River Soar continuous cruising and permanent moorings

[mark h]

Hi

 

Liveaboard couple just moved from the Shroppie to the Soar, as my wife has a new job in Nottingham.

 

Any advice on suitable mooring points for continuous cruising (near a road, so can park car nearby)?

 

Also advice on permanent moorings as this is our goal before winter comes?

 

I have read on previous posts and found some around Loughborough; Meadow Farm & Barrow Boating, but was hoping on something a bit closer to Nottingham, although I am going to call them both tomorrow.

 

Oh & its a 69ft, don't need hook up.

 

Thanks

[roland elsdon]

Sawley bridge full residential in flood protected environs

If you moor on cranfleet cut be aware of high break in risk. It looks ok ...

[reg]

Redhill marina do residential, handy for the station. 

Bit of a love it or loath it place though, certainly different to many other places. 

Edited July 31, 2018 by reg

[Alan de Enfield]

Sawley marina - bus stop outside to Long Eaton & Nottingham

[Detling]

The Soar can be a nasty river, a boat got sunk last winter, another boater was stuck for several days in a lock as it was the safest place to be due to the floods. I understand it can rise several feet in a few hours and go from a gentle stream to a 4-5 knot torrent.  It is also surrounded by flood plains/marshes and these are there to protect Nottingham. It is pretty in summer though.

[Ange]

We spent a winter at Beeston Marina when I was working in Nottingham. It's got a nice little clubhouse there where we spent many evenings.

(This was in 2012 so subject to changes but worth checking out)

[Richard T]

CRT have moorings at Bishops Meadow Loughborough and Beeston. I think that the former has some residential spots. Its OK in the winter but can be a bit smelly in the summer as its next to the sewage works. It is possible to continuous cruise in the area - I know several boats that do. There is a good train service from Loughborough to Nottingham, an hourly service from Barrow, Sileby and Syston. Mooring is possible near to these stations or use a cycle to get to them. Redhill Marina is near to East Midlands Parkway station. There is also a good bus service from Loughborough to Nottingham. Pillings Lock Marina is quite a long way from the stations - Google to find out about issues with this marina

The Soar does flood but there are safe moorings in Loughborough, Barrow but it is a river section so slack lines, Zouch Cut. Sileby is OK but is flood affected but you can always moor in the lock - Matty40s does!! The best places to be when the river is in flood is Loughborough and Zouch - there is car parking near to both.

Boaters facilities are a bit scarce - they are at Barrow, Loughborough, Trent Lock and Sawley. Diesel and pump out at Sileby Mill and Sawley Bridge Marina.

There are safe moorings in both Nottingham and Leicester. I suggest that you continuous cruise initially and then have a mooring for the first winter so that you gain an understanding of the rivers and what happens when they flood.

We will keep an eye open for you on our travels = we moor at Sileby Mill but don't live aboard.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, Ange said:

We spent a winter at Beeston Marina when I was working in Nottingham. It's got a nice little clubhouse there where we spent many evenings.

(This was in 2012 so subject to changes but worth checking out)

......and you had a brilliant Birthday party for Dave there which changed my life. ?

 

3 hours ago, Detling said:

The Soar can be a nasty river, a boat got sunk last winter, another boater was stuck for several days in a lock as it was the safest place to be due to the floods. I understand it can rise several feet in a few hours and go from a gentle stream to a 4-5 knot torrent.  It is also surrounded by flood plains/marshes and these are there to protect Nottingham.

The Soar isn't nasty, it's just a river doing its job. The boat that sunk ( amongst several) sank because the owners were refused their booked mooring at Pillocks Lock marina when they turned up as they had let someone else have it. The couple then took the nearest CRT winter mooring above Barrow Deep not realising that this bit was river affected. It is quite safe to use the river all year round once you know it, and when to get off it!!!

[ditchcrawler]

What about up the Erewash?

[Mrs Trackman]

We moor on the CRT moorings on the Beeston cut. There are facilities though they are often out of use. It's a handy 15 minutes walk to the station. However, you'd be very lucky to get a 69 foot mooring, they're usually shorter. 

We moored at crts bishop's meadow for a while but it's very noisy at the town end as its opposite a bus garage with maintenance and buses manoeuvring all night.  There's water there but nothing else. 

There's visitor moorings all along the roadside at beeston. Also visitor moorings at Sainsbury's, very handy for the town centre though can be noisy, or outside castle marina where the marina used to charge £5 a night, don't know what the arrangement is now but don't think able to use their facilities for that. It usually seems to be full there. There's also visitor moorings on the embankment in Nottingham, an easy bus journey into town. 

Recently, on Facebook, someone advertised a mooring on the Trent by ladybay bridge, I don't have details but might be worth an ask.

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, Mrs Trackman said:

Recently, on Facebook, someone advertised a mooring on the Trent by ladybay bridge, I don't have details but might be worth an ask.

Was it (by any chance) the pontoon* that was left when the broker operating there went 'bust' ?

 

* Between Meadow Lane Lock and the Bridge.

[Mrs Trackman]

9 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Was it (by any chance) the pontoon* that was left when the broker operating there went 'bust' ?

 

* Between Meadow Lane Lock and the Bridge.

I guess that's the one, there's a few boats always moored there. 

[frangar]

10 hours ago, matty40s said:

......and you had a brilliant Birthday party for Dave there which changed my life. ?

 

The Soar isn't nasty, it's just a river doing its job. The boat that sunk ( amongst several) sank because the owners were refused their booked mooring at Pillocks Lock marina when they turned up as they had let someone else have it. The couple then took the nearest CRT winter mooring above Barrow Deep not realising that this bit was river affected. It is quite safe to use the river all year round once you know it, and when to get off it!!!

The owners of that marina really have no morals at all....I’ve no idea why people want to spend money with them. 

[mark h]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Ditchcrawler, we have been advised that boat security can be a bit of an issue on the Erewash, I'm guessing that's not your experience ?

[Richard T]

The Erewash is as safe as any other canal to  leave a boat on. There are places to avoid but where there are other boats eg Sandiacre its fine. Just trust your own judgement as to where is fine where isn't - you get speeding boats and petty criminals everywhere. Just don't make it obvious that your boat is unoccupied - don't have visible padlocks on doors they just tell thieves that there is no one on board. If out at night leave a couple of lights on - LEDs use very little power. Don't leave nickable items on the roof of your boat or visible in the cockpit. A determined thief will get into any boat but simple things deter the casual one.

Just relax and enjoy boating around the Nottingham/Loughborough area.