An expensive oversight

News has reached me of a shared ownership narrowboat that got stuck behind one of the scheduled stoppages and was unable to return to base for the next owners.

The boat had to be craned out on to a low loader, transported back to the base and then another crane was needed to get her back in the water.

Because the owners had not checked the stoppages before they set out, they were liable for these costs - so it proved to be a very expensive trip indeed.

To avoid such a problem, please make sure you check the stoppages before you leave your home mooring.

A section of one of the Canal & River Trust's
scheduled stoppage maps.  The stoppages
are colour coded according to their dates

The Waterscape page that provides a search for stoppages is still in being.  This includes both scheduled and unexpected stoppages and should, therefore, be checked immediately before you leave.

If you are planning well ahead - perhaps to get your boat to one of the boat shows next year - then the Canal & River Trust provides links to its PDF format maps and the complete stoppage schedule as an Excel file here.