Medium term moorings?

One of the most common complaints you hear is how boaters hammer through Birmingham and the Black Country, blinkers on and throttle sellotaped forward. The trick s to keep moving so fast that you can ride the Factory Locks on the bow wave.

I want to explore it. I want to hang around a little bit. See a bit. Talk to folk. Take photographs. Compare today's scenes with the photos in Ray Shill's books.

But I need a secure mooring. I also have a day job and another life which means that I can't get on North Star every couple of weeks. I need moorings for a few weeks and the marinas along the T&M have been fine with this. No problem. Same along the Grand Union in Northamptonshire. They charge a fee and I pay for it. But BW can't do this. I suppose there's been no demand for it. It does seem odd though. Surely there must be more people wanting moorings for longer than a couple of days.

Obviously the 14 days moorings are intended for people like me who will moor up, go home and come back a couple of weeks later. But none of these moorings are secure. Many of us are perhaps understandably reluctant to leave our pride and joy alongside the towpath in West Bromwich or Tipton for a couple of weeks. Or even the boat.

BW should surely offer a couple of places and see if there are any takers for paid medium-term moorings - by the week or the month. It might encourage more voyages on the BCN.