Cruising into London this Summer.

[Boat&Bikes]

We are going to London this July. We have booked a mooring in Little Venice. We would like to get in and out of this mooring fairly quickly as we prefer quieter waterways. Intentions are to go down the Union then out and up the Thames. Would like some ideas of how busy/difficult it will be getting overnight moorings on the run in and out of Little Venice. Also some thoughts on how long it takes to get through the busier stretches?

Thanks,

 

Ian.

[matty40s]

Moor anywhere from Uxbridge to Cowley , is a pleasant ( lock free below Cowley lock) 6 hour cruise to Little Venice. 

Before Uxbridge there are still plenty of moorings available,  especially if you don't need to be moored next to a train station.

It is then another 6 hours to either Limehouse or Tottenham. This will be interesting, boats moored everywhere, including lock landings. Make sure you have filled water tank before entering Paddington Arm as water points can be busy.

Edited February 24, 2017 by matty40s

[alan_fincher]

51 minutes ago, ianali said:

We are going to London this July. We have booked a mooring in Little Venice. We would like to get in and out of this mooring fairly quickly as we prefer quieter waterways. Intentions are to go down the Union then out and up the Thames. Would like some ideas of how busy/difficult it will be getting overnight moorings on the run in and out of Little Venice. Also some thoughts on how long it takes to get through the busier stretches?

Possibly worth clarifying where you intend to exit the canal system on to the Thames.

Matty seems to have assumed you may be going to Limehouse, but I rather suspect you mean to trace your steps back along Paddington arm from Little Venice and down and on to Thames at Brentford.

However "Union" could be "Grand Union" or "Hertford Union", so ether interpretation is possible.

[Boat&Bikes]

Thanks for replies. Alan, we are after suggestions for the best route through London. By best I mean least hassle mooring wise. Won't  be in a hurry as we have all summer but would like to avoid having to search desperately  for overnight stops. Guess it's going to be plan a route and take pot luck at the end of the day. Though not in a rush we would prefer to be in and out of the madding crowd sooner rather than later.

Cheers,

Ian.

[ditchcrawler]

We went through London last summer and the last place heading into London we found for easy mooring if you don't want to breast up was Ladbroke Grove area bridge 6 to 4C after that it was quite full or nowhere I fancied until we were quite a way up the Lee 

[pearley]

Don't forget that you can book a nights mooring, with electric, outside the London Canal Museum.

Edited February 24, 2017 by pearley

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, ianali said:

Thanks for replies. Alan, we are after suggestions for the best route through London. By best I mean least hassle mooring wise. Won't  be in a hurry as we have all summer but would like to avoid having to search desperately  for overnight stops. Guess it's going to be plan a route and take pot luck at the end of the day. Though not in a rush we would prefer to be in and out of the madding crowd sooner rather than later.

Cheers,

Ian.

Ian,

Assuming your boat isabove the length where it is mandatory, if you want to go out onto the Thames, do you have the VHF radio certification and a VHF set?  If you don't, then going on to the Thames at Limehouse is not an option, so if you are going in to Little Venice via the Paddington Arm of the GU, your only option for getting back on to the Thames is to retrace your route  along the Paddington Arm to Bulls Bridge, then down to Brentford, and out there, (There is a VHF exemption for the tidal stretch up to Teddington, but only from Brentford).

Assuming you are licensed and have necessary equipment to join the tidal Thames at Limehouse, I think most people's considerations about whether to do this would be based on whether they actually wanted to boat on that very busy stetch of the Thames through central London or not.  If you have never done it, it is quite an exhilarating ride, and I think many would make that higher up their priority list about choice of route than where it is easy to moor on the GU, Paddington Arm or Regents.

[Boat&Bikes]

5 hours ago, pearley said:

Don't forget that you can book a nights mooring, with electric, outside the London Canal Museum.

Can you provide details on this please?

 

Ian.

[Tim Lewis]

http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/visit/comebyboat.htm

 

thus facility is not generally for leaving your boat and exploring London with the exception of Monday's when the museum is closed.

Tim

 

[Dave_P]

Interesting info on booking moorings.  I didn't realise this was possible.  I must say one thing which really puts me off boating through London is the lack of 24hr or 48hr VMs.  Apart from Limehouse they're all 14 days which seems madness when virtually every piece of towpath from Little Venice to Limehouse where it's possible to moor, is permanently moored on, usually breasted up.  Makes the visitor moorings designation somewhat pointless.

[Boat&Bikes]

3 hours ago, Dave_P said:

Interesting info on booking moorings.  I didn't realise this was possible.  I must say one thing which really puts me off boating through London is the lack of 24hr or 48hr VMs.  Apart from Limehouse they're all 14 days which seems madness when virtually every piece of towpath from Little Venice to Limehouse where it's possible to moor, is permanently moored on, usually breasted up.  Makes the visitor moorings designation somewhat pointless.

We go to London for music... intend getting in and out as fast as possible... thank heaven for Little Venice.