River license - Page 2

Katie.harker · 13 June 2017, 20:19

Assuming you are starting at Chester?

We bought the daily licence once and found the people at the Cafe, where you get them, really rude.
Most likely, you are going out when its nice weather. Nice weather means people want ice cream. The cafe sells mostly icecream=long queues. The cafe also makes you wait, even if you have waited in line because they want to sell as ice cream to they can. Apparently, the sub 30 seconds it takes to write a few words on a piece of paper puts a massive dent in their sales.
/end rant

Mikefule · 13 June 2017, 21:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishcake

Nice one, thanks for the advice. I'll be following your advice and can't wait

If you go to Farndon, aim for the Waterside pub and the Boathouse pub which are side by side next to a free car park and the free slip way. The Boathouse is a bit of a posh eatery; the Waterside is more pubby. Better than either is the Rose and Crown back in the village.

Some local pubs are closed on Mondays.

The Bromley Arms, Fiskerton, is UP river and will be on your right as you approach it. Outside tables overlooking the river. Easy mooring.

Newark and the Devon are DOWN river. You will find no pubs up the Devon, but Newark is full of them! Easy mooring and it's a pleasant historic market town.
Long before you reach either the marina/Devon or Newark itself, there is a large weir to your left. It is perfectly safe to go quite close to it as long as you angle into the current a bit. Plenty of birdlife there.

Fishcake · 13 June 2017, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie.harker

Assuming you are starting at Chester?

We bought the daily licence once and found the people at the Cafe, where you get them, really rude.
Most likely, you are going out when its nice weather. Nice weather means people want ice cream. The cafe sells mostly icecream=long queues. The cafe also makes you wait, even if you have waited in line because they want to sell as ice cream to they can. Apparently, the sub 30 seconds it takes to write a few words on a piece of paper puts a massive dent in their sales.
/end rant

The registration fee plus daily fee makes the Dee not for me.... So much to shell out for one day

Fishcake · 13 June 2017, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikefule

If you go to Farndon, aim for the Waterside pub and the Boathouse pub which are side by side next to a free car park and the free slip way. The Boathouse is a bit of a posh eatery; the Waterside is more pubby. Better than either is the Rose and Crown back in the village.

Some local pubs are closed on Mondays.

The Bromley Arms, Fiskerton, is UP river and will be on your right as you approach it. Outside tables overlooking the river. Easy mooring.

Newark and the Devon are DOWN river. You will find no pubs up the Devon, but Newark is full of them! Easy mooring and it's a pleasant historic market town.
Long before you reach either the marina/Devon or Newark itself, there is a large weir to your left. It is perfectly safe to go quite close to it as long as you angle into the current a bit. Plenty of birdlife there.

Will definitely be spending a day or two there. You make it sound wonderful. I love the birdlife

Mikefule · 13 June 2017, 22:01

Here's a short film on the Devon.

Oh, attachment not working.

Katie.harker · 13 June 2017, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishcake

The registration fee plus daily fee makes the Dee not for me.... So much to shell out for one day

You don't pay for registration for the daily licence, it's just £20.
Which in itself is not the cheapest, true.

Katie.harker · 13 June 2017, 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikefule

If you go to Farndon, aim for the Waterside pub and the Boathouse pub which are side by side next to a free car park and the free slipway.

Where is the slip way? Or is this the other Farndon, not on the Dee?

Mikefule · 13 June 2017, 22:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie.harker

Where is the slip way? Or is this the other Farndon, not on the Dee?

This is the Farndon on the Trent, near Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire.

Fishcake · 14 June 2017, 08:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikefule

This is the Farndon on the Trent, near Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire.

Hi Mike, did you send a video of the Devon? I tried opening it but it's disappeared

Mikefule · 14 June 2017, 08:35

I tried. Trying again now:

Mikefule · 14 June 2017, 08:54

Looks like it's a formatting issue. I have uploaded it to YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kezW...ature=youtu.be

It's not much of a clip - my first attempt with the video facility on my camera, so more of an experiment than anything else.

The Trent is much wider. The Devon narrows as you go further up; this film was taken soon after the marina which is at the confluence of the Devon and Trent. My boat is a 3.1 metre Zodiac with a 9.9 engine and I was able to get up past a village called Hawton, under the red brick hump backed bridge, and as far as a blockage in the river where a tree had grown across. There are places where you need to keep an eye on the depth and on weeds but I have done the trip 2 or 3 times now. There are also one or two side streams you may be able to explore in a small boat. You may even find a hole deep enough to swim in.

Mikefule · 14 June 2017, 08:57

This one shows even less, but it's all I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TAm...ature=youtu.be

Mikefule · 14 June 2017, 08:58

And here are a couple of photos showing what is typical on the Trent in this area.

Fishcake · 14 June 2017, 09:07

Super.. This has whet my appetite. Can't wait

Mikefule · 14 June 2017, 12:21

I've remembered this free slip with free parking too. It's on the opposite bank, just upriver of Fiskerton.

Boatlaunch

This drops you into the water a short distance above the lock and weir that would be the upper limit of cruising from the Farndon slipway.

If you launch here, you get access to an island you can walk round, and a few miles of river leading up towards Gunthorpe weir and lock. You can get out here and walk 200 yards to a café or a bit further to a pub: the Unicorn.

Boatlaunch

Looks like the links aren't specific enough. Zoom in on the map and find the slipway nearest to Bleasby. Click the red flag and you'll get the details. You are looking up river of Newark, downriver of Nottingham.

Mikefule · 23 June 2017, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishcake

Super.. This has whet my appetite. Can't wait

How did you get on?

Ian9525 · 24 June 2017, 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie.harker

Assuming you are starting at Chester?

We bought the daily licence once and found the people at the Cafe, where you get them, really rude.
Most likely, you are going out when its nice weather. Nice weather means people want ice cream. The cafe sells mostly icecream=long queues. The cafe also makes you wait, even if you have waited in line because they want to sell as ice cream to they can. Apparently, the sub 30 seconds it takes to write a few words on a piece of paper puts a massive dent in their sales.
/end rant

We had the very same thing at Stratford upon Avon last year when I wanted to launch my brothers SIB.. Waited in the que then she looked at me as if I was an alien when I didnt want to order food and drink.. I was basically asked to wait, so I went outside (the cafe is right opposite the slipway) and just started to launch the boat, no sooner had I got it in the water when the male from the cafe came out and asked me if I had a permit !!! I just said, "The woman in there is doing me one".. . to cut a long story short I just went to the front of the big cue and paid etc... but curt and rude are words that wouldnt well describe the attitude of them.

Fishcake · 24 June 2017, 12:51

Thank you so much for your help Mikefule. We had a fabulous time on the Trent launching from farndon as you recommended. Had a lovely run down to Newark and up to fiskerton the other way. We only went a short way up the Devon because it was very choked with weed. Perhaps it's because it's in full growth at the moment. We saw plenty of kingfishers and other wildlife. If anybody needs to launch from a trailer, the gate or the the slip now has a Canal and Rivers trust padlock, so if you have a key you are fine. (keys are £7 from their website) thanks again for your advice... Top Man Mike

Mikefule · 24 June 2017, 18:03

Glad you enjoyed it. Lucky ti see kingfishers. I've only seen them a couple of times along there.

lightning · 24 June 2017, 22:49

We took our 2.8m SIB on to the Dee at Chester a few years ago. We had to register the boat and it cost £20 for a day pass.
While we were out the river patrol passed twice but paid us little attention. But l was glad l'd bought a pass.

I also bought a pass for the canal. It's called a "30 day explorer" and lasts 12 months. It costs £80.
It comes with 30 passes, you are supposed to date and stick one on your boat each day you go out, l guess to stop you mooring the thing on the canal.

TBH l never renewed it, l have never been challenged in 7 years and have still not been out 30 times anyway.
l still put a sticker on each time l go out on the canal even though the pass is technically invalid.
The boat yard said it was the first one they'd sold!