What’s the point?

[Quint]

My permanent mooring is on the lower Thames, no license fee. But IF, I wanted to take my boat onto the upper Thames. I would have to pay my annual fee of nearly £900. And as in most of years, I won’t be able to get onto the Upper Thames with the River conditions until most likely April or May at the earliest ! I keep getting reminders to pay the fee now but can anybody please tell me what would be the point of paying for something that I cannot enjoy for least 5 months before I can get any usage ?

 

[Anibal]

I don’t believe you need to pay a full year license fee to go to the non tidal Thames. You can apply for a visitors license instead. I did this a few years ago when I was based on the Medway and visited the Thames on my previous boat. Initially I wanted to spend one month during the summer and ended up staying for 3. Every month before the license expired I went to the nearest lock and purchased another month.
Why are you getting reminded if you are not based there?

 

[Quint]

I would imagine I get Reminders from the Environment Agency in January every year because that’s when I normally pay ! But now as things are getting tighter all round, I’m beginning to begrudge paying for five months of the year more or less that I can’t use the upper terms ? Why is it not like a car when you can license the vehicle car/boat for a period of six months of your choice ?

 

[Plum]

My permanent mooring is on the lower Thames, no license fee. But IF, I wanted to take my boat onto the upper Thames. I would have to pay my annual fee of nearly £900. And as in most of years, I won’t be able to get onto the Upper Thames with the River conditions until most likely April or May at the earliest ! I keep getting reminders to pay the fee now but can anybody please tell me what would be the point of paying for something that I cannot enjoy for least 5 months before I can get any usage ?

It is easy to pay on arrival for a day, a week or a month. No pre booking. You need to calculate cost for your size of boat to work out break-point when an annual licence is cheaper. River Thames boat registration and other charges: 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026

 

[oldgit]

Same conumdrum down here.
Moored on the tidal Medway about and hour from the lock at Allington.
Frequently go upsteam.
Lock keepers frequently asking surely cheaper to buy annual ticket.
However the cost of seperate visits upstream usually amount to about the same money especially if you splice in reciprocal free days on the Thames.
The real clincher is the money remains in my bank not the EAs.