Cuckoo Wharf

[MHS]

We are heading into Birmingham in the next few days. Does anyone know how many boats are permanently moored at Cuckoo Wharf? From my memory there’s not much room for visitors. 

Thanks in anticipation. 

Mike

[Sea Dog]

My memory is similar to yours - I don't remember there ever being a space when I've passed.  There's always Star City - the moorings there are on a nice pontoon and behind a fence... even if there's nowt on at the pictures!  Handy to have a Plan B.

[StephenA]

15 minutes ago, MHS said:

We are heading into Birmingham in the next few days. Does anyone know how many boats are permanently moored at Cuckoo Wharf? From my memory there’s not much room for visitors. 

Thanks in anticipation. 

Mike

It seemed pretty full when we went past last Sunday - seemed a little run down.

[MHS]

Can’t get a tv satellite picture there though. We also had an unpleasant experience in June at Star City. It’s not really a secure mooring anymore as the fence nearer to the road bridge has gone. A group of 6 lads jumped the gate, and while our large GSD put them off at the time, they crossed to the towpath and picked up stones to threaten us. 

I pulled out the best weapon, my camera, and that seemed to make them see reason. 

2 minutes ago, StephenA said:

It seemed pretty full when we went past last Sunday - seemed a little run down.

That’s fine, thank you. We will have an earlier start on that day and push on to Gas St Basin. 

[Mike Todd]

1 hour ago, MHS said:

Can’t get a tv satellite picture there though. We also had an unpleasant experience in June at Star City. It’s not really a secure mooring anymore as the fence nearer to the road bridge has gone. A group of 6 lads jumped the gate, and while our large GSD put them off at the time, they crossed to the towpath and picked up stones to threaten us. 

I pulled out the best weapon, my camera, and that seemed to make them see reason. 

That’s fine, thank you. We will have an earlier start on that day and push on to Gas St Basin. 

You can get sat tv provided that you have a choice and find the right bit of the pontoon. First time there we had to take the only space and failed. Last year, arrived early enough to get onto the Salford end and it was OK.

[pearley]

Cuckoo Wharf has 3 permanent, residential moorings. Not sure whether all are let, the one nearest the bridge was unlet last winter and I havent seen it come up for auction. The water point is between the first permanent mooring and the other two. The rest is visitor mooring but I was told by one of the moorers that there is a small group of boats that just go between Cuckoo, Star, Aston University and the offside moorings part way up Aston locks. 

 

The signage at Cuckoo is confusing, even the Enforcement officer a few years ago couldn't explain it. 

 

There is often a mud hopper moored just past the official moorings which is very convenient to moor to. 

 

If used to be a very secure mooring with gates locked at night with a security guard and CCTV but nothing there now. 

[nicknorman]

Last time we passed (couple of weeks ago) there was just one boat moored at Cuckoo. With a bit of imagination (eg mooring to the dredging barge that is sometimes there) I think you would likely find somewhere. Otherwise, Star City or 3 locks up Aston on the offside at Crystal Wharf. Star City of course requires a 1/4 mile reverse unless you want to continue on via Garrison and Ashtead. Crystal Wharf is probably the most secure of that lot.

[John Brightley]

If you're heading into Birmingham from Fazeley, I would recommend spending a night at Curdworth and then going all the way up to Gas Street the next day.

Alternatively if you are heading for the Grand Union, a good mooring that not many people seem to know about is at The Bond, Fazeley Street http://www.thebondco.net/

Only 10 minutes walk from the Bull Ring.

[Sea Dog]

7 hours ago, MHS said:

 We also had an unpleasant experience in June at Star City. It’s not really a secure mooring anymore as the fence nearer to the road bridge has gone.

 

Oh dear, looks like that needs crossing off the list then!

 

48 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

 

Alternatively if you are heading for the Grand Union, a good mooring that not many people seem to know about is at The Bond, Fazeley Street http://www.thebondco.net/

Only 10 minutes walk from the Bull Ring.

 

Passed that recently on our way up to Brum via Garrison Locks. There was a wedding on at the time. Didn't realise you could moor there though - whereabouts?

[John Brightley]

12 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Passed that recently on our way up to Brum via Garrison Locks. There was a wedding on at the time. Didn't realise you could moor there though - whereabouts?

In the basin there. It's a private mooring owned by the Bond, so I'm sure that they will charge for it, but it'll be secure when the gates are locked and quite pleasant.

I've never actually moored there, but go to seminars there for work quite often.

I'm not sure whether I would want to walk back there in the dark on my own, but if you are just wanting to do some shopping in the city during the day and stay on the boat in the evening, it should be fine. It's very close to the Custard Factory http://www.custardfactory.co.uk/ which is also worth a visit.

[alan_fincher]

3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Star City of course requires a 1/4 mile reverse unless you want to continue on via Garrison and Ashtead.

And if you are unlucky you might just collect one of the worst prop fouls in living memory, and then get completely jammed in the former stop lock by a discarded gas cylinder so firmly that it takes many blows with a 14 lb sledge hammer to extract it........

Ah yes, I have "fond" memories of our last Star City reverse!  (I'm never that comfortable with sledge hammering a gas cylinder that may or may not be pressurised!)

[Sea Dog]

14 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

. It's very close to the Custard Factory http://www.custardfactory.co.uk/ which is also worth a visit.

It's all starting to look a bit hipster now!

 

[Sea Dog]

13 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

And if you are unlucky you might just collect one of the worst prop fouls in living memory...

Funny old thing - I got a metre of 1/4 inch rebar coiled around the prop going up Garrison this summer. That was fun...!

[nicknorman]

2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

And if you are unlucky you might just collect one of the worst prop fouls in living memory, and then get completely jammed in the former stop lock by a discarded gas cylinder so firmly that it takes many blows with a 14 lb sledge hammer to extract it........

Ah yes, I have "fond" memories of our last Star City reverse!  (I'm never that comfortable with sledge hammering a gas cylinder that may or may not be pressurised!)

Done it many times, never had a problem beyond a plakky bag.

 

 

 

FLW!

[harrybsmith]

11 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

It's all starting to look a bit hipster now!

 

The Custard Factory is off the scale of Hipster-ness. (I work for a company that's based there ...) 

There is however a very good plastic free supermarket there where you can take empty jars and have them refilled with dry goods

[pearley]

11 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

And if you are unlucky you might just collect one of the worst prop fouls in living memory, and then get completely jammed in the former stop lock by a discarded gas cylinder so firmly that it takes many blows with a 14 lb sledge hammer to extract it........

Possibly preferable to a full porta potti cassette, although that was in one of the locks of the Garrison flight. 

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, harrybsmith said:

The Custard Factory is off the scale of Hipster-ness. (I work for a company that's based there ...) 

There is however a very good plastic free supermarket there where you can take empty jars and have them refilled with dry goods

My company used to be based there, then we moved around the corner into our own building owned by the same landlord. Sad story, ending with the landlord paying us a 6 figure sum which did little more than cover our legal costs (but it did get us out of his onerous lease). 

[Victor Vectis]

13 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Oh dear, looks like that needs crossing off the list then!

But then again I've moored there a number of times without any trouble.

 

(Unless you count a random pair of underpants left on the bonnet of a car parked by the pontoon that is!)

[pearley]

The last time we moored at Star City there was a small lock up container by the gate occupied by a 'company' offering canoeing and pedalos, presumably with CRT permission. Interesting watching them launching a pedalo in between the moored boats. 

[MHS]

Cuckoo Wharf looked fine as we passed the other day. There seemed to be only one permanent boat there and 2 small visiting boats. 

There was space for 2 passing boats to stop, without the need to tie to the railings. 

[RAB]

Any recent views (2025) on chance of mooring at Cuckoo Wharf, will be early July hopefully. If we go that way will be early afternoon arrival.

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, RAB said:

Any recent views (2025) on chance of mooring at Cuckoo Wharf, will be early July hopefully. If we go that way will be early afternoon arrival.

There are not any visitor moorings at Cuckoo Wharf. I suggest you go up three locks and moor on the off side, or go to Star City

[Rob-M]

Or carry on in to Birmingham, only a few more hours boating from Cuckoo Wharf.

[Graham Davis]

A few years ago now, but we were invited to take an empty mooring at Cuckoo Wharf late one afternoon, just as a overnight mooring.
Had a decent breakfast bap thew next day from a caravan in the car park.

[noddyboater]

On 11/06/2025 at 09:16, RAB said:

Any recent views (2025) on chance of mooring at Cuckoo Wharf, will be early July hopefully. If we go that way will be early afternoon arrival.

I pulled up there last night and was away before 6am this morning.

There was plenty of room but I had to clear the weeds and fag ends to find the mooring rings.