visitthames.co.uk

[boatone]

Am I going nuts?!
I seem to remember the Visit Thames website had all sorts of useful info like locations of locks and phone mumbers and other stuff for boaters.
The 'new look' website appears to be nothing more than a melange of twee pics and spin statements about how nice it is to have a day out by the Thames !!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Do I need to operate the locks myself?
Locks are operated by lock keepers during the daytime. If you arrive at a lock after the keeper has gone off duty, then as long as you are reasonably fit, you can operate the lock yourself. If not, you can moor up alongside, go for a meal, and wait until morning! Please check the lock opening hours as you go up the river, or get them from the boat hire company before you set off.

Are there plenty of places to moor and tie up?
There are maps at every lock indicating where you can moor or tie up overnight. Or your boat hire company will give you the information before you set off.

How fast can I go?
The Thames has a speed limit of around 5mph. When working out your route you should also allow about 15 minutes per lock as well.


[/ QUOTE ]

The bold letters are mine - does this appear to you to suggest that mooring by the lock overnight is OK?????

 

[boatone]

Aaahh....just read this on the home page......
[ QUOTE ]
We hope you like the new site and enjoy using the new tools. There are loads of other features that’ll be appearing over the coming weeks. From dedicated pages for each of our locks to newsletters and more mapping information - e.g moorings, and boating facilities.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, the bold bit is mine ...Well that's ok then....great thinking Batman.....take away the old site information before the new stuff is ready..... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Anyone care to bet on how long it will be before the 'useful information' is available? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[TrueBlue]

In line with government policy?

It's all to do with dumbing down, Innit?

EA wants to attract new user to OFT (not Office of Fair Trading; OK), not to folk who know which way is upstream...

Like most IT projects it has probably overrun; so rather than give everybody "a new exciting website" full of information; they've put the gloss on and may, may add the substance later - or possibly not, 'cos the funds will (have already) run out.

(I'm stuck here this week, and it is forecast to tiddle with rain and be colder next week. Accordingly am having a decided attack of the grumps)

 

[Chris_d]

Re: In line with government policy?

[ QUOTE ]
" not to folk who know which way is upstream..."

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry that made me laugh, after nearly 20 years on the river my wife still doesn't know when she is going up or down /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chuckaduck]

out of date

and this web page doesnt work

 

[TrueBlue]

Re: out of date

[ QUOTE ]
and this web page doesnt work

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it di for me

 

[chuckaduck]

Re: out of date

page might but plan a trip doesnt ??

 

[TrueBlue]

Re: out of date

[ QUOTE ]
page might but plan a trip doesn't ??

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, yes it does!

BUT you have to be persistent; I was hoping for a route but all it does is list the places you have selected - ah, yes it does show the selected places on a map, but if they are a fair distance apart then the scale is a bit awkward!

I discovered some things (like the MG Car Club) that I didn't know existed, so it's a good start.

It will depend on organisations lobbing things to EA who, I suppose, will put a description and a link to the item. I was all ready to pan it, but EA say they want folks to contribute and get involved with the river and this is a low cost (to them) way of doing it.

I give it Five...

Worth a play and some thought on how it could be improved / grow.

 

[Chris_d]

Re: out of date

Blimey its a funny way of planning a trip, took me a while to suss it. Normaly I would expect to enter a start and finish point, but this joins up attractions in the towns /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif The whole site seems to assume you don't have a boat and want to visit places by the river, not nessecarily go boating at all.
I think they should improve the maps, as the google maps are all wrong for the river, suggesting you can go round streams and unnavigable back waters etc...

 

[boatone]

Re: out of date

[ QUOTE ]
The whole site seems to assume you don't have a boat and want to visit places by the river, not nessecarily go boating at all.


[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly the point I was trying to make.

 

[Steve Clayton]

Re: out of date

I can't get the plan bit to work /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Select a few places and it says I've "planned"; then when I go to view it says "0 items planned" and zilch on the map.
Anyone else in the upper reaches this weekend?; say between Lechlade and Eynsham?? Who needs a plan when all you need to know is it's The Trout, The Swan, The Maybush, The Rose Revived, a few others whose names escape me - (and the pub just up from the Eynsham toll bridge)