FAQs for Boaters
Please note that this document represents our best view of the event at the time of writing.
What is it about?
A three-day festival over 2 – 4 June 2012 to celebrate the partial restoration of the Stroudwater Canal through Stroud, the 40th anniversary of the Cotswold Canals Trust (which has over 6500 members) and hosting the Inland Waterways Association’s National Trailboat Festival 2012. There will be plenty of attractions for families, and a continuous programme of entertainment from midday well into the evening. The event is oriented very much at families, and we expect lots of visitors from the local area.
Where is it?
Marling School Playing Field, a 6 Ha site close to the centre of Stroud in Gloucestershire. It is about ten minutes drive from M5 junction 13. The site has good access and slopes gently to the canal. The post code is GL5 4HE. There is around 300 m of canal running through the event site. Below the site are Dudbridge Upper and Lower locks, and there is a flat pound running for 2 km or so West to Ryeford Double Lock. Stroud town centre / Wallbridge Locks (watch the Wallbridge webcam here!) are about 1 km to the East. Open countryside is very close, and there are spectacular views of the nearby Cotswold Hills. The pretty little river Frome weaves around the canal both above and below Stroud, adding to the water interest.
What are the fees?
Fees are shown on the application form. Each boat will receive two weekend passes for the event: any extra crew will be expected to pay the normal public entry fee.
What will be the state of the canal?
Update 14 May
Planning permission has been granted for the slipway at Strachans Close (just above the festival site). The slipway is now substantially complete. Dredging works are in progress along the narrow sections of canal.
The recent rain caused very high water levels in the canal (and fast currents through the festival site which carries two local streams) but the water is now subsiding. The festival site was completely waterlogged but is now drying quickly.
Boats using the Upper Mills slipway should be able to take on water close to the bridge. This may be the only opportunity so don’t forget! Boats slipping at Strachans Close will be able to take on water at the festival site.
Important update 28 March
Visitors to the canal may have noticed an obvious lack of progress in the restoration around the Festival site.
The restoration is behind schedule. However, a lot of hard work has quietly gone on and we are confident that there will be a canal for the trail-boat festival to take place on.
The reasons for the hold-ups are many, and anyone with project management experience will understand the myriad of issues with contracts of this nature and particularly environmental regulatory approvals.
The plan is moving but is currently as follows:
Work is now taking place on the two Dudbridge locks (see photos on the “news” page). However, it looks very unlikely that they will be operational in time for the festival. The former plan “B” has therefore become the new plan “A”. As a consequence of this we shall have two full-width but not connected lengths of canal. The length through the festival site will be quite short, but will have all facilities on its doorstep. The length below the locks is long and is less than five minutes walk to the main site. Moorings are planned for this length next to the Cope Chat playing fields about 200 m beyond Dudbridge Lower lock. This is a very pleasant, open and quiet area.
A bonus of the incomplete locks is that there will be a crossing of the canal using the bund above the locks which makes access to the site from the camping field and the moorings below the locks much easier.
Two slipways will be constructed, one just above the site and one towards the Stonehouse end of the canal beyond Ryeford Double Lock. Ryeford Double Lock will be complete and operational. Planning permission for a permanent slipway above the site has been applied for and should be decided in April. The lower slipway will be temporary and will comprise a steel trackway into the canal, probably of 6 m width. We canot have more than one boat and trailer at either site at any time and will be designating holding areas for trailers to be called in from.
Access to the main site from the mooring area is a short walk along the towpath followed by crossing the canal to the festival site using the bund which is in place to enable work to take place on the locks.
Boaters will have the choice of which length to use (or can mix and match by slipping their boats out and in). The boat handling competition will take place near Ebley Mill, close to the proposed mooring site.
The canal is very largely operational from below the Dudbridge Locks at Ebley Mill to the Ocean at Stonehouse (a distance of about 4 km). Aside from one or two short lengths of narrows, the canal is full width throughout this stretch. Work is taking place on a couple of swing bridges and will be finished by the time of the festival. The new swing bridge at Ebley Mill (close to the site) will not be in place so therefore not an obstruction. Chestnut Lane Bridge (just above the site) is being replaced by a new 40 ton swing bridge It will be complete but not necessarily fully commissioned; it will however be operational or left in the open position for the festival. The camp site (and several business units) on the south side of the canal can gain access by means of a temporary road which is in place.
A sewer crossing the canal near the water surface about 1 km below the site is being re-located (hence the temporary traffic lights on Ebley Road!)
A contractor has been appointed to complete the channel works (widening, dredging, towpath restoration and removal of tree stumps) through the site and on the narrow stretch below it. Work on this will not start until May (due to the EA blocking work until the end of the fish spawning season) but the contractor is confident that completion will be on time. We have good reason to have faith in this, as the company concerned is one of the most experienced in the country and are fully aware of the issues. We are maintaining regular contact with the contractor and Stroud District Council who are managing the restoration.
Work to fell or pollard trees overhanging the festival site is now complete.
The water level in the canal will be raised by between 0.5 and 1 m as soon as works at / below water level are complete.
Above (east) of the festival site the canal will be restored for a distance of a few hundred metres until Lodgemoor Bridge near Stroud.
The canal will still be looking rather raw and freshly worked on, i.e. under restoration and not all of the landscaping work will be complete. We are sure that there will good moorings and around 4 km of navigable water for visiting boats and trip boats. We shall have a great festival!
Are dogs allowed?
The main event site is on a heavily used school playing field and the owners have requested that we operate a “no dogs” policy. There are no problems with dogs being on boats on the new mooring site below the locks (although they still won’t be allowed on the main event site).
When can we access the site?
Boats can tie up at the festival moorings from 18:00 on Friday 1 June (possibly slightly earlier, depending on whether school examinations are taking place in the Sports Hall and on whether any heavy plant is still operating in setting up the site.) In view of the likelihood of work continuing near the festival site until very close to the start of the event, boats arriving early may be restricted to the stretch west of Ebley Mill (about 700 m from the festival site). More information on slipways and access will be available soon.
The slipways will be manned as required from the previous weekend, and there will be a parking area (with CCT security cameras) for vehicles and trailers at Ebley Mill (near the festival site) with alternative areas close to the slipways. We shall arrange a “holding area” for vehicles away from the slipway as we cannot accommodate a queue of trailers next to it. Vehicles will be called in by mobile telephone.
More details will be sent to boaters nearer the time. There will be a “harbour master” available over the festival to aid boaters.
Boats are asked to leave the site by Tuesday evening (5 June), and the slipway facilities will be available until at least the following weekend. As the getting out tends to be busier than getting in, with more people wanting to leave in a compressed time frame, we will be operating a slipping out booking sheet system.
The festival entry fee includes use of the slipway and the “licence” to use the canal for the festival period.
Camping / Accommodation
Sorry, the rest of the camping space (and there’s not much) is now reserved for volunteers.
A variety of hotels and guest houses can be found close to the site, check the Tickets page for more information.
What entertainment is there?
The programme is being worked on (see the attractions page) and will be uploaded nearer the time. However, we expect the following:
A bar tent selling locally brewed ales plus wines and soft drinks will be on site, open from 12:00 to 21:30 (Sat & Sun), 22:00 on Monday.
Children’s attractions include Mooncarrot (a pair of well-known entertainers), a climbing wall and the Playbus for younger kids.
There will be a main stage with musical entertainment from midday into the evening. There will be an open microphone stage for anyone who wants to try their hand.
There will be dance entertainment of a diverse nature.
There is a traders’ marquee, as well as separate stalls and a good selection of caterers.
There will be trip boats running from Dudbridge Locks.
What facilities are there?
There will be toilets on site and a water supply. Showers in the Sports Hall during a time window in the morning are being negotiated, and there is a large leisure centre about ten minutes walk away with swimming pool and full facilities.
There is a policy of strictly no generators or open fires on the site. BBQs for campers will not be permitted – the site is a playing field and we do not want scorched grass.
Food and drinks are available on site during the period roughly 1100 – 2130. There are two large supermarkets (Sainsburys and Co-op, both with cash machines) within five minutes walk of site and several pubs & take-aways nearby.
Stroud is a lovely little town, with an award-winning farmers’ market on Saturdays and lots of proper shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. It is full of interesting characters, some of whom can be seen on this video. Walking around the upper town is well worthwhile, as there are a host of attractive buildings of Georgian and Victorian construction with a backdrop of the Cotswold Hills. There is a bus service from outside the site, although it is only about ten minutes walk along the towpath.
