Canal Boat Living in Edinburgh

[one_iota]

Hello Canal World Community,

 

It's always been my dream to live on a canal boat, maybe i watched Rosie & Jim too much as a kid... Anyway im having trouble finding information on costs, liscences, mooring places etc for mooring in Edinburgh. Basically any information any of you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Any books or websites with useful information you could reccommend would be great aswell.

Heres the questions i really need answered:-

Where can i buy a boat? (Currently looking on ebay)

What should i look for, i.e. what certificates should the boat have?

Do i need some kind of liscence?

If i bought a boat that was in England how would i get it to the Grand Union Canal/is this possible?

What are the practicalities of boat life? Maintenence costs/Running costs/Mooring cost.

How could i secure a mooring in Edinburgh, i assume there is some kind of waiting list...

Are there any special taxes etc?

Do Mooring sites have power supplies or is it all run on batteries?

 

Ok thats a long list, and forgive me if i sound a bit ignorant but i need to learn.

Thanks alot

Josef

[dor]

Have a look at waterscape.com, then try some searches on the forum.

 

You will find all the information you need, but if you have more specific questions then there are many people willing to answer them.

[bottle]

Hello Canal World Community,

 

It's always been my dream to live on a canal boat, maybe i watched Rosie & Jim too much as a kid... Anyway im having trouble finding information on costs, liscences, mooring places etc for mooring in Edinburgh. Basically any information any of you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Any books or websites with useful information you could reccommend would be great aswell.

Heres the questions i really need answered:-

Where can i buy a boat? (Currently looking on ebay) google for "narrowboat brokerage" include quotes

What should i look for, i.e. what certificates should the boat have? BSS (boat safety certificate) but have it surveyed

Do i need some kind of liscence? Yes British Waterways Scotland

If i bought a boat that was in England how would i get it to the Grand Union Canal/is this possible?Yes by lorry need crane at both ends of journey expensive

What are the practicalities of boat life? Maintenance costs/Running costs/Mooring cost. As much if not more than a house

How could i secure a mooring in Edinburgh, i assume there is some kind of waiting list... Ask around at the marina's and other boaters

Are there any special taxes etc? No special taxes but if you have a residential mooring (rare) you will still be liable for council tax or the equivalent in Scotland

Do Mooring sites have power supplies or is it all run on batteries? Some do some do not

 

Ok thats a long list, and forgive me if i sound a bit ignorant but i need to learn.

Thanks alot

Josef

 

Josef

 

Welcome, do have a search as Dor said most of the answers are out there, any problems do ask, we all started somewhere but do not necessarily know where we are going

[waterdog]

Hello Canal World Community,

 

 

How could i secure a mooring in Edinburgh, i assume there is some kind of waiting list...

.

Thanks alot

Josef

 

 

Hi One Iota,

 

I seem to recall reading / seeing somewhere about a small online (towpath moorings) community near Ratho and I think there are moorings nearer to edinburgh city centre, might be worth a trip down and have a chat with the boat owners.

 

Also try searching for forum member "Haggis" who i believe is based in the area and might have some local knowledge.

 

Waterdog.

Edited August 2, 2007 by waterdog

[colinjw]

Hi waterdog,

 

There are quite a few moorings between Falkirk and Edinburgh. Some have leccy, some don't.

 

The moorings I've seen so far are mostly on pontoons and the local ones to me (Falkirk) seem to have a fair amount of room.

 

Don't know what the score is with liveaboards up here.

 

Colin

[Chrisy]

Josef

 

I live on the Forth and Clyde canal joint with the union if your still looking for some assistance on this give me a shout back

 

Chrisy

[Simondrains]

Phone BW Falkirk on 01324 671217, speak to Brenda (although she might be at the Glasgow office), or go to the top and speak to Linton Byrnie.

 

If you want to get in at Edinburgh, you need to get on the waiting list, sooner the better. The BW website has costs for the different moorings throughout Scotland, but remember you're looking for the Union Canal, not the Grand Union, which is in England!

 

The waiting list isn't short, but BW are making an effort to weed out chancers who put their names down years ago but have no intention now of getting a boat.

 

There are very few residential moorings in Edinburgh, and at the moment no available moorings on the Union canal at all - the nearest is Grangemouth on the Forth and Clyde; but BW will be opening up Leamington basin within the next year or two, and there are plans to dredge a new basin at fountainbridge.

[Chrisy]

Phone BW Falkirk on 01324 671217, speak to Brenda (although she might be at the Glasgow office), or go to the top and speak to Linton Byrnie.

 

If you want to get in at Edinburgh, you need to get on the waiting list, sooner the better. The BW website has costs for the different moorings throughout Scotland, but remember you're looking for the Union Canal, not the Grand Union, which is in England!

 

The waiting list isn't short, but BW are making an effort to weed out chancers who put their names down years ago but have no intention now of getting a boat.

 

There are very few residential moorings in Edinburgh, and at the moment no available moorings on the Union canal at all - the nearest is Grangemouth on the Forth and Clyde; but BW will be opening up Leamington basin within the next year or two, and there are plans to dredge a new basin at fountainbridge.

 

Brenda is now at the Glasgow office and she has a new lass working with her called Vicky. The only imediate mooring i know of on either canal is there is one space in Auchinstarry basin on the forth and clyde for home moorings but you must check the restrictions as I know for sure it is only available for a steel narrow boat and there maybe length restrictions.

[cugsey]

i have noticed some moorings at the end of the union canal in edinburgh

next to where all the building work has been completed

i think there is a pub/bar there called CARGO

have never seen many boats there although there appears to be electrickery hook ups

security gates etc

anyone know anything about those moorings

[haggis]

To answer some of the questions.

Contact BW Scotland at their Glasgow office on 0141 332 6936 for info re availability of moorings on the Lowland canals. I seem to recall that the last people I heard about looking for a mooring in Edinburgh were offered one in Auchenstarry in Kilsyth which sounds a long way away from Edinburgh but there is a good train service form Croy station which is about a mile from the moorings.

The BW web site has the terms and conditions of moorings and licences on the Lowland canals as downloadable documents.

Not a lot of residential moorings around due to reluctance of some local authorities to give planning permission for them as a result of some residential boaters being not very considerate of those living in houses near the moorings. The old story of a few spoiling it for others.

Pontoon moorings tend to have power and water laid on but you also need to think about loo emptying facilities, depending on whether you get a boat with a pump out loo or a cassette type loo.

Worth contacting BW about boats for sale and the best place is probably the sea lock at Grangemouth

There is a distinct shortage of boat engineering etc facilities on the Lowland canals so you may need to be self sufficient in this department.

As someone said earlier, the Grand Union canal is in England, the Union canal (or to give it is proper title, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union canal) is in Scotland.

If you have not already done so, I would seriously consider hiring a boat for a holiday, preferably in wet, cold weather as this will give you an idea what it is like to live in one.

[dhood]

I am similarly looking for a part-time liveaboard boat / mooring in or near Edinburgh. Plan to purchase THIS YEAR.

 

Need info on any moorings and boats becoming available or up for sale. We are on the BW list and await forlornly ...

 

Any help or advice building on the above posts would help.

 

Including any info on moorings as they stand .... couldnt find any defintive list of moorings, and even went the whole length of the Union Canal in Google Earth .... phew.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

D

[Dekazer]

I am similarly looking for a part-time liveaboard boat / mooring in or near Edinburgh. Plan to purchase THIS YEAR.

 

Need info on any moorings and boats becoming available or up for sale. We are on the BW list and await forlornly ...

 

Any help or advice building on the above posts would help.

 

Including any info on moorings as they stand .... couldnt find any defintive list of moorings, and even went the whole length of the Union Canal in Google Earth .... phew.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

D

 

Hallo,

 

I'll watch the replies with interest. I moved away from Embra a few years ago so am out of date, but when we visited in Jan this year we saw that a number of mooring pontoons have been installed at the new development at Edinburgh Quay/Lochrin Basin/Leamington Wharf. They obviously aren't in use yet but we didn't make any further efforts to find out when they're due to be commissioned. Maybe worth a phone call to BW Scotland? I think it'd be a great place to live. The moorings were behind a locked gate, offside, and looked to have service bollards, mooring cleats etc.

 

Let us know what you find out

 

Good luck,

 

Lucy

 

Current moorings at Lochrin basin: http://www.waterscape.com/services-directo...-basin-moorings

 

Although this indicates they might belong to the houses: http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/10/12_edinburg...union_canal.htm

 

http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/scotland.../edinburgh-quay

[Iain_S]

Current moorings at Lochrin basin: http://www.waterscape.com/services-directo...-basin-moorings

 

Although this indicates they might belong to the houses: http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/10/12_edinburg...union_canal.htm

 

http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/scotland.../edinburgh-quay

 

They do, although the development has been on a bit of a go slow since the economy crashed. It is probable that some will be available once the flats are occupied.

 

Iain

[Iain_S]

(snip)

Including any info on moorings as they stand .... couldnt find any defintive list of moorings, and even went the whole length of the Union Canal in Google Earth .... phew.

(snip)

From memory:

 

Edinburgh Quay : Residential (full) Permanent (pretty full!) & visitor. Water, Electric, Pumpout & elsan

Harrison Park : Visitor, possiby some permanent. water, electric, elsan, sanitary block

Westerhailes : visitor moorings, no facilities, (IIRC)

Ratho : Residential (full, although possible vacancy in next few months), permanent (some spaces), visitor. Some electric. water, pumpout available at Bridge Inn.

Drumshoreland : permanent (full) supposedly visitor, as there is a sanitary block, but no room. May be getting expanded (but BW have been saying this for several years )

 

Broxburn : visitor. Water and electric. Sanitary station.

Bellsmill : Visitor. Water and electric.

Linlithgow : Permanent (full) visitor. Water at Canal Basin. Pumpout/Elsan at Linlithgow Canal Society

Trans-shipment Basin : Pontoons, no services (but planning permission applied for for Pub/Bistro next door)

A few visitor moorings between there and Falkirk

Falkirk : Visitor

 

The above is from personal recollection : BW Scotland (Tel: 0141 332 6936 or email

enquiries.Scotland@britishwaterways.co.uk should be able go give fuller informatin.

 

Iain

[Dekazer]

They do, although the development has been on a bit of a go slow since the economy crashed. It is probable that some will be available once the flats are occupied.

 

Iain

 

Wow, really slow! I remember those buildings beginning to go up when I lived in Viewforth and I left in mid 2006! I'd love to moor there, although we'd need to get the boat transported Still, can but dream!

[dhood]

They do, although the development has been on a bit of a go slow since the economy crashed. It is probable that some will be available once the flats are occupied.

 

Iain

 

Hi Ian - I would love to tap your brain re the Union Canal, liveaboard, facilities and potential moorings.

 

Looking for a return to Edinburgh, living in Ireland and working around Europe, but needing a base in Edinburgh for family visits etc. Ratho preferred, but space and waiting lists tight there. Arghh!

 

David Hood

davidh@mymarketinglife.com

[haggis]

Hi Ian - I would love to tap your brain re the Union Canal, liveaboard, facilities and potential moorings.

 

Looking for a return to Edinburgh, living in Ireland and working around Europe, but needing a base in Edinburgh for family visits etc. Ratho preferred, but space and waiting lists tight there. Arghh!

 

David Hood

davidh@mymarketinglife.com

 

I hear on the grapevine that a mooring at Ratho MIGHT be becoming vacant in a few months BUT BW may already have reallocated it to someone on the waiting list. There are no morings apart form those allocated by BW - no marinas etc on the union canal yet. Speaking to BW in Glasgow is still you best bet, I reckon.

 

haggis

[Dekazer]

I hear on the grapevine that a mooring at Ratho MIGHT be becoming vacant in a few months BUT BW may already have reallocated it to someone on the waiting list. There are no morings apart form those allocated by BW - no marinas etc on the union canal yet. Speaking to BW in Glasgow is still you best bet, I reckon.

 

haggis

 

Cor, after chatting with a friend earlier I emailed BW scotland and got the following response (across a couple of emails)

 

***

 

"Thank you for your enquiry. The only residential mooring site on the Union Canal is at Ratho. Unfortunately we have no availability at present however if you can send me your address and contact telephone number I can add you to the waiting list for Ratho."

 

"All the moorings on the canal are BW moorings. The incompleted moorings are at Leamington which will be non residential, the moorings at Edinburgh Quay are also non residential."

 

***

 

I must say I'm rather surprised, and would be even more surprised if the trend didn't head towards more residential moorings/applications in future. I'm continually amazed at the reluctance people have to apply for residential planning permission. Someone (a new marina manager) told me recently that he had been advised not to apply for residential at first - although this is his eventual aim - in case a refusal prejudiced future applications. He chose to apply for leisure at first, and will later apply for change of use. He tried to persuade me to live permanently on his leisure mooring, but I prefer the pro/con balance of a residential mooring...

 

Oh well, better start saving for a nice big house with end of garden mooring rights

[Ewart Hodgson]

See it from Edinburgh's point of view: what this (rather run-down) part of the city needs is tourists coming in, mooring for a few days, spending lots and lots of holiday money and then going away so that another lot come to do the same. The moorings at the very end of the canal are a prime site for visitors. Residential boaters don't generally spend money the way that tourists do (that's why Llangollen agreed to the basin only if it was strictly for visitors, at least in the summer).

 

Ratho, on the other hand, draws much of its character from the canal and probably views things differently. You may well have much more luck along the canal out fo the city itself (and there is a good rail service almost parallel).

Edited June 3, 2010 by Ewart Hodgson

[Chagall]

Hello Canal World Community,

 

It's always been my dream to live on a canal boat, maybe i watched Rosie & Jim too much as a kid... Anyway im having trouble finding information on costs, liscences, mooring places etc for mooring in Edinburgh. Basically any information any of you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Any books or websites with useful information you could reccommend would be great aswell.

Heres the questions i really need answered:-

Where can i buy a boat? (Currently looking on ebay)

What should i look for, i.e. what certificates should the boat have?

Do i need some kind of liscence?

If i bought a boat that was in England how would i get it to the Grand Union Canal/is this possible?

What are the practicalities of boat life? Maintenence costs/Running costs/Mooring cost.

How could i secure a mooring in Edinburgh, i assume there is some kind of waiting list...

Are there any special taxes etc?

Do Mooring sites have power supplies or is it all run on batteries?

 

Ok thats a long list, and forgive me if i sound a bit ignorant but i need to learn.

Thanks alot

Josef

I like your sign on name! shall that be your boat name too?

[Dekazer]

See it from Edinburgh's point of view: what this (rather run-down) part of the city needs is tourists coming in, mooring for a few days, spending lots and lots of holiday money and then going away so that another lot come to do the same. The moorings at the very end of the canal are a prime site for visitors. Residential boaters don't generally spend money the way that tourists do (that's why Llangollen agreed to the basin only if it was strictly for visitors, at least in the summer).

 

Ratho, on the other hand, draws much of its character from the canal and probably views things differently. You may well have much more luck along the canal out fo the city itself (and there is a good rail service almost parallel).

 

Oh I know, you make a very fair point. For many years I lived on Viewforth which is very close to the section of the canal that was regenerated with Milllenienienumenmnmelllneum money a while back - we watched with interest as the canal was dredged, the lift bridge recommissioned, and new moorings and buildings built up around the newly named Edinburgh Quay. That was, however, a very long time ago and it's a bit sad that there have been (6? 7? more?) unfinished mooring pontoons complete with bollards there for years now.

 

I also like the idea of visitor moorings having a couple of liveaboards around as they do tend to keep an eye open, and in the winter months winter moorers mean the place doesn't get deserted.

 

I don't reckon that Edinburgh has much to worry about in terms of generating income - especially now that the area around Tollcross and the West End is becoming far less skanky, and is now known as the financial district. It's much posher now even than when I left in 2006.

 

I really was surprised that the only BW residential moorings are at Ratho though - I had assumed that the ones near Wester Hailes were, and I'm surprised there aren't any in the commuter belt between Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are many many moorings, but I suppose they just must either be private or leisure. Which goes back to my point about liveaboards and site security.

[IainW]

Really interested in this thread as we are in a similar boat (sorry) to some of the people on here. Really keen on living on a boat on the canal near Edinburgh. We're starting to come across some of the problems detailed about mooring availability etc. We wouldn't need it to be 'residential' but would want to live aboard for some of the year. Seems to be a astrange grey area here.

 

It would be great to hear any updates on those looking to live on the canal - any successes?

 

Also if anyone would like to help us through the maze towards living on a boat on the Union Canal, would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Iain

[Iain_S]

Update on the moorings at the new flats at Leamington :

 

The developer hasn't managed to sell any flats yet, and BW(S) have installed electric and water on the pontoons (which the developer was supposed to do). BW(S) have applied for planning permission for six (I think, from a quick look at an architect's drawing at the User meeting) residential moorings. Not sure how much of a dent that will make on the waiting list There was a rumour that BW(S) were going to buy boats to put on said moorings, but that was described to me as "one of the options that was considered".

 

Iain

[Dekazer]

Update on the moorings at the new flats at Leamington :

 

The developer hasn't managed to sell any flats yet [snip]

Iain

 

I'm not surprised - the amount they wanted for them!

[IainW]

Hey thanks IainS, thats really interesting info. Its hard to get a gauge for how long waiting lists are. Any 'vibe' for roughly how in-demand the Union Canal moorings are? When i phoned BW they said the only availability was at Reddingmuirhead. We drove to try to find it but by the time we passed the prison, the gypsy site, the building site and the industrial units we realised why there may be availability :-)

 

I might try to get along to the volunteer day on Saturday to hunt for gossip...

 

Iain