boating is about freedom, but then people just have to take liberties to the extreme and ruin it for all. The further west I've come, the more I've found of people moored at water points/landing stages etc.

On a positive note... er I'll think of something.

[blackrose]

34 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

They dont, its their spot

 

I'm all for people who want to live alternative lifestyles, but some people think it's ok to do that at everyone else's expense. Some of those crusties think they're being alternative but in fact they're really no different to the chavs who park in disabled parking spaces, or other anti-social elements that we have in this country. If I needed to use those facilities I'd just brest up to their boats and if they didn't like it sod them.

[blackrose]

25 minutes ago, Johny London said:

It rather seems that you can just buy a boat, moor it at everyone's inconvenience and at no expense to your self without fear of anything being done about it. I suspect this is why we end up with the likes of DE springing up in places, ruining it for everyone but in the opposite way (too many rules).

I'm certainly not a stickler for rules, quite the opposite - boating is about freedom, but then people just have to take liberties to the extreme and ruin it for all. The further west I've come, the more I've found of people moored at water points/landing stages etc.

On a positive note... er I'll think of something.

 

I quite agree. I'm not a stickler for the rules. I used to be a CMer myself but that was 20 years ago when nobody was bothered. In two and a half years of doing that I got one notice to move stuck to my boat, so I moved. Maybe I've no right to complain, but I was never bothering anyone or hogging popular visitor moorings or facilities. I was moored in out of the way places and usually I moved every 2 weeks, although not that far. These days people really do take the p*as.

[Dr Bob]

1 minute ago, blackrose said:

 These days people really do take the p*as.

Where are people taking the peas? Are they cheaper there?

[MtB]

45 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I'm all for people who want to live alternative lifestyles, but some people think it's ok to do that at everyone else's expense. Some of those crusties think they're being alternative but in fact they're really no different to the chavs who park in disabled parking spaces, or other anti-social elements that we have in this country. If I needed to use those facilities I'd just brest up to their boats and if they didn't like it sod them.

 

Calm down dear.

 

They probably are a bit short of a bob or two and can't afford a mooring. Or diesel to move.

 

What are they supposed to do?

 

 

[Johny London]

Get a job?

[MtB]

Just now, Johny London said:

Get a job?

 

I doubt they could safely leave the boat, it being a river and subject to unpredictable changes in level....

 

 

[Johny London]

That's why they have taken over the floating pontoons!!! Else they would be doomed to stand watch over their crusty boats for all eternity.

 

Coming at things from another angle, maybe crt should provide more facilities - even just some stretches of dredged/trimmed bank that could be used for a few nites in the summer on the river.

 

Oh yeh a positive,  there was plenty of mooring both at the start and end of the (crt stretch) of river.

[MtB]

17 minutes ago, Johny London said:

Coming at things from another angle, maybe crt should provide more facilities -

 

What does it have to do with CRT?

 

 

Edit to add, oops I'm thinking of the wrong bit of River Avon....

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Mike the Boilerman

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, Johny London said:

That's why they have taken over the floating pontoons!!! Else they would be doomed to stand watch over their crusty boats for all eternity.

 

Coming at things from another angle, maybe crt should provide more facilities - even just some stretches of dredged/trimmed bank that could be used for a few nites in the summer on the river.

 

Oh yeh a positive,  there was plenty of mooring both at the start and end of the (crt stretch) of river.

 

Yes, that's an idea, come in at an angle to breast up. With a bit of luck you might sink them ?

[blackrose]

5 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Calm down dear.

 

They probably are a bit short of a bob or two and can't afford a mooring. Or diesel to move.

 

What are they supposed to do?

 

 

 

Preferably not selfishly hog facilities that are meant for the use of all licence fee payers.

 

And I'm quite calm, thanks dear.

Edited May 2, 2019 by blackrose

[Murflynn]

the sign bears the Wessex Water logo; I guess that CRT don't bother to monitor the illegal mooring by long term boats.  In view that much of the river banks are inaccessible it seems likely that no-one ever walks the route.   Bearing in mind the risk of rapidly rising water levels on occasion, these moorers are really having their cake and eating it.

 

I would hate to think that anyone might take drastic action and slip their mooring lines one dark night.

[MtB]

49 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

And I'm quite calm, thanks dear.

 

I was just channeling Michel Winner in those ghastly TV adverts for insurance. You're probably too young to remember those. 

 

Last time I did it was to doratheexplorer, with spectacular results!!

 

 

[blackrose]

15 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I was just channeling Michel Winner in those ghastly TV adverts for insurance. You're probably too young to remember those. 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I got the reference Mike. Didn't David Cameron get in trouble for patronising a female opposition MP with that quote in parliament? 

 

Anyway, I'm not sure how old you think I am, but surely you'd have to be younger than your mid 20s not to remember those ads? I'm 57 next week so I might even be older than you!

Edited May 3, 2019 by blackrose

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

 

Yes, I got the reference Mike. Didn't David Cameron get in trouble for doing that to a female opposition MP in parliament? Anyway I'm not sure how old you think I am but I'm 57 next week so I might even be older than you!

 

I think you're right, he did! It can certainly provoke one helluva reaction, such an apparently harmless turn of phrase!

 

Anyway I'm definitely older than you, I'm 163. 

 

[Naughty Cal]

22 hours ago, Johny London said:

That's why they have taken over the floating pontoons!!! Else they would be doomed to stand watch over their crusty boats for all eternity.

 

Coming at things from another angle, maybe crt should provide more facilities - even just some stretches of dredged/trimmed bank that could be used for a few nites in the summer on the river.

 

Oh yeh a positive,  there was plenty of mooring both at the start and end of the (crt stretch) of river.

It being a river navigation they probably don't own the banks to do that.

[blackrose]

Why would they do that anyway? Any new temporary moorings would just get colonised by more boat crusties.

[blackrose]

8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I think you're right, he did! It can certainly provoke one helluva reaction, such an apparently harmless turn of phrase!

 

Anyway I'm definitely older than you, I'm 163. 

 

 

Perhaps you and last prime minister are both missing that point that patronising other people isn't entirely harmless. I'm always a bit puzzled when people who deliberately try to provoke a reaction then appear surprised when that's what happens. ?

[adrianh]

You are lucky that Hanham pontoon was empty, last year it looked just like you pictures!!

Arrived late one afternoon from Bath and only managed to get 10ft of a 40ft boat on the end of the pontoon, luckily river was low that night as it was to late to travel onto Bristol.

The lock mooring being also occupied by several boats getting the free water top up.

The boats at Keynsham have now been moored for a couple of years also.

Also hear rumours that the mooring with the 'crusties' adjacent to the railway bridge may be removed as the locals want the adjacent picnic spot returned to public use. 

The mooring with the slippery step ramp does belong to Wessex Water whoin the past have kept it clear

Edited May 3, 2019 by adrianh
update

[Johny London]

You're right - I was lucky that Hanham was empty, it was 8.40pm when I got there so it was quite a relief to see available mooring. I'd intended stopping half way you see. There really does need to be provision to be able to stop safely somewhere along a navigation. Still, glad to be back on the canal now - much better, one can moor easily.

[Murflynn]

2 hours ago, Johny London said:

You're right - I was lucky that Hanham was empty, it was 8.40pm when I got there so it was quite a relief to see available mooring. I'd intended stopping half way you see. There really does need to be provision to be able to stop safely somewhere along a navigation. Still, glad to be back on the canal now - much better, one can moor easily.

you can 'stop' almost anywhere - that's why boats on a river must have an adequate anchor. 

the natural restrictions of river banks, lack of public access to the land on either side of the river, and huge variations in water level are not conducive to providing moorings that might suit your convenience.

[blackrose]

I was fortunate in getting a mooring on the Hanham pontoon after leaving Bath that morning. I asked if I could brest up to a narrowboat and he said he was just leaving so I was quite chuffed. Tied up and settled in for what was left of a beautiful afternoon/evening. Just fancied a beer at that pub as there was a crowd outside enjoying the weather but I thought I'd better call the Gloucester pilots to see when they wanted me to do the crossing. The guy said "There's a storm coming in and out looks unsettled after that, so unless you do the crossing tomorrow you might be waiting for a week or even longer." 

 

I was on a bit of a schedule and didn't want the expense of leaving the boat in Bristol for a week or more while I was at work, so I was a bit disappointed to have to leave Hanham so quickly to get down to the floating harbour. I was getting the boat ready until about 10pm that night and didn't sleep a wink because of the shouting and screaming coming from of an overlooking flat. I was up at 4am to take the boat down the gorge in the dark, but at least it was light by the time I got out the mouth of the Avon. Picked up the pilot at Portishead and had a great crossing, beautiful weather. I slept really well at sharpness.

Edited May 5, 2019 by blackrose

[Johny London]

You must have been just ahead of me at Hanham! But it was desserted when I got there.