Anyone done the Thames

Stubber · 14 June 2012, 12:45

I am thinking of cruising the Thames as close to home as I can so wanting to start at Lechlade if its possible to launch there and camp for a night or two on route.
Has anyone done this before, if so I would like to hear where you started from and where you camped
Look forward to seeing posts

loonasea · 14 June 2012, 13:20

Ive done loads of the thames on my sib ive done abingdon to henley good fun!camping is not a problem i just camp anyware i like the look of never had any problems

greenb · 14 June 2012, 14:35

Done loads also with loonasea,great fun lots of pubs & camping happy days ! Get yourself some insurance & a river licence job done.

Stubber · 14 June 2012, 16:18

Hi Loonasea and GreenB can you tell me the places that you have used to launch your boats on the Thames

Landlockedpirate · 14 June 2012, 16:30

Everything you need to know :

Boating on the River Thames - River Thames

Also use the Boatlaunch.co.uk Home Page to find alternative slips.

I've done the Thames from Lechlade to the barrier, fantastic River and as said above good pubs as a bonus

MattD · 15 June 2012, 20:54

I'd ruled out the Thames because of the registration hassle and costs (Unique boat name, reg plates, having to send off design conformity documents etc)... Having read the posts on this thread I looked into it again.

Now I'm plotting buying the required equipment for a boating/camping break thanks to that link Landlockedpirate :-)

I never would have thought that some locks would have camping allowed and that some have showers and loo's!

How long does it take on average to pass through a lock on the Thames? Being the complete nerd that I am I merged the lock distance/time information with the facilities information, shoved it into an excel spreadsheet and decided that it would take about 8 hours to get from Lechlade to King's lock (the last lock with camping it seems reasonable to do in a day) allowing 15 mins per lock. Does that seem about right?

John Kennett · 15 June 2012, 21:20

That's about right. An easy estimate is four miles an hour plus an extra mile for each lock. I've had a couple of weeks on the Thames this year and have got another fortnight lined up in August. It's a great place to be.

MattD · 15 June 2012, 21:36

Excellent, thanks. For my next nerdy project I'm planning to add in slipway information. Doing the whole river in one go seems a bit unlikely, so I would like to work out some one way trips... launch the boat, drive to the end destination with the trailer then drive back to the boat in a second car and travel to the the trailer.

piemaker · 15 June 2012, 21:43

I would be really interested to find out how you get on. I regularly put my boat in at Cheese Wharf which is in between St Johns lock and Buscot. I usually buy a day ticket from the lock keeper. Would recommend the plough inn at Kelmscott. Great food and beer.

Landlockedpirate · 15 June 2012, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattD

I'd ruled out the Thames because of the registration hassle and costs (Unique boat name, reg plates, having to send off design conformity documents etc)... Having read the posts on this thread I looked into it again.

Now I'm plotting buying the required equipment for a boating/camping break thanks to that link Landlockedpirate :-)

I never would have thought that some locks would have camping allowed and that some have showers and loo's!

How long does it take on average to pass through a lock on the Thames? Being the complete nerd that I am I merged the lock distance/time information with the facilities information, shoved it into an excel spreadsheet and decided that it would take about 8 hours to get from Lechlade to King's lock (the last lock with camping it seems reasonable to do in a day) allowing 15 mins per lock. Does that seem about right?

As a visitor you dont need to worry about any of the requirements for names, plates etc. Just turn up at one of the named locks, pay your money for either single days or 1 month and sign a declaration about the safety of your boat.

40 miles in a day is possible, but its a long hard day, especially if the weather is rubbish. I would look at fitting some kind of bimini top, really useful to keep at least some of the rain off.

Toilets and washing facilities need a little bit of planning, get a River Thames Map and plan stops at pubs and restaurants. There are also 4 or 5 swimming pools along the route to go for a shower. As well as the lock campsites there are also quite a few commercial campsites along the route, use The UK Camp Site for Tent and Caravan Campers in the UK.

The Thames is a really nice trip and well worth the effort.

MattD · 15 June 2012, 22:01

How does it work with the boat name requirements and reg plate? I'm planning to do either 1 day tickets or 31 day depending on how much I think I will use the boat on that river. The website makes out like you could be fined £1000 if you don't have a boat name displayed at 3 points on the boat and have a reg number at the prow... seems a bit over kill. I was going to knock some name tags out at work and laminate them. I don't want to name my boat to the point it's hard work to unname it. It's my starter boat and intend to sell it.

MattD · 15 June 2012, 22:03

oh you answered my questions while I was asking them. Thanks Landlockedpirate.

Landlockedpirate · 15 June 2012, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattD

How does it work with the boat name requirements and reg plate? I'm planning to do either 1 day tickets or 31 day depending on how much I think I will use the boat on that river. The website makes out like you could be fined £1000 if you don't have a boat name displayed at 3 points on the boat and have a reg number at the prow... seems a bit over kill. I was going to knock some name tags out at work and laminate them. I don't want to name my boat to the point it's hard work to unname it. It's my starter boat and intend to sell it.

As a visitor you get 2 pieces of card with a number on them, just stick them on each side of the boat and these become your identification for your trip.

Be aware, the 31 day licence is for consecuive days, but you can buy 2 of them,

MattD · 15 June 2012, 22:45

Thanks for the info. From what I read you can buy any combination that results in up to 62 days temporary licence. The BW 30 day explorer licence is far better for our type of boating. It's a shame the EA doesn't offer the same thing. That said I think BW wanted to ditch it but it was too popular.

CJL · 16 June 2012, 07:34

I have been buying hundreds of visitor passes over years. Keep changing the address and no problems.

We've done a week long trip up the Thames from Richmond up to Henley stopping at campsites along the way and maybe a few pubs

Top tip - even when moored chuck the anchor over the side to stop the youths undoing your mooring lines and we took a padlock and chain as well.

A huge tarpaulin was a big help to wrap kit up but on one day we tied it to the A frame and made a kind of Camel Trophy rib type.

Have a look at this guide - http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1784.pdf

Plus don't forget you can now camp at many of the locks rather than walking miles to campsites. There is loads of information available on the Thames here - Environment Agency - River Thames Campsites, hotels, locks, the Olympics, slipways, moorings etc etc.

PM me if you want any extra info.

Chris

Stubber · 18 June 2012, 15:52

Thanks for all the replies and information, especially about the camping at the locks, this will be helpfull in organising a trip if the weather improves???

Landlockedpirate · 18 June 2012, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubber

if the weather improves???