Free River Foss Access

Access to the River Foss, at York, via Castle Mills Lock

Sunday 26th October 2008 (the start of GMT) to Saturday 28th March 2009:

Please give FOUR days' notice, with the information below

• EITHER telephone 07588-236597 (24-hours answer-service)

• OR e-mail amartin_assoc@yahoo.co.uk
  

• the date that passage is required
• names and number of boats
• your name
  
• your home/mobile telephone numbers.
  

Sunday 29th March 2009 (the start of Summer Time):

As above except that TWO days’ notice will be sufficient

At all times, please note:

• Valid insurance documents must be on board, and may be inspected by the lock master.
• Access is dependent on weather and river levels
  
• Both the Rivers Ouse and Foss are prone to flooding, and it is boaters’ responsibility to check the weather forecasts and flood warnings. 
• Access to the River Foss and the basin below the lock by RedBoat day-hire boats is NOT permitted.
• Water supply to the River Foss is limited and more than one craft at a time would be preferred.
• Castle Mills Lock takes large craft; it is 112 feet long by 20 feet wide; however, the winding point near Rowntrees is fairly narrow.
  
• There is also a height restriction at Leyerthorpe Bridge on the Inner Ring Road, so that high cruisers will not get very far. Narrow boat owners may have to remove chimneys and roof furniture from the tops of their craft to pass under this bridge
  
• The River Foss is navigable for 1½ miles. The arm at Rowntree Wharf is the best turnaround point for longer craft; shorter craft can proceed further.

Mooring

• Neither overnight mooring, nor long term mooring is permitted on the River Foss.
• The mooring points on the Blue Bridge (River Ouse) side of the lock are only for mooring while waiting for the lock to open.
  
• The nearest overnight moorings are on Marygate Landing past the Lendal Bridge as usual. Additional mooring points have been recently installed there.

Please also note:

• Local Officers of the Inland Waterways Association have negotiated this “free from fee” access to York’s River Foss. 
  
• The arrangement is with the agreement and permission of the City Of York Council.
  
• Approved operators, from a team of IWA volunteers, will be on-call as specified above, and will do their best to offer the advertised service. Please understand that as the scheme relies on volunteers, their availability cannot be absolutely guaranteed.

River Foss background information

• The source of this river is near Newburgh Hall, 4 miles north of Easingwold. From there to the Blue Bridge in York, where it joins the River Ouse, it is 12½ miles long.
  
• In 1806 part of the river was canalised as far as Sheriff Hutton, but today the river is only navigable for 1½ miles upstream of Castle Mills Lock.  
  
• There was a glass works on the Walmgate side of the river and the York Evening Press used to receive its paper by barge. New mixed riverside developments are planned.