Should address non-tidal first

I RESPONDED to the CART Survey on the tidal Trent by suggesting that CaRT address the problems of the non-tidal river first! Writes Mike Stone.

Below Nottingham there are few places to moor. Most are of 48 hours duration. Thus the river which has many good features is only a potential transit route and not a destination for boaters.

Populated by Newark-based cruisers

Have you tried mooring at Gunthorpe at a weekend? Most occasions it is populated by Newark based cruisers who have no wish to have narrowboats lying against them. Can you reach the pubs at Stoke Bardolph or Fiskerton? With great difficulty! What about the attractive villages along the banks—Hoveringham, Burton Joyce, etc.? No means of access without risking a damaged hull or the wrath of a land owner.

So all in all why go onto the river below Nottingham for a week's holiday? It is very attractive to cruise but there is little chance of mooring for more than a day or reaching land.