Day cruise on the River Conwy- advice/experience requested

S1975

S1975

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N.Wales - Anglesey based.
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If practicable I would like to do this cruise up the Conwy. Boat description is semi-displacement motor, single screw, length 10 metres with a draught of about 1 metre, air draught of about 3.5 metres. Not really suitable for taking the ground but would probably cope with an unplanned sit on soft mud, but I would intend to avoid that.

How far up river is practical and prudent? Is there a useful low water (neaps) overnight anchorage near the head of navigation? Any useful & accessible taverns/restaurant for the overnight stop? Any private or sketch charts available?

Navigational dangers, currents etc? Would you recommend going up just after neap tides or nearing spring tides?

I would be grateful for your knowledge, advice or experience.

Thank you very much. :-)

S1975
 
there really is not any anchorages in the river there are two marinas or contact harbour master for mooring or berth on pontoon the river is only buoyed up to the castle if you ask the harbour master about going further up the river under the bridge he advises to look on google earth to see it at low water there is not much up there .
 
Thanks for the info and suggestions Seastoke. I will speak to the Harbourmaster to get his view on going further upriver past the bridge. Noted the suggestion re Google earth view. It seems to show the banks well at the low tide situation.

As you gathered it is further upriver that I am interested in cruising, I am sure it would be scenic if depths and tidal considerations allow.

Thank you.

S1975
 
Unless you really want to live on the cutting edge, I would leave your boat on a mooring near the bridge and take the dinghy up with the tide. Done this in the past and yes it is very scenic. Asking for trouble in a 30 footer IMHO
 
S1975 said:
If practicable I would like to do this cruise up the Conwy. Boat description is semi-displacement motor, single screw, length 10 metres with a draught of about 1 metre, air draught of about 3.5 metres. Not really suitable for taking the ground but would probably cope with an unplanned sit on soft mud, but I would intend to avoid that.

How far up river is practical and prudent? Is there a useful low water (neaps) overnight anchorage near the head of navigation? Any useful & accessible taverns/restaurant for the overnight stop? Any private or sketch charts available?

Navigational dangers, currents etc? Would you recommend going up just after neap tides or nearing spring tides?

I would be grateful for your knowledge, advice or experience.

Thank you very much. :-)

S1975[/QUOTE

If you want to explore the Conwy river in your kinda boat you need to go about an hour and a half before high water Springs
You can get to Tal Y Cafn and thats yer lot
Prob is with places like the Conwy and tothers in North Wales the sand banks shift
I have been further up than that but it was years ago in a 'Channel Island 22' a semi displacement motor boat but I don't know the 'route' now cos it has shifted no doubt
Get yerself along the road through Glan Conwy at low water, you will see the 'lay of the Land' ie the 'Lay of the sandbanks' up river
Some years ago (late70's early 80's) there was a short lived Monthly similar to MBM ,in which the Author described the way up the Conwy further than Tal Y Cafn but by now the details will be incorrect anyway! But that was the only real detailed navigational aid I have ever seen of the passage upstream.
Go at about an hour before high water on a Spring tide in your type of boat and you will enjoy a nice trip to Tal Y Cafn, keep to the starboard side after you pass the yellow bouy upstream of the bridge then keep the bank on yer starboard about 4 boat lengths off, you will be ok, but beware of various old mooring pylons and dissued bits of old jetties and stuff. There are no overnight stops as You mention and it is prudent to go up the river on high water springs, in my humble opinion, unless someone has surveyed the section above,or upriver of the Bridges in recent times. The best way to suss it out is to drive down towards Tal Y Cafn at low water Springs and look at the sandbanks, which shift regurlarly. Springs happen every other week as you will obviously know as a boaty person!
Click to expand...
 
Many years ago I jetskied up it . 20 or so
Loads of mud / sand banks shallow water .actually stuffed it at speed up a sand bank -went over the handle bars managed to drag it back to deep water .
Not really suitable for a big boat especially on a falling tide
 
Dear All,

Thanks very much for the useful advice, experience & opinion. All well received. I will plan accordingly but the key requirements will be a rising tide, good recent understanding of the position of the mud/sand banks, slow speed, a close watch of the echo sounder, anchors and tender ready to deploy and transit at a time where the tide levels are increasing towards springs. To make it an unrushed experience it may be necessary to try & find a low water anchorage near the upper limit of boat navigation at Tal y Cafn. And continue on by tender maybe..

When/if achieved (provided successfully...) will post and make some notes available to any one who would like a look at them.

Thanks again everyone.
S1975
 
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