2014 Mooring costs.

Our mooring costs for 2014 were as follows;

Winter moorings at Bluewater Marina, Thorne.................677-36
Three night in Lincoln Brayford Pool @ £10.......................30-00
Shobnal Marina, Burton-u-Trent 7 nights.............................58-00
Market Harborough, 8 nights at £10 ....................................80-00
St Pancras Cruising Club Marina, 4 nights @ £10...............40-00
Clifton Wharf, Rugby. 5 days...............................................57-60
Winter mooring, Savile Town Wharf, Dewsbury...............355-52
                                                                                           1298-48

At Thorne the moorings were from 1st January to 31st March which works out at  around £225 a month. Electricity was extra, measured by meter. It seemed that there were residential boats around so there was always somebody to keep an eye on the boat otherwise not too many facilities. The town was a little walk away and had all that maybe required but was not somewhere you would go to spend a weekend really.

Our mooring at Brayford Pool. The visitor moorings are limited in Lincoln and as we had guests arriving we had to be sure that we had a spot. The visitor moorings are those behind us, about three boats worth. There is also room through the Pool and the Glory Hole Bridge and out towards Stamp End Lock but access on and off the boat is poor.

We pop home every now and again to see the parents and for various other reasons, so for security and to make sure the batteries get a through charging every now and then we check into a marina. This year as we ventured further from home we have had a little longer at home to make the journey more worth while. This has added to the costs of course. It seems that the standard going rate is  about £10 a night. Last year we did have stops at £6 a night though. However what you get for you money varies. Some places you get unlimited electricity and some charge a lump sum whilst others meter it. The facilities of the marina or wharf can be ascertained before hand though. We mainly picked our moorings to fit in with the area we were in and the proximity to a railway station. It is a good way of sussing out places for having work done at a later date too. I think £250 is not too bad a price to pay for peace of mind, especially when I have gone home and left Helen alone on the boat.

Market Harborough is a nice place to stay. There is plenty of visitor moorings but they are 48hrs only. Most places where there is a decent railway station have time limits on the moorings. At Market Harborough there are 7 day and 14 day moorings out of town and as it happened they were also occupied so I was glad of a berth in this spot.

At Dewsbury the moorings are for 1st November to 31st of December. so working out at about £178 per month. Again electricity is extra and is paid for via a card. On our short acquaintance with the place it has a nice feel, with a nice cafe and pub on site and with people around all the time to keep an eye on things.

Clifton Wharf near Rugby was a fair walk from the station but was the most convenient in the immediate area and suited us for the time. The over night cost was on a cost per foot of boat length but essentially for us it was £10/night.