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Barton Turns Marina

Barton Marina, situated on the Trent & Mersey canal, is the ideal central base to explore the Midland’s waterways and beyond.

Purpose built in 2001, Barton Marina is privately owned and we are very proud of the reputation we maintain as the finest inland waterways marina in the UK. Permanent, centrally-heated buildings house our showers, laundrette and marina office. Our workshop facilities are second-to-none, with a hydraulic boat lift giving quick and easy access to the dry dock.

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The boat marina forms part of an 85 acre National Forest woodland site. Visitors can wander around the two large lakes to watch and enjoy the flourishing wildlife.

As you will see on this website Barton Marina isn’t just a place to moor your boat, we have entertainment and events throughout the year. “The Waterfront” pub & restaurant presents locally-sourced good food daily and has 6 guest real ales on offer.

“The Butcher, Baker and Ice Cream Maker” shop offers boaters fresh provisions including; meat, fish, bread, cakes and dairy produce. They are happy to take pre-orders ready for you to collect at the start of your holiday or as you pass by. Please see: www.bbicm.co.uk

With 12 other shops & businesses in the marina many visitors remark on the holiday atmosphere.

Barton Marina has over 300 berths available for permanent and temporary moorings with residential by arrangement. Access to the jetties is for boat owners only, using a PIN code system to enter the security gates.

Each jetty has a water supply and each berth has its own electrical hook-up. Long-term gated car parking is available to moorers.

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Barton Turns Marina Review

First published in Waterways World August 2006 By Jim Shead

Situated between Fradley Junction and Burton on Trent, on the Trent & Mersey Canal, Barton Turns is a new marina opened in 2001. It is on an 85 acre site that was originally owned by the local company Douglas Concrete and was used for gravel extraction that resulted in some lakes. After that the land was obtained by Barry Morgan, who is now Managing Director of the private limited company that runs the marina.

Planning for the marina began in the early 1990s and the construction started in 1999. Land & Water were contacted to install all the jetties and other water space structures while the rest of the site was constructed by local builders and architects.

Keith and Sue Harpham (right)are the husband and wife team who run the marina and it was their boat that was first to enter the marina when the stop planks were lifted on 15 August 2000. The facilities building and workshop were not completed until after Easter 2001 when the marina became fully operational. Within two years the moorings were full and there is now a waiting list.

Keith and Sue have been boating since the eighties and built their current boat themselves in 1996. Originally they had a unit at Burton on Trent where they were fitting out boats and at the time the marina development started found they were looking for bigger premises. This led them to take on the management of the marina.

There are over 300 berths at Barton Turns which were originally fitted with a computerised system for the monitoring of electricity to all the berths. Unfortunately the system had software problems and never worked properly so it was removed and now electricity is supplied as part of the mooring fees which are now an all inclusive charge based on the length of jetty rather than on the boat.

The marina has its own set of keys giving access to facilities, these replaced the BW keys that were used for this purpose after it was found that various unauthorised people were making use of the facilities and the marina suffered a spate of minor thefts and vandalism.

The marina is the base for Shakespeare Classic Line, a fleet of 20 timeshare and hire boats belonging to a Leamington based company who have their own receptionist for their guests and provide their own contract cleaners for the boats. The marina provides the narrowboat servicing and tuition for guests using the boats. These attract a lot of overseas visitors and are used throughout the year. They turnaround on four days a week so that there are never more than six boats going out on one day, which spreads the load for both the marina staff and for the use of the local locks.

The marina employs seven staff plus some yardmen, who are all retired men doing two days a week. Part of the yardmen’s duties is giving tuition to the Shakespeare Classic Line boaters and ensuring that guests have a sufficient degree of skill before they take the boats away. This includes operating a lock and if a sufficient degree of competency is not reached they go through the procedure again.

Some Ownerships share boats are also based in the marina and make use of its facilities. All the berths have electricity and water and there are toilets (including disabled and baby changing facilities), showers, a token operated launderette, shop and chandlery and all available in addition to the usual diesel, gas and pumpout services. They also have a hydraulic boat lift which will take any size boat out of the water and up the slipway into the workshop. This was built by the marina company and is driven by a fixed chain mechanism that controls both lifting out and launching processes.

Although they offer repair services they do not take on major steelwork jobs, or fabrication work. This can be tackled at Streethay Wharf, which is not far away and specialises in this type of work.

A further phase of development is planned for the marina which will consist of a traditional style public house with a raised decking so that customers can sit outside with a view across the marina. It will provide bar meals and have a 220 seat restaurant downstairs with a similar sized function room and restaurant upstairs for private and corporate bookings. There will also be seven craft shops, two other restaurants (of different types to offer a good choice, e.g. Italian and Thai), some office accommodation and a large car park. Construction is scheduled to start in November 2005 and opening for June 2006.

Beyond this a further development of a hotel and leisure facilities is envisaged on the land between the marina and the lake. The large site, part of which has been planted as part of the National Forest, also has potential for further attractions and recreational use.

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Barton Grange Marina

Barton Grange Marina sits in a beautiful countryside location and enjoys some truly breathtaking views. Committed to excellent quality and first class customer service, our intention from the outset has been to provide a superior, first-rate marina incorporating the following facilities:

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The Marina at Barton Grange
State of the art security
Safe car parking
Shower and toilet facilities
Launderette
Wireless internet connection
Electricity supplies to each berth
Water supply within close proximity to each berth
Pump-out and sewage disposal
Comprehensive recycling facilities
Barbecue area

The scenic Lancaster canal is ready for you to explore with an array of pubs and restaurants bordering its banks. Close to the historic market town of Garstang and ideally located between the cities of Preston and Lancaster, it really is the ideal location for any canal enthusiast.

And of course, our gorgeous Garden Centre, is a mere stone’s throw away. It offers year round interest and all-weather shopping, with an extensive and stunning range of products, two restaurants, a Cook Shop and a Farm Shop selling the best local produce and finest speciality foods.

The Marina has eighty berths for narrowboats and we would be delighted to show you around at your convenience. To arrange a visit or if you require further information, please contact Tracy Curran on 01995 642926.

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Narrowboat Mooring

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Aston Marina

Aston Marina is a new and exciting marina development located in a tranquil part of Staffordshire, at Aston Lock, near Stone on the Trent & Mersey canal. The unique feature of an entrance and exit facilitates easy navigation.

The development of the180 berth marina spans over 12 acres. Within the marina there is a Farm Shop & Bistro. Boat Repair Workshop and Secure Parking & many more attractive features will follow shortly. All will be situated within 40 acres of picturesque park land.

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Apperley Bridge Marina

A purpose built marina, part of a prestigious waterfront development, offering quality moorings on the picturesque Leeds Liverpool Canal between Leeds and Bingley.

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Located just off the A658 Harrogate Road, Apperley Bridge Marina is well placed for access to Rail and Road links and even Air Transport (Leeds Bradford Airport is only 15 minutes away) and is within easy walking distance of the local supermarkets, banks and other essential services. Approximately ten pubs in the vicinity cater for every taste and together with local eateries provide food for every occasion.

The Leeds Liverpool Canal provides for a wealth of spectacular cruising and is not subject to the vagaries of water level experienced on some river navigations.

Take an out and back trip through the famous Bingley five rise locks up to Skipton and beyond for a short break, or a trip ‘over the hill’ into Lancashire or even a longer journey as part of a Northern ‘ring’. Apperley Bridge is the ideal starting point for a canal trip and a nice place to come home to!

More Apperly Bridge Marina Photo’s

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Aspley Wharf Marina

We are a family run business established here in Huddersfield for over 25 years with our Marina conveniently based at the point where the Broad and Narrow canals meet near the centre of town.

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Aspley Wharf Marina has moorings and good facilities for thirty plus narrow boats and a chandlery shop catering for your boating needs.

‘If you are looking to purchase a new canal craft and want a traditionally built hand crafted boat you need look no further than Tayberg Steel Boats of Brighouse. If you would like to view a shell or want further details please contact us.

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Aqueduct Marina

Opened February 2009 – Aqueduct Marina is a new 147-berth marina and boatyard in Church Minshull, at the heart of Cheshire’s canal network. With long and short term moorings, slipway and boat repair facilities, the Marina offers excellent facilities in a superb rural setting.

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Located on the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, this is an ideal cruising base with convenient access to both the Trent & Mersey and Llangollen Canals, along with the Cheshire and Four Counties cruising rings.
Surrounded by 100 acres of farmland networked with walking trails, the Marina will benefit from easy access to the M6, Crewe station, Chester and North Wales.

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More Aqueduct Marina images

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Alvechurch Marina

Alvechurch Marina is located by the Worcester Birmingham Canal on the outskirts of the village of Alvechurch Worcestershire, and conveniently adjacent to the railway station.

The attractive marina is well equipped with a shop selling boat spares, canal maps, guides and confectionary. On the site there are boats for sale, boat building, moorings with electric hook ups, wi fi and full marina services including a Crane for out of the water repairs.

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The marina is operated by ABC Leisure Group one of the leading companies on the UK canal network who have another eight marinas strategically placed around the canal network, they have an excellent reputation for building high quality bespoke narrow boats, and can provide everything for the canalboat owner, or potential owner .

Alvchurch marina photographs

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The Downside To Living On A Narrowboat

Oh, what a life! Seven days a week of gentle relaxation watching the world go by as you sip a never-ending supply of gin and tonics from the comfort of your luxurious floating home. That’s the dream but not quite the reality.

Finding A Place To Moor

On dry land it’s easy. The home you buy is fixed at the location you bought it. Unless you’ve bought a mobile home, there’s no problem finding a place to put it. In fact, a major factor in the buying process was probably your house’s location. It’s not so easy with a narrowboat.

Whether you intend to use your new narrowboat for occasional cruising or as a full time home, the question of where you are going to moor it is something you need to consider BEFORE you make the purchase.

Unfortunately for you, you can’t moor long term at the first pleasant spot you see on the canal bank. British Waterways – who control the vast majority of the canal network – have very strict regulations controlling both duration and purpose of narrowboat moorings. You have to find a dedicated mooring either on the cut or in a marina. Residential moorings in ANY location are very hard to come by.

Utilities

In your house, you don’t have to think about your utilities. Providing you pay your bills, everything is on tap. You press a light switch and the light comes on; you turn on a tap and you get a rush of hot and cold water; you turn a dial and your gas hob lights. You don’t have to worry about them running out.

On your narrowboat it’s totally different. Your gas supply is in bottles weighing 50lb or more. Coal for your stove comes in dirty bags weighing just as much. Your electricity has to be generated by your boat’s engine and stored in batteries or, if you moor in a marina, is supplied from a pre payment point next to your boat. You water comes from an on board tank which must be filled by you at least once a week.

Sewage

What goes in must come out! At some stage you will have to remove your sewage from your boat. If you have a “Porta Potti” toilet with a removable cartridge beneath or behind the bowl, you will need to remove the cartridge and empty the contents at the nearest Elsan disposal point. If your toilet has a large holding tank, you will need to take your boat to the nearest boatyard or marina to have the toilet pumped out. You can expect to pay £10-£20 for each pump out.

Heating Your Boat

Modern boats should have good quality insulation to prevent heat loss in the winter and overheating in the summer. Modern heating systems are quite efficient and can be run at any time of the day or night but heating your boat and heating the water on your boat whatever its age usually requires a degree of thought.

Many boats rely on solid fuel stoves for heating. Solid fuel in the form of coal or wood is difficult to light so you have to ensure that you have a good supply of newspaper and kindling or firelighters to hand. Solid fuel is also dirty. Your stove and the flooring around your stove must be cleaned on a regular basis.

Communications

You will want to be able to receive letters by post (and you will need to receive bills too). You need to use a phone, and you will probably want to access the internet and your email. And you possibly want to watch television. All of these methods of communication are just a little more difficult when living on a narrowboat.

Narrowboat marinas and canal-side moorings are often remote from TV and mobile telephone transmitters. And, of course, you are unlikely to be on your postman’s regular route.

There is always a solution though. You can buy a laptop “dongle” to give you access to the internet. You can ask friends or family or the marina where you moor to accept post for you. You WILL be able to receive a mobile phone signal… but you may have to change network provider (and you may have to make your calls with your head out of the window). You can watch television. You can even receive satellite signals providing you fit your boat with an aerial and a correctly aligned dish for satellite signals.

Lack Of Space

A narrowboat is just 6’10” wide and no more than 70’ long (no more than 60’ long if you want to explore all of the canal network). Even on the longest narrowboat, once you have allowed for the foredeck and engine room, you probably have no more than 55’ of living space.

You have to fit all of your worldly possessions into this space. You will have to say goodbye to your three piece suite, wardrobes, chests of drawers, super-size television and music system and the contents of your shed and garage. You simply won’t have room for them all.

You will have to get used to FAR smaller rooms on your boat. You will get used to using every last nook and cranny to hide things. You will have cupboards under your bed, under all of your seating, in your gas locker, your engine room and your foredeck.

Laundry

Your boat probably won’t have a washing machine. You won’t have the space and, even if you do, you won’t like the power it uses. You will probably have to rely on a local laundry service either in a marina or the nearest town.

Summary

It’s quite a list of downsides for you to consider. Living on a narrowboat isn’t for everyone. You have to accept that you will work a little harder to achieve what you take for granted on dry land. Things take a little bit longer. But that’s OK. Life at a slower pace is more relaxing, more rewarding and more enjoyable. Rather than watch mind numbing late night television, you can turn in a little earlier than you would normally and listen to the natural sounds around you; the gentle patter of rain on your roof, the lapping of water against the side of your boat, owls hooting and ducks quacking. Unfortunately, it’s so relaxing you won’t be able to stay awake long enough to enjoy it.

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Choosing A Marina For Your Narrowboat

This article was written for narrowboat owners but whether you own a seagoing yacht, a barge, a cruiser or a narrowboat, you still need somewhere to moor. Many, if not all of the following Continue reading