Winter moorings now up for grabs

Winter moorings for November 2017 to mid March 2018 are now open for booking on a first come, first served basis.

Winter moorings are provided by CRT on a range of sites across the canal system for boaters who want a fixed mooring over the winter months when continuous cruising may be difficult because of the weather or maintenance stoppages. They are available from 1 November 2017 to 16 March 2018, finishing ahead of the Easter holidays and the start of the summer cruising season. Both continuous cruisers and boaters with a home mooring can to take up a winter mooring but boaters who are not meeting their licence requirements may not be eligible.

Matthew Symonds, boating strategy and engagement manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “While many people enjoy winter cruising, every year hundreds of boaters decide they want to settle in one place as the weather turns harsher or because it’s harder to get around because of stoppages. We offer winter moorings as an additional service to make things as easy as possible for boaters to make the choices that work best for them. There are a wide range of options and we hope that every boater who wants a winter mooring will find something to suit them. Your views are always helpful so do get in touch with any feedback.”

There is a selection of sites near facilities, as well as quieter spots for boaters who want a bit more peace and quiet. Winter moorings are divided into four price bands reflecting each site’s relative attractiveness, for example location and facilities, and to ensure the Trust stays in line with the pricing of both private mooring operators and its own long-term mooring sites. All winter mooring permits will be charged at a ‘per metre, per month’ rate, and boaters will be able to book the spots in increments of one month, or two weeks in March 2018.

CRT says that most mooring prices have been held at 2016/17 levels. Some sites have changed price band in response to the high or low levels of demand last winter, with popular sites increasing in price and less popular sites seeing a price cut. The highest price band has seen a small increase of 50p per metre per month to £15.50 (a 3.5% rise). At a couple of sites facilities have been improved and this has been reflected in the pricing.

Band 1 – £15.50 per meter/per month – generally a visitor mooring site with mooring rings or bollards, in/within walking distance of a popular village/town/location with local amenities. There are good facilities at or nearby (including water, elsan, pumpout and rubbish facilities) and good public transport links (for example the site is close to a station/public transport routes or, in London, is in travel zone 1-4).
Band 2- £13.50 per metre/per month – generally a visitor mooring site with mooring rings or bollards, in/within walking distance of a popular village/town/location with local amenities. This site has good facilities (most including water, elsan, pumpout and rubbish facilities).
Band 3 – £10.00 per metre/per month – generally this could be a visitor mooring or towpath site with some facilities on site or within a short cruise. The site is likely to be quite close to a village or town.
Band 4 – £6.50 per metre/per month – generally a quieter towpath location, which doesn’t have any facilities on site.

A list of the sites and prices can be found at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/winter-moorings. Bookings for the winter moorings open at 6am on Monday 2 October and will be made through the Trust’s boat licensing site.

We’ve also useful advice about getting your boat ready for winter.