Midnight on the Oxford

[Midnight]

Well out of my area heading towards Oxford. Hope to get there Thursday or Friday. Is anyone there who can give me an update on visitor moorings I would like to stay about 5/6 days. So far some venues have been relatively quiet (Anchor Bridge - Hawksbury, Braunston, Napton - others packed - Newbold  Cropedy (just managed the last space above the lock when a boat pulled out as we waited on the landing stage).

[Scholar Gypsy]

I was at Thrupp over the bank holiday weekend and there were several spaces. Some 2 day, some longer.  Not a bad bus service into Oxford. The centre of Oxford is a bit more hit and miss, I think.

[ditchcrawler]

The only visitor mooring longer than 2 days that I know of in Oxford its self, is by bridge 239a Frenchay Road Bridge

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

The only visitor mooring longer than 2 days that I know of in Oxford its self, is by bridge 239a Frenchay Road Bridge

 

Yes that mooring is space for about two boats IIRC, and was 7 days last time I passed it.

Never seen either space vacant though. Oxford VMs are like musical chairs. You can't rely on a space being available. Or more accurately you can probably rely on no space being available, but if you hang about boats are arriving and leaving all the time. Moorings are easier if you go out onto the Thames. Or used to be three or four years ago. 

[Midnight]

Thanks for the info - I'll probably try the Thames if the VMs are full

[mrsmelly]

If its just about visiting Oxford itself then the sensible money moor here at Lower Heyford, we have several who do this. There is many yards of exellent 14 days mooring here and a space is nearly always available even mid summer, all wirthin spitting distance of the railway station. Its then 15 minutes only by train to Oxford and you are more or less straight into the city centre then train back to the boat 15 minutes, thats less than walking up from most moorings in Oxford assuming you can find one when you get there. Then continue your journey by boat and stop there or not as the situation arises.

[MtB]

18 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

If its just about visiting Oxford itself then the sensible money moor here at Lower Heyford, we have several who do this. There is many yards of exellent 14 days mooring here and a space is nearly always available even mid summer, all wirthin spitting distance of the railway station. Its then 15 minutes only by train to Oxford and you are more or less straight into the city centre then train back to the boat 15 minutes, thats less than walking up from most moorings in Oxford assuming you can find one when you get there. Then continue your journey by boat and stop there or not as the situation arises.

 

Buying a ticket can be a ball-ache at these little stations in my experience though, and the absence of a working ticket machine is no excuse according to a recent court case discussed on R4 recently.

How much is the fare, and is there a ticket machine there? I think one can buy a ticket on line in advance on one's phone, but would it need to be printed?

 

Oh and the 15 minute journey time relies on the train coming at the time you want to go. Which never happens as any fule kno. One has to wait 55 minutes at least as a train your could have caught pulled out of the station three minutes previously, always!

Edited June 7, 2017 by Mike the Boilerman

[mrsmelly]

22 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Buying a ticket can be a ball-ache at these little stations in my experience though, and the absence of a working ticket machine is no excuse according to a recent court case discussed on R4 recently.

How much is the fare, and is there a ticket machine there? I think one can buy a ticket on line in advance on one's phone, but would it need to be printed?

 

Oh and the 15 minute journey time relies on the train coming at the time you want to go. Which never happens as any fule kno. One has to wait 55 minutes at least as a train your could have caught pulled out of the station three minutes previously, always!

There are only a few a day though usualy that is very usualy they are bang on time. This is the main line to Paddington. Tis true there is no ticket machine but at Oxford the formatt is you see a bloke who is always at the exit gate with his ticket machine and pay there it is the expected method. Oxford council do a deal with the train company and any train between Banbury and Oxford allows purchase of a special cherwell valley ticket that costs about 3 quid, its for nowt and is devised to get people spending money in Oxford the council subsidises it. In any even for old fossils such as me with a Rail card tis only £3.25 return off peak and I cant even park for more than an hour in Oxford for that. It actualy all works well for boaters here if they just want to visit the city although there are only trains about every two hours and non on  a sunday in the winter.

Edited June 7, 2017 by mrsmelly
fares gone up

[Midnight]

Looks like the Thames then. According to the EA monitoring station at Osney Lock there seems no significant rise in levels after the recent rain. Getting mixed messages from passing boats some say "loads of moorings on the cut" others say "No chance". Suck it and see maybe?

[Peter X]

Lower Heyford has an hourly bus service to Oxford, but it's about half a mile up the hill from the canal. Last year it made a good alternative to waiting ages for a train. I'm a Londoner, any wait of over 15 minutes for public transport feels like ages to me, but hanging around waiting for trains and buses is a price I'm willing to pay to go boating.

[Onewheeler]

Be aware that pretty much all of the Thames moorings near Oxford are officially 24 h, other than East Street where the second day is a fiver (and the third fifty). Outside Oxford the moorings opposite the Rock of Gibraltar don't have an explicit limit (I think the sign has been nicked) and there's an hourly service into town (it takes an hour though). The pub has space for a couple of boats and is very boat friendly. They might object if you outstay your welcome.

You'd probably be OK above Iffley Lock once past the lock moorings and the pub, although it's a good walk into town (but pleasant if you go up the river rather than Cowley Road). There's usually space. Otherwise amongst the trees upstream of Sheepwash Channel should be OK, it's nice and quiet there. Officially 24 h but as the signs are well hidden you can reasonably plead ignorance. A machete is often useful on the Thames.

A lot of the moorings near Oxford even if signposted are unfeasibly shallow.

[Midnight]

46 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Be aware that pretty much all of the Thames moorings near Oxford are officially 24 h, other than East Street where the second day is a fiver (and the third fifty). Outside Oxford the moorings opposite the Rock of Gibraltar don't have an explicit limit (I think the sign has been nicked) and there's an hourly service into town (it takes an hour though). The pub has space for a couple of boats and is very boat friendly. They might object if you outstay your welcome.

You'd probably be OK above Iffley Lock once past the lock moorings and the pub, although it's a good walk into town (but pleasant if you go up the river rather than Cowley Road). There's usually space. Otherwise amongst the trees upstream of Sheepwash Channel should be OK, it's nice and quiet there. Officially 24 h but as the signs are well hidden you can reasonably plead ignorance. A machete is often useful on the Thames.

A lot of the moorings near Oxford even if signposted are unfeasibly shallow.

Thanks for this info - fingers crossed

[Onewheeler]

2 hours ago, Onewheeler said:

A lot of the moorings near Oxford even if signposted are unfeasibly shallow.

I should have said on the canal.

[magpie patrick]

Banbury has lots of trains to Oxford, and lots of buses, and 14 day moorings below the lock, near the bus and railway station. Perceptually it might feel a bit odd though to then sail through Oxford a few days later

 

17 hours ago, Peter X said:

Lower Heyford has an hourly bus service to Oxford, but it's about half a mile up the hill from the canal. Last year it made a good alternative to waiting ages for a train. I'm a Londoner, any wait of over 15 minutes for public transport feels like ages to me, but hanging around waiting for trains and buses is a price I'm willing to pay to go boating.

Careful, you are in danger of being reasonable and talking sense!

[Midnight]

Arrived early afternoon today and there's about a mile of empty 2 day moorings just before Isis lock only about 6 boats here now. Considering the length of vacant space you would think CRT would have made some of these 3, 4 or 5 day. Disappointing considering it took nearly a fortnight to get down here from Mirfield. Probably go up to Lechlade after the weekend. 

[mrsmelly]

48 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Arrived early afternoon today and there's about a mile of empty 2 day moorings just before Isis lock only about 6 boats here now. Considering the length of vacant space you would think CRT would have made some of these 3, 4 or 5 day. Disappointing considering it took nearly a fortnight to get down here from Mirfield. Probably go up to Lechlade after the weekend. 

There are some fab spots to moor on the way to Lechlade.

[Midnight]

59 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

There are some fab spots to moor on the way to Lechlade.

Any recommendations - good beer essential

[Scholar Gypsy]

Northmoor Lock Cut: walk up to Appleton Village

Tadpole Bridge, Trout Inn  http://troutinn.co.uk/sailing-boating-cotswolds/ 

Newbridge: Rose Revived on one bank and Maybush on the other  http://www.the-maybush.co.uk/ Good moorings upstream on the left bank, as I recall

Swan Inn Radcot  http://thames.me.uk/s02150.htm

Plough Inn  Kelmscott. http://www.theploughinnkelmscott.com/contact/ good moorings at Wm Morris museum https://www.sal.org.uk/kelmscott-manor/

Never been to a pub in Lechlade

 

 

[Onewheeler]

Lovely moorings at Lechlade between the lock and the bridge, about £4 a night with discount for a week. Several pubs in town, one with microbrewery.

The Maybush was closed last time we passed, it may be open now.

Tadpole Bridge was £25 a night last time unless you had booked a mooring to dine, although I blagged a free stop once by drinking a lot of the pub's beer.

Kelmscott worth a stop for the Manor, open Weds and Sat I think. There's often a discount on entry from Travelzoo. Nice pub nearby.

Martin/

[Scholar Gypsy]

I hadn't realised Tadpole was that expensive!

In the past I have moored on the right bank, through the bridge, by the track up to Rushey Lock. But it was a bit of a scramble (gank plank off the roof!).

[Scholar Gypsy]

On 6/9/2017 at 20:58, Onewheeler said:

Lovely moorings at Lechlade between the lock and the bridge, about £4 a night with discount for a week. Several pubs in town, one with microbrewery.

The Maybush was closed last time we passed, it may be open now.

Tadpole Bridge was £25 a night last time unless you had booked a mooring to dine, although I blagged a free stop once by drinking a lot of the pub's beer.

Kelmscott worth a stop for the Manor, open Weds and Sat I think. There's often a discount on entry from Travelzoo. Nice pub nearby.

Martin/

This (twitter) suggests the Maybush has indeed reopened. That twitter feed seems to be providing reviews for all the pubs on the Upper Thames today! 

 

Edited June 11, 2017 by Scholar Gypsy
Incompetence

[OldGoat]

On ‎09‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 20:30, Scholar Gypsy said:

Northmoor Lock Cut: walk up to Appleton Village

Tadpole Bridge, Trout Inn  http://troutinn.co.uk/sailing-boating-cotswolds/ 

Newbridge: Rose Revived on one bank and Maybush on the other  http://www.the-maybush.co.uk/ Good moorings upstream on the left bank, as I recall

Swan Inn Radcot  http://thames.me.uk/s02150.htm

Plough Inn  Kelmscott. http://www.theploughinnkelmscott.com/contact/ good moorings at Wm Morris museum https://www.sal.org.uk/kelmscott-manor/

Never been to a pub in Lechlade

 

 

The lockie at Northmoor - tow weeks ago - told me that the landowner had locked the route to the village, but does open it at weekends. ? can't be a public footpath then?

Nice moorings above Rushey - much liked by birders

Edited June 11, 2017 by OldGoat

[Scholar Gypsy]

42 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

The lockie at Northmoor - tow weeks ago - told me that the landowner had locked the route to the village, but does open it at weekends. ? can't be a public footpath then?

Nice moorings above Rushey - much liked by birders

That's odd.  It is a private road - here's a photo at the Appleton end - and the only road access to the lockkeeper's house. There is a footpath a mile or so further upstream, which crosses on the footbridge.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

I hadn't realised Tadpole was that expensive!

In the past I have moored on the right bank, through the bridge, by the track up to Rushey Lock. But it was a bit of a scramble (gank plank off the roof!).

Not been for a couple of years but we never paid, just moored to the bottom of the lawn, walked up booked a table and stayed overnight. Mooring fee was never mentioned  No mention of fees here ether http://troutinn.co.uk/boat-fish/ or am I at the wrong place.

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

That's odd.  It is a private road - here's a photo at the Appleton end - and the only road access to the lockkeeper's house. There is a footpath a mile or so further upstream, which crosses on the footbridge.

 

 

I can't se what the blue notice says (too lazy to do a google earth), but seeing the gates, I suspect they get closed - but then how does legitimate traffic get to the lock?

It all came about 'cos the lockie saw we had stopped at the end of the layby and had assumed we wanted to get to the village. We had stopped for lunch - which we never do  as there was  little traffic  on the river and assumed the lock was unmanned.

Very strange - surely foot traffic is not a problem, or does he fear 'other folks' using his private road?

Edit: Just googled - Notice says "no public right of way - Lock access only". That looks to me like a standard EA notice where they have access rights.  

Edited June 11, 2017 by OldGoat