Saul Junction Boat Owners Club Ltd lease the Stroudwater Navigation towpath side moorings from Canal & River Trust.
The leased area is the strip of land bordered by the canal piling and a line of 81 white mooring posts between Junction Bridge Keepers Office to Walk Bridge.
The towpath beside the moorings is a Permissive Path.
It is not a ‘public right of way’.
Canal & River Trust permit members of the public to use the path.
As permissive paths are not public rights of way, Canal & River Trust may impose conditions on the use of the path. This can include restrictions on when and how the public can use the path (e.g. walkers are allowed, but not cyclists or horse-riders).
SJBOC boats are moored to rings on steel posts.
Each mooring post is numbered. Mooring post No. 1 is situated outside the Junction Bridge Keepers Office. Post No. 81 is adjacent to Walk Bridge at the terminus point of the leased stretch.
Moorers are requested to affix fenders from the mooring posts or their boats; but not from the timber waling board atop the steel piling panels.
There are three water points along the moorings.
Saul Marina lies opposite SJBOC moorings. Boats moving to and from Saul Marina are assisted by a short ‘no mooring’ stretch between the SJBOC boats. This space also creates a ‘winding hole’ for SJBOC vessels.
The River Frome feeds the Stroudwater Navigation. Consequently, a strong current always flows towards the Gloucester – Sharpness Canal.
Access from the Stroudwater onto the G&S Canal is controlled by a traffic light operated by the bridge keeper.
Boaters leaving their SJBOC berth and Marina Moorers are asked to contact the bridge keeper before leaving their mooring or The Marina.
Tel. 01452 740 444 or 07827 254 740 or VHF Channel 74.
Walk Bridge – Terminus of SJBOC Moorings
When The Stroudwater Navigation was opened in 1779 the bridge was a regular arched structure taking a lane through a local estate.
The steep approaches to that bridge created difficulties for horse-drawn loads.
In 1855 the structure was rebuilt as an iron & timber swing bridge.
Following the canal’s closure in 1945, the swing bridge deteriorated and became unsafe. Safety was re-established by a level, fixed, iron & concrete structure with a 7.5-tonne weight limit.
Plans and funding now exist for a new arched bridge to be built in the foreseeable future.
Moorings at Night
Lumena Solar Lights illuminate the moorings.
The installation was funded and fitted by Saul Junction Boat Owners Club members.
SJBOC is a member of The Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs. (AWCC)
The Association supports the interests of boaters and their clubs at a local and national level.
AWCC offers reciprocal arrangements between other member clubs, including emergency assistance and access to temporary moorings for overnight or longer stays.
There are eighty-six affiliated AWCC clubs across the UK.
Click here to view the AWCC Website