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Gloucester and Sharpness Canal


sooz

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Yes, me again. I am genuinely sorry! :blush:

 

All of a sudden we are reconsidering which canal we want to be based on, as we've just been enlightened to the fact that both the Kennet and Avon and the Gloucester and Sharpness are pretty much equidistant from us down in Devonshire but taking the motorway all the way up to the latter will shave a good bit of time off our journeys.

 

Now, having thought we knew all there is to know about the K & A in terms of marinas, moorings, chandlers, boat painters, engineers, locks, stoppages, licences, pubs etc it turns out we've got an awful lot to learn about the G & S in anticipation that we may end up there. It's actually a tad unnerving as I've never spent any time in that part of the country (I always seem to drive through it en route to somewhere else).

 

Saul Marina has been recommended and seems nicely located for us, so in this theorisation we'll use that as our base. First of all, having looked at the 2012/2013 winter stoppages it seems we would be quite stuffed if we wanted to go, well, anywhere between November and March. And we do, we plan to spend a good deal of time on the boat over the winter so it's a tad disappointing seeing that effectively the whole stretch is closed.

 

Assuming we get over the lack of winter cruising and do decide to go with the G & S, could somebody please put in simple terms (read: simpler than the CaRT website) what licences we will need to go anywhere?! I've found conflicting / confusing information about the Avon so would really appreciate some clarification.

 

For want of a more specific question, what are the routes like? I've heard talk of lock keepers and automatic bridges - all new to us as we've never ventured beyond the K & A! I presume there's still plenty of hands-on work to force the kids to do?! And is it 'pretty'? Perhaps an odd consideration to some, to me even given how keen I am to explore the UK's more industrial networks, but we do think the K & A is rather lovely and I wondered how the G & S compares.

 

Finally, where could we go to find suitable folk based in that area for tasks such as fitting a stove, for example? Is there a directory of people who provide such services - I'm not sure what I ought to be googling.

 

Thanks again =]

Edited by sooz
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I don't know the G&S, but licencing is really quite simple, I think! The G&S is a CRT canal, so you are going to need a standard canal and river licence, this is what the majority of narrowboats have. This covers all the CRT canals and rivers. The only other CRT option is a river only license if you are just based on a river which you would not be. You can look here for information.

 

Ignoring the Bristol channel route, the G&S connects to the rest of the system by the river Severn, which is a CRT waterway so your canal and river license will cover that. From the River Severn you can get onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire and the Worcester and Birmingham canals (both CRT), plus the River Avon. The River Avon is run by a separate navigation authority the Avon Navigation Trust, see here for their web site. From the River Avon you can go to Stratford and onto the Stratford canal (CRT). You would probably start by just buying visitor licenses on the River Avon for the times that you went that way, but then if you wanted to you could license for the year on there as well, which attracts a discount as you also have a CRT licence (see the ANT website for details).

 

Does that help?

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Hi Sooz

 

As the instigator of your doubts I'd better come clean, the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal is not the same as the Kennet and Avon.

 

There is no problem with moored boats, the canal is so wide even with moored boats both sides of the canal a' ship' can get through and sometimes does. There (to my knowledge) has recently been no water shortages as the canal is river fed from the Cotswolds and in fact overflows into the Severn. There are very few tight bends and you don't have to look for winding points, a reasonable length boat can just turn midstream.

 

It is a very 'pretty' canal but in a completely different way, not as such the canal itself but the views from it and the countryside it passes through. From the historical architecture of Gloucester Docks to views of the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and the River Severn along it's length. Not far from the canal are excellent view points to watch the Severn Bore, tides permitting.

 

If you like history then Sharpness has not only the docks but also the "Railway Bridge" that is no more and the Purton Wrecks.

 

To answer some more of your questions:

 

All the bridges are operated by CRT personnel so it can be a bit of a lazy canal, but the many walking and cycling routes leading from the canal more than make up for the slight inconvenience of being tied to the bridge opening hours.

 

The stoppages just mean that for the first part of the winter you turn right out of the marina and the second part you turn left. There is enough to keep you busy over the winter without needing to go out onto the Severn to start with. In fact we've been here since March and haven't yet gone back out onto the river.

 

The marina will get full over the winter because it is very very popular place for 'winter moorings', but spaces will open up again in March/April.

 

Facilities:-

 

Mooring at Sharpness Marina, Gloucester Docks (Victoria Basin), Saul Marina and other CRT moorings.

 

Boat yards at Sharpness, Saul (R W Davis) and in Gloucester (A & D Marine)

 

Fuel: Saul, Frampton on Severn and Sharpness I think

 

Chandlery: Sharpness, Saul, Gloucester x 2

 

Tradesmen: For general work a very genuine man Gordon" Narrowboats ( Also makes top boxes) and a Carpenter Steve Potter.

 

So most of your repairs and other works are covered.

 

SWMBO loves the fact we can take a leisurely cruise from the marina, moor up in Gloucester Docks, walk to the Gloucester Quays Designer outlet, shop until her hearts content then maybe finish off with a meal in Nando's or the "Rusty Box" restaurant (locals know where I mean) and then cruise back!

 

The best bet would be to pop up and have a look around the area, that's what we did. There is short stay and long stay parking run by CRT at Saul and at Purton. Parking is also available in Gloucester.

 

If I'm about then you're more than welcome to visit at the marina just say.

 

I'll leave it for now and let someone else tell you about the Dockers Club.

 

Cotswoldsman is right for the brave you can still slip down the Severn to Portishead then up the Bristol Avon to the K & A if you must. The journey isn't as bad as it's made out if you prepare right according to a friend from church who has done it.

 

Here are some links which may help:

 

http://www.severn-boating.co.uk

http://glos-sharpness.org.uk

http://www.cotswoldcanals.com

http://www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk

 

Regards

  • Greenie 1
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It depends if you like crowded canals or wide open spaces. I love the G&S and used to go to Saul for the festival every year. It can be very useful being able to turn anywhere and we did it just for fun. The k&a would be fine without the other boats :-)

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Just to add that if you choose Saul, which is on the outskirts of Frampton on Severn, you will find this a very active village with plenty happening on the village green every summer, usually including a fair and circus, gymkana and village fete, and there is a cricket match most weekends, the pitch being right outside the pub.

I think this has the distinction of being the biggest village green in England, but i am not swearing to it!

I would add that although all the bridges are indeed manned, a narrowboat passes under quite a few without them opening. and Gloucester does have plenty to occupy many hours or week ends of your time without going farther.

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Ignoring the Bristol channel route, the G&S connects to the rest of the system by the river Severn, which is a CRT waterway so your canal and river license will cover that. From the River Severn you can get onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire and the Worcester and Birmingham canals (both CRT), plus the River Avon.

 

Does that help?

 

Your forgot the Droitwich barge canal!

 

N

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Yes, me again. I am genuinely sorry! :blush:

 

All of a sudden we are reconsidering which canal we want to be based on, as we've just been enlightened to the fact that both the Kennet and Avon and the Gloucester and Sharpness are pretty much equidistant from us down in Devonshire but taking the motorway all the way up to the latter will shave a good bit of time off our journeys.

 

Now, having thought we knew all there is to know about the K & A in terms of marinas, moorings, chandlers, boat painters, engineers, locks, stoppages, licences, pubs etc it turns out we've got an awful lot to learn about the G & S in anticipation that we may end up there. It's actually a tad unnerving as I've never spent any time in that part of the country (I always seem to drive through it en route to somewhere else).

 

Saul Marina has been recommended and seems nicely located for us, so in this theorisation we'll use that as our base. First of all, having looked at the 2012/2013 winter stoppages it seems we would be quite stuffed if we wanted to go, well, anywhere between November and March. And we do, we plan to spend a good deal of time on the boat over the winter so it's a tad disappointing seeing that effectively the whole stretch is closed.

 

Assuming we get over the lack of winter cruising and do decide to go with the G & S, could somebody please put in simple terms (read: simpler than the CaRT website) what licences we will need to go anywhere?! I've found conflicting / confusing information about the Avon so would really appreciate some clarification.

 

For want of a more specific question, what are the routes like? I've heard talk of lock keepers and automatic bridges - all new to us as we've never ventured beyond the K & A! I presume there's still plenty of hands-on work to force the kids to do?! And is it 'pretty'? Perhaps an odd consideration to some, to me even given how keen I am to explore the UK's more industrial networks, but we do think the K & A is rather lovely and I wondered how the G & S compares.

 

Finally, where could we go to find suitable folk based in that area for tasks such as fitting a stove, for example? Is there a directory of people who provide such services - I'm not sure what I ought to be googling.

 

Thanks again =]

 

Having had moorings on both more than once over the past several years there is a great deal of difference. The K and A for the most part is scenic and very nice, the G and s for the most part is windswept miserable and bleak. :cheers:

 

Tim

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Having had moorings on both more than once over the past several years there is a great deal of difference. The K and A for the most part is scenic and very nice, the G and s for the most part is windswept miserable and bleak. :cheers:

 

Tim

A bit one-sided! Come and see the G&S. plenty of fix it folks here. pm me if you want,rob

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Wow, as ever thanks all for the responses and opinions - some very useful information.

 

We're off up north (that means above Exeter to us!) to have a mooch about some boats at the weekend so will probably make a jolly out of it and have a nosey at various places along the G & S on the way back.

 

It does indeed sound like a very different waterway to the K & A (as is the beauty of such a pastime, the varied places one will see) and we're trying to decide whether we like the idea of not leaping off the boat to wrestle with a battered, leaking lock every twenty minutes or so!

 

=]

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Yes, me again. I am genuinely sorry! :blush:

 

<snip>

 

:smiley_offtopic: Please, don't be sorry. To me, you seem to be genuinely putting in the effort to do your research properly. This is why you are getting such good replies to your questions.

 

Stick at it, enjoy the ride

 

Richard

  • Greenie 1
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:smiley_offtopic: Please, don't be sorry. To me, you seem to be genuinely putting in the effort to do your research properly. This is why you are getting such good replies to your questions.

 

Stick at it, enjoy the ride

 

Richard

 

Thank you =] At the risk of sounding trite, I do hope that other people are getting the benefit of my ramblings, too, and that in the future we'll be able to help others as well.

 

Cheers =]

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We had a 62 foot narrow boat at Saul Junction Marina, and we now have a 23 foot cruiser on the K and A. Thoughts...

 

We preferred the G and S for weekends. It isn't crowded (actually it is, it has over twice the national average of boats per mile on the CRT system) but it is so big.

 

There are so many tiny variations for weekends. Mooring is possible virtually anywhere (not quite, but out of 16 miles I'd say 14 of them a moorable)

 

In the sixteen mile length we moored the boat overnight in at least nine different places. Starting From Gloucester:

 

Gloucester Docks

Pilot Inn, Quedgely

Parkend Bridge (to see the Severn Bore)

Saul Junction (but not in the marina)

Fretherne Bridge

Splatt Bridge

Shepherds Patch

Gilgol brook, near Purton

Old Severn Railway Bridge

 

Shepherds Patch was a favourite because we could go to the WWT at Slimbridge and also walk into Slimbridge Village with an interesting church and a number of graves in my family name (Moss) that I knew nothing of. The Black Shed did a superb breakfast as well

 

We left for two reasons, the boat was too large, and we got fed up with the haul up the Severn, and so we bought Juno on the K and A. The K and A is a canal of contrasts, but if I may say so, it is not so easy to find an overnight mooring distinct from another one, say a mile away. If you are in a boat longer than 23 feet you can't just turn anywhere, and there is that blasted flight of locks at Devizes that we have now done a few times, they make the deariness of the Severn look tame, and the nearby attractions just don't compare. If I go back to my list

 

Gloucester Docks: city of Gloucester, decent restaurants, plenty of hidden gems

Pilot Inn, Quedgely: This is the odd one out, other than the Inn, not a great deal

Parkend Bridge (to see the Severn Bore)And also a nice walk down the Severn for the Anchor Inn

Saul Junction (but not in the marina)Walks up and Down the Stroudwater Canal, and the Stables Cafe

Fretherne Bridge: The Bell Inn and one end of Frampton Village Green

Splatt Bridge: The Three Horsehoes, Frampton Church, the other end of the Village Green (yes it is that long) and a great view of the Estuary from your boat)

Shepherds Patch: Slimbridge itself, the WWT, the Tudor Inn and the Black shed, plus if you moor sharpness side you can cruise for 3 miles with no bridges, useful given that they are manned and not open 24/7

Gilgol brook, near Purton: Walk down to a breakwater on the Severn Estuary, and a general ramble. Middle of nowhere feel that you just can't get on many canals

Old Severn Railway Bridge: the view, the bridge itself, "the Dockies", a short walk back to the purton wrecks and the Berkely Arms, if it is still going, which it may not be

 

All this against a backdrop of the Cotswolds on one side and the Forest of Dean on the other. As you may be able to tell, we are a little bit nostalgic for the G and S, and even said when we bought Juno that our ideal would be her on the G and S (she is trailable)

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Thank you =] At the risk of sounding trite, I do hope that other people are getting the benefit of my ramblings, too, and that in the future we'll be able to help others as well.

 

Cheers =]

We certainly are - I'm in Cornwall so everything you've mentioned is very relevant for me - just add on 1.5 hours!!

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Just to add that if you choose Saul, which is on the outskirts of Frampton on Severn, you will find this a very active village with plenty happening on the village green every summer, usually including a fair and circus, gymkana and village fete, and there is a cricket match most weekends, the pitch being right outside the pub.

I think this has the distinction of being the biggest village green in England, but i am not swearing to it!

I would add that although all the bridges are indeed manned, a narrowboat passes under quite a few without them opening. and Gloucester does have plenty to occupy many hours or week ends of your time without going farther.

The biggest village green might be Great Bentley in Essex.

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Magpie Patrick, thank you for the comprehensive post, it's most helpful. It certainly sounds like a interesting canal and one t'other half and I would very much like to explore (and not just for the thorough list of canalside pubs you've mentioned!). On the other hand, the K & A has endless fields for the mutt and the small people, and again - all those manual locks to wear them out with!

 

Oh, to have a boat on each, eh?!

 

Still, we've factored in stopping off at a few places along the G & S on our way back down from boat-viewing. I guess that's going to be what sells it (or doesn't). Very keen to see the Severn Bore though, that's for sure.

 

We certainly are - I'm in Cornwall so everything you've mentioned is very relevant for me - just add on 1.5 hours!!

 

Crikey, I wouldn't fancy that trip each time, though perhaps we ought to share lifts sometime?!

 

=]

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Wow, as ever thanks all for the responses and opinions - some very useful information.

 

We're off up north (that means above Exeter to us!) to have a mooch about some boats at the weekend so will probably make a jolly out of it and have a nosey at various places along the G & S on the way back.

 

It does indeed sound like a very different waterway to the K & A (as is the beauty of such a pastime, the varied places one will see) and we're trying to decide whether we like the idea of not leaping off the boat to wrestle with a battered, leaking lock every twenty minutes or so!

 

=]

do wander round the basin at Saul Junction. The CCT Heritage centre is open at weekends, always good for a natter. And the Stables cafe is highly recommended.

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Julian,

I presume you mean the Berkeley Hunt?

Many a happy hour spent in there in the early/mid 70's drink Aunty Kath's 6X and singing folk songs on a Sunday night.

there used two be two one was the arms and the other the hunt cant remember which was which, one was by the bridge the other in a farm house down the road.

Never wentin the one by the bridge only the farmhouse

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there used two be two one was the arms and the other the hunt cant remember which was which, one was by the bridge the other in a farm house down the road.

Never wentin the one by the bridge only the farmhouse

 

The Hunt was by the bridge, and was owned by Kath and her brothers, who farmed from the back of the house. There used to be a folk session there on a Sunday night, sometimes in Kath's dining room, and if you were one of her favourites the evening ended in the winter with a tot of dark rum. Half of Steeleye Span turned up one night, including Maddie Prior!

 

The Arms is the one further down the lane, nearer the river. Didn't think he actually farmed when we went there, which wasn't that often. I think it is still open.

 

I shall check with a friend who used to live in Sharpness.

Edited by Graham Davis
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do wander round the basin at Saul Junction. The CCT Heritage centre is open at weekends, always good for a natter. And the Stables cafe is highly recommended.

 

We shall make sure to, that's one possibility for mooring. Thanks for the recommendations =]

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