MichelleD Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Hi everyone - am new to this forum so am wondering if one of you good people could help at all. We're going to be doing the Leicester ring next year prob mid year) from our base near Wigrams Turn but I'm slightly concerned as not done much river cruising before and know we're going to have to negotiate both River Soar and Trent (have a little phobia about weirs and currents). We've done quite a bit of canal cruising in the past but not very much river at all (hubbie is relaxed about it all but I panic !!) - Any reassurance about river strengths etc on this ring would be great have heard to do ring anti-clockwise is this correct ? Also any info on any good mooring spots would be great (tend to like the quiet bits rather than pubing every night although never been known to turn down a pint !!). Have cruised before upto fazeley & Fradley junction but beyond that is unknown country. Looking fwd to catching up with people on our journeys around the cut Many thanks for any help Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evo Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 IMO .. its the best ring of the lot. The river Soar is a doddle in the summer and very nice. The Trent I've never done, its not part of the ring properly, allthough I guess odd bits of it are. Absolutely nothing to be scared of, enjoy the trip. I'm saying nothing about moorings and stuff other than find your own and leave somthing to chance - a bit of adventure/excitement. Keep your eye on the water levels, go early in the summer, my boat in the hands of the in-laws has just completed the ring and the decent to Leicester was dreadful with no water. I've done it 3 times, either direction is fine, I have no preference. Rivers are lovely for a while but there is nowhere to park. The Soar is over in a flash though , so take your time and enjoy it. Easy done in 10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semitrad Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 IMO .. its the best ring of the lot. The river Soar is a doddle in the summer and very nice. The Trent I've never done, its not part of the ring properly, allthough I guess odd bits of it are. Absolutely nothing to be scared of, enjoy the trip. I'm saying nothing about moorings and stuff other than find your own and leave somthing to chance - a bit of adventure/excitement. Keep your eye on the water levels, go early in the summer, my boat in the hands of the in-laws has just completed the ring and the decent to Leicester was dreadful with no water. I've done it 3 times, either direction is fine, I have no preference. Rivers are lovely for a while but there is nowhere to park. The Soar is over in a flash though , so take your time and enjoy it. Easy done in 10 days. Agree with all the above, keep your eye on the weather and have some go/no go points in mind. Most boaters I have met on the ring tend to do the Leicester part in one go, which usually takes a whole day. There are secure moorings at Castle Gardens but only three boats long so breasting up is common. Don't forget the anchor! We always take lifejackets for the river sections. Have fun, it's a lovely ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfrog Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) We did it anti-clockwise in July and had a great time. River sections were no problem although I can understand why you have to watch the weather and high-water reports. Lots of helpful info on this site . Just trawl through using the search function. I found lots not just under "Leicester" but also searching for "Foxton". Be aware of the current drought issues - hopefully won't be like this when you go for it. regards David PS Good to see another musical boat name Edited August 25, 2011 by Bullfrog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteS Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 We did the ring 2 years ago. We're based on the Soar and so the river bits are not a problem. I'm just packing up to go away for the weekend, but I'll try and remember to look out my notes from the trip and let you have any relevant info when I return on Tuesday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
churchward Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) Hi everyone - am new to this forum so am wondering if one of you good people could help at all. We're going to be doing the Leicester ring next year prob mid year) from our base near Wigrams Turn but I'm slightly concerned as not done much river cruising before and know we're going to have to negotiate both River Soar and Trent (have a little phobia about weirs and currents). We've done quite a bit of canal cruising in the past but not very much river at all (hubbie is relaxed about it all but I panic !!) - Any reassurance about river strengths etc on this ring would be great have heard to do ring anti-clockwise is this correct ? Also any info on any good mooring spots would be great (tend to like the quiet bits rather than pubing every night although never been known to turn down a pint !!). Have cruised before upto fazeley & Fradley junction but beyond that is unknown country. Looking fwd to catching up with people on our journeys around the cut Many thanks for any help Michelle Welcome to the forum we have done the Leicester ring twice now and really enjoyed it both times. We have been around it in both directions too and mostly I don't think it matters much which way you go. It may be best if the river Soar was flowing a bit faster than normal to go clockwise but right now it will be quite gentle. The river sections are great and there are plenty of good mooring spots along the way. This year we also went up the Erewash canal and back and took 2 days from our schedule. It was OK and interesting to tick off the list but I wouldn't be in a hurry to do again. Although the large majority of the time the Soar is a very tame river it can if it rains a lot flow quickly and rise a few feet. I would get yourself an anchor,chain and rope as insurance against problems eg in the event of engine failure near a weir. Also consider a grappling hook for the same reasons. They can be useful to throw to the bank (on the end of a rope! ) or into bushes to help pull you into the shore. You are not likely to use either but that is not what insurance is about. You will have a good time it's a great route. Edited August 26, 2011 by churchward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Welcome to the forum we have done the Leicester ring twice now and really enjoyed it both times. We have been around it in both directions too and mostly I don't think it matters much which way you go. It may be best if the river Soar was flowing a bit faster than normal to go clockwise but right now it will be quite gentle. The river sections are great and there are plenty of good mooring spots along the way. This year we also went up the Erewash canal and back and took 2 days from our schedule. It was OK and interesting to tick off the list but I wouldn't be in a hurry to do again. Although the large majority of the time the Soar is a very tame river it can if it rains a lot flow quickly and rise a few feet. I would get yourself an anchor,chain and rope as insurance against problems eg in the event of engine failure near a weir. Also consider a grappling hook for the same reasons. They can be useful to throw to the bank (on the end of a rope! ) or into bushes to help pull you into the shore. You are not likely to use either but that is not what insurance is about. You will have a good time it's a great route. We did the Leicester ring in 2005 - well attempted it! We went from rugby, through leicester and got stuck by a lock and weir - as the signal said not to go through - when we awoke the next morning there was no towpath on the other side of the lock!!! As the river had burst it's banks in surrounding areas and then when it joined with the canal it flooded all over!! lol. We never managed to get round it - We ended up doing the oxford canal - it was beautiful! It was going well up to that point! We discovered later that it is prone to flooding etc but we were not warned about it! wouldn't mind attempting it again perhaps sometime in the future. Amy x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 would that have been near the space station...Belgrave lock Amy? We were stuck in flooding there 3 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) would that have been near the space station...Belgrave lock Amy? We were stuck in flooding there 3 years ago. Yes that's the one! couldn't remember its name till you mentioned it! I dont think it would put me off doing a river one completely - but it would have been nice to have been warned about the likelihood of flooding etc before we had set off. We didn't get any warning from the boating company, but at least we know now and if we attempt it again we can be a bit better prepared ourselves. Edited September 2, 2011 by Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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