No London moorings left for continuous cruisers

Published: Wednesday, 30 August 2017

I HOPE I can use your publication to point out to any continuous cruiser heading to London for the winter would be well advised not to, as they will not be able to find any moorings, writes Rex Tollerton.

I consider myself a genuine continuous cruiser, have never stayed in one place more than the allowed two weeks period and then move usually about 10 miles after this period, but having family in the London area I cruise its waterways, but recently have found it impossible to get moorings as Canal & River Trust has plastered the whole of the waterways with 'no mooring' notices.

Hereford sign2Told to move on

Before the Bank Holiday I cruised for miles without being able to find anywhere to moor, being met by sign after sign telling me I cannot moor, and I saw some new notices I had never seen before stuck on boat windows that had moored and were being told to move on.

Even on the Hertford, where I have moored on and off for years there were now signs, of which I attach a photograph, telling me to move on, and it was here I saw the sign stuck on the boat window telling the owner to move it.

Make them permanent

I have spoken to many fellow boaters about this and they are all of the opinion that CaRT want to clear out the old moorings to make them official permanent moorings, for which it can then get thousands of pounds in mooring fees. So I stress to fellow continuous cruisers that London is a no-go area for us.