Maidstone River Festival is ON

[oldgit]

Last minute action by local consortium has managed to rescue the Maidstone River Festival which usually occurs the last weekend of July.No further details yet but info on 2009 here http://www.maidstoneriverfestival.com/index.html

 

[nonitoo]

Any idea of the bridge heights between Allington Lock and in Maidstone ?

The EA site does not seem to show them (or I have not found them).

Tom

 

[Celica]

Any idea of the bridge heights between Allington Lock and in Maidstone ?

The EA site does not seem to show them (or I have not found them).

Tom

Tom
Try googling Allington lock and slipway this leads to a site run by an EA employee but not endorsed by the EA. All the bridge heights are profiled there with plenty of other information on the upper River Medway including all the new works being carried out during the winter.

 

[oldgit]

Only Aylesford bridge really needs to be taken into account and provided you use the tide most leisure craft will have no problems.
Several fair sized MoBo manage to get up each year including several Turbo 36s and assorted Princess with fixed flybridge
There are several very large barges some which appear to be over 20m in length moored above lock and this is from a bargey web site

The lock at Allington is owned by the environment agency and works a couple of hours either side of high water, but only during the working day. It can take quite large vessels being over 53 m long and over 6 m wide, while the maximum draught for vessels attempting to get to Maidstone is 2 m. Consequently if you own a shallow draught barge like vessel with low air draft you could make this trip".

Last year EA were doing half price licence for the weekend.
Rochester Bridge

The Priory

Aylesford Bridge at high water.

Allington lock

after the lock ..Millenium park

The Raft race.

 

[nonitoo]

Thanks Celica and Oldgit, much appreciated. I only draw 1 metre with 2.2 airdraft so I may come up for the weekend.

Tom

 

[oldgit]

Hope you can make it,evening usually ends with a firework display.
We normally go through Rochester Bridge around 2 hours before high water on the previous Friday,this gives plenty of water underneath and lots of airdraft.If you arrive a bit early Rochester Pier just upriver from the bridge and underneath the castle is an ideal place to stop and wait for tide,both clean and safe with restricted access regards joe public.
Keep and eye out for stuff in the water (old tyres lumps the odd chair etc)as you get towards Allington.

 

[neale]

Keep and eye out for stuff in the water (old tyres lumps the odd chair etc)as you get towards Allington.

I'll second that. I went up last year and have never seen so much rubbish in the water. Tyres, traffic cones, a TV and so much natural debris, grass, branches etc, it looked like you could almost walk across the river in places.

Still once through the lock it is definitely a worthwhile trip.

 

[mainshiptom]

I would love to join

but I will be boat less, Can I borrow a boat anyone? or buy one?

Tom

 

[Bassplayer]

I'll second that. I went up last year and have never seen so much rubbish in the water. Tyres, traffic cones, a TV and so much natural debris, grass, branches etc, it looked like you could almost walk across the river in places.

Still once through the lock it is definitely a worthwhile trip.

Always been the way in my experience, although the rubbish / debris is worst at HW. Lost count of the number of times I have had a fouled prop there. Anyway, we'll chance it for the festival this year!

 

[oldgit]

So what boat next then ?