Turners View - Richmond Hill

[Actionmat]

I drive past most days, it's my favourite view of the Thames.
What is on the horizon? I've often wondered how far down the non tidal Thames you can see(even if you can't see the water). Does anyone know?

 

[Brayman]

View attachment 69611
I drive past most days, it's my favourite view of the Thames.
What is on the horizon? I've often wondered how far down the non tidal Thames you can see(even if you can't see the water). Does anyone know?

You mean UP the non-tidal Thames

 

[Poignard]

Is that sweet lass still living there?

 

[Old Crusty]

View attachment 69611
I drive past most days, it's my favourite view of the Thames.
What is on the horizon? I've often wondered how far down the non tidal Thames you can see(even if you can't see the water). Does anyone know?

I don't know but I do know that I could just make out the silhouette of Windsor Castle from the top of the London Eye, about 25 miles. Some trig anorak could do the calcs.

 

[oldgit]

You mean UP the non-tidal Thames

...everything you ever suspected about the navigational skills and sense of direction of Thames boaters confirmed in two short posts ...

 

[RichardGS]

I took a walk along the tow path in this shot three weeks ago today.

I thought to myself, "oh this would be a great place to keep a boat". Well, I got home and curiosity got the better of me. I went on Google and found the ideal boat and a mooring at Hammerton's Ferry, which although more than I'd like to spend is "affordable".

I then spent a couple of weeks trying to talk myself out of the idea, but....

...I bought the boat on Friday and will be brining it back form Windsor Mariner to Richmond when the river licence comes through.

This will be my first "proper" boat, I do currently have a Bombard Areotec and Suzuki outboard, but they will be sold to fund the new boat.

Boat is a Shetland 610 called Ihnsen:

 

[Lower Limit 1909]

Congratulations on your purchase and your failure to talk yourself out of it. It's a great spot to be even if like most of us locally you find yourself heading back up above the lock much more often than heading downstream into town. If you haven't done so already I'd strongly suggest joining the free PLA run Navigator's Club at https://www.boatingonthethames.co.uk/. If you need any local recommendations or have any questions ask away - there are several active forum members mooring between Teddington and Richmond.

 

[RichardGS]

Congratulations on your purchase and your failure to talk yourself out of it. It's a great spot to be even if like most of us locally you find yourself heading back up above the lock much more often than heading downstream into town. If you haven't done so already I'd strongly suggest joining the free PLA run Navigator's Club at https://www.boatingonthethames.co.uk/. If you need any local recommendations or have any questions ask away - there are several active forum members mooring between Teddington and Richmond.

Thanks, I'd not not looked at the PLA Navigator's Club, I will do. Once I get used to the boat I do fancy a trip into the centre of London, but I'll gain a bit more experience first. I also need to check the 15hp engine on the back is powerful enough to deal with the currents and tides towards the city centre.

One thing I'm not sure about is what a realistic amount of distance to cover in a day is? I've worked out it's about 30 miles from Windsor Marina to my home mooring. What I'm not sure enough is if I should plan to do this in a day or take my time and stop for a night half way.

 

[Actionmat]

Hi Richard. Congratulations on your boat purchase and welcome. I took the ferry this morning and thought what a nice spot it was for a mooring.
If you leave at daybreak, you'll make it in a day. I've done Reading to Kingston in one very long day(although it was the summer).
If you want to take it a little easier on your first trip, stop for the night at Lady Lindsay's Lawn (you'll need mooring pins).
Or pull up just before Shepperton Lock and spend the evening here:
https://www.vintageinn.co.uk/restau...ce=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb
It's about 4 hours from your home mooring(roughly half way).
Check the river conditions first:
http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk
And don't forget to pack some extra petrol! It's few and far between on the Thames and you don't want to find yourself doing the walk of shame with a Jerry can in hand when you've got mileage to cover,

 

[oldgit]

Once I get used to the boat I do fancy a trip into the centre of London, but I'll gain a bit more experience first. I also need to check the 15hp engine on the back is powerful enough to deal with the currents and tides towards the city centre.

Welcome to the forum, lots of useful and sensible advice available on here.
Would personally be very careful undertaking any trip on your new boat down into central London without a good idea of what to expect.
With only a single 15HP at your disposal on that boat, you only need to add a couple of crew and the sort of junk needed for day out to give that engine a fair old mass to push around, add a decent ebb tide to punch and you will be going nowhere fast.
Probably not the place to give your significant other or anklebiters a trial by ordeal.
The Thames is fairly benign either side of central London, its that middle bit that can sometimes produce the most uncomfortable section of any journey even when coming in from the outer parts of the estuary.
Being thrown around like a cork on a boat with 400HP and 7 tons is not fun especially if you not prepared for it.
Having said that ...a crack of dawn transit just as the sun is rising but before any commercial traffic starts to trouble the surface of the water, it can be magical.
Ps ...........lifejackets,lifjackets,lifejackets

 

[Old Crusty]

Welcome to the forum, lots of useful and sensible advice available on here.
Would personally be very careful undertaking any trip on your new boat down into central London without a good idea of what to expect.
With only a single 15HP at your disposal on that boat, you only need to add a couple of crew and the sort of junk needed for day out to give that engine a fair old mass to push around, add a decent ebb tide to punch and you will be going nowhere fast.
Probably not the place to give your significant other or anklebiters a trial by ordeal.
The Thames is fairly benign either side of central London, its that middle bit that can sometimes produce the most uncomfortable section of any journey even when coming in from the outer parts of the estuary.
Being thrown around like a cork on a boat with 400HP and 7 tons is not fun especially if you not prepared for it.
Having said that ...a crack of dawn transit just as the sun is rising but before any commercial traffic starts to trouble the surface of the water, it can be magical.
Ps ...........lifejackets,lifjackets,lifejackets

May be a VHF radio too, and a chart or map or river guide book?

 

[RichardGS]

Thanks all. I certainly won't be taking any risks with my new toy and will be perfectly happy traveling upstream and maybe as far down as Putney to start with.

To start off with I'll just be doing day trips, and I estimate a days range from Hammerton's Ferry is approx Putney and back going down stream, and upstream I think maybe about as far as Walton and back going upstream. That'll do me for now.

I've got life jackets and a handheld VHF, however I've not done my ticket yet, that is next on my list of things to do.

I signed up to the PLA TTNC yesterday, and I've started to get email notifications through will be useful.

I've decided I will take my time on the first trip and allow two days to get from Windsor to Twickenham. I'll park my campervan where I intend to stop halfway, so I have transport and cooking in there should I need it for any reason.

Now it' just waiting for the river licence to come through then I can bring the boat down.

 

[RichardGS]

If you want to take it a little easier on your first trip, stop for the night at Lady Lindsay's Lawn (you'll need mooring pins).
Or pull up just before Shepperton Lock and spend the evening here:
https://www.vintageinn.co.uk/restau...ce=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb

Thanks Actionmat, funnily enough that was roughly the area I was planning on stopping. Last November I rowed my 4m SIB round the Desborough Cut and stopped at Lady Lindsay's Lawn for lunch. I was thinking about mooring just past D&R Engineering outside The Anglers/ The Swan.

I'll see where is going to easiest to get from to Windsor and how close I can park my camper to the mooring.

 

[Actionmat]

I'll see where is going to easiest to get from to Windsor and how close I can park my camper to the mooring.

It's residents parking permits everywhere near your moorings. Park your camper in Riverside Drive, TW10, or close too it(on the opposite side of the river. It's a 5 minute walk to Hammertons Ferry(which runs 'til 6pm on weekends)and he'll take you to your boat for a quid. There's a free car park that's even closer(by Ham House), but I'm not sure if you can leave your vehicle overnight

Edit: you will be able to park overnight, but there's an over head barrier. You may be okay depending on your van. An old VW would get under it.
Park on the Surrey side, ferry across, walk through Marble Hill Park and take the train from Twickenham station to Windsor :encouragement:

 

[Geoffs]

Well done Richard for getting a boat. Richard is my son, so a real chip off the old block. Hoping I get get some time to accompany him on his first trip down river.