Towpath usage.

[ianc1200]

Here in Henley there are several widebeam liveaboards at Mill Meadows. In the Henley Standard yesterday one of the owners had a letter published asking people not to come down the towpath, quoting the CART advice for walkers to keep away from moored boats. Clearly this owner believes he/she is on a CART waterway, but I do think it's a bit much to start claiming the towpaths should be closed, when they shouldn't be there in the first place.

 

[Lower Limit 1909]

That's a fair call. In many places the towpath is a couple of metres away anyway and if not it's certainly easy to find a spot where it is or can be.

More of a problem today is paddle borders and kayakers - one every 20 or 30 mins who insist on gliding past 1 metre or so from moored boats where many are sitting in the sun while social distancing (or trying to).

Leaving aside the fact they shouldn't be out on the river to begin with, deliberately passing unecessarily close to moored boats compounds the selfishness.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

As someone who has always lived on boats I would definitely not seek to alienate walkers on towpaths..

I think the CRT notice thing was someone's clever idea to try to get a wedge in between towpath walkers and towpath boat dwellers. Everyone knows that the "continuous cruising" thing has become a problem over the last couple of decades.

The walkers are far more numerous than the boat dwellers and probably, being local, have more clout in policy making.

Some people living on boats don't do themselves or anyone else any favours and the sooner they are got rid of the better in my opinion.

To take advantage of the current national emergency and try to claim your own piece of towpath is wrong.

People have a right to go for a walk on a towpath or any other river or canalside public path without self-entitled boat dwellers attempting to claim exclusive due to social distancing guidelines.

 

[Portland Billy]

I may be wrong (I have been known to be!) but several live aboard I have met on the upper Thames seem to be living aboard to enjoy a cheaper way of life, often at the expense of other river users.
Some also seem to think they have a right to flaunt, or misinterpret, the mooring regulations and occupy sites far longer than the 'rules' permit.
This situation is destroying the enjoyment of the river for those of us who pay our dues, and holiday boaters.
The whole genteel ambiance of the river is being destroyed by thoughtless actions by individuals and inaction by authorities.

 

[oldgit]

Suspect that not a few are a victim of circumstance, some have choosen that way of life deliberately, wether full time or seasonal, looking at some of the boats, probably very well able to afford the costs involved. There will always be those who fall between the two camps
The tin slugs frequently came under attack for nicking all the moorings and staying on them too long ,the EA got it in the neck for that.
The fact these folks and their money were probably keeping the river going during the winter months, while the gin palaces were safely mothballed in marinas, was ignored .
The river is a national asset funded by the taxpayer (check how much boaters pay in proportion to Defra grant )
The view that the river is being "destroyed" is one frequently expressed by some Thames boaters, those who find a few unsightly wrecks offensive to the eye .
The real world surrounds the "Genteel Thames" and its getting closer by the day

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Suspect that not a few are a victim of circumstance, some have choosen that way of life deliberately, wether full time or seasonal, looking at some of the boats, probably very well able to afford the costs involved. There will always be those who fall between the two camps
The tin slugs frequently came under attack for nicking all the moorings and staying on them too long ,the EA got it in the neck for that.
The fact these folks and their money were probably keeping the river going during the winter months, while the gin palaces were safely mothballed in marinas, was ignored .
The river is a national asset funded by the taxpayer (check how much boaters pay in proportion to Defra grant )
The view that the river is being "destroyed" is one frequently expressed by some Thames boaters, those who find a few unsightly wrecks offensive to the eye .
The real world surrounds the "Genteel Thames" and its getting closer by the day

That would work as an argument if all the marina boats only come out on Vxx visitor licenses but as I understand it this has recently changed and most Thames boat owners pay a full year license regardless of their actual use of the River.

To be fair there were a few marinas exempted from this and I don't actually know the figures but I do believe that people using the River as a leisure boating waterway, which most of the existing infrastructure was designed for, do have a reasonable complaint to make about people who are "pushing the envelope" and claiming residential rights that do not exist.

Obviously this is excepting private land where it gets a lot more complicated.

Plus of course you have to take into account that local authorities do not have the right legally to act as individual persons so it could take them a long time to get byelaws.

Example being Richmond, and Hounslow doing same thing.

People push the limits the game changes for everyone.

You can't blame people for being annoyed.

 

[Pump-Out]

Marsh Meadows is a council property, and the moorings there are let by the council, either long or short stay.
The residents have, in my opinion, no right to now deny, nor attempt to deny, the free passage of others over that land. It is probably the only place in the town were those living in flats can use their "Boris Bonus" of sixty minutes fresh air.

If the resident boat owners have an issue how about they close the land side doors and windows and look over the river view that they have denied everyone else by mooring there?

Selfish and inconsiderate of the owner to write to the local rag, IMHO.

 

[Portland Billy]

If I recall correctly there were two narrow boats moored in prime visitors' spots at Cookham for months, and nothing was said or done. I assume because they 'had rights' and didn't care about other river users.
I have no problem with live aboards so long as they don't act as if they own the river, and don't selfishly stay too long in prime spots.

 

[rotrax]

If I recall correctly there were two narrow boats moored in prime visitors' spots at Cookham for months, and nothing was said or done. I assume because they 'had rights' and didn't care about other river users.
I have no problem with live aboards so long as they don't act as if they own the river, and don't selfishly stay too long in prime spots.

First Mate and I were on the South Stratford Canal when we heard an almost violent confrontation with a boaty New Age Traveller and his floating tip and a guy who wanted to empty his cassette loo and fill with water at a water point/sanitary disposal station. We knew him, he lived aboard legally and had done for some years. The issue was the New Age Traveller and his floating tip had been moored at the water point for three days. The guy breasted up after turning at the winding hole and stomped across the foredeck of the tip with his cassettes and then ran his hose across to fill with water. Trouble was, this stopped access to the lock for a long boat. We waited, got in to drop down when the outer boat moved on.

A week or so later, after exploring a bit of the Avon, we returned. The tip was gone from the water point and sanitary station.
As we passed the local liveaboard, he was painting a scrape on his lower black hull with a long brush. We coasted by, getting the gossip.

He told us he had encouraged the New Age Traveller to move by pouring some fishing maggots down one of his ventilators when he was at the local pub, and speading a few around the door of the sanitary station. The result being an infestation of bluebottles.

'Arry from the lock cottage tole 'im that it alas got bad in t'er summer around that sanitary station an 'ee better move on if 'ee did'nt wanna get t'plague! Ee lad. ee were off t'Brum like a rabbit on t'promise!'

We did have a quiet chuckle at this direct action!

 

[oldgit]

He told us he had encouraged the New Age Traveller to move by pouring some fishing maggots down one of his ventilators when he was at the local pub, and speading a few around the door of the sanitary station. The result being an infestation of bluebottles.

Wonder which pub ,all pubs supposed to be shut from 20th March ?

 

[rotrax]

He told us he had encouraged the New Age Traveller to move by pouring some fishing maggots down one of his ventilators when he was at the local pub, and speading a few around the door of the sanitary station. The result being an infestation of bluebottles.

Wonder which pub ,all pubs supposed to be shut from 20th March ?

The incident was in the early 2000's when First Mate and I had a two week per year deal with the now demised Stratford Court Cruisers. We finished with the canals and rivers when our Grandchildren came along - we visit them in NZ during the British winter and sail most of the British summer. No time for canal cruising now I'm afraid.

We did spend over 30 years at it mind, and are very familiar with most inland waterways below Nottingham.

 

[mlines]

Its marked on the local Authority Definitive Map as a Public Right of Way - so nothing to do with CRT or EA at all

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Yes as mentioned Mill Meadows is council owned land.

Obviously this brings up the slightly thorny issue of do the council have the correct legal framework to enforce mooring fees.

Richmond came across this problem after continuing abuse of their mooring land and got a very Draconian byelaw, followed closely by Hounslow.

Hopefully his won't move up the River but it does seem a possibility if too many people with entitlement issues start to turn up.

The Richmond one (Ham lands off the end of Teddington upstream layby) is a bit of a sore point as it was quite a nice overnight mooring but now it is illegal to stop for more than an hour.

I suspect Elmbridge are going to go the same way at some point.