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Mooring between Oxford and Reading


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Sorry if I've posted in the wrong category! Will soon be making the trip from Oxford to Reading on the Thames. I know this trip can be done in a couple of days, but we are travelling with a baby who needs naps every few hours so we plan to take our time over a week or so.

 

Problem is finding mooring information for this stretch. The Thames visitor moorings map doesn't list much at all, unlike the trip we did last year from London to Reading. I'm guessing there are lots of open stretches for mooring that they aren't responsible for? Is there somewhere with a comprehensive list so I can plan for potential stops between locks, etc?  Reccomendations welcome! 

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TVM is in effect more concerned with overnight moorings, however there are some / many places where you can pull over for a for a short stop in addition. The effective limitations are mostly because the bankside is mostly very shallow or overgrown. Bear in mind that with a following river flow you'll be going quite fast and what appears to be a long stretch without moorings may not be so inconvenient.

Oxford East St moorings - see the lockie for a short stop.

Iffley said to be a mooring above the lock

Rose Island a couple of stops below and above the sharp bend

Sandford Lock above the layby

Near Abingdon - 1/2 mile below the railway bridge farmer's field on your left

Abingdon after lock on both sides - your RHS by the swimming pool - convenient for Waitrose and shops

Culham lock below bridge short wharf not often used as a layby. See Lockie

Clifton at end of head layby. See lockie

Above Days on your LHS, long stretch (if no peppered with new notices

Wallingford town moorings

Goring - see lockie

Beale Park long stretch on your RHS

Pangbourne long National Trust moorings

Reading - approach to - now peppered with "DE demands for money signs" - a result of large incursion of liveaboards.

Kennet - not my area...

 

 

 

  • Greenie 1
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Abingdon, if there is space.

Rough mooring on towpath bank just above Clifton Hamden bridge (paid for I think).

Above Days Lock.

At the mouth of the Thame (below Days lock).

Wallingford by bridge but paid for (the free moorings a bit further upstream towards Benson were filled with long term type boats last time I was there).

Maybe on the islands above Moulsford railway bridge

Goring below lock (if space)

Beale park

Whitchurch Meadow (if there is space).

Islands near Tilehurst station (below Mapledurham).

Reading moorings  are a charged apart from possibly those outside the Queens Road car park by the CaRT traffic lights.

 

Be very aware that certain car [parking cowboys are active on Thames moorings so take great care. it seems that even the statutory EA 24 hour moorings are now subject to the need for a mobile phone and registering arrival etc.

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There are millions of places you can ‘wild moor’, i.e. tie to a tree to stop for a while for lunch, feed the baby etc.

 

Places to moor and get off the boat and go shopping are fairly commonplace.  Abingdon, Wallingford, Streatley etc as listed by others previously.

 

Somewhere to leave the boat a few days as you can on a canal, is much more difficult. 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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We have moored at, coming in the opposite direction,

 

Pangbourne, below the Lock and bridge,adjacent to the common. 24 hour.

 

About 1/4 mile south of  Moulsford. Equal distance north of Cleeve Lock. Tow path side. Nice little clearing. Room for tow.

 

Wallingford. Non towpath side, immediately above town bridge. £7 a night. Collection in the morning by a really nice lady.

 

Just above Clifton Lock. On the Lock landings. Room for two boats. Charge. Pay the lockie. Didn't see a lockie.

 

Now at Abingdon. Just south of Town Bridge. Good moorings, free for three days.

 

On our way down last year we moored above Abingdon Lock. First 24 hours free, £6 a night thereafter, pay the lockie. Don't know it its current now. Between the Lock and the bridge there's moorings adjacent the common. I like Abingdon.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip. There's some posh houses to ogle.

 

Edited by Nightwatch
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The signs in the fields above Day's lock have changed. You now have to phone a number and ask permission, although we got no answer but the cows and calves prompted us to move on anyway...only to find you can pay to stay in the weir stream moorings if you speak to the lock keeper :)

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14 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

The signs in the fields above Day's lock have changed. You now have to phone a number and ask permission, although we got no answer but the cows and calves prompted us to move on anyway...only to find you can pay to stay in the weir stream moorings if you speak to the lock keeper :)

Drat! - we passed through and checked the long stretch on the Dorchester side and saw no signs at all until you get very near to the lock - how far do the signs go.

What's the problem with the livestock? Ok they dribble on your mooring posts and fart a bit (who doesn't), but they're not aggressive. My Management says they're English Longhorns, much favoured by The Landed Gentry - which the owner certainly isn't...... 

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Ah yes it was just that we had a dog at the time (my parents were staying with me).

The signs are only on the bits closest to the lock on the Dorchester side (starting where the pillbox is more or less) so you can moor further away although the bank doesn't look so great there and I'm not sure if you can walk down to the lock and village? Bank didn't look great (shallow) on the opposite side to Dorchester either although  I have moored there but 7 or 8 years ago...hope that helps.

Just to add someone told us that many boats ignore the signs if only staying overnight and they only charge a tenner so mooring is permitted...apparently...

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9 hours ago, OldGoat said:

Drat! - we passed through and checked the long stretch on the Dorchester side and saw no signs at all until you get very near to the lock - how far do the signs go.

What's the problem with the livestock? Ok they dribble on your mooring posts and fart a bit (who doesn't), but they're not aggressive. My Management says they're English Longhorns, much favoured by The Landed Gentry - which the owner certainly isn't...... 

 

DSCF1275small.jpg

DSCF1276small.jpg

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From memory there's about 200 m above the lock cut on the left bank with adequate water depth which used to be free and a lovely spot. I'd heard that the land was purchased by a nasty bit of work from UKIP who had put up no mooring signs. Further up looked ok to moor but was on the wrong side of the barbed wire to access Dorchester. That was a couple of years ago.

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Thanks for the above replies.

The Dorchester side had a lot of willows until last year when a considerable length was blitzed - so perhaps the UKIP man has relaxed somewhat after a great protest by the locals (but that was connected with Poo-Sticks and access to a short length of bankside.

In pervious years we have moored in the trees and found adequate depth (we draw 2' 3"), so we will give it a try next time we come upstream.

If folks want access to Dorchester, then either moor by the bridge over the Thame or walk to the lock and use the footpath to the village.

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8 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have always moored under the bridge

There's a few feasible places above the Thame entrance (on the Thames) next to a highish wall. The bank is sometimes overgrown but if it's been cleared it's a good spot.

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  • 1 month later...

Regarding mooring on the left (heading downstream) just above Days Lock... we moored there last night. 

 

There were no signs but the posts for them were there. The signs had been removed and thrown into the river, much to the lock keeper's annoyance as they ended up there. Not helpful for boaters eitger as the signs at least warn you that the moorings are chargeable but with no signs we didn't know. The lockie told me the farmer would want £8 but that this was still cheaper than his EA moorings.

 

In the event, a young chap turned up on a quad bike late afternoon/early evening and asked for £5. 

 

It was worth it just for the view of the tallest of the Wittenham Clumps hills dead ahead of us. Very peaceful after two nights moored at the very noisy (due to the fine weather) Abbey Meadow moorings in Abingdon.

 

Currently moored on the £7 a night mooring on the RHS, heading downstream, just before Wallingford Bridge.

 

Noisy here too, must try harder to find a quiet mooring tomorrow, preferably free. I don't mind paying now and again but if it's every night it's going to cost more than the licence.

 

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2 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

Noisy here too, must try harder to find a quiet mooring tomorrow, preferably free. I don't mind paying now and again but if it's every night it's going to cost more than the licence.

 

Do you need to get off the boat? If not there are plenty of trees you can tie to overnight on that route. 

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7 hours ago, Dave123 said:

There are some free spots downstream from Goring, before Beale park on the rhs, after the bend beyond the railway bridge...

There is a mooring before railway bridge on the left hand side, also mooring on the right hand side of the island that’s before railway bridge.

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10 hours ago, F DRAYKE said:

There is a mooring before railway bridge on the left hand side, also mooring on the right hand side of the island that’s before railway bridge.

I don't think the Illustrious Owner who lives nearby would like that...

Isn't it a bit in the trees?

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On 26/07/2018 at 15:39, Dave123 said:

There are some free spots downstream from Goring, before Beale park on the rhs, after the bend beyond the railway bridge...

Yes, that stretch did look very promising for wild mooring if needed on the way back. We moored for lunch on a 24 hour mooring with bollard s just below Goring Lock then at Beale Park for the night.

 

23 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Do you need to get off the boat? If not there are plenty of trees you can tie to overnight on that route. 

Sometimes but not always. I've been keeping an eye out for promising spots today, including tree mooring, and saw quite a few between Wallingford and Beale Park - when I didn't need them!

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On ‎26‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 14:39, Lily Rose said:

I don't mind paying now and again but if it's every night it's going to cost more than the licence.

Just be grateful - we are currently in Plymouth and its £40 per night but they have added a 'widebeam surcharge' of 50% so its actually £60 per night - but - that does give you water, electricity and wi-fi, use of toilets and individual 'moorers bathrooms' (yes a coded entry, full individual room with bath, shower, sink, & toilet)

 

Having had a few nights at anchor (free of charge) and having to take the dogs half a mile to shore (in the tender) night and morning its a pleasure to be able to get off onto a pontoon and walk them to the 'exercise area'.

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14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Just be grateful - we are currently in Plymouth and its £40 per night but they have added a 'widebeam surcharge' of 50% so its actually £60 per night - but - that does give you water, electricity and wi-fi, use of toilets and individual 'moorers bathrooms' (yes a coded entry, full individual room with bath, shower, sink, & toilet)

 

Having had a few nights at anchor (free of charge) and having to take the dogs half a mile to shore (in the tender) night and morning its a pleasure to be able to get off onto a pontoon and walk them to the 'exercise area'.

Should have come to Wells instead! 

2017-09-05 11.15.40.jpg

Edited by rusty69
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4 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Should have come to Wells instead! 

Planning to leave the Cat at Plymouth at the end of August, & have her lifted out for the Winter, and, then (September) take the Cruiser and head to either Bridlington / Scarborough / Whitby, or go South and have a few days in Wells (we do like it there)

 

Wells is £30 a night.

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Planning to leave the Cat at Plymouth at the end of August, & have her lifted out for the Winter, and, then (September) take the Cruiser and head to either Bridlington / Scarborough / Whitby, or go South and have a few days in Wells (we do like it there)

 

Wells is £30 a night.

Is it, blimey! 

 

I feel much better on my swinging mooring now. 

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