Towpath Talk - January 2014 - FULL ISSUE

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96 PAGES

Shipshape and Bristol fashion

TEN CHANCES TO WIN

A Water-to-Go Bottle worth £24.95

Issue 99, January 2014

P87

GULLIVER’S READY TO TRAVEL – boat review

P54 Boats of all shapes and sizes in Bristol harbour with the Arnolfini Gallery in the background. See Towpath Treasures on P90. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

NEW YEAR TIPS TO AVOID COSTLY BREAKDOWNS P88

‘Quiet zone’ plans for Islington moorings are unveiled

THE Canal & River Trust has announced a series of measures to improve relationships between boaters and residents at the popular visitor moorings on the Regent’s Canal in Islington, London.

Some local residents have complained of noise and smoke coming

IT’S ALL HOT AIR

The Stirling Engine

P87

494 BOATS FOR SALE Starts on

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from the boats, while some boaters feel they are being unfairly penalised for going about their way of life.

The trust says it is committed to supporting the needs of boaters and residents alike and will be working with Islington Council, sharing expertise and data, to resolve the situation.

Mon & Brec open day

Whitchurch plans

Council elections

A NEW canal basin with moorings in Whitchurch has been given the green light by planners.

Shropshire Council approved the application from Whitchurch Town Council, in conjunction with Whitchurch Waterway Trust, to extend the Shropshire Union Canal near the Wrexham Road entrance to the town. It is hoped the £475,000 scheme will bring boaters closer to the town centre by extending the current canal arm through Chemistry Bridge and into the town’s country park, along with the creation of an amenity space, footpaths and parking.

BOATERS and towpath users have until February 14 to give their views on plans to strengthen elections to the Canal & River Trust’s governing council. The consultation is part of a review following the 2012 election, which was overseen by the Electoral Reform Services, to identify any changes which could be implemented for the 2014 and 2016 elections. These include eligibility, online voting, number of sponsors and timescale.

The full consultation can be viewed on the CRT website and comments should be sent to roger.hanbury@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Stourport Marina Tel 01299 827 082 Stourport on Severn

Tel 01753 851 717

River Thames, Windsor

Thames & Kennet Marina

Walton Marina

Tel 01932 221 689

Visit:

www.tingdene.net

Upton Marina

Tel 01684 593 111 Upton upon Severn

Walton on Thames

Brundall Bay Marina

Tel 01189 477 770

River Thames, Caversham

Boat sales at seven Marinas with over 150 boats for sale

our new plans will make them think and change their behaviour.”

A consultation with boater groups, local residents and the council during the autumn led to a pilot scheme which will be continuously monitored by the trust and reviewed after four months.

Continued on page 3

AN OPEN day will be held at Llangynidr on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal on January 11, 2014, during a £230,000 works programme

by Glandwr Cymru to the Welsh canal network.

A new 1.2 ton lock gate will be fitted, replacing the current gate that’s been in action for the past 30 years. Works on the Llangollen Canal in January will include an inspection of Chirk Tunnel; Denbighshire County Council will be carrying out repairs to the Siambra-Wen Bridge near Llangollen and handrails crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, will be repaired.

More locations, more choice Racecourse Marina, Windsor

CRT boating liaison manager Sorwar Ahmed said: “The majority of boaters follow the requirements of keeping noise to an acceptable level, not running their generators between 8pm and 8am, and only burning clean fuel.

“However, there are some people who don’t stick to these rules and we hope

Tel 01603 717 804

Pyrford Marina

Tel 01932 343 275 River Wey, Surrey

Norfolk Broads

2 NEWS

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WELCOME

WHAT a difference a few days make. As I write it is that sort of crisp winter day, the sun having burned through the early morning mist, when the water is still and the smoke hangs in the air.

It’s difficult to believe that less than a week ago we were being warned to prepare for storm-force winds and the worst tidal surge since 1953 with coastal communities along the east coast and in North Wales bearing the brunt of the resulting damage.

The contrast between the frenetic days in the run-up to Christmas and the feeling of anti-climax when the decorations come down is also palpable; it’s no wonder people start planning their summer holidays before they have even opened their new diaries.

So it is with Towpath Talk this month. We bring you the last part of our three-part Winter Boating series coupled with New Year tips for avoiding those costly breakdowns on page 88.

We look back at some of the autumn events and working parties on pages 5 and 10 and forward to the Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally on page 12.

Talking of still water, it is epitomised in the title picture of Alison Alderton’s article on weathering winter cruising in Ireland on page 89, while in the Last Word, page 94, there are some definite ripples appearing from beneath the surface.

Holidays aside, there’s lots to look forward to in 2014 with dates already coming in for festivals and rallies over the coming months.

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Janet

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Environment Agency transfer becomes ‘matter of urgency’ Will the delay prove costly for boaters?

Bob Clarke reviews the situation.

WITH the Environment Agency set to shed 1700 jobs in the coming weeks due to Government funding cuts, and having to change its management structure from three tiers to two, there has also come the warning the agency’s annual boat licence fees ‘will increase above inflation for the next few years’.

And supporters of the original suggestion that agency navigations should transfer to the Canal & River Trust at the same time as British Waterways say agency waters would by now have the more secure future which the former BW waterways now have.

Several are now blaming the former Waterways Minister Richard Benyon for giving way to Defra’s demands for a

postponement of the transfer. And his plea of Government poverty as the reason for the postponement was greeted with derision by many waterway supporters who said the delay would mean the cost of transfer later would be greater and the overall condition of the EA waterways would worsen due to a lack of funding.

Blame game

But an alternative view of this ‘blame game’ is that the River Thames users did not help matters by their opposition to a transfer to the CRT. As a local IWA member said: “There was a certain snobbishness among river boaters that canal boats were not the

right sort of boat for the Thames – and that’s why many of them have never supported the IWA. Now they’re going to reap the whirlwind of substantially increased boating costs.”

Commenting on the fact that Defra has received a 10% funding cut, IWA’s national chairman Les Etheridge said: “So if the EA navigations suffer a 10% cut will boat licences be increased to make up any deficit? If so then an increase of around 20% would be required. Who is prepared, or able, to pay that?

“The implication is that maintenance on the Thames and the other EA navigations will be reduced and their condition will deteriorate.”

Licence fees

The move by EA to restructure a move away from a national, regional and local level to a national and local level will, says the agency: “Allow it to do more things nationally and engage with

local communities at area level while making the best of the funding it has.

“Implications of this on navigations are unclear other than reduced funding will lead to less maintenance and capital works” and there is the forecast that licence fees will continue to rise at above inflation year after year.

This forecast has emphasised what the IWA has described as a result of “the short sighted policy” of Defra, the Waterways Minister and the Government in not transferring the agency navigations when they could easily have done so.

The IWA and other boating interests are maintaining their campaign for the transfer of navigations to be brought forward as soon as possible and as a matter of urgency.

As soon as Dan Rogerson was announced as the new Waterways Minister, the IWA began pressing for an urgent meeting with him.

TALK

TOWPATH Managing the moorings – first report on strategy progress

Editor Janet Richardson jrichardson@mortons.co.uk Publisher Julie Brown Display advertising Richard Sinclair rsinclair@mortons.co.uk Nikita Leak nleak@mortons.co.uk Classified advertising Stuart Yule syule@mortons.co.uk Editorial design Tracey Barton Divisional ad manager Sandra Fisher Direct sales executive John Sharratt Group production editor Tim Hartley Production manager Craig Lamb Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole Managing director Brian Hill Contact us General queries 01507 529529 help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk News & editorial Tel: 01507 529466 Fax: 01507 529495 editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk Advertising Tel: 01507 524004 Fax: 01507 529499 Published by Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 523456 Fax: 01507 529301 Printed by Mortons Print Ltd. Tel. 01507 523456 Next Issue – January 23, 2014

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Polly Player reports on the Canal & River Trust’s first update on its Towpath Mooring Management Strategy.

Visitor moorings

THE Canal & River Trust has published the first update on its new Towpath Mooring Management Strategy, a three year project with £500,000 funding per year.

This project, which began in April 2013, is intended to improve communication with boaters, monitor and review visitor mooring provision, ensure that continuous cruisers are aware of the requirements of their continuous cruising declaration, and develop alternative mooring options to address localised issues with non-compliance.

One of the key areas that the Towpath Mooring Management Strategy intends to target is the availability of visitor moorings at popular locations and so-called ‘hotspot areas’. The trust intends to continue its process of review and consultation in busy areas or areas in which boaters regularly report a lack of available visitor moorings, in order to ensure that the provision of moorings, time limits and return rules are fit for purpose and work in the best interests of the majority of boaters.

Continuous cruisers

Localised issues

The CRT has indicated that it intends to take greater steps to ensure that continuous cruisers understand what is required of them when making a continuous cruising declaration, including publishing maps of route suggestions that the trust will accept as compliant continuous cruising.

The trust also intends to ensure that those new to boating or considering buying a boat and making a continuous cruising declaration are aware of what is required of them in regards to their cruising patterns.

From January 2014, all new continuous cruisers will receive a letter explaining what is expected of them, and how boat movements are monitored. The trust also intends to provide feedback to new continuous cruisers throughout their first year on the water.

Wording and layout of the ‘pre-CC1 warning letter’ – the first communication continuous cruisers receive to inform them that they may be in breach of their declaration – is being changed to make it more informative and user-friendly. The trust has also pledged to be more transparent about how the enforcement process itself works, and to work proactively with boaters who are having problems fulfilling the letter and the spirit of their continuous cruising declaration.

Acknowledging the work of the Salvation Army’s Waterways Chaplains, the trust encourages continuous cruisers (and other boaters) who are having short-term difficulties or require advice and advocacy to contact one of the local volunteer chaplains who are active in certain areas of the waterways network.

The trust also intends to sell short-term permits to continuous cruisers to allow them to moor on vacant long-term mooring sites, where available.

CRT intends to work closely with London’s boating population, including arranging meetings and mediation between boaters and land-based residents in areas where there is conflict or a lack of cooperation between boaters and the residents of canalside housing.

As well as addressing the issues that surround boating on the densely populated canals of London, including a significant amount of non-compliant continuous cruising, the trust is also actively looking for new locations for long-term residential moorings within the city, and has 19 new berths scheduled to open during 2014 with a further 30 locations under consideration.

The planned roving mooring permits for the Cowley and Uxbridge area of the Grand Union Canal, offered to established continuous cruisers in the area whose cruising range is considered to be too localised, will be rolled out in April 2014. CRT intends to continue to seek local solutions with communities of boaters in other areas where a long-term established pattern of non-compliant continuous cruising is also considered to be prevalent.

The section of the Kennet & Avon Canal to the west of Devizes is one area in which CRT wishes to continue to engage with a large number of established boaters who do not fulfil the remit of a genuine continuous cruising pattern, and a 12 month trial of proposals presented by a steering committee and sub-group commenced in December.

New staff

In order to help the trust to achieve its aims and encourage greater engagement with boaters, The CRT has employed three additional full-time and two additional part-time staff members, as well as

New signage at Stoke Bruerne, one of the areas where the CRT is trialling new stay times and return rules. redeploying in whole or in part four existing employees to aid with the project, including Sally Ash (head of boating) and Denise Yelland (head of enforcement).

Of particular note is the appointment of two new boater liaison managers, with the goal of enabling better communication with boaters at ground level.

The team has already invested a considerable amount of time and resources into gathering feedback via multiple channels, including face-toface meetings, surveys, workshops, and consultations with boaters.

Looking to the future, the trust intends to provide regular feedback on the progress of the Towpath Mooring Management Strategy on a bimonthly basis.

NEWS 3

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Developers think again over Lapal scheme

New NABO chairman

By Bob Clarke

INTENSE pressure by Birmingham City Council, the Lapal Canal Trust, local residents and the Canal & River Trust has forced developers to include a partial restoration of the Dudley No. 2 Canal (also known as the Lapal Canal) through the Harvest Partnership development site at Selly Oak. The partnership members are Land Securities and Sainsbury’s and their amended plans were thrown out by the council planners after it became evident that the canal restoration and other aspects were not included in the amendments.

This, along with pressure from other interested parties, forced the developers to think again and they returned to the table which included a proposal to spend an additional £767,000 and an amendment which gave details of a proposed reinstatement – though not as extensive as those in an earlier planning application.

With planning proposals now resolved, the CRT made the following statement: “While it is disappointing that the full reinstatement, as proposed in previous schemes, will not be delivered in one phase, we appreciate that circumstances have changed.”

The statement adds that a fund will be set up to assist with completing the reinstatement in the future and the safeguarding of the canal route. The city council will continue to work with the trust and Harvest on the negotiations of the details of the planning agreement.

And the trust says: “We have also given the council an undertaking and have made the Lapal Canal Trust aware that we will give proper consideration as to whether or not we should lead on delivering the completion of the canal reinstatement.”

The course of the Lapal Canal in Selly Oak. PHOTO: ROBIN JONES

Continued from page 1

‘Quiet zone’ plans for Islington moorings Sorwar added: “We know that views about what should be done are polarised, with residents wanting tougher measures and boaters unhappy about having more restrictions placed on them. We have to make a balanced judgment and see what can be done to improve the situation as it stands at the moment. We think our plans can do this and we are working with Islington

Quiet zone measures

Council to monitor things such as smoke, noise and use of moorings, which we will publish so boaters and residents can see how things are changing.”

More information on the Islington Visitor Moorings Management plan and the consultation, can be found in ‘about us/consultations’ section of the CRT website at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

• Limiting engine and generator noise to background level; • Daily weekday sightings of boats by the Trust’s enforcement team, with prompt warning letters when boaters are staying too long or behaving anti-socially; • Mooring to be kept to a single line of boats in winter, with a maximum of two abreast in the summer; • Looking into recruiting monthly rotating ‘Caretaker Boaters’ who will advise and provide information to boaters, report local incidents, and liaise with residents and agencies; • New signs to reinforce Quiet Zone messages and mooring arrangements; • Two new part-time Mooring Rangers on the towpath, including at weekends, to provide information, raise awareness of boating protocols, and implement mooring rules; and • Investing in a Defra-funded project for an Environmental Health apprentice to provide boaters with environmental advice, training and assessments.

Canalside market plan for Galton

By Bob Clarke

THE Galton Valley at Smethwick, which contains both the Birmingham New and Old Main Lines and the adjoining area of Rolfe Street, is to get an £8 million overhaul which would include a canalside market similar in size to the famous Camden Lock Market in London.

As part of the canal scheme, three new pedestrian bridges would be built and an empty warehouse would be converted to a construction college. The site would also have a cafe.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has also bid for £4 million European Regional Development Fund money and construction companies are now being sought for the work which could start as early as next April.

An advertisement on the networking website ‘finditinsandwell’ says: “The council and Complex Developments Projects Ltd are working with other Black Country agencies to develop a regeneration and investment plan… alongside one of the most dramatic stretches of canal in Europe.”

Tribute to waterway author and campaigner THE death occurred in November at the age of 78 of Dr Ian Langford, an active waterway campaigner for over 40 years, writes Bob Clarke.

Dr Langford was president of the Dudley Canal Trust with which he first became involved in 1967. He also wrote two comprehensive towpath guides on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and the Stourbridge Canal and both titles are sought-after collectors’ items.

In his professional life he was a world authority on crystallography and was well known at universities throughout Europe.

Dr Langford lived at Northfield, Birmingham, and he also owned a restored (though not working) watermill at Ratlinghope village, Shropshire.

A packed congregation attended the funeral service in the village church at which the chairman of the Dudley Canal Trust, Vic Smallshire, gave the eulogy.

FORMER Kennet & Avon Canal Trust chairman Mike Rodd is the new chairman of the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO).

He succeeds David Fletcher who has stepped down after a transformational five-year period at the helm.

An MCA-qualified boatmaster, Mike skippers public trip boats for the K&A Canal Trust and the Bruce Trust and as KACT’s general manager (and later chairman) established the first trial Waterways Partnership, bringing him into close contact with the emerging Canal & River Trust.

He believes passionately that the CRT has to succeed. “Major urgent coal-face issues still have to be addressed. These include not just the need to obtain additional funding for maintenance and water provision, but also pressing issues arising largely from the increased use of the waterways and a growing desire of people wishing to live on them.”

Mike added: “NABO, with its broad membership – which brings together a wide range of expertise and professional experience – backed by its investment in obtaining the very best in legal advice is in a unique position to help as a ‘critical friend’ to both the CRT and the Environment Agency.”

IN BRIEF

Canal camps A BIG day, two clean-up

weekends and 25 canal camps are already planned by the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) for 2014. These will include rebuilding towpaths on the Driffield Navigation and Pocklington Canal in East Yorkshire, lining a section of the Lancaster Canal at Stainton, to lock clearance work on the Cromford Canal in Derbyshire and bricklaying at Ham Mill Lock on the Cotswold Canals.

4 NEWS

IN BRIEF

Trust changes

THE Canal & River Trust’s legal and corporate services director Nigel Johnson is retiring after almost 14 years of service at the trust and British Waterways combined. He had agreed to stay on until the end of the year to assist the transition to the new chief executive. Head of legal Jackie Lewis will report direct to Richard Parry with the new title of general counsel. Keith Labbett, head of internal audit will also report to Richard and continue to support the work of the Audit Committee.

Finance director Philip Ridal will also become company secretary for the trust.

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‘Neigh’ bother as Kelpies unveiled

Barnsley hopes

ENTHUSIASTS have hopes of reopening the Barnsley Canal in the South Yorkshire coalfield, writes Geoff Wood. It was mining subsidence which forced the closure of the canal in 1953. But now with better engineering methods available, the Barnsley, Dearne and Dove Canals Trust is optimistic of a forthcoming restoration of the waterway. A professional report was commissioned by the then Barnsley Canal Group which stated that restoration was certainly possible.

An insider said: “The restored canal would follow the original line of the Aire & Calder Navigation to Barnsley where a marina would be built.”

Broads award THE Broads Authority has been

recognised for its work in pioneering green tourism after being highly commended by judges of the Green Destination of the Year award. The award was presented at the annual Green Tourism conference marking the end of national Green Tourism Week to the organisation which has made most progress in raising awareness and delivering change in sustainable tourism.

Generator theft

WEST Yorkshire Police have warned narrowboat owners to be on their guard following the theft of a large piece of electrical equipment from a barge in Huddersfield, writes Geoff Wood. Thieves cut through a security chain to steal an electric generator on a boat on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Linthwaite. Anyone with any information should contact the police on 101.

STREET art will form part of an £83,000 scheme to guide visitors along the Walsall Canal’s town arm and wharf, writes Bob Clarke.

The artwork will be built into the towpath near the town wharf in Walsall – a route increasingly used by hundreds of visitors and residents between the town and Manor Hospital.

Slogans such as ‘Off to the Manor we go’ and ‘off to the town we go’ will help direct walkers.

The project is being paid for by developers who have invested in various sites around the Wolverhampton Street area as part of a multi-million pound major town centre regeneration.

The towpath route links the Waterfront development, the hospital, Walsall College and Tesco.

Popular solid fuel ‘Stoveglow’ no longer classed as smokeless

Wendover blow

THE Wendover Arm Trust has announced the resignation of its chairman, Paul Leech, owing to health issues. Paul has been chairman for just one year, and although living in Essex, has been extremely proactive in furthering the cause of the trust which wishes him well. It is now seeking someone to take over the helm, a position which is vital to the smooth running of the restoration.

It is hoped a further quarter mile of restored canal will be in water next autumn, subject to satisfactory progress during the winter months.

Towpath art plan for town arm

By Polly Player

Kelpies sculptor Andy Scott with Clydesdales Duke and Barron, his inspiration for the 100ft, canalside, horse heads behind him at The Helix outside Falkirk.

PHOTO COURTESY JAMES STEWART,THE HELIX

By Hugh Dougherty

IT WAS a case of ‘neigh’ bother for sculptor Andy Scott as the Kelpies, the world’s largest equine sculpture, was unveiled beside Scotland’s newest stretch of canal at Falkirk on Wednesday, November 27.

Andy’s two, 100ft tall horse heads, recalling the horses which pulled laden barges along the towpaths of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals, are the focal point of The Helix project. It includes a junction with the Forth & Clyde Canal, new basins, and a stretch of brand new canal linking the Forth & Clyde with the North Sea at Grangemouth.

The new canal, a visitor centre and landscaped leisure areas, are due to open to the public in April 2014 and are expected to boost boating on the Lowland Canals and tourist visits to the Falkirk area, as well as to the nearby Falkirk Wheel.

Sculptor Andy Scott, accompanied by real Clydesdales Duke and Barron, said: “I have always been fascinated with horses and the heavy horse was at one time the driving force in industry until after the industrial revolution.

The Kelpies are an outstanding example of art and engineering coming together to deliver something really special for the people of Falkirk and Scotland.”

The giant horse heads weigh 300 tonnes each, use 3000 metres of steel tubing and 17,000 component parts.

The steel was made by Yorkshire SH Structures and transported to Falkirk for assembly, taking six-months, start to stop. Now, towering over the new canal link, the giant horse heads are attracting the admiring glances of drivers of the adjacent, busy M9 Motorway as well as publicising The Helix project and recalling the industrial heritage of horse power on the canals.

STOVEGLOW, a mixed-nugget solid fuel produced by KG Smith & Son and widely used by boaters, is no longer classed as a smokeless fuel.

As of winter 2013, Stoveglow is no longer authorised for use in smoke control areas, a fact that not all boaters are aware of.

The design of the bags used for the newly non-smokeless Stoveglow is identical to that used previously, barring the addition of a small line of text stating, ‘not authorised for use in smoke control areas’ at the bottom of the bags.

The new Stoveglow bag stating that it is ‘not authorised for use in smoke control areas’.

PHOTOS: POLLY PLAYER

Tarry deposts within a stove after burning.

Open day visitors see Wigan dry dock and lock gate in action

By Colin Wareing

AS PART of the Canal and River Trust’s winter maintenance programme the head gates on Lock 87 on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Wigan have been replaced, with the new gates being lifted into place.

Over the weekend of November 16 and 17 the trust invited members of the public to the site with work continuing to complete the installation watched by the 150 visitors.

The lock is alongside the covered dry dock in Wigan, which enabled the trust to explain the workings of the dry dock, and the works on the lock.

The dry dock is available for all boaters to book and use for maintenance tasks at the rate of £200 per week, with changeover day on Fridays.

It is only yards away from CRT’s North West Regional offices which were also put to good use as a base for explaining the workings of CRT with some the

volunteer lock keepers regaling the public with the summer’s fun they had enjoyed.

There was also chance to learn how to build a canal with the Canal and River Explorers group, have a go at fishing, have a close up look at one of the trust’s workboats and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society was on hand to tell the history of the canal.

CRT local campaign manager Michelle Kozomara said: “We had really good feedback from those who visited.”

CRT employee Paul Abram explains the workings of the dry dock at Wigan to visitors.

Tunnel training FIRE and Rescue teams from

across the West Midlands descended on the northern end of Netherton Tunnel for a training exercise in November, writes Bob Clarke. The exercise simulated what would happen if a narrowboat caught fire in the tunnel. Volunteers from the casualty simulation group played the parts of injured people.

While many regular Stoveglow users have not experienced problems since the change, others have reported a significant increase in smoke production, greater tarry deposits within the chimney, and a stronger smell when burning the fuel.

KG Smith & Son confirmed to Towpath Talk that any Stoveglow distributed this winter is not classed as a smokeless fuel. However, due to an error in bagging when the firm ran out of the newly marked non-smokeless bags at one stage, a quantity of Stoveglow distributed during November was incorrectly labelled as a smokeless fuel.

Work goes on to complete the fitting of new head gates to lock 87 of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in Wigan. PHOTOS: COLIN WAREING

NEWS 5

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A weekend of celebration at Tapton Lock MONTHS of planning and hard work culminated in the recent celebration event at Tapton Lock on the Chesterfield Canal, writes project co-ordinator Jane Wells.

The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of one of the most beautiful and varied waterways in England and celebrate all it has to offer.

Despite mixed weather over the weekend, hundreds of visitors attended the event and took part in the wide variety of activities on offer.

There was a climbing wall and ‘have a go’ canoes, archive film screenings on the narrowboat

John Varley and artists Raphael Daden, Bobbie Harvey, Susan White and Phil Rawle offered a diverse range of workshops for the public to make their own artworks to take home.

A creative consultation was delivered by artists Sara Beavan and Robin Widdowson and visitors’ comments will contribute both to a permanent textile artwork and help to identify how the Countryside Service can meet the demands of local people using the canal and surrounding area.

A highlight of the weekend was the evolving imaginary

One of more than 50 stunning buildings on view from the past and present Chesterfield.

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How it is

A crowd-sourced poem from Tapton Lock Heritage Open Day, 2013 It sounds like knocking at the door as ducks eat the weed off the hull; a float pump kicking in all night because the bilges are curiously full; the crunch when the boat breaks morning ice as you walk through to fill the first kettle.

It looks like a winter wonderland with fairy lights and snow on the roof; the Caen Hill Locks in a black-and-white fall, the marks left in stone by boot or hoof.

It looks like defence – a military line of pillboxes lining the K&A – it looks like a hundred men hunched over fibreglass poles on match day.

Canal poet laureate Jo Bell delivers the crowd sourced poem. PHOTOS

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Chesterfield Townscape installation. Visitors worked with Junction Arts staff and volunteers to make cardboard models of the buildings in town from carbon copy drawings they had made. By the end of Sunday there were over 50 stunning buildings on view from the past and present Chesterfield.

Finally, national canal poet laureate Jo Bell read her own canal related poems in the marquee and a special crowd sourced poem made up of contributions she collected each day from visitors.

Also performing in the marquee, which was beautifully decorated by artworks made by children from two local schools, was Soapbox Preacher and Chesterfield Folk Club with a special appearance by Judy Dunlop. www.jobell.org.uk

It tastes like burning burgers from the towpath barbecue; sloe gin from hedgerows, nettle soup, bacon butties, slow-cooked stews.

It smells like dog rose and elderflower, heady on early summer air; like diesel and solvents and sawdust and paint, like a full toilet tank – we’ll leave that one there.

And what does it FEEL like – living afloat?

It feels like success, when you learn to steer on the North Oxford slalom, the tidal Trent; it feels like satin in the wash at Pulteney Weir.

It feels like flight, when you take the tiller and cross that great Welsh aqueduct; it feels a bit uneven when the toilet tank is full so the cutlery drawer won’t shut.

It feels like going back in time, to the age of steam or the age of five when you fished the river Lee; it feels like bee stings, nettle stings, horsefly stings; it feels like family.

It feels like luck, when the kingfisher flash splits like lightning across the day or the heron lifts, and drops, and lifts, and silently shows you the way.

It feels like a village that never keeps still; the best of good company, the best of your own.

It feels like a busy life narrowed to size.

It feels like peace. It feels like home.

Friends celebrate launch oFtrip boat A GOOD crowd turned out, on what was a very cold blustery day, to watch the official launching ceremony of the trip boat Birdswood on the Cromford Canal recently, writes Derick Spencer.

Renowned TV Meet the Ancestors archaeologist Julian Richards, who is patron of The Friends of Cromford Canal, performed the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Several members of Derby County Council also attended and were treated to a trip on the boat. On their return Julian said how much he had enjoyed the trip despite the cold.

The Nottingham Model Boat Club brought along several model craft, including a couple of submarines, and model steam traction engines were also on show.

The Friends of Cromford Canal had a number of stalls in the old warehouse selling merchandise.

Patron Julian Richard cuts the ribbon to officially launch Birdswood as the Friends’ trip boat. PHOTOS: DERICK SPENCER

Julian Richards talking to Mike Kelley, the boat operations manager.

The guests enjoy a trip along the Cromford Canal.

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Boats back on the River Tone READERS who were in Taunton near the Brewhouse River Pontoon recently could not have failed to witness an historic event in that at least eight canal and river boats were moored, writes Bob Abbott, chairman of the IWA West Country Branch.

The boat crews engaged with many passers-by who voiced surprise and pleasure in seeing the River Tone being used for water traffic once again. The boaters also used local shops and amenities.

This event was brought about by the not insignificant efforts of many local volunteers who acted as safety wardens, guides and occasionally labourers along the Firepool Lock channel where a very large tracked excavator removed many cubic tons of sludge, silt and other debris over three days last week to allow access once again.

The blockage had effectively thwarted the passage of almost all motorised craft wanting to pass from the lock and into the river over many years and this flotilla was seen celebrating a newfound freedom along a beautiful and seriously under-utilised stretch of Taunton’s waterway stretching from Firepool Weir to French Weir.

The project was funded by local businesses plus donations from boat clubs and other individuals who recognised this positive plus for Taunton residents, shopkeepers and visitors alike.

It was encouraged by Taunton Deane Borough Council, Somerset County Council, Project Taunton and the Environment Agency with on site management input from the Inland Waterways Association which supports voluntary and community projects and events like this all around the UK.

6 NEWS

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Royal Iris gets a £500k makeover

IN BRIEF

Community park

PLANS have been unveiled to transform an island between a canal and a river into a community park with wild flowers, edible herbs and an archaeological excavation of former mill buildings, writes Geoff Wood. The 800m long island stands between the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the River Calder at Battyeford, West Yorkshire. The Mirfield Promenade and Battyeford Island Project also has plans to improve walking routes, cycle paths and fishing points over a three mile stretch of land. Backing has already come for the project from the Canal & River Trust and Groundwork, Wakefield.

Mission accomplished

KAYAKER Justin Hansen paddled into Bristol in October to complete a 420 mile journey from Skipton which he and his team accomplished in 32 days, with 280 locks en route. He has raised over £12,000 for research into bowel cancer and intestinal failure at St Mark’s Hospital but hopes to reach over £20,000.

Among organisations to provide support boats were Canal Connections, the Bruce Trust, London Narrow Boat Project, Nottingham City Council and National Community Boats Association.

By Geoff Wood

ONE of the iconic Mersey ferries has been getting a £500,000 refit.

The Royal Iris is 54 years old and is now carrying tons of barnacles and has worn propellers – and it has covered the seagoing equivalent of 100,000 miles. But following a major refit of its two engines it should go faster and use less fuel.

Built in 1959, it was originally named Mountwood. The vessel

has full certification for passenger trips.

The Mersey ferries are powerful motor vessels. The Mersey is generally recognised as one of the fastest tidal rivers in the world, and the extra propulsion is necessary to cope with the flow of the river.

Coun Liam Robinson, chairman of Mersey Travel, said: “The ferries are some of the region’s most popular paid-for attactions and contribute a great deal to the city’s economy.”

Boats moored on this part of the Avon in Bath have to move. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Bath moorers served with eviction notices

By Harry Arnold

CONCERNS about sanitation, dumped rubbish and lack of insurance for some of the craft have led landowner, Bath & North East Somerset Council, to give notice to boat owners to leave moorings on the section of the River Avon in the centre of Bath between the upstream head of navigation at Pulteney Weir and the entrance to the Kennet

& Avon Canal at Bath Locks.

Moorings on other adjacent sections of the Avon are controlled by the Canal & River Trust (CRT) and Bristol City Council as the navigation authorities, but this section of river bank, adjacent to Bath Rugby Club, comes under Bath & North East Somerset Council as the riparian landowner.

Boats have moored here without paying any charges but

now the council plans to install electric and water facilities and charge for future use of the moorings.

It has led to protests from some of the boat owners who have been served with eviction notices to vacate the moorings. They took the case to appeal because the landowner did not wish to pursue the matter but a planning inspector’s decision has upheld the legality of the eviction notices.

Safer steps STONE steps covered in leaves on a canal bank can be treacherous for pedestrians. But two community minded women in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, have been busy at the Huddersfield Narrow Canal tidying up the scene to minimise the danger of falls, writes Geoff Wood. Mandy Gorey and Ann Jones have already tidied up areas around the Uppermill and Greenfield villages. Ann said: “I found the canal steps can be treacherous. I take along a trowel and Mandy takes a brush and pan and we scoop up the fallen leaves and any rubbish that people have left.”

Royal Iris in dry dock. PHOTO: MERSEY TRAVEL

Mersey ferry POP singer Gerry Marsden recently took a ‘ferry across the Mersey’ to help people with autism. Gerry, who lives on Merseyside and had hits with his group the Pacemakers, is a long-standing supporter of the Wirral Autistic Society. He followed the lyrics of one of his best-known songs and sailed across the Mersey in a campaign aimed at increasing provision for those with autism. Gerry said: “If sufferers don’t get the right support, they can struggle with everyday activities that many of us take for granted.”

Ashton Canal is now a safer place

A WATERWAYS website has given the once-troubled Ashton Canal in Greater Manchester a clean bill of health, writes Geoff Wood.

Stories of thefts and vandalism on the canal are now out of date, says the Pennine Waterways website.

“The Ashton Canal is now no worse than any other urban canal and has greatly improved with the construction of the Commonwealth Games facilities alongside.”

But the website warns that boaters should still be wary when passing through urban areas. Front cabin doors should be locked and valuables such as cameras placed out of sight.

Where possible plan your journey so that you pass through urban areas during school times, but incidents can occur anywhere on the system – even in rural areas – so don’t be afraid to venture into urban areas where the industrial archaeology can be very interesting.

Banbury shopping centre could span Oxford Canal

By Julian Dancer

BOATERS arriving at Banbury, Oxfordshire, will be able to moor inside the town’s shopping centre if plans being considered by Cherwell District Council get the go ahead.

The Castle Quay shopping centre currently occupies a large site on the west side of the Oxford Canal, but plans have been drawn up to extend it on the east side of the waterway. A glass roof over the canal will link the two sections of the shopping centre.

The existing centre contains stores including Debenhams, BHS, Marks and Spencer, WH Smith and Boots, while the new plans include a

Waitrose superstore, multi-screen cinema and a host of smaller shops.

Castle Quay’s owner, the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, has submitted the application for the 154,000sq ft extension.

Cameron Murray, fund manager for the shopping centre, said: “The proposed redevelopment and investment in Castle Quay confirms SWIP’s commitment to protecting local businesses and ensuring the picturesque town centre continues to be a popular tourist destination.”

It will certainly make Banbury an attractive stopping off point for canal users.

Subject to planning approval, the extension should be complete by 2015.

RYA SPOTLIGHT 7

www.towpathtalk.co.uk The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrowboats and personal watercraft.

Keep your eyes peeled and anchors ready!

and the refurbishment of Blackfriars Station and Bridge.

But this increase in commercial traffic, coupled with the expansion of trip boat and river bus services (with more to come according to the mayor’s plans) means the river is becoming a busier place than it used to be.

As a result, planning a passage through central London – and to a greater or lesser degree these comments apply to all areas of busy traffic – now requires a bit more focus on a couple of factors: lookout and communications.

Busier waters

A recent accident on the Thames demonstrated both the need to keep a good lookout and to have appropriate communications facilities on board. A passenger trip boat had used a slightly different route on the river and as it emerged from behind a row of moored vessels, it struck the rear of a narrowboat, severely damaging the rudder.

It was interesting to hear of the ups and downs of freight traffic through the port – but particularly interesting to hear of the trebling of ‘inland freight’ (from 1 to 3m tonnes) on the Thames in the past 12 months. Much of this traffic increase results from major civil engineering projects in London, including Cross Rail

Lookout and communications

Father figure

A CANAL boat skipper who was Captain Birdseye to hundreds of young people has died following a long battle with lymphoma, writes Geoff Wood. Mark Freear dedicated 10 years of his life to the James Project – an educational scheme in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Operations manager Kevin Mitchell said Mark was a familiar sight in his colourful shorts, his hat and his ‘Captain Birdseye’ style beard. He added: “He was always the father figure. He had a special way with everyone, especially the young people.”

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By Tony Roome, chairman of the RYA Inland Navigation Panel

I ATTENDED a couple of Port of London Authority (PLA) consultative meetings recently.

The first, held at the Island Yacht Club on Canvey Island, covered the Lower District, while the Middle District meeting was held aboard HQS Wellington moored on the Embankment in central London.

Both meetings were well attended and the discussion between the senior management of PLA (led by their CEO Richard Everitt) with boaters and river users was cordial and informative. PLA is very open in its dealings and these meetings are a model of their type.

IN BRIEF

There is no suggestion that the narrowboat crew could have done anything about this accident. However, keeping a lookout is always important for all vessels.

As a result of the damage, the narrowboat was uncontrollable in the tidal river and close to bridges. The experienced narrowboat crew did everything right and, using their VHF, made a Mayday call.

As this was on VHF, several boats in the vicinity overheard the call and were alongside the narrowboat inside a couple of minutes.

Had the narrowboaters been relying on their mobile phone to communicate with London VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) – which is permissible under the navigation rules for the Thames – then it would have taken longer for help to get to them. I always carry VHF radio when operating on the tidal Thames and I believe this accident demonstrates the sense of doing so.

Being prepared

The other key safety point emphasised by the PLA was the need for boats to be ready for the possibility of engine failure on the river. The Thames is a fastflowing, tidal river with currents of up to four knots at times. In the event of engine failure, boats can be in trouble very quickly.

There is no time to start getting the anchor out of the locker and connecting it to the chain and rope needed. When operating on tidal waters, it’s important to keep your anchor ready for use and on the deck of the boat.

If these simple rules are followed, then a passage through the centre of London can be really rewarding and a great deal of fun. If you want to talk about a passage through London – particularly in a narrowboat – you could do a lot worse than talking to the St Pancras Cruising Club whose members have a wealth of experience of this trip.

www.towpathtalk.co.uk we asked readers about their Christmas shopping plans. Of those who responded 48% intended to shop online while 47% planned to do most of their buying at local shops; only 9% favoured an outof-town retail complex. This month we are asking readers what they think about the proposed private boat licence fee increases.

Barge Simpson

CAPITAL Radio’s breakfast team recently moved their show on to a canal boat, writes Geoff Wood. Rob Ellis, Rachel Burke-Davies and Nigel Wingman broadcast all week from a barge travelling down the Manchester Ship Canal. The trio were also living on board the boat, nicknamed Barge Simpson, to raise money for this year’s Help a Capital Child appeal for young children with cancer.

8 NETWORKING

SOCIETY NEWS

Sculpture plan

THE Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership is exploring the feasibility of a project commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the canal museum in 1963. It is raising funds to commission a full size sculpture of former boatman and lock keeper Jack James who put his own collection of memorabilia on display and helped persuade the then British Transport Board to set up the first inland waterways museum at Stoke Bruerne.

(Museum Matters, November 2013)

Queen’s award

SOUTH Staffordshire Narrow Boat Company was recently presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services.

This is in recognition of the dedication of the volunteers who have run the narrowboat Ernest Thomas over the past 27 years giving trips to people who might otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy the countryside. They run around 130 outings each year from their base on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal near Wolverhampton between Easter and October.

(RNR Newsletter, Autumn 2013)

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Actors stage tunnel trip for new series

By Geoff Wood

STAR acting couple Timothy West and Prunella Scales explored the depths of a waterways wonder to help bring a new canal series to viewers.

The husband and wife team and the crew hitched a lift with Hebden Bridge based Shire Cruisers and boaters Tony and June Johnson and Chris and Julie Kennedy through the Standedge Tunnel.

They had been filming around Britain for the series and agreed that no visit to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal would be complete without a trip through Standedge, the highest, deepest and longest canal tunnel in Britain.

Tim West took the tiller of the boat helped by Canal and River Trust stalwart Fred Carter. When they emerged at the Diggle end of the tunnel, Pru was filmed at the bow. And she was enjoying the trip despite heavy rain.

The couple were off to a good start as patrons of the Huddersfield Canal Society. Administrator Bob Gough asked Tim what he thought of the tunnel experience.

He replied: “It was a very exciting trip and I was surprised how varied the navigation was. ‘Fred not only took care of the navigation but also my bodily well-being. It was also a feat of endurance.’

“I was mindful of the achievements of those who cut the tunnel and the conditions they had to endure.”

The series, the title of which has not yet been revealed, will be shown on More 4 and Channel 4 in the New Year but no precise transmission date has yet been fixed.

Right: Tunnel vision at Marsden. Canal stalwart Fred Carter with Prunella Scales and Timothy West. PHOTO: HUDDERSFIELD

CANAL SOCIETY.

Successful season for Pocklington trip boat

Held to ransom

IWA Chiltern’s annual Lock Ransom held at Marsworth to raise much needed funds for canal restoration will be known as a Lockwind in future. Apparently there is a perception that members have applied undue pressure on boaters and members of the public to get them to part with their cash and concern that the IWA might be unable to claim gift aid for such events. (Chiltern Grapevine, Autumn 2013)

Adoption scheme

EREWASH Canal volunteers are inviting the community to ‘adopt’ mile-long stretches of the waterway to help them fund future restoration work. The Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association (ECP&DA) has signed up to the Canal & River Trust’s ‘Adopt a Canal’ scheme. Contact Michael Golds on 0115 932 8042 or visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/volun teer

B&MK chairman Graham Mabbutt shows Milton Keynes Mayor – Coun Brian White the proposed route of the new waterway. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Mayor hosts canal cruise MILTON Keynes Mayor Coun Brian White recently hosted a lunchtime VIP cruise on the Grand Union Canal to promote the B&MK Waterway Project.

Among the guests were councillors, developers and planners, all looking at the benefits of waterside developments for the local communities.

The ambitious project aims to build a new 26km long canal from the Grand Union at Milton Keynes to the River Great Ouse at Kempston in Bedford, creating a string of waterway parks and leisure facilities along the route.

The project will help transform both the urban and rural environments and engage with communities along the way.

Coun White said: “I have supported this project from day one and am

pleased to see the progress that it is making. We all look forward to seeing part of the waterway built in Milton Keynes shortly.”

Other Waterway Parks planned are in Bedfordshire at Marston Vale and Bedford, with the involvement of both Central Beds and Bedford Borough Councils. Innovative engineering solutions are required to deal with the 30m drop down to Brogborough lake, with a completed canal underpass already in place under the new A421 dual carriageway near to Wootton Green .

The project will close the gap between the national canal network and the Fen Waterways bringing with it other associated leisure and tourism opportunities.

Licensed viewing

THE Residential Boat Owners’ Association has been helping to raise awareness among boat owners of TV licence rules. By law, boat residents who are watching or recording TV programmes at the same time as they are shown on TV need to be licensed, irrespective of what device is being watched, how the programmes are received or whether the boat is cruising or moored. (Soundings, September/October 2013)

Bilbo Baggins tows nb Vixen as the horseboating trip leaves Brearley. PHOTO SUPPLIED

THE Pocklington Canal Amenity Society’s 2013 season concluded with its well attended annual luncheon held at the Oaks Golf Club.

Trip boat New Horizons has had another excellent year running trips from Melbourne Arm and carrying nearly 2200 passengers on 69 trips between the beginning of April and the end of October.

These trips have ranged from the short 30 minute Sunday/bank holiday style to all day down to East Cottingwith and the Ferryboat Inn at Thorganby. The most popular longer trips are the three-hour type to Gardham Lock and back, often including a picnic and many groups now book this type of trip to celebrate special occasions.

On other parts of the canal the society’s working parties, in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust’s employees/contractors, have

carried out many works over the year ranging from simple litter collection to major swing bridge repairs and reinstatement.

Many parts of the towpath have been cleared of scrub and other improvements to make them more accessible and safer. No 8 swing bridge has been completely restored, including painting, the road down to Melbourne Arm has been repaired, the 48-hour mooring at Melbourne has been replaced and new landing stages have been installed at swing bridges No 1 and No2. Towpath improvement will continue over the winter as the weather permits.

The society thanked everyone for their support during the year. If anybody is interested in volunteering for the working parties or crewing the trip boat please contact Bob Ellis on 01759 302873.

Annual awards presented to IWA stalwarts

INLAND Waterways Association vicepresident Harry Arnold’s outstanding contribution to the organisation was recognised at its recent annual meeting with the presentation of IWA’s premier award, the Cyril Styring Trophy.

Harry, who is a regular contributor to Towpath Talk, started photographing traffic on the Bridgewater Canal over 50 years ago when he lived in Warrington, and became more involved with the waterways and the IWA when he ran a hire boat firm at Norbury Junction.

He joined the IWA in 1961 and was involved with its festivals for a number of years, but his biggest contribution was his editing of Waterways magazine from 1992 to 2007.

Although Harry has not been an IWA trustee in the last 30 years he has had a unique involvement, through his photography, with British Waterways and other navigation authorities and has often spoken on behalf of the IWA. He said: “I am so pleased to be given this award, not least because of the number of friends and well-known IWA

volunteers who have received it in the past. I would especially like to mention Graham Palmer – no longer with us but a fellow founder of the Waterway Recovery Group and a great friend of my family, who received this wonderful engraved award three times.”

The Branch Achievement Award went to IWA Chiltern Branch for its hard work, fundraising efforts and involvement with local events.

Richard Bird Medals were awarded to Roy Cleverly (Milton Keynes Branch), Mick and Carole Golds (Erewash Canal), John Stockland and Margaret Beardsmore (both of Lichfield Branch), John Brice (Chiltern Branch) and The Canal Cruising Company of Stone.

The John Heap Silver Salver for fundraising was awarded to Roy Chandler and the Christopher Power Prize for restoration went to Bernie Jones who was elected chairman of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust in 2011 and has led the restoration of former canals of about 40 miles length running through three local authorities.

River Foss Society goes horseboating EARLIER in the year, River Foss Society members walked alongside narrowboat Elland towed by Bilbo Baggins of The Horseboating Society from the Industrial Museum at Armley to Rodley along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Members of the Society helped both crew Elland and operate the locks and swing bridges.

In October members of the society enjoyed a trip on narrowboat Vixen, towed again by Bilbo Baggins, from Brearley to Stubbins Wharf through Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge along the Rochdale Canal. Again

other members of the society helped.

It is understood that some days later a culvert under the canal at Mytholmroyd collapsed and shut the canal.

On both occasions the weather was kind and members were given an idea about what happened in the days when the River Foss was navigable from its junction with the River Ouse in York upstream to Strensall and then through a double rise lock off the river and on a cut across to Sherrif Hutton Bridge (when the money ran out!). www.riverfosssociety.co.uk

IWA award winners with national chairman Les Etheridge, centre, included, from left, Dave Chapman, chairman of IWA Chiltern Branch, Mick and Carole Golds, Harry Arnold and John Stockland. PHOTO: JULIE ARNOLD,WATERWAY IMAGES

NETWORKING 9

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Helping to care for the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal

The YMCA adoption group and the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Association adoption group with their certificates from Canal & River Trust, volunteer coordinator, Rob Labus. Pictured from left are: Pat Robinson, Val Whitcombe and Chris Whitcombe of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Association, Robin Seeley of the YMCA, Rob Labus Canal & River Trust volunteer co-ordinator and Mike Slade of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Association with children from the YMCA adoption group. PHOTO: CRT AS PART of the Canal & River Trust’s community adoption scheme, which encourages local community groups to adopt stretches of canal in their area, both Bridgwater YMCA and the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Association have recently taken on the task of helping to care for stretches of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

The YMCA adoption group is made up of young people who carry out tasks such as litter clearance and vegetation management along a stretch of the canal from Taunton Road Bridge to Albert Street Bridge.

The group will be getting out on the water using two rafts which will allow them to do works both on the towpath and afloat, accessing hard to reach locations and helping the Canal & River Trust keep the canal in a good state of repair.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, said: “It’s fantastic to see different groups from our community helping to care for the local environment through the Canal & River Trust’s adoption scheme. The activities

being undertaken by the two groups can only help to improve the canal and ensure it remains a place for wildlife to thrive and for us all to enjoy.”

Nicky Parfitt, activities programme manager for the YMCA Bridgwater said: “The adoption is a way of helping the young people feel a sense of ownership over this stretch of waterway as well as developing their learning and teamwork skills. They will hopefully not only be able to take reward from their hard work but also gain a sense of pride in their local environment.”

The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Association has recently adopted a stretch of canal in the Maunsel area, from Kings Lock to Outwood Swing Bridge. Chris Whitcombe, leader of the group, has been volunteering on the canal for many years and also runs the Maunsel Lock Canal Centre with his wife Val.

Chris explained: “The adoption is a great way to help make a practical difference to the canal.

We are undertaking tasks such as painting, vegetation management and litter clearance as well as creating a wildlife garden, planting fruit trees and hedgelaying.”

Waterway adoptions give communities the chance to work together with the Canal & River Trust’s local teams and partnerships to shape the future of their waterways. At a handson level they are able to get involved in activities specific to their waterway, from recording and improving wildlife habitats or maintaining a local towpath, to helping run educational events or helping combat antisocial behaviour.

For some groups, adopting a canal is also a social activity, allowing them space for social events and for meeting and mixing with their neighbours.

● Full details including a Waterway Adoption handbook are available from www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer or by contacting volunteer@canalrivertrust.org.uk / 0303 040 4040.

Spreading the message to shoppers

THE Lancaster Canal Trust recently organised a promotional visit to Tesco in Carnforth which, apart from its Brief Encounter fame, also has a thriving marina at Canal Turn, where the canal heads into Cumbria.

Pictorial representations of the work being done by volunteers created a lot of interest. Busy shoppers had time to stop and chat and offers of help and donations were received.

Trust vice-chairman Helen Thomas praised the organisers and volunteer team for such a splendid effort promoting the restoration work: “It was very worthwhile with membership steadily rising.”

Such is the lure of the ‘Lancaster’, that, the following day a work party, mustered from Accrington, Lancaster, Penrith and beyond, concentrated on

Lancaster Canal Trust volunteers take a well-earned break.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

clearing vegetation, cutting back ivy and re-laying paving slabs in the Stables Landing Stage and paddock area.

Trust chairman Richard Trevitt

welcomed the newest volunteer, Keith Tassart who also agreed to undertake the onerous job of work party supervisor. www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk

10 VOLUNTEERING

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WORK PARTY ROUNDUP WITH IWA’S ALISON SMEDLEY

Lucky 13 tackle Brindley Bank

Moving on to the Malkins Bank DURING 2013, volunteers from IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire have been working steadily up the Cheshire lock flight, painting lock gates and surrounding hardware as well as carrying out vegetation clearance to bridges and cobble setts.

Having started at Rode Heath and completed the work there, the group moved on to the four locks of the Lawton flight at Church Lawton and during September completed the work on the set of locks with many compliments from both local boaters and residents who appreciated the much improved look of the locks.

As a result of this work, a request was made by residents of Malkins Bank near Sandbach enquiring whether the group could do some work on the four locks there. So rather than continue up the flight, the group were happy to switch locations and started work in October at lock 63 on the Trent & Mersey Canal Cheshire flight.

The set of locks at this location were

in a very poor state of repair and much of the metal railing and fencing surrounding the locks was very corroded and rusty. The cobble setts had become very overgrown to a point where they were almost obscured. The group spent much of the first work party rubbing down and preparing both the gates and metalwork for painting, as well as starting work on the cobble setts.

During the first work party, a first coat of paint was put on the lock gates and the improvement was immediate with the first impression being much improved as boaters and other towpath users approached either end of the lock.

In November, a smaller but nonetheless enthusiastic group continued the work and the weather being unsuitable for wood painting concentrated on the metalwork. The long metal rail running the length of the locks was prepared and then painted with metal rust inhibiting paint. Further vegetation work was also carried out and while further work is needed, the

Work starts at the duplicate locks at Malkins Bank on the Cheshire Locks.

PHOTO: BOB LUSCOMBE

overall impact shows a much improved set of locks.

Weather permitting, further work will take place in January and following months to complete the Malkins Bank set of locks by the spring.

Work party at Hazelhurst Junction, Caldon Canal IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire branch has continued work on the iconic cast iron bridge at Hazelhurst Junction on the Caldon Canal. The work, which started on its September work party, unfortunately had to be postponed in October due to torrential rain on the day.

In November a group of seven volunteers (members of IWA and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust) met up to continue the work. At the time of the first work party the surface of the bridge was mostly bare metal, with a cast iron upstand half way over the bridge creating a trip hazard to passers-by. Although this had been in evidence before

the work party, removal of vegetation and soil had left it more obvious, and so it was left safe with some soil built up either side while further research was carried out.

The cast iron and stone bridge, which dates back to 1842, is Grade II Listed, and dates back to when the current Hazelhurst Locks were built (the third variation in the route of the canal in the Hazelhurst area). Following consultation with Canal & River Trust, it was agreed that the same stone material that is being used on the current towpath repairs through the Churnet Valley would be the best solution.

Conveniently there was already a supply of the stone

in the vicinity, beyond Hazelhurst Bottom Lock, although this was about a quarter of a mile away from the bridge, so each round trip with the wheelbarrow equated to a half mile walk, adding up to nine miles walked by the volunteers wheeling the 18 barrow loads!

Approximately one tonne of the stone was transported and put in place on the bridge surface. While this job was being carried out, other volunteers made a start on the painting, and approximately one quarter of the bridge was painted with white paint by the end of the day. Further painting will be carried out in the spring once the weather has improved.

BEARDSMORE

branch members included volunteers and visitors from the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust, Stafford Riverway Link, Rugeley Lions, CRT, the Police and local residents.

IWA Guildford & Reading Branch with some of the rubbish at Fobney Lock.

PHOTO: STEFANIE PRESTON

FORTHCOMINGWORK PARTY EVENTS

Saturday, January 4

The new bridge surface and some white painting complete.

PHOTO:ALISON SMEDLEY

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Monthly work party on the Dee Branch in Chester. 10am to 4pm. Work will include painting, weeding, litter-picking.

Meet at Telfords Warehouse car park, Chester CH1 4EZ. Contact Mike Carter on 07795 617803, mike.carter@waterways.org.uk

Monday, January 6

IWA Warwickshire Branch supporting Canal & River Trust Towpath Taskforce: Hatton, Grand Union Canal. 10am to approx. 3pm. Tasks include lock painting, litter picking, veg clearance and path work. Meet at CRT maintenance yard, Hatton Locks, Birmingham Road, Warwick CV35 7JL. Further information from info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk

Thursday, January 9

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Monthly work party on the Caldon Canal. 10am to 3pm. Wear old clothes, stout shoes and bring waterproofs and a packed lunch if staying all day. Contact Bob Luscombe on 07710 054848, bob.luscombe@waterways.org.uk

Thursday, January 16 and Saturday, January 18

Bridge 6 of the Lower Peak Forest Canal. PHOTO:ALISON SMEDLEY rubbish were litter picked.

One ambitious volunteer was determined to uncover the offside stone work adjacent to the spiral ramp and his efforts were rewarded with the discovery of a further cobbled landing

quadrant at the water’s edge.

Every one of the many passers-by voiced their thanks and Manchester Branch looks forward to further improvements following regular monthly visits.

Fenny Stratford Lock gets a makeover

Volunteers planting up the Pump House garden at Fenny. PHOTO: RODNEY EVANS

The IWA Lichfield Branch work party at Brindley Bank. PHOTO: MARGARET

Strange articles found at Fobney Lock IWA Guildford & Reading Branch held its second work party at Fobney Lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal. Despite cold and wet weather, eight individuals began litter picking the area finding a range of strange articles.

Having finished here the group moved on to the lock area and then walked up the towpath towards Reading centre. The group made it to County Lock, litter picking all the way from Fobney Lock.

Back to Bridge 6 for further clean-up

MANCHESTER Branch and the Canal & River Trust’s Towpath Taskforce returned to Bridge 6 on the Peak Forest Canal for the November clean-up.

Bridge 6 was one of the ‘star-points’ during Operation Starburst, the annual weekend clean-up in October and it was during that event that branch committee members first thought about ‘adopting’ that bridge.

Discussions have taken place with CRT and this November work party was an opportunity for further appraisal.

Numbers varied around 10 due to coming and goings for those with other commitments but a satisfying amount of work was achieved.

The over-bridge ramp and up-stream ramp cobbles were cleared of grass and weed while the once planted soil areas were further pruned and habitats formed. A section of under bridge railing was painted and some 10 bags of

THE branch’s Friday work party saw a lucky 13 volunteers working in the Brindley Bank area by the aqueduct on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Rugeley.

The footpath from the bottom of the ‘Bloody Steps’ to the aqueduct was finished in quick time, so the team started to fill in behind the piling at the far end of the moorings.

The grass had the last cut of the year, with the footpath from Wolseley Road having the side vegetation strimmed.

The steps were cleared of leaves and accumulated moss to make them safer during the winter months.

Meanwhile work to rebuild the wharf wall continued, although hampered by the persistent rain. The team was joined by a Police Community Support Officer, who advised that reported incidents of anti-social behaviour are well down since IWA started the renovation work, and that some offenders had been caught. Anyone observing anything untoward on the waterways should call the ‘101’ telephone number to report any incidents.

The branch’s volunteers are of all ages, and many wear different ‘volunteering hats’. On this occasion the

SINCE its adoption of the Grand Union Canal from Bridge 94 to 96 in August 2012, IWA Milton Keynes Branch has focused its work on Fenny Stratford Lock and its environs, which had become run down.

Four work parties took place in 2012 and eight had been held in 2013 at the time of going to press. Work completed includes: Cleaning, preparation and painting of the wood, metal and masonry around the lock area, vegetation management and planting of flower beds and hanging baskets, sponsored by Dobbies World, posting new notices and working with the Canal & River Trust to

improve rubbish collection.

The Adoption Work Party has also repainted the Lock Cottage fencing thanks to the owners who contributed to the uplift of the area by putting up and maintaining lovely hanging baskets on the cottage.

The next big task that faces the adoption work party is bringing the towpath hedge north of the Pump House up to bridge 94 back under control. This work is being planned in conjunction with CRT, and the plan is to carry out a proper re-laying of the hedge once it has been brought down to the right height.

IWA Warwickshire Branch supporting Canal & River Trust Towpath Taskforce: Kingswood Junction, Lapworth. 10am to approx. 3pm. Tasks include lock painting, litter picking, veg clearance and path work. Meet at CRT maintenance yard, Brome Hall Lane, Lapworth, Solihull B94 5RB. Further information from info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, January 18

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society: Monthly work party at Malkins Bank on the Cheshire Locks, Trent & Mersey Canal. 10am to 4pm. Painting and vegetation clearance. Meet at Lock 63, off Betchton Road, Malkins Bank, near Sandbach, Cheshire CW11.

Wear stout shoes and old clothes and bring waterproofs and a packed lunch if staying all day. Contact Bob Luscombe on 07710 054848, bob.luscombe@waterways.org.uk

Tuesday, January 21

IWA Northampton Branch: Monthly work party on the Northampton Arm. Meet at Lock 7, CRT storage area. Wear stout shoes and old clothes and bring waterproofs and a packed lunch if staying all day. Contact David Higgins, david.higgins@waterways.org.uk or phone 01480 896689.

Saturday, January 25

IWA Manchester Branch: Monthly work party at Bridge 6, Lower Peak Forest Canal, Hyde. 10am to 4pm. Tasks include painting, vegetation clearance, pulling rubbish out of the canal and litter picking. Parking off Alfred Street, Hyde SK14 2BJ. Contact chairman@manchester-iwa.co.uk or phone 07971 444258.

For further information on any of these events, please contact Alison Smedley, IWA Branch Campaign Officer, Telephone: 01538 385388/07779 090915 or email alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk or Stefanie Preston, IWA Branch Campaign Assistant, Telephone 01494 783453 or email stefanie.preston@waterways.org.uk Information can also be found on IWA’s website: www.waterways.org.uk

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12 HERITAGE

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Going full steam ahead for the 12th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally THE popularity of the annual Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival is now well established, writes Tim Coghlan of Braunston Marina.

And June 2014 will see the 12th occasion that we have hosted this unique and much loved event in our historic marina and on the adjoining canals – thanks to support from the Canal & River Trust.

We are also pleased to be joined by Towpath Talk as co-sponsors, whose generous publicity will ensure that what is already a premier historic narrowboat rally will continue to go from strength to strength.

We have a tradition of rotating the theme of the rally between the surviving Fellow, Morton & Clayton fleet and what we have termed the other Braunston Boats – Barlows, Blue Line and Nursers, plus the GUCCC boats, all with Braunston connections. In pride of place will be the Braunston Marina based Raymond & Nutfield – lovingly looked after by the enthusiastic Friends of Raymond.

They were part of the small Blue Line fleet, the boats that took part in what transpired to be the last

run under regular contract carrying coal from Atherstone to the ‘Jam ’Ole’ in west London until the trade collapsed in October 1970.

Our rallies now attract around 100 of the estimated 300 surviving historic narrowboats which are in something like their original form. What has been an enormous pride and pleasure to me is how much the rally has encouraged preservation and major new restoration schemes. Each year we have seen two or three boats for the first time in various stages of restoration. Hopefully 2014 will see more.

Each year we look for a new theme for our rallies and 12 years on, they are still not that hard to find.

The year 2014 will mark the centenary of the First World War, in which the boatmen played their part, but as almost none of them could read or write, very little has been recorded of their endeavours.

This is unlike the Second World War, where the willing pens of the Idle Women volunteers did so much to record their contribution. It is hoped that the rally will inspire further research into the First World War – information on which I know is still out there to be found.

Second World War canal veterans, working boatwoman Laura Carter and volunteer Idle Woman Sonia Rolt on the Nutfield in the opening parade of 2006 Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally. The theme of the 2014 rally will be First World War contribution to the war effort by the working boatmen. PHOTO:TIM COGHLAN

Back on the Medway

Lottery cash funds basin restoration WORK began recently to repair one of the country’s most important waterway treasures thanks to a £76,400 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant.

The 18th century Bugsworth Basin on the Peak Forest Canal in Derbyshire was once the largest and busiest inland port on Britain’s narrow canal system, and the only one to survive intact.

Now the Canal & River Trust is working with volunteers from the Inland Waterways Protection Society to carry out essential restoration work to keep the basin alive for visitors to enjoy.

The first step of the five month project saw the basin being drained and fish relocated, before volunteers and specialist trust conservators started to dismantle and rebuild the basin’s wall.

The project is using the same techniques used to build the basin 200 years ago, giving volunteers, staff and students from local colleges and universities the chance to learn historic skills needed to help protect and care for Britain’s working waterway heritage.

It will also enable an archiving

programme to be undertaken to help conserve and enable wider appreciation of artefacts relating to the site.

CRT heritage adviser Judy Jones said: “Bugsworth Basin is a living museum, a unique environment, being the only canal and tramway interchange in the UK. Great care is needed to keep the basin in working order and this project is a fantastic example of volunteers from the Inland Waterways Protection Society working with the trust to do just that.”

Built in 1796 by famous canal and tramway engineer Benjamin Outram, Bugsworth Basin is part of the 14 mile long Peak Forest Canal running from Dukinfield to Bugsworth. Construction of the six mile Peak Forest Tramway in 1795-6 linked Bugsworth Basin to the limestone and gritstone quarries in Derbyshire, and the canal linked Bugsworth to Manchester and the transPennine canal network.

The site is now a designated Scheduled Ancient Monument in recognition of its heritage significance.

Bugsworth Basin was once the busiest inland port on Britain’s narrow canal system and the only one to survive intact. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Safely moored at Gillingham Pier. PHOTO: GEORGE PAINTER

Finest old canalside cottages in £1.5m refurbishment plan

The listed tunnel keeper’s cottage at the end of Harecastle Tunnel. PHOTO:

WATERWAY IMAGES

VETERAN paddle steamer Medway Queen is back on the River Medway at its new base on Gillingham Pier.

Its return home followed a lengthy journey by river and sea from Bristol’s Floating Harbour towed by tug Christine.

Hull reconstruction work was made possible with significant support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. This phase is now completed and the Medway Queen Preservation Society has to raise considerable amounts of money to complete the restoration.

The project needs the help of volunteers with practical ship fitting skills as well as administrators and people to help deal with the public. Any offers of help should be made to the society at its Gillingham Pier base or on 01634 575717 (daytime, Monday to Thursday). www.medwayqueen.co.uk THE Canal & River Trust has announced a £1.5 million programme to refurbish some of its most historic canalside cottages.

The properties include many humble lock keepers’ cottages and toll houses, which date back 200 years to when Britain was in the grip of canal mania. Most are listed, including a number which are Grade II*.

The trust is focusing on properties which are among the significant and best examples of their kind on the inland waterways.

The programme has already seen £750,000 invested in works to 13 cottages since 2011 and today the trust has announced a further £750,000 to be made available over the next three years as it plans to refurbish and sensitively improve a further 12.

Peter Chowns, conservation architect at the Canal & River Trust, said: “The work to restore these homes is revealing decades of well-intentioned but sometimes misguided decorating mistakes and 20th century maintenance oversights, ranging from use of impermeable modern paints and renders to plastic gutters and UPVC windows.”

The first properties among the 12 to be refurbished include five Grade II properties on the Buildings at Risk Register on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, the listed tunnel keeper’s cottage at the end of Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal and a semi-detached listed stone cottage on the River Weaver which was actually taken down stone by stone and moved a couple of hundred yards in the late 19th century.

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insider

Getting Afloat P50 Bits & Bobs/Reviews P51

What’s on Boat review

P52 P54

New Coventry base for luxury hire fleet EXCELLENCE Afloat at Valley Cruises is moving into Coventry Canal Basin.

This follows several months negotiating jointly with Coventry City Council and the Canal & River Trust for the use of modern office premises, secure customer car parking and moorings for eight luxury narrowboats to be based here and operated from Coventry.

Excellence Afloat is a family owned luxury narrowboat hire fleet and directors David and Geraldine Moore are very excited about this move into this striking and historic location.

“The move from Springwood Haven marina, a short distance away at Nuneaton, to Coventry Canal Basin will enable us to improve our customers’ experience through easier access and better facilities and amenities within the basin and surrounding area” said David.

“The majority of our customers choose us because of the standard of our boats which are mostly 4* and 5* rated, in addition to the personal, friendly and helpful service we provide.

Importantly, the location here in central Warwickshire (as at our previous location) gives access to many of the Midlands’ most interesting and varied canal routes including the flight of 21 locks at Hatton, several tunnels, as well as miles of lock-free canals for those of a less adventurous disposition”.

Valley Cruises was established in the late 1950s in Atherstone, with just one 70ft narrowboat. Under subsequent ownership the fleet grew in size and then moved to a purpose-built modern marina in Nuneaton, changing the name to Excellence Afloat at Valley Cruises. Under the present ownership a second hire base in Stratford upon Avon

was developed in 2010/11, now with a fleet of eight narrowboats located at each of the two bases.

Local amenities

David continued: “We realised that one of the strengths of the Stratford upon Avon base is the proximity of our wharf to the town centre, providing the opportunity for our customers to spend time before returning their boat, making use of the local amenities such as the theatre, or dining out. This move to Coventry gives our customers here a similar choice – a great way to round off a wonderful experience on Britain’s inland waterways.”

The Coventry Canal Basin has two arms either side of a large central plaza and the hire fleet will occupy the southern arm, leaving the northern arm and winding area for visitors mooring.

Celebrating the move to Coventry Basin are, from left, Katie Lawrence and Ryan Sadler of Hoseasons, David Moore of Excellence Afloat at Valley Cruises and Tara Gill of Coventry City Council. PHOTO SUPPLIED The Canal Basin is architecturally imposing with several original features and historic buildings and has facilities including artisan and crafts workshops in the old warehouses on Leicester Row; a cafe, provisions shop, hairdresser, fishing tackle shop besides the offices of the Coventry Telegraph all located within the basin.

There is a CRT sanitary station with pump out facilities for visiting boaters.

Regular water-based activities include the Coventry canoe club and a model boat club and occasional boat rallies.

Excellence Afloat at Valley Cruises is looking forward to developing alongside these other businesses and users in the basin and to making a contribution to the vibrancy and interest of this historic and fascinating location. ● For further information about narrowboat holidays visit www.valleycruises.co.uk email enquiries@valleycrusies.co.uk or phone David Moore on 02476 393333.

The future of canal boat building

Marina breaks ground on Boardwalk development

AN APPRENTICE with Stourport Canal Craft has achieved an award for his hard work.

Matthew Graham started work as an engineering apprentice in January 2012 and was enrolled with the Worcestershire Group Training Association.

He was recently named Apprentice of the Year 2013 in his group in which he faced tough opposition from other dedicated and enthusiastic apprentices. His achievement is all the more significant because he has dyslexia.

Matthew has attended day courses in Worcester and Hereford as well as working in the Stourport factory, and shown a tremendous commitment Stourport Canal Craft manufactures the steel shells for narrowboats, houseboats and widebeam barges in its Stourport factory where Matthew is part of a busy team of six people, all with considerable experience of the boat building industry.

Managing director Derek Fradgley said: “Matt was our first apprentice and he has contributed very much to our success, bringing skills and new methods to us. We are extremely proud that he has been awarded this accolade and hope that he will want to stay with us and help us develop the business here in Stourport.”

As part of his apprenticeship Matthew made a scale model of a narrowboat and this now is on display in the visitor reception area

CONSTRUCTION work has begun on the new £1.7 million waterside retail, restaurant and office development at Mercia Marina.

Derby-based Davlyn Construction has been appointed as main contractor for

Matthew Graham is pictured receiving his award from Rebecca Stephens at Sixways Stadium. PHOTO COURTESY OF

CARTWRIGHTPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK

at the factory in Sandy Lane.

Taking on an apprentice may seem a big responsibility, but the whole process was made a lot easier by the National Apprenticeship Service which was on hand from the moment the decision was taken to offer an apprenticeship right through to dealing with the administration of the process and all the requirements of an employer. As far as Stourport Canal Craft is concerned, there will always be a place for an apprentice in the business.

Aqueduct MArinA rAises over £1000 for chArity EACH year Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina raises money for charity through a series of events held in the marina cafe and surrounding reception area. This year the marina has already amassed over £1000 for worthy causes and with at least one more event to come the organisers are hoping the total will top £1500 for the year.

So far £1000 has been raised for the Helsby Golf Club Powered Wheelchair Appeal at the Marina Open Day and Boaters’ Bash, held in July.

A further £150 was raised at the marina’s All Day Coffee Morning, held as part of the Macmillan Cancer Support’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning appeal in September; and the year was topped off by the marina’s annual Christmas Fair on the first Sunday of December.

Marina director Robert Parton said: “We are a relatively small marina with less than 150 boats but our moorers and friends really pull out all the stops to raise funds for charity each year. The choice of our main charity comes from suggestions made by our moorers and friends and there are many very worthy charities put forward. This year’s charity was chosen by Geoff and Anya Harris whose son has benefitted from a powered wheelchair paid for by the Helsby Golf Club’s appeal.”

Davlyn Construction breaks ground on The Boardwalk development at Mercia Marina.

The Boardwalk development, which is scheduled to open to the public in September 2014.

The Boardwalk will comprise a central restaurant, built over two floors and recessed to include an outdoor seating area on the water front. The restaurant will be flanked by three retail units on each side and the remaining upper floor space will include up to four small office units.

Mercia Marina has already attracted two flagship retailers: The Butcher, The Baker, The Ice Cream Maker to operate a farm shop and the clothing retailer Bluewater. Negotiations for the restaurant operator are in their final stages.

Robert Neff, general manager at Mercia Marina, said: “This project has been several years in the making, so it’s hugely exciting to see it finally becoming a reality.

“We look forward to welcoming new visitors to the marina next year, boosting local tourism and helping to create much-needed jobs for South Derbyshire.”

The appointment of Davlyn Construction, which was also responsible for building the marina’s large chandlery five years ago, follows a successful financing deal with NatWest bank, brokered by the Sheffield office of Irwin Mitchell solicitors.

It also signifies a commitment by the marina to use high quality local

Overlooking a mock-up of the phased development scheme are (from left) Robert Neff, Mercia Marina general manager; Dave Gaskin, director at Davlyn Construction; and Michael Thornton, partowner of Mercia Marina. PHOTOS SUPPLIED suppliers where possible. The Boardwalk has been designed by Bi Design of Repton to complement the marina with the use of locally sourced stone, timber cladding and large amounts of glazing, which will reflect the marina’s 24-acre waterscape.

Burton-based SA Consulting has been appointed as structural engineers.

The Boardwalk represents the first phase of a larger development, which will include more shops and eating and drinking establishments. Anyone interested in opportunities within the new Boardwalk development should contact Paul Rushton, of Rushton Hickman Ltd, on 01283 528002, or Matthew Phillips on 01213 532757.

Eckington School Boat Club project two years on...

Eckington School Boat Club hopes to launch its narrowboat in June 2014.

IT DOESN’T seem like two years since the narrowboat hull built by ABC Boats was craned into Eckington School, a specialist engineering school near Chesterfield.

That was October 2011 and since then the school boat club formed to work on the project has met every week.

Workers came and went but Nick, Jamie and Samuel have attended every week and have learnt so many different skills and are now looking forward to the big launch which will hopefully be in June next year.

But before that the engine, water tank, pump, clocks and dials need working on, finishing with a complete paint over before it hits the water.

The boat still doesn’t have a name but the school boat club is working on that.

The interior takes shape.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

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50 GETTING AFLOAT

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Now where are you going to take your new boat

In the penultimate article of his series looking at what turns ordinary people into boaters, Peter Underwood talks about getting the best out of ownership and what a new boater might get out of attending some of the events in the boating calendar.

EVERY boater has a favourite canal or stretch of waterway. You will hear people raving about the Thames and arguing about the best section. Others rate the Kennet & Avon, the Shropshire Union, the Grand Union and the Llangollen.

The northern waters, especially around Skipton, have many fans and there are even those boaters happiest on the urban backwaters of the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

Of course, if you moor in the South East it will be next to impossible to reach the Leeds & Liverpool and return in the couple of weeks you can take as a holiday.

The way to get over this is to change your base of operations every year or two, once you have comfortably explored an area and feel ready for something new.

When we lived in Lancashire and owned holiday boats we tried to moor around a two-hour drive from the house – a reasonable journey on a Friday evening to start a weekend break on the boat.

That meant we could explore the Yorkshire Ouse, with weekends in the wonderful city of York or exploring Ripon with its attractive cathedral.

After an epic two-week holiday that brought us south on the tidal Ouse and on to the eastern canals at Selby,

through Leeds and around the Leeds & Liverpool to Cheshire, we established another base that allowed us to explore the Shropshire Union, with weekend breaks in Chester, the Trent & Mersey and the Bridgewater.

Another move to a Stafford base gave another set of canals, and tying our boat in central Birmingham enabled a completely different experience.

Eventually of course you may have to travel further than a couple of hours’ drive from home, but that could be a decade in the future.

Stop and explore

When you want to make longer trips you can always link a two-week holiday with several weekends, perhaps making a long initial trip and then hopping the boat back to base over several weekends.

It may be inevitable – and we were certainly guilty as novice holiday boaters – that you will try to go too far, too fast, in that initial burst of enthusiasm. With the benefit of hindsight, I would advise against travelling 12- or even 14-hour days nonstop to an ambitious, fixed schedule.

Not only will you return needing a holiday, but you will also miss some of the things that help people fall in love with the waterways.

Give yourself time to stop and explore

The museum at Ellesmere Port gives a real insight into the world of working boats, from the engines upwards.

the areas through which canals and rivers pass. Not only will you find some great little pubs and eating places, but you will also begin to understand the history of the waterways and how they have changed and been changed by the towns and villages of our country.

There are so many examples that I can only mention a few that impressed me.

In Skipton, you will find an historic town dominated by its castle overlooking the market street. A stroll along the Springs Branch of the canal will take you to the back of the castle where limestone was mined and loaded into boats through long chutes. You have to wonder whether the castle would have survived if the landowner hadn’t been able to make money by exporting the limestone in his backyard.

The Skipton bonus is several great pubs serving the local Copper Dragon beer and fish and chip restaurants only surpassed in Hull and possibly Whitby.

At the other end of the country you see a very different aspect of Stratfordupon-Avon if you walk the towpath – this is not Tudor Stratford that brings foreign tourists in their millions, but industrial Stratford, built to serve the industries that provided work and prosperity before tourism became central to the town’s economy.

The Shropshire Union and the Llangollen canals are some of the most

The Victorian inclined plane at Foxton is the real fascination. It is easy to visualise how this once slid boats down the hill in 12 minutes

Get a grip on the history and you begin to appreciate the industrial past and buildings like these on the Soho Loop off Birmingham’s Main Line. popular in the country, with wonderful scenery and some great canal architecture, but stop and explore and they get even better.

Brewood has a great old-style butcher who makes his own faggots. At Norbury you can see the start of the now derelict Newport & Shrewsbury canal. A walk into Market Drayton will take you to the home of gingerbread. There is a former nuclear bunker to visit a bit north of the lovely village of Audlem and a mile or so from the canal at Nantwich you will find a Cheshire market town well worth a few hours to explore.

Many of the excellent guides will give you an insight into what is just beyond the towpath, so invest in those that cover the area you are planning to explore and I would suggest buying Ordnance Survey maps as well to enable you to check out what may be behind the hill.

Our waterways take us through the heart of Britain and enable us to explore its nature, its history, its commerce and meet the people who make the communities bordering the water so interesting.

Take a drink in the pub or eat in a restaurant and you will find you are also part of the interest of that place. People will want to know what boating is like, where you are heading, how long you have been doing it and probably whether it is cold in winter.

Landmark places

The Black Country Living Museum at Dudley where the reality of a working boat dock in the industrial Midlands is brought to life.

Around the waterways there are some landmark places that most boaters aim to visit at some time. I suspect my list may miss places others would have included but this is essentially a personal thing and influenced by taste.

Some are great feats of canal engineering, others places of interest from the days when the waterways were places of work, and some simply places where you can gain a greater understanding of the system.

Let’s start with those feats of engineering. Top of my list is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen, the most famous aqueduct in Britain as it’s the longest and highest.

It’s a World Heritage Site.

The Anderton Boat Lift, which links the Trent & Mersey with the River Weaver at Northwich, Cheshire, claims to be the first successful boat lift in the world. The experience of travelling 15 metres up or down in the large tanks is one to be savoured.

The Barton Swing Bridge on the Bridgewater Canal heading north from

Manchester is the only swinging aqueduct in the world. It carries the Bridgewater across the Manchester Ship Canal. The aqueduct regularly swings open to let large ships pass underneath.

Then there are the lock flights. The Bingley Five-Rise and Three-Rise on the Leeds & Liverpool canal are impressive to travel through, wide locks that raise the canal over 18m in five giant steps.

My fascination for the Caen Hill Locks at Devizes, Wiltshire, on the Kennet & Avon comes from having seen them more than three decades ago when they were disused and more in grass than in water, with the beams climbing a grassy hillside. I can only marvel at the persistence that got them working once more.

The double staircase of narrow locks at Foxton Locks, Leicestershire, are unique; but for me, the Victorian inclined plane, off to one side, is the real fascination. It is easy to visualise how this once slid boats down the hill in 12 minutes and I remain hopeful of seeing it restored.

Others on my list include the newest canal in the country, the new section cut across the front of the Liver Building in Liverpool to give canal vessels access to the restored docks.

Limehouse Docks in the East End of London, now restored as a destination for boaters and a route out on to the Thames, has echoes of wartime bravery by working boatmen.

Glasson Dock, on the Lancaster Canal, is another of those unusual places where the inland waterways link with the sea and the cries of sea birds and rattle of rigging give a taste of a different watery world.

Finally canals are about industry and along with the wonderful museums at Ellesmere Port, Gloucester Dock and Stoke Bruerne which help us understand canals, I would add the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley where the reality of a working boat dock in the industrial Midlands is brought to life.

Get a grip on how canals used to be and you will start to enjoy and understand the gaunt and crumbling mills you pass as you boat through Burnley and Blackburn and the gaping wastelands of Tipton or Walsall where the pits, power stations and metal works have been pulled down. ● Next month: How much should a new boater contribute to the waterways they are joining?

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BITS & BOBS GREETINGS. When we bake a gammon (so easy – just put it in the oven and check it every half hour or so) we include sweet potatoes and new potatoes on the roasting tin rack and wind up with baked gammon and sweet potato mash for dinner. Next morning we recycle the little baked potatoes diced and fried with onion and bell peppers for a breakfast of Potatoes O’Brien with a couple of fried eggs. While it is baking I turn on some jazz and enjoy a good read of the latest novel I got from the book exchange shelf in our marina laundry-room.

by Rexx & Phill

January top tip

It is that time of year when New Year’s resolutions get made and washed away with the latest rainstorm. We have a few simple housekeeping chores that we do this time of year after the grease and grime of much holiday cooking. We dump vinegar down all of our pipes to break up potential clogs. We do a good scrub with baking soda which has a bit of abrasion but does not damage our enamel hob top or bathroom sink. We use ammonia to give the glass or glasses a good shine.

These are all much cheaper products than the manufactured ones which contain these products but have a high price. Wait a minute, is that rain I hear; maybe I’ll put all of this off until the storm passes and I’m more in the mood.

Phill’s Roasted Gammon and Potato Bake-up Prep time 5 minutes, cook time 2 hours, serves 4 (2 + 2) ● ● ● ●

1.4kg (3lb) gammon 2 large sweet potatoes (prick the skins) 6 or 7 new potatoes Margarine to coat new potatoes (gives potatoes a secret flavour) ● 1 tbsp each butter and honey ● Salt and pepper to taste ● Equal parts honey/spicy mustard to slather on top of gammon (optional) Preheat oven to 190˚C (375˚F) Mark 5. Prick all the potatoes and rub with margarine. Put the gammon on the rack of a roasting tin, tuck all those ‘jackets’ around the sides; cover the whole shebang with tent of foil. Roast for an hour, then remove the new potatoes; continue baking the gammon and sweet potatoes for another half hour, remove the roaster from the oven, take off the foil and remove the sweet potatoes. Score gammon in a criss-cross pattern across the fat, slather with honey/mustard, stud with three cloves and return to the oven, uncovered, for the last half hour. When the gammon is done, turn off the

5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled/sliced 2 cups cooked ham 5 tbsp vegetable oil (2 + 3) 5 tbsp (2 + 3) unsalted butter 1 onion diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp salt 2 cups milk 1 cup Gruyère ½ cup double cream 3 tbsp flour 1 tbsp spicy mustard ½ cup Parmesan 1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF) Mark 6. Butter a 2.5 litre shallow baking dish (lasagne size); set aside. Heat oil and butter up to sizzle temperature in a medium frying pan; add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper; sauté (3min) until

The story of the Thames Reviewer: Elizabeth Rogers

WITH a degree and doctorate in prehistoric history, historian Andrew Sargent uses this knowledge to trace the River Thames back to its very earliest days some 500,000 years ago in The Story of the Thames.

He begins with its geology and how it was formed, how its sharp bends reveal how it negotiated its way around limestone outcrops, and how other features developed.

In this book he shows how the underlying geology has provided the characteristic buildings along the various reaches, the honey-coloured houses of the limestone in the Cotswolds, the timber and clay below Oxford and the chalkstone of the hills in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

He also traces the part of the river that has played in history from the times of Roman invasion, when the Britons used the rivers as lines of defence and the Romans built bridges over them to enable their progress.

Early towns such as Staines (then named Pontes) were built up at these bridging points. In medieval times, kings moved their courts to residences beside the river, such as at Rotherhithe and Greenwich.

The river played its part through the centuries in which trade and commerce developed. During the two world wars of the 20th century the Thames Estuary was regarded as a strategic point, vulnerable to invasion and therefore equipped with many lines of defence.

And so to the 21st century, with the importance of the Thames for leisure and other commercial activities, and the emphasis placed on conservation matters.

The book has an illustrated section, showing the many phases of the river’s history.

The Story of the Thames by Andrew Sargent is published by Amberley Publishing, price £16.99. (ISBN 978-1-4456-11945)

Reviewer: Gay Armstrong

oven and let the ham rest there (20min).

Meanwhile, spoon the sweet potato pulp into a bowl and mash it along with the butter, honey, salt and pepper. Remove the gammon, slice and plate it along with the sweet potato mash. Reserve the new potatoes for a good fryup in the morning.

Prep time 30 minutes, bake time 90 minutes or so, serves 6-8 Note: Double this recipe and make two casseroles if you’re exchanging with friends

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Books, DVDs and other items for possible review should be sent to:

Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

The fascinating story of drainage in the River Hull Valley

Rexx’s Scalloped Potatoes (laundry room lament)

We got this idea from the concept of the book exchange shelf in our laundry room. A few years ago, I was burnt out from holiday cooking (pardon the pun). I bumped into a dock buddy in the laundry room and we were having a bit of a moan about our latest holiday meal commitments. We confessed our lack of enthusiasm for cooking the next roast followed by the next turkey and dealing with another round of leftovers. We decided to trade casseroles, their turkey pot pie of leftover turkey for our scalloped potatoes from leftover ham. We each made two casseroles from our leftovers, traded the extra one and bingo! Two meals for one effort. Phill dubbed it the laundry room ‘lament’. We trade casseroles in a redeemable or disposable lasagne type dish and return the containers to each other all nice and squeaky clean.

REVIEWS

Becks, Banks, Drains and Brains is a new book that tells the complex and truly fascinating story of how the original swampland of the River Hull Valley has been drained and improved from medieval times to the modern day.

The control of surface water on a flat area, much of which lies below tidal high water, is a story of a battle to overcome major challenges over many centuries.

It includes information about early improvements made by the Medieval Monastic Houses, the enforcement work of the Commissioners of the Courts of Sewers and the work of the 18th and 19th century engineers who turned the Hull Valley into one of England’s best drained marshland areas.

It is a book for anyone interested in waterways, history and geography and is just as much about the lessons learnt from history which are relevant to the present day.

Becks, Banks, Drains and Brains has been researched and written by members of the community-led River Hull Valley Drainage Heritage Group which is affiliated to the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Waterways Partnership who have been very supportive of the project’s work. The group has also been supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Rural Policy and Partnerships Team.

A limited number of copies of the book are available on request. These are free to interested parties, although a donation can be made to assist the River Hull Valley Drainage Heritage Group’s future work.

Copies should also soon be available for loan through libraries in the East Riding and the City of Kingston upon Hull.

To request a copy, in the first instance, email rural@eastriding.gov.uk

A guide to refresh soul and palate Reviewer: Gay Armstrong

they start to smell good. Add the ham and continue to cook until it is heated through (3min). Set aside. In a large pot, heat the milk to just under the boil (about 5min). Tip in the potatoes and heat (3min). Strain out the milk and reserve. Tip half of the potatoes into the buttered casserole, gently spread them out, then top with half of the ham/onion mixture and sprinkle over half of the Gruyère. Pour over half of the cream mixture. Repeat a second layer with the remaining potatoes, ham/onion mixture, Gruyère and cream. Melt the remaining oil and butter in a frying pan.

Sprinkle in the flour; stir to blend. Whisk in the milk and stir in the mustard. Continue to whisk and let the mixture thicken slightly. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Pour the white sauce over the potatoes and give the casserole a couple of shakes and lift the potato layers a bit to settle the sauce into the nooks and crannies.

Top the casserole with the Parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminium foil and bake (1 hour).

If making two casseroles, now is the time to move the casserole on the lower shelf to the upper and the upper to the lower. Remove foil and continue to bake (30min) for a browned, crispy top(s). Fare well.

WHETHER enjoying the waterways by boat or walking or cycling the towpaths, many of them pass through areas of great historic or scenic interest.

Guidebooks help to ensure that you don’t miss some of the gems on your route, and one guide on cathedrals and tearooms promises to refresh ‘both your soul and your palate’.

A Cathedrals Coffee & Tea Tour takes the reader to 110 of the UK’s cathedrals, focusing on the stories they tell rather than the architecture or theology.

Many have canals or rivers nearby such as Arundel, Bristol, Birmingham, Blackburn, Lincoln, York and Glasgow, to name just a few.

This unique book also suggests the best places nearby to go for tea, coffee and cake afterwards – a perfect guidebook for a day trip.

Yorkshire author Simon Duffin feeds his travel bug with a series of books on great places to find excellent tea and coffee and also wrote Fancy a Cuppa.

He has visited and explored over 100 cathedrals in 89 different towns and cities across the UK and recommends top quality tea shops with something special to offer.

A Cathedral Coffee and Tea Tour is published by Matador in softback priced £8.99.

ISBN: 978 1783061 518

For those difficult little places!

Reviewer: Phil Pickin

YOU KNOW what it’s like when you are doing some DIY, especially in a cramped engine bay or some other hard to reach place. You almost get to the end of the job when you drop a bolt or some other vital part or tool. You can’t see it, and even if you could you can’t reach it. It’s for just this type or scenario that the Flexitorch was made.

This handy little device looks like a slimline torch, and no doubt a few kids will imagine it’s their sonic screwdriver. But as with the good doctor’s gadget, the Flexitorch is capable of a number of handy tricks. The head of the torch houses three very bright LEDs surrounded by an equally handy magnet. The head of the torch extends to make the torch some 54cm long. This should allow you to reach further than you can unaided. With the magnet at the head you should be able to pick up keys, bolts and other items you’ve dropped.

Another handy feature is the head’s flexible connection to the main part of the torch. This enables you to bend it to fit even the most inaccessible places. Not only that, but if you have dropped an item that can be hooked out, the bend may enable you to do just that.

The torch is powered by a number of small button cells located in the head and comes with a set of batteries included. It’s turned on and off by a small button on the side of the head and the entire torch is made of metal making it feel solid and robust. One other handy feature is a magnet in the base of the handle as well as at the head. This could help with storage or to stop it rolling off somewhere when the boat moves.

The Flexitorch retails at £9.99 from www.JMLdirect.com

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WHAT’S ON

Compiled by Janet Richardson

Artist’s different view of the canal THE London Canal Museum is playing host to an atmospheric exhibition of linocut art by celebrated canal artist Eric Gaskell.

On show until February 28, it features works looking at a variety of canal-based motifs: the lock gates, the tumbling water, townscapes and landscape and the boats.

All the prints are taken from limited edition sets, printed using either multi-block or reduction methods. Eric Gaskell said: “The eddying waters, the still water, the rain peppered surfaces. The multi-storey, the warehouse, the cottage and the boatyard. The barge, the boat, the lock-gate, the keel and the ropework. All these things and more keep me returning to the canal as a continuing source of inspiration to create

Take a break at Bugbrooke’s Community Cafe IF YOU’RE boating or towpath walking along the Grand Union Canal at Bugbrooke in Northamptonshire, pop into the village’s community cafe for a welcome cuppa.

The Badger’s Break – the name chosen by local primary school pupil Millie Bending – can be found in the Sunday School Rooms on Church Lane, just over the bridge opposite the church, about five minutes’ walk from the canal.

The idea of opening a cafe was discussed within the St Michael’s congregation for some time before the cafe opened. They wanted to be able to put any profits towards something that would benefit the community, rather than just the church; and they came to the conclusion that it would also be good if young people could be helped, both by working in the cafe and by being put through catering college with money from receipts.

The church made the Sunday School available and is not gaining any financial benefit from the cafe which employs young Saturday waiters and waitresses, who are paid from the tips.

The cafe opened last March and is a great success. It is bright, with pretty tablecloths on tables decorated with posies of fresh or dried flowers. The cakes, all made on the premises (Food Standards Agency hygiene checked), are tempting, reasonably priced and very good and there is a choice of all the favourite coffees, teas and soft drinks.

There are organic local eggs for sale, together with home-made damson jam and apple pies.

There are toys for children to play with while parents and grandparents chat and books to browse through, borrow or buy.

The full breakfast is excellent value for money and snack lunches are available, including home-made soup, lasagne and quiches. Ingredients are sourced locally where practicable.

Badger’s Break opens from 9am until 12.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until 1.30pm on Fridays and 3pm on Saturdays. It will close for Christmas on December 21 and reopens on January 7.

figurative and abstract image.

“This new set of work uses a variety of lino and relief printmaking techniques and looks at both the small things on the canal, the gear, the gates, and the big things. The work covers a wide range of motifs that I think combine to give a different view – my view – of the canal.”

Eric Gaskell was born in Wigan, studying painting/printmaking at Wigan and Sunderland. He left art college in 1980 winning two scholarships to New York and Istanbul. For more than 32 years, Eric has been creating art, illustration and design and has exhibited widely in one-man and group shows in the UK, Europe and North America. He has work in many private collections and his small book Canal Linocuts (available online) has become a cult book for collectors.

Eric Gaskell’s view of Braunston Dry Dock. www.canalprints.co.uk www.egdesign.co.uk www.canalmuseum.org.uk

The Puppet Theatre Barge stages Brer Rabbit show BRER Rabbit is back to his mischievous ways in a Christmas adventure full of fun and surprises.

Staged with beautiful lighting and unique hand-carved marionettes and manipulated by specialist puppeteers, Mr Rabbit meets Brer Santa promises to capture the imagination of young and old.

Suitable for everyone down to

A scene from Mr Rabbit meets Brer Santa. PHOTO SUPPLIED

three years old, the show is being staged on the Puppet Theatre Barge at Little Venice, Blomfield Road, London W9 2PF until Sunday, January 12.

Shows take place on Saturdays at 11am and 3pm and on Sundays at 3pm. There are also 3pm performances on Monday, December 23, and Friday, December 27, and daily from Monday, December 29, to Friday, January 3.

Tickets adult £12, concession £10 and child £8.50 can be booked from the box office on 0207 249 6876 or online at www.puppetbarge.com Described as ‘one of London’s more elusive treasures’, the Puppet Theatre Barge opened in 1982 and presents shows throughout the year in its 55seat theatre with all modern facilities. Rich in atmosphere, it provides the ideal setting for the magical and imaginative shows produced by this famous company.

Busy year is planned for the Montgomery Canal PLANNING is under way for the Maesbury Canal Festival to be held on September 6-7, 2014.

At the same time arrangements are being made for the Montgomery Canal Triathlon on May 10.

The festival, organised by members of the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and Shrewsbury, District and North Wales branch of the Inland Waterways Association, is held every other year. Like the three previous festivals, the event will take place at Canal Central, Maesbury.

A spokesman for the organisers said: “The Maesbury Canal Festival has become a popular part of the boating year, and is always fully booked. It is 10 years since the canal was reopened to Maesbury and our event is a great way to show what bringing back the boats can mean to a village like this.

“As usual, we will be supporting the festival by the annual Montgomery Canal Triathlon in May. This too has become a very popular event, with cycling from the end of the canal at Newtown, canoeing from Welshpool and the final walk from Llanymynech to Welsh Frankton.

“Next year is going to be very busy for the Montgomery Canal. Volunteers of the Shropshire Union Canal Society are finishing the restoration of the canal to Pryce’s Bridge, and we are hoping that the Heritage Lottery Fund will be approving the project to extend navigation to Crickheath Wharf, the next place where boats can turn.“ Maesbury Canal Festival offers a range of entertainments and activities for visitors and boaters. There are also limited facilities for camping and caravanning on the site. The organising committee welcomes applications from boaters and exhibitors.

Email details of your event to: jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or send details to: What’s on, Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

Northampton 2014 Boat Gathering moves to Braunston THE Northampton Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be holding its annual May Day Bank Holiday Boat Gathering at Braunston in 2014 – the first time it has been intentionally canal based in a history stretching back to the late 1970s.

The usual venue has always been on the River Nene at Becket’s Park in Northampton, originally being organised as a publicity-generating event to focus attention on maintaining navigation on the river’s Westbridge Arm at Far Cotton, and later to promote the waterside at Northampton. However, the last two years have seen the cancellation of the gathering as a result of river flooding, water supply problems on the linking 4½-mile, 17-lock Northampton Arm, allied to declining support.

IWA Northampton Branch chairman Bernard Morton says: “Feedback suggests a switch to a canal-based event seems sensible. Suitable sites for such a gathering in our area are limited, but Tim Coghlan, who runs Braunston Marina and is one of our loyal supporters, said: ‘Why not come to Braunston? I can find some space for you’,| a

generous offer we quickly accepted.

“Importantly, it also gives the branch an opportunity to promote itself in the far west of its area where many of our members live or keep their boats and who perhaps considered Northampton to be a little too far away to cruise to for a weekend event, especially in view of the heavily locked arm.”

The Gathering, which is open to IWA and nonIWA members, will run from Friday to Monday, May 2-5. Centred at the former historic Nurser’s Dock on the old Oxford Arm at the marina, moorings will also be available on the main line of the canal. A full range of attractions is being organised, including evening entertainments, a boaters’ auction, guided walks, quizzes, games, a real ale bar and much more.

For entry details please contact Tony Clarke on 01327 857573/07939 977859 or email: tony.clarke@waterways.org.uk More volunteers are also needed to help organise the Gathering, both before the event and during the weekend. Anyone interested, please contact Bernard Morton on 07785 375787.

WHAT’S ON IN JANUARY

If you want your event listed in our free monthly What’s On section email your entry to jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or use the events form at www.towpathtalk.co.uk/events. As always please check with organisers on the details of the event before setting out on your journey.

Until January 29

South London IWA: Annual dinner at RSJ Restaurant, corner of Coin Street and Stamford Street, near Waterloo main line station. Booking forms from Alan Smith 02082 551581, 07774 890750 or email alan.smith@waterways.org.uk

Art exhibition by Michele Field: County Hall, Oxford OX1 1ND. Open Monday to Thursday 8.30am-5pm, Friday 8.30am-4pm, closed weekends. www.saa.co.uk/art/michele

January 1

IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal, King’s Cross – Granary Building – Camden. Starts King’s Cross station taxi rank at 2pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs. Contact Roger Wilkinson 0208 458 9476.

January 3-6

St Pancras Cruising Club: Boat Show Cruise – Thames Tideway cruise to the Royal Docks for the London Boat Show at ExCel. Contact cruise co-ordinator Andrew Phasey on 07850 753633 email: theoldmainline@fastmail.fm

January 5

IWA Warwickshire Branch Walk: A five-mile figure-of-eight walk on the Stratford Canal and surrounding countryside. Meet at 10.30am at The Masons Arms, Wilmcote. Contact 01926 403179.

IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal, Little Venice to Camden. Starts Warwick Avenue tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs. Contact Roger Wilkinson 0208 458 9476.

January 9

Birmingham Canals Navigations Society: Wolverhampton Canals over 60 years by Tony Gregory. Titford Pumphouse, Engine Street, Oldbury B69 4NL, 7.30pm. Contact Phil Clayton 01902 780920.

January 10

IWA West Riding: Apollo by David Lowe.

South Pennine Boat Club, Wood Lane, Mirfield WF14 0ED. 8pm. Contact 01133 934517, kandal@btinternet.com

January 14

IWA Middlesex Branch: Freight on the Waterways by John Pomfret. Hillingdon Canal Club, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2QX. Doors open 7.30pm for 8pm start. Contact Lucy at middlesex.socials@waterways.org.uk IWA Chester and Merseyside: The Sinking of HMS Thetis, Derek Arnold talks about the loss of a new Birkenhead-build submarine amid secrets, scandals and stupidity. Tom Rolt Conference Centre, National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port CH65 4FW. 7.45pm. Bar and coffee-making facilities available.

January 15

IWA Lichfield: The National History of the West Midlands Canals illustrated talk by Paul Wilkinson of the Canal & River Trust. Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane (off Walsall Road), Lichfield WS13 8AY. 7.30 for 7.45pm.

January 17

IWA East Yorkshire: Boston or Bust – a Dutch barge journey from Goole to Boston and beyond, presented by Andrew Brett. Methodist Church Hall, Cottingham, East Yorkshire HU16 4BD, 8-10pm. £2 inc. refreshments. Contact roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk 01482 845099.

January 18

Waterways Craft Guild: Beginners’ roses and castles course at Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, with Julie Tonkin. Members £45, nonmembers £52.50. Contact training co-ordinator Julie Tonkin on 01384 569198, julie@canal-artby-julie.co.uk

January 18-19

River Canal Rescue: Boat and engine maintenance course. Alvechurch Marina near Birmingham. For bookings and information visit www.rivercanal rescue.co.uk call 01785 785680 or email enquiries@rivercanalrescue.co.uk

January 19

IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal, Islington to Hoxton. Starts Angel tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs.

Contact Roger Wilkinson 02084 589476.

January 20

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester: Moving forward with the Canal & River Trust

by Richard Parry, CRT chief executive.

Coombeswood Canal Trust, Hawne Basin, Hereward Rise, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8AW, 7.15 for 7.30pm. Contact Chris Osborn 01299 832593, jcosborn@btinternet.com Friends of Cromford Canal: Fifty years a railwayman by Bill Devitt. Ironville Church Hall, 7.30pm. Admission £2, bar and raffle available.

January 22

IWA Chiltern: The Old Grand Union and the Foxton Inclined Plane, Mike Beech will relate the history of this canal and give an update on the fortunes of the inclined plane. New venue – Little Chalfont Village Hall, Cokes Lane, Little Chalfont, Bucks HP8 4UD. 8pm. All welcome to attend.

Contact 01932 248178.

January 23

IWA Chester & Merseyside walk: Parkgate, from the Old Quay pub at the end of The Parade.

The walk is about 4.4 miles with one uphill stretch and follows the estuary of the River Dee before turning inland for the return leg which gives splendid views towards the Welsh hills. OS Explorer 266. Map Reference 281778. Starts 10.15am, open to non-members. Lunch can be booked on morning.

January 27

IWA Milton Keynes: Waterway films by David Tucker. The Milton Keynes Pavilion, Worrell Avenue, Middleton, Milton Keynes Village MK10 9AD (accessed off Tongwell Street V11).

Free admission. Contact Rodney Evans 01908 376449 rodneyevans48@gmail.com

BOAT SALES 53

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BOAT SALES

OWPATH

To book your advertising call Richard on 01507 529549

54 BOAT REVIEW

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Gulliver’s ready to travel Phil Pickin reports on a new work of art from Stephen Goldsbrough boats.

SOME people just have a knack of being able to get things to look just right, sadly I’m not one of them. But Keith and Jennie Riley would seem to have the skill in buckets if their new home, Gulliver No3 is anything to go by.

The 62ft trad narrowboat, built

by Stephen Goldsbrough boats of Knowle, just outside Solihull, looks smart in its grey, dark red and black colour scheme, all finished off with chrome portholes and Tek Dek panels in complimentary muted tones.

The hull of Gulliver No3 was built by Reeves and has been fitted out using Ian Taylor’s skills and innovative ideas, these all mixed with an artist’s eye for detail and colour. None of this is

surprising as Gulliver’s owners used to run their own picture framing business and have been involved in art for many years.

Jennie Riley still produces pictures using watercolours and pen and ink. These, mixed with her stunning images made from textiles, decorate many areas within the boat and help to break up, and even make features of, areas of empty wall space.

Coming aboard Gulliver No3 via the well deck, an area which has a cratch cover over it and is fitted with Tek Dek on the floors, you enter into a very light cabin.

The roof has been lined with oak boards but the walls have been painted in off white. With large glass roof lights in the ceiling the

Jennie Riley’s watercolours decorate many areas of the boat.

The bedroom can be used as two singles or a double.

The Bubble stove makes a nice feature.

room isn’t short of natural light even on a dull day. When it does get dark below gunwale LED lighting, controlled by concealed switches, provides additional light.

The cabin is heated by a large, white radiator which is mirrored on the opposite wall by a folding table of the same size to provide symmetry, such is the attention to detail. The Bubble stove in the corner isn’t needed with the heating running but it makes a nice feature. The stove has been fitted with its own 12v pump to draw oil to run it rather than rely on gravity to feed it.

Clever idea

The galley, towards the stern of the cabin, also makes use of oak for the cupboards and oak has also been used on the floors throughout the boat. The walkthrough galley has white worktops, which also help with keeping the room light below which bifold doors conceal the washing machine.

Another clever idea was not to locate the oven below the hob but to move it to the end of the worktop so that the oven door opened down the short corridor leading out of the galley area.

That way it wouldn’t get in the way in the main part of the galley when opened.

Just off the short corridor leading from the galley is the bathroom which is equipped with a heated towel rail, white

Bifold doors conceal the washing machine.

The well deck is protected by a cratch cover. moulded basin, electric flushing toilet and a shower cubicle with very stylish inset shower head and matching tap.

As with the rest of the boat there are plenty of storage cupboards and every inch of space has been utilised. This fact is made more obvious when you notice the wine rack along the side of the corridor and the additional chair store that has been added to hold four slimline folding chairs. All of these additions utilise spare space almost without you noticing.

Moving towards the stern you come into the bedroom which can be used as two singles or as a double with access being between the berths. The beds look very comfortable and both have storage cupboards, shelves and lighting above. Each has its own porthole and they’ve even added a tiny mug shelf above each bed. If needed a curtain can be drawn to separate the bedroom from the rest of the boat and to the stern of the bedroom is what can only be described as an art room.

This stern cabin has been given over to Jennie to allow her space in which to create her stunning artwork and a worktop has been fitted with space below to store all of her materials. The room also holds many of the boat’s systems such as the Victron inverter and, most importantly below the stairs, the Shire engine. Walking up these very well insulated steps takes you to the helm position and a small stern deck area which has also been fitted with Tek Dek, which not only looks nice but also helps with grip in the wet.

The resulting boat is both highly practical and very stylish and modern while retaining

Tek Dek helps give the deck areas grip in the wet.

SPEC SHEET

Style: Hull: Engine:

60ft trad narrowboat Reeves Boat Builders Shire 45hp with twin alternators 50A and 240A domestic Power: 12v electrics batteries 660A/hr Victron AGM Victron Multi 3000 /120A, solar panels Heating: Webasto, Bubble diesel stove Water tank: 250 gallons Diesel: 60 gallons Gas hob and Oven: Belling Insulation: Rockwool Interior: Painted ply panels or oak faced panels Deckhead: Oak T&G Floor: Oak T&G Ballast: Blue brick Windows: Seaglaze roof lights Paint: Rapid paint Toilet: Tecma

Integral tank built under floor approx 100 gallons Cost to buy £100,000 many traditional features. This isn’t surprising given that the owners have now owned four boats and have cruised extensively in both the UK and on the Continent.

All of those years of experience, mixed with their eye for detail, colour and styling, and Stephen Goldsbrough Boats skills in bringing these ideas into reality have resulted in a very nice and comfortable home.

BUILDER

SG Boats Ltd Knowle Hall Wharf Kenilworth Road Knowle Solihull B93 0JJ Tel 01564 778210 www.sgboats.com

A clever idea was to move the oven to the end of the worktop so that the door opens down the short corridor.

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Boats for sale

50FT NARROW BOAT 6ft 10” wide, built 2004 by Grovner & Marsh of Brierly Hill, Perkins diesel engine 45hp, C of E till 2016, ideal live aboard, layout, good d/bed, lounge, kit, bath. £29,000. Tel. 07759 789719.

60FT BOAT Has a very high technical spec inc, HD satellite TV, full c/h, 2kw Pure Sine wave inverter, 5kva 230v engine driven alternator and battery management system, £50,000.

Tel. 07903 418840.

CRUISER STERN 48ft 1990.

Full survey and blacked with new anodes Mar13. BSCoct14.

Solar panel, inverter, charge controller, BMC 1.8, 4 berth, well appointed throughout, viewings welcome, first to see will buy £28,995 ono Tel. 07891 201111. Glos.

CRUISER STERN NARROWBOAT 57ft, 2007, 4 berth, built for long term cruising or live aboard, rev layout, last blacked, new anodes fitted Jan 13, Beta 43 engine, f&r covers, Mercia marina, £49,950. Tel. Phil 0778 6004540. Derbys.

BIRCHWOOD 25 1986, 4 berth, full cooker, toilet compartment and 1800cc inboard diesel. Great first boat, £5500 ono. Tel. 07947 563889. Lancs.

CELTIC NARROWBOAT 40ft, 3-berth, diesel, Mitsubishi engine, 3 cyl Alde gas c/h, built 1989, 4yr BSC, pump-out shower, needs painting, new cooker, moored Mon & Brec canal, gwo, £15,000 ono Tel. 01982 552217. Wales.

CRUISER STERN NARROWBOAT 52ft single width canal boat, built by JJC in 1979, unfinished project, requires little work to become a lovely live aboard or a leisure boat, £25,000. Tel. 0778 9007364.

NARROWBOAT 23ft, steel, 3berth, BSS June 2016, Nanni diesel cassette wc, gas cooker, fridge, water space heaters, Thames, £12,650. Tel. 01367 250258. Glos.

CRUISER STYLE NARROWBOAT 1984, 40ft, 4 berth, 1500 BMC engine, recent total refit to interior including hot air c/h, elec flush toilet, gas fire fitted, regularly maintained, £21,000.

Tel. 01922 478384. Wolvs.

LIVERPOOL BUILT NARROWBOAT ‘Ruby’, 58ft, a great cruising narrowboat, nice clean example, very secure fitted only with port holes, fitted with solar panel, Heritage Range kitchen fitted out with granite worktop, shower and toilet, loads of hot water, nice warm fire in winter, £50,000. Tel. 07956 146404.

DAWNCRAFT 25ft, total refurb, 1.8 inboard/zdrive, diesel 4-ring hob, 12/240 power, BSS 05/17, Tel. 01928 589211; 07706170531. Cheshire.

CRUISER STERN NARROWBOAT 57ft, 1985, 6 berth, partly refitted in white ash boarding and LED lighting, partly original fitting, also nice, many new parts inc sterling battery charger, Morso Squirrel wood burner, Italian cooker, memory foam mattress etc, spent £110,000, all licensies up to date. Tel. 07970 697023.

Warks.

WINDOWS

HIGHBRIDGE CRUSADER 32ft cruiser, full BSC 2017, licensed til Dec, two 13kg gas bottles, two batteries, solar panel, Paloma w/heater and multi stove, 12v and 240v fridge, sleeps 6, Tel. 07854 781335. Glos.

Caldwells Narrowboat windows: See our web page @ www.caldwellswindows.co.uk or call 01942 826406 CA493401L Channelglaze Ltd: See our main advertisement on page 23. Tel: 0121 706 5777 CH500217L

UPHOLSTERY

LIVERPOOL BUILT NARROWBOAT Beautifully presented, rev layout, new kitchen, s/s oven and hob, instant hot water from Morco boiler, deep bath and shower, small d/bed with wardrobe and desk, £42,000 Tel. 0744 6042878.

26FT NARROWBOAT built circa 1977, builder unknown, steel hull refitted 2010, double layer epoxy coating applied, Safety certificate valid until Dec 13, 4 berth, requires internal refit, outboard motor petrol, Tel. 07522 956332.

LIVERPOOL TRAD NARROWBOAT Pick up the keys and move in, 2005, 50ft Liverpool trad narrowboat, Izuzu 35 engine, 2 inverters, 2 solar panels, s/f stove/back boiler. 07594 612804. Cheshire.

MARINER 520 Retro offers luxury/space, many extras, folding canopy, rope fenders etc, with 15hp outboard, takes 8 board river/6 sea boarders, reduced due to ill health, £6500.

Tel. Dave 07768 187923. Leics.

NARROWBOAT 1984, 32ft beam, 6ft 10 steel hull, diesel, new shower room, nice kitchen with boiler, pot bellied stove,up and running and a very good sailor, must be seen, £9500 Tel. 01509 646479. Leics.

CARA CRUISER 4 berth, 9.9 Honda outboard, cooker, cubicle for shower, just been serviced, 11 inch draft, heavy duty trailer, £2500. ono Tel. Derek Lewis on 01278 451641. Bridgewater.

NUTSHELL 70ft, G&T, 2000 shell, new fit-out, 3.5kw generator, inverter, washer, CofC 2016, 6 berth, wood burner, Webasto heating system with 5 radiators, perfect live aboard, £45,950 Tel. Ann or Dennis on 0161 4296925; 07866 962228.

Stockport.

RED & GOLD 57ft 10” traditional/ semi-traditional narrowboat, first reg 2000, built and fitted by Midland Canal Centre, 4 + 2 berth, Beta BV1903S cocooned diesel engine, vgc, throughout, suitable for use as a live aboard, must be seen.

07427 187749. Northants.

SEA OTTER 41 SE Cruiser style narrowboat 2007, exc cond, 780 hours only on the clock, extras fitted inc bow thruster, Webasto diesel c/h, new rear cover, 5 yr warranty, £55,000 early viewing suggested. Tel. 01744 635275 for more details. Lancs.

SEALINE 360 STATESMAN 1993 twin 220hp Mercruisers, 1000 hrs each, exc cond, many extras, tel for photos and specification sheet, may consider caravan, motorhome or smaller cruiser p/x, £79,950. 01623 871012. Notts.

SHETLAND 2+2 GRP CRUISER on twin axle trailer, 1.5 BMC diesel with full recon engine, pump, injectors, starter, new prop etc, 2 ring burner/grill, 1 fixed double, BSC 2016, £3250. Tel. 07848 9866071. W Yorks.

SHETLAND FAMILY FOUR Built 1979, 17ft, new 15hp Mercury outboard engine fitted Apr 13, BSC valid until Aug 17, nice clean boat inside and out, sink, space for portaloo, upholstery vgc, £3995. Tel. 07914 816557.

Essex.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Full metal jacket is a rare 28ft narrow beam 6 ton metal cruiser, powered by Perkins 4108 engine, 55bhp, shot blasted back to metal 4 yrs ago, painted with 2 pack. Tel. 07833 767161.

Staffs.

SUKY NARROW BOAT 57ft cruiser stern, 2005, built by Liverpool Boat Co, engine hours 410, she has had very little use, new batteries, Isuzu 35hp, bottom done in 2012. £36,999. Tel. Rick 07730 571682 for more details. Cambs.

TWIN THORNYCROFT 38ft liveaboard or seagoing. 6 cyl diesel, 5 berth, BSC 2016, 3 KVA genny, flybridge, large wheelhouse, sunroof, calorifier, batt charger, inv, Osmosis warranty, £29,000. Tel. 0113 2827449. W Yorks.

VOYAGER 60ft cruiser style narrowboat, built circa 1989, excellent live aboard accomm, large forward lounge with solid fuel stove, laminate flooring, fitted galley c/w full size gas cooker and 12v Shoreline fridge, bed with fixed d/bed, wardrobe and under bed storage, £28,950. Tel. 07816 204587.

UPHOLSTERY WIDE BEAM BOAT Beautiful, 60 x 10, fully fitted out c/h, log burner BSC 10/2014, newly painted inside and out, Barrusshire Vetus diesel engine, as new, £76,000. Tel. 07746 120759. Berks.

4 BERTH cooker, cubicle for shower, engine just been serviced. 11" draft. 9.9 Honda outboard, c/w heavy duty trailer.Tel. Derek Lewis on 01278 451641.

WILDERNESS TRAIL BOAT 1977, 18’ 6” fibreglass, excellent condition, BSS to 1917, licence to end Oct 14. £10,500 ono. 07788 430111. Leics.

WOODEN HULL AND TOP BOAT c/w full Safety Certificate, inc fitted kitchen seats table really well maintained inside, under seat storage, toilet cubicle, seating at rear of boat, £9000. Tel. 01283 735489.

ATLANTA 24 with Yamaha 20 BEP electric tilt and trim engine, 4 berth with toilet, shower, fridge. Moored at Torksey lock.

Reduced to £9500. Tel. 01427 612453. Lincs.

BIG NORTHWICH MOTOR 178 Tadworth, unconverted and with rare original riveted back cabin, requires re-bottoming (steel), £26,000. Tel. 07890 604121. Herts.

HARBOROUGH MARINE 30ft cruiser stern narrowboat, 1984, Buhk engine, complete prof joiner refit: 2 single beds/sofas, Waeco fridge, hob, Paloma water heater, wash room, basin, shower tray, Thetford cassette toilet, LED spotlights, boatmans stove, tiled hearth, back and front covers, BSC 2015, moored Trent & Mersey, new water tank, laminate saloon floor, new curtains inc plant, pole etc, exc cond, £14,500. Tel. 01773 744538. Derbys.

PINDER & SON 2001, Cruiser 55ft, used as live aboard, solar power Sat TV, marine charger, travel power shower over bath, fixed bedroom, utility room, cooker, fridge, BSC 2015, Barras shire, 3 cyl engine, regularly serviced, £29,500. 07803 304690. Cheshire.

SPRINGER CRUISER STERN 1989, 42ft, my live aboard home for 22 yrs, well maintained throughout, BSC 2015, hull replated 2009, repainted 2013, sale due to health reasons only, £19,950. Tel. 07779 602838.

Cheshire.

SPRINGER NARROWBOAT 36ft, 1982, BMC 1500 engine, fixed double, toilet, multi-fuel Squirrel stove, pumped water, sink unit, 3 burner cooker, licensed till 2014, BSC 2017, good little runner, Tel. 07984 165788.

S Yorks.

SPA & REEVES 60ft narrowboat, boat is self contained with 240v on board power, it has a fixed double, bathroom with shower/wc, vanity unit all in white, washer, drier, fridge, gas full cooker, diesel central heating, solid fuel wood burner, Beta 50hp engine, interior is cream/white, exterior is traditionally painted, all as new condition.

Viewing a must. £68,000. Tel. Mick or Gena 01638 717276; 07881 554751. Suffolk.

TEDDESLEY NARROWBOAT 37ft, steel, cruiser stern, BMC 1.5, recon gearbox overplated throughout, hull survey 2 years ago, canal licensed, unfinished, easy project, £10,500. ono Tel. 07570 149019. Warks.

VIKING 20ft, new mariner 10hp outboard, cooker, hob, grill, portal, ready to go, £4200. ono Tel. 07775 827755. Huddersfield.

86 READER ADVERTS

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Parts For Sale

ALLAN AUTO SCYTHE Villiers 4 st engine, 36” blade, with snow plough attachment, good condition, working, ideal long grass, moorings, towpath, some spares, £235. Tel. 01844 339558. Bucks.

HAND START KIT believed to be for Lister SR2 or ST2, includes handle, chain and shaft cog with clutch and pulley.

Needs clean but sound, £75.

Tel. 07811 314112. Warks.

NEW HOSPITAL SILENCER 12” x 32”, 2” BSP fittings, 40kg, £150. 07974 808277. W Mids.

AIR HEAD COMPOST TOILET New July 2013, used 3 weeks only, immaculate, cost £800, will accept £350, buyer collects.

Tel. 07884 197408. Derbys.

NORDIKA 3200 as new, used twice, 230v - 400v welder, vgc, c/w headshield, hammer, steel brush, £150. Tel. 07974 808277.

W Mids. No time wasters.

COMPLETE VACUFLUSH 5000 series cassette toilet system with spare cassette and lots of other spares, can be installed complete or used for spares. £200. Tel. 07908 722230.

CRATCH COVER Brand new, 5ft, blue, never fitted, cost £500, looking for £250 ovno; also 5ltr expansion tank, £30.07973 630066. Notts.

BETA MARINE 35hp Redline engine & gearbox, may be seen running, Offers. 01793 852607.

Wilts.

OMNISAT VUQUBE Remote controlled portable satellite system with Grundig freesat box if required, £350. Tel. 07766 590383. Gtr Man.

SIX HOPPER WINDOWS black surround, measurement 431⁄4” by 211⁄4” to fit 42” by 20”, good condition, £250; also spares parts for JP2. Tel. 07563 188944. Lichfield.

CASAPPA gEAR PuMP for hydraulic drive boat £95; Shurflo diaphragm pump 2.8 GPM £20; Square D pressure switch, £10; three solar powered 12v 1.5w battery trickle chargers, £10. Tel. 01270 811702.

Cheshire.

ECO FAN new style, cost £110, now £50; Sterling Universal digital alternator, regulator, cost £95, unused £40; double skin chimney, 28" tall, £20. Tel. 07803 304690. Cheshire.

HuRTH 100 gEARBOX 2:1 reduction, reconditioned but unused, bought as a spare but never needed. Sent from my iPad, £425. Tel. 01942 741432.

Cheshire.

SHuRFLO DIAPHRAgM PuMP plus parts including spare motor, £20; square D pressure switch, £10. Tel. 01270 811702. Cheshire.

OuTBOARD MOTOR 5hp, 4 stroke, short shaft, never used - new baby forces sale! Can organise courier delivery at cost, £550. Tel. 01252 622354.

Hants.

POLAR HEAT EXCHANgER MANIFOLD for BMC 1.5/1.8 with core and rubber caps, used good condition, £60; also another without core, £50. Milton Keynes or Ican courier. Tel. 07890 604121. Bucks.

LPg VANETTE 40002 Hob and LPG Vanette GG7000, oven grill with flame failure, in good condition, green with gold colored handles handbooks, £100. Tel. 01782 785695.

Staffs.

MORSO SQuIRREL used parts, front door glass, £20; ash pan door, £15; round grate, £8; outer grate, £15; 4 legs, £8; buyer collects. Tel. 07745 479294. Surrey.

POWERFIELD DIgITAL gENERATOR Trademaster PFG 2000 inverter, just serviced, vgc, £250 ono; anchor weight 15kg. £45; XM Quickfit 150 Newton life jacket, automatic or manual, still in bag, not used, weight up to 35kg, £40. all items vgc. 01909 530634.

Notts.

PROP SHAFT 1" dia, 303 s/steel, 36" long, 1:12 taper, brand new, c/w key and lock nuts, £60. 07854 448327.

Warks.

WATERWAYS WORLD MAgS years 2011-2012, complete, free for collection. Tel. 07745 479294. Surrey.

PRO COMBI INVERTER CHARgER 3000w, new in original packaging, purchased for project, £900 never used sell for £600. 07894 856275.

Derbys.

Wanted PROPERTY WANTED Towpath side of canal, anything considered, cash waiting, god project. Tel. 0790 3010642.

Lincs.

WANTED NARROWBOAT 40-50ft in length don't mind a boat needing work or finishing off etc willing to travel most areas to view, I do have funds in place ready. 0790 6019299.

Norfolk.

LOOKINg FOR an old forecourt petrol pump to restore, anything considered - cash waiting; also petrol pump globes in glass or plastic. Tel. Carl 07980 360216 eves. W Mids.

PRIVATE BOAT MOORINg 45-50ft or less on Llangollen Canal. Tel. 01270 524579.

Cheshire.

Miscellaneous

SOFA We bought this sofa to go on our narrowboat a year ago but changed our seating arrangement on the boat so it was only used for 6 months, measurements: Length 5ft 5” depth, 2ft 8” height (without extended headrest), 2ft 10” (approx overall size inc arms etc), £500. Tel. 01986 895544.

TWO WHEELED TRAILER. 16ft long, new suspension, new wheel, new mud guards, £350. 01509 646479. Leics.

KIPOR IG2000 petrol generator, rated output 2Kw, excellent condition, hardly used, £350 ovno. Tel. 07590 842275. Cheshire.

KABOLA STOVE Old English diesel fired stove, with back boiler and flue, perfect working order, good condition, very powerful whilst also being very economical, Cash on collection only. Tel. 07977 539720.

Staffs.

BRASS FIRE TRIVET wood handle, £5; green lace effect jug, £4; green enamel casserole pot, ideal on top of fire, £3.

Tel. 01773 744538. Derbys.

CANAL RELATED BOOKS four, £2 each; four narrowboat framed prints, 6 x 4, £2 each; small brass old saucepan, £5; roses painted enamel coffee pot, £5; dark green enamel coffee pot, £4; old pine wall cupboard, small, £8; terracotta bread/veg crock, £4. Tel. 01773 744538. Derbys.

LEE SANITATION manual self pump-out kit for boat owners, good condition, £95. collect or cost of postage extra. 07989 350085. Staffs.

MODEL MISSISSIPPI PADDLE STEAMER with Matthew Spress written on it, needs a little bit of attention, £300. Tel. 01283 735489.

Engines TWO-STROKE LISTER Freedom Blackstone gearbox, 2-1 reduction, £3500 ono. Tel. 07563 188944. Lichfield.

PERKINS 4108 DIESEL ENGINE Fully marinised, PRM Delta 2:1 ratio hydraulic gearbox with oil cooler, c/w workshop manuals. Also wiring loom and control panel. Engine was stood for a long period of time, but started second try. Oil pressure was low so new oil pump and oil filter fitted. Sump was modified to suit new pump. Engine has been run for only 2 hours since work completed. Gearbox had only done 10 hrs since orig refurb, gearbox alone worth around £1000. No sensible offer refused, can deliver in N West. 01706 852212. Lancs.

FOLDING BIKE £80; Cannon 4-in-1 printer, £25 both like new. 07976 485623. Notts.

DICKINSON DIESEL ADRIATIC cooker/stove c/w flue apart from through deck fitting, good condition, new 2005, buyer to collect, £350 ono Tel. 07948 222488. W Mids.

BUCKBY CANS Two unpainted, 1 x 12” base (large) 1 x 10.5” base (medium), £50 pair or will split Tel. 07950 832060. B’ham.

SHORELINE MARINE FRIDgE Model RT92 Acc 12/24v DC, 3 years old, good condition, freezer and fridge compartment, only used in our log cabin, 4 years old, £200. ovno Tel. 07834 819491. Wilts.

SWIVEL/RECLINER CHAIR Black faux leather and footstool, very good condition, very comfortable, similar to Birlea Orlando, two available at £50 each set Tel. Clare on 01329 221412. Hants.

TWO FOLDINg BICYCLES, good running order, £15 each.

Tel. 07553 346469. E Staffs.

TWO CROSS-OVER MATTRESSES new, single, firm foam cross-over mattresses, 72" x 30", make 5ft double £50 each or will exchange for double medium/spft sprung crossover mattress, Grimsby or Fradley jct area, possible delivery/collection. Tel. 01472 234013 or 07948 270887. N Lincs.

Moorings for sale MOORINg FOR RENT 70ft mooring for rent, £140 pcm or sale POA, South Oxford canal bridge 142,2 car parking space, water supply on land.

Tel. 079250 48923. Oxon. (T)

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Powering a boat with hot air THE Stirling Engine Society had a stall at the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition at Leamington Spa in October 2013 and it was there, while reporting on the event for sister magazine Old Glory, I met Norris Bomford, writes Malcolm Ranieri.

Norris Bomford with his engine built to the Stirling principle.

10

PHOTOS: MALCOLM RANIERI

He told me the Stirling Engine Society is promoting the use of the Stirling hot air engine in small boats; it offers quietness, a simply constructed and reliable power which is clean. Quietness is achieved by the fact that in contrast to the internal combustion engine there are no burnt fuel explosions, air is heated by burning propane gas which pushes a piston. The air is then cooled and contracts, the piston returning in the engine ready for the next power cycle.

A simple engine to construct and maintain, the Stirling engine has only five moving parts in contrast to fuelpowered engines which have many more and does not need inlet and outlet valves, carburettors etc. It is clean running due to the burning of the fuel outside the cylinder and is an external combustion engine.

The society claims that the application of Stirling engines to small boats, currently and in particular on our canal system is not happening, or being disregarded, or is just not known about due to boat builders and engine makers trying to produce more and more powerful internal combustion engines to propel them. This is not required on the UK rivers and canals with a speed limit of 5mph, where these powerful engines cannot be used to full potential in normal use.

It is also claimed by the society that the low power Stirling engine is more than powerful enough to propel a welldesigned hull on a small boat. The

Stirling Engine Society now has six boats with differing design of Stirling principle engine allowing any practical problems to be ironed out. The latest uses a pressurised Stirling engine which allows it to be twice as powerful without an increase in size.

Quiet and clean

To view the pressurised Stirling engine in situ I visited the engineer Norris Bomford at his home at Salford Priors and inspected his boat fitted with the engine. The boat is a 1957 built ex-local authority, 14ft in length with a 4ft beam,

by Salters of Oxford. The Stirling principle engine is 21in in height, of nominal 460cc powered by two pistons, one a displacer and fired up by normal and easily obtainable propane gas in a bottle.

The engine is mounted on a metal engine bed lined up for the shaft, the propeller being 11in with pitch of 14in.

Local suppliers at Stratford upon Avon provided the casting, crankcases and pistons to Norris Bomford’s design and assembled and fitted in his own workshop.

Norris fired up the engine and there is no question that it fulfils the criteria of ease of operation, quietness and clean in operation; we were not able to test it on the water but the boat regularly plies the nearby River Avon.

The current crop of Stirling engines would not power a full-size narrowboat,or similar large water craft, but I am assured by the society further

The Stirling engine is fitted on a metal engine bed.

The Stirling connection

The propeller which is powered by the engine. development could mean that could happen if sufficient interest was shown.

That is not the point, however, as the Stirling engine could serve a useful purpose for the small boat owner now.

Those engineers and small boat owners interested are asked to join the Stirling Engine Society boating group and take part in the development of this exciting prospect. Visit the website at www.stirlingengines.org.uk/

This engine takes its name from the Rev Robert Stirling, a Scottish inventor who in 1816 invented the first practical closed cycle air engine. This was patented and it is recorded that by 1818 it was employed as the power for a water pump in a Scottish quarry. The patent was for a heat exchanger called an ‘economiser’ used in the air engine.

Subsequent work by Robert and brother James, an engineer, resulted in improvements and was powerful enough to drive all machinery in a Dundee iron foundry in 1843. Since that time of course the engine has been subject to much development and refinement and is used today in various applications, but always overshadowed by the steam engine and internal combustion engine, both using fossil fuels.

MIRACLE WATER BOTTLES TO BE WON FROM Water-to-Go! Over £249 worth of prizes to be won!

Pocket water purification – have you got the bottle?

Water-To-Go is an easy-to-use, pocket water purification bottle you can use anywhere to turn one litre of tap, stream, river or rainwater into drinking water – it will purify and remove over 99.9% of all contaminants including bacteria and chlorine.

No longer do river or sea boat owners have to rely on drinking water that has been in a tank for days – they can have clean fresh water by simply taking the water from the boat tank and filtering it through a Water-To-Go bottle.

The filter system is in a 75cl reusable plastic bottle costing £24.95 that can be dishwasher cleaned. The filter (packs of two for £14.95) will each last around three months and individually purify a total of 200 litres water. The same amount of mineral water bought in 50cl bottles would cost £400 – with Water-to-Go it costs only 1.5p per 50cl compared with £1. *

Full information is available from: info@watertogo.eu, or call 01582 841412

Water-To-Go is offering 10 lucky TowpathTalk readers the chance to win one of these fantastic water bottles!

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88 WINTER BOATING/ON IRISH WATERS with Alison Alderton

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Keeping the home lamp burning In her final article on winter boating Elizabeth Abbott braves the icy towpath to go in search of paraffin.

“THE cat is in the bath, being odd,” says Pip. We have just arrived home to a chilly boat and I am lighting the fire. I join him in our small bathroom. Bella, grumpy at the best of times, is pacing unhappily round the even smaller bath, looking like a perambulating rug full of knots, as she tends to by January despite my best efforts.

Knowing her for longer than he has, I have a possible clue to this unusual event. Once before, when I accidentally locked Bella’s cat flap while she was inside the boat, thus depriving her of access to a secluded bit of shrubbery, she attempted to maintain some dignity by making use of the bath instead.

So I check the cat flap. It swings freely, but Bella continues to look not only uncomfortable, but also embarrassed.

Perhaps she is ill? I ring the vet, who, when I describe her behaviour, asks: “Is there something wrong with her litter tray?” I say: “She just goes outside, at least I presume she does; she is a very private cat.”

“Ahhhh,” says the vet, “have a look out the window.”

It’s not that I haven’t looked out, but this is the first time I have done so from the point of view of a cat. Several days of falling snow have given way to iciness. Every single surface is covered with a deep layer of thick, frozen white – at least whiskers deep, and in some

places above ears deep. Really, what is a rather small cat to do? No wonder the bath was almost resorted to. I apologise to Bella and provide her with a temporary sawdust-filled paint-tray on the front deck.

We, clearly all three of us in fact, are fed up with winter now. There has been quite enough of it. The snow was very pretty and all, but it is starting to turn into mud, and the towpath will be a sea of the stuff in a day or two.

We are out of paraffin, and at this time of year, when our usually beneficent solar panel is not up to the job, we depend heavily on our No. 23 Aladdin lamp of an evening (despite the packaging giving us the impression that its fragile mantle is radioactive, which is a bit worrying). Paraffin is also occasionally resorted to when the fire just damn well won’t light, though this can result in singed eyebrows.

I climb into my wellies and tell Pip I am heading to the local ironmonger to refill our empty container. “Wear your hat,” he says, “it’s bitter out.” I reply: “I left my hat on the train.”

“Well, wear your gloves at least.”

“I left them on a different train. No, two different trains, separately. I deserve to be cold.”

“I’ll tie your next pair on you with string through your coat sleeves. Don’t fall over.”

Hot chocolate

I only fall over once, on a particularly glazed bit of towpath leading up to the stone bridge near the playground.

Someone hereabouts is selling handmade strap-on crampons that go over wellies for a fiver, my boater friend Trev was telling me, and I meant to ask him for their number but then I got distracted by his amazing stove that runs on sawdust pellets and can be preset to turn itself on in the morning.

The ironmongers, a quiet couple with a friendly dog who normally supply more things than it seems possible to fit in their little shop, tell me the sad news that they have given up stocking paraffin as no one buys it anymore. I guess no one else depends on a No. 23 Aladdin lamp, at least not since the other two No. 23 fans Ellie and Jan moved respectively to a house and the south (where I think there is less winter).

Back home, Pip informs me that the windows are frozen shut. He was trying to open them to fling compost bits that we think the fish like into the canal, forgetting that this makes more sense – and looks a lot less untidy – when the canal is in its liquid form. I counter with the information that tonight, he, Bella and I will be huddled round a single candle.

Maybe we could pretend to be the Victorian poor. Or just go to the Picture House, which would take less imagination. They have hot chocolate in proper mugs there and that would cheer us up. By the time we get back to the boat it will at least be warm. And we can put our stone hot water bottles in our bed. Although mine seems to have sprung a leak. Sigh. Is it spring yet?

Maintenance tips to reduce call-out tally IN ORDER to avoid another year of “record-breaking call-outs”, River Canal Rescue is giving boat owners 10 maintenance tips to help keep their craft in a sound condition and ready for the rigours of winter and beyond.

From January to December 1, 2013, the breakdown and emergency assistance firm attended 3731 call-outs, 20% more than the previous year’s tally which was up to the end of the year.

Calls spiked during June to August when an additional 100 breakdowns per month were logged.

Managing director, Stephanie Horton, said: “The number of breakdown callouts was unprecedented. The sun encouraged many boaters back on the water after years of poor weather, and as these boats had not been in use, it resulted in high numbers of vessels experiencing breakdowns. In many cases, the call-outs could have been avoided if owners had undertaken some general maintenance, particularly before setting

off on their first journey of the year.”

She continued: “Hopefully our maintenance tips will reduce the likelihood of owners having to contact us, ensuring their next holiday is an uninterrupted one.”

Stephanie concluded: “Only around 15% of boat owners have RCR membership so these figures are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the real number of people experiencing breakdowns. Those without our support mechanism will be left to their own devices to rectify the problem so our maintenance tips could prove invaluable.”

In 2013 River Canal Rescue had attended more than 3700 call-outs by December 1. PHOTO: RCR

Top 10 maintenance tips ● Check batteries are charging correctly and that the charge rate from the alternator to the batteries is as it should be. ● Check the morse control is working correctly and that the throttle and gears are selecting smoothly. ● Check you have enough fuel to complete your journey and inspect all fuel lines and shut off valves for leaks. ● Check the condition of stern gland, ensure there’s plenty of grease supplied to it and that the prop shaft is turning freely. ● Check the engine oil and gearbox oil levels and top up if needs be.

● Check the condition of the fan belt. If it’s worn get it replaced. ● Check all coolant hoses for leaks and wear and tear. Replace if required. For raw water-cooling engines, check the seacock, impeller and filter and all pipe work for leaks. ● Check the condition of the engine mounts. If they are worn, replace them or if the bolts seem loose, tighten before cruising again (but only adjust the top bolt). ● Check all bolts and connections are tight on the coupling. ● Check the air filter and replace or clean as needed.

● As well as providing breakdown and emergency assistance support, River Canal Rescue offers Replacement Parts Cover, reimbursing owners for the supply and labour costs associated with the replacement of a failed part. To find out more about this and other RCR services visit http://www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk email enquiries@rivercanal rescue.co.uk or call 01785 785680.

Lough Derg: home to sea eagles. PHOTO:ALISON ALDERTON

Lough Derg sea eagles in print THE reintroduction programme of white-tailed sea eagles to Ireland began in 2007. Since that time many have patiently waited to see if the release of these magnificent birds from Norway would successfully raise a new generation ending 100 years’ absence from the country.

In 2012 a pair took up residence on Bushy Island off Mountshannon, Lough Derg, and bred. Unfortunately inexperience caused them to abandon the nest which left everyone involved bitterly disappointed, no one more so than wildlife photographer Nigel Beers Smith. In early February 2013 Nigel returned to Lough Derg and to his surprise found the birds still resident on Bushy Island and already building a nest in preparation for the new season ahead.

As anticipation grew boaters were kindly requested to give Bushy Island

a wide berth, allowing the birds space, peace and quiet. This appeared to pay off as in the spring two chicks hatched and were successfully raised by the parents.

Nigel has spent many hours documenting the Lough Derg sea eagles comings and goings often taking to the water with the assistance of local hire boat companies. This has enabled him to obtain some stunning shots of these magnificent birds in action and release two books and a DVD. Entitled Ireland’s First and 100 Years, 100 Photos these are now available to purchase online.

It is thanks to the co-operation of local residents and waterway users that the Lough Derg sea eagles have successfully bred and it is now hoped they will become a familiar sight in the skies above this lake for many years to come. ● For more information about the release programme of raptors into Ireland go to: www.goldeneagle.ie

PHOTOS: NIGEL BEERS SMITH

● To find out more about Lough Derg’s white-tailed sea eagles and Nigel’s books please go to: www.mountshannonwhitetaile dseaeagles.wordpress.com

Concerns over lowering of Lough Ree water levels A TRIAL lowering of the spring and early summer target water levels in Lough Ree is under way.

Forming part of the River Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study, which is being conducted by Jacobs Engineering on behalf of the Office of Public Works, it is hoped this will help to reduce the risk of summer flooding in the Shannon Callows area.

The water flows and levels on the Shannon are the responsibility of the Electricity Supply Board and Waterways Ireland, who are both cooperating with the trial.

While farmers and landowners welcome this, anglers have already voiced concerns. Coinciding with the pike spawning season, these fish favour reed bank edges and the lack of water may inhibit them from reaching favoured spots.

It is also feared lower levels on the famous ‘hot water stretch’ at

Lanesborough power station will deter anglers, having a detrimental effect on tourism.

Despite it being early days for the trial, members of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland have already reported worrying changes on their forum but just how this drop in levels will affect boaters navigating the Shannon and in particular Lough Ree throughout the coming season is yet to be discovered.

The Athlone sluice and weir controlling Lough Ree water levels.

PHOTO:ALISON ALDERTON

Waterways Ireland change advice on travel into Limerick WATERWAYS Ireland is changing its advice on travel from Ardnacrusha into the Limerick Navigation due to a new service available from the ESB which provides real time information on the output from the turbines.

Boaters are advised not to travel on the Ardnacrusha to Limerick Navigation if the output from Ardnacrusha is above 20 megawatts. The previous advice urged boaters not to travel if one turbine was operating; one turbine being equivalent to 20 megawatts.

The new service offers real time information on the megawatt output

of Ardnacrusha by phone (tel. 0876477229) and is available 24 hours a day. Boaters are advised to contact the ESB phoneline for information on the output when making travel plans. In the event of a line failure in the real time information number, boaters can call the main Ardnacrusha number 0879970131 for the megawatt information as well as any other information required for travel through Ardnacrusha.

This new information service is an improvement in safety for mariners who travel on the Ardnacrusha to Limerick Navigation.

ON IRISH WATERS with Alison Alderton 89

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Weathering winter cruising Alison Alderton gives some seasonal advice about boating when the Emerald Isle turns white.

Emerging out of the mist.

IT IS unusual for Ireland to get a lot of snow, yet over the past few years the white stuff has made an appearance on more than one occasion and indeed, lingered on for some time.

The Atlantic weather fronts rushing in from the west will often leave a light dusting of snow on the mountains but by the time this has passed over the high ground it usually falls as rain. This means winter days are normally mild yet often wet and windy.

The damp conditions of what the Irish call ‘a soft day’ can make boating quite challenging. Not only does this take its toll on materials, in particular woodwork, it can at times become an uncontrollable force causing rivers to swell and lakes to rise, often leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The Barrow for example, whose source stems from the Slieve Bloom Mountains, is notorious for its fluctuating levels and with its open weirs can be a dangerous navigation in times of flood.

Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon has no flood protection along its banks – a subject of heated debate for over 150 years! The low-lying lands or Callows bordering the river absorb much of the area’s winter waters but on occasion it becomes so saturated that even this natural sponge fails and waters seep out to flood the surrounding lands.

The winter floods of 1954 are described by many as ‘the worst in living memory’; heavy rainfall in November was replaced by snow, sleet and more rain in December. A state of emergency was declared. Water levels downstream of Athlone weir rose 2.43m above normal, farmsteads and homes were inundated and villages became cut off resulting in many inhabitants being rescued by the army using boats to navigate the floods.

Emergency welding of pontoon uprights.

Extreme conditions

With annual rainfall increasing over recent years, harbours and marinas have had to adapt to some extreme conditions. In 2006 winter water levels topped the 1954 record reaching 2.45m above normal levels and these were again superseded in 2009 when a height of 2.93m above normal was recorded.

In order to cope with the rising water levels the height of many pontoon uprights had to be increased, the emergency construction work often being undertaken in appalling weather conditions.

High water levels can often result in navigation markers becoming damaged or lost. While Waterways Ireland aims to repair and replace these as quickly as possible, unfortunately weather conditions will not always allow this. A section entitled Marine Notices on its website records this type of incident as well as others impeding navigation and is worth consulting especially before embarking on a trip out of season.

Ireland’s waterways are served by a number of rescue agencies including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which has lifeboat stations throughout both Northern Ireland and the Republic. Run by volunteers they will come to the aid of stricken vessels both at sea and on the inland waterways, particularly the larger lakes.

The Irish Coastguard will also assist inland during times of emergency and if the situation arises will scramble one of its Sikorsky Search & Rescue helicopters. Both organisations liaise closely with one another as well as Community Rescue Boats Ireland, an independently run and funded group of lifeboats, Sub Aqua Clubs and the landbased emergency services.

While the Irish waterways are well served by these magnificent organisations, boaters have a duty to themselves and their crew to ensure their safety at all times. Before throwing off your bow-lines during the winter there are some important safety factors to remember, most of which are common sense and should be treated as routine behaviour.

Check the weather forecast before departing, make sure your vessel is equipped to deal with the journey, tell someone who is shore-based where you are planning to go, your expected time of arrival (ETA) and be contactable

by VHF radio or mobile phone. Always wear a life jacket and sensible warm clothes to avoid exposure to the cold

which can dramatically slow down your reactions, be aware of slippery surfaces especially when mooring, never walk out on ice no matter how thick and secure it looks.

Braving the worst of the winter weather is not for all. While those that cruise throughout this season need to be especially vigilant there are rewards to be reaped. There is nothing quite like having a waterway or lake to yourself even in a driving downpour. Dark moody skies pierced by watery rainbows will often give way to bursts of bright sunshine and calm reflective waters before mists swirl in blanketing the evening in a ghostly paleness and chilly nip. Welcome to winter cruising in Ireland.

Caught out in a downpour.

PHOTOS:ALISON ALDERTON

● For useful information on how to stay safe while boating try:

Rescue demonstration by the Irish Coastguard.

Extreme flooding at Athlone Lock.

Wintry sunshine and showers.

Cruising on a frosty day.

➜ www.aquaattack.ie A well-designed website created to teach young children all about waterway safety. ➜ Irish Coastguard – www.coastguard.ie or www.ircg.ie This website is full of useful information and offers downloadable literature on a number of boating topics including safety on the water. ➜ Irish Lifeboats – www.irishlifeboats.com ➜ Irish Waterway Safety – www.iws.ie ➜ Ring-Buoys – www.ringbuoys.ie A stolen ring-buoy can result in a dangerous situation – if you notice one missing it’s best to report it. ➜ Royal National Lifeboat Institution – www.rnli.org ➜ The Irish Meteorological Service (Met Éireann) – www.met.ie Follow the links to inland waterway forecasts for Ireland’s lakes. ➜ Waterways Ireland – www.waterwaysireland.org Follow the links to Marine Notices and then select the waterway you wish to enquire about.

90 TOWPATH TREASURES

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Bristol Floating Harbour Keeping ships afloat Words: PHILLIPPA GREENWOOD Photography: MARTINE O’CALLAGHAN

The harbourside is lively at night.

BRISTOL is a city of push-bikes and boats, it’s home to Wallace and Gromit, Banksy and buskers in sandals with tin whistles. The ethos of the modern Bristolian rides a skyline that unapologetically washes old and new together. Architecture tells its own stories and the Floating Harbour wafts the strongest flavours of the past and present in the showcase of the city.

Cobblestones and cars on the harbourside create comforting patterns of eras gone and yet to come, while distant seagulls and seashells tease tourists with faraway thoughts.

This is a travellers’ city, simmering with stories of explorers, immigrants and migrants.

A life-sized sculpture of John Cabot (circa 1450-1498) has his salt-weathered face peering towards the sea that he once journeyed to ‘discover’ North America, and claim it for England.

Bristol’s relationship with the sea has been a constant battle with the tides, and its importance as a port is surprising given all the odds nature threw against it. Before the Floating Harbour was built, the Mud Dock which dates back to 1625 was the wretched place where ships once had to berth on the soft muddy bottom of the river. The tides of Bristol’s two rivers played havoc with the moored ships, whose crews

had to tidy away spars and rigging in a bid to reduce damage as the tides fell.

“All shipshape and Bristol fashion!” is the phrase that carries the cries of those crews.

In 1802 William Jessop was given the task of making plans for a harbour that would create safer moorings with ships being kept afloat instead of stranded in mud (hence the name Floating Harbour). The harbour opened several years later and the port prospered during the Industrial Revolution, becoming Britain’s second major transatlantic port after Liverpool.

Bristol’s prosperity came from boats arriving with tobacco, rum, cotton, timber and sugar; and leaving with finished cotton goods, glass, brassware and soap. Tragically, the truth of the slave trade festers in Bristol’s darkest history. Around 40% of the city’s income was connected to the slave trade by 1740.

With its heritage blustering with gloom and glory, the Bristolian spirit is captured in the Floating Harbour today.

This is a tourist destination layered with contemporary art galleries, trendy eating, cutting-edge museums, narrowboats (dwarfed by giant ships) bobbing in the water, cranes and sculptures and everything a leisure seeker needs for ‘A Grand Day Out’.

TOWPATH TREASURES/ANGLING 91

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The Towpath Angler

David Kent

Our monthly look at the angling scene

One of the boat bars around Bristol’s waterfront.

Bristol harbour.

Former warehouses are among the historic buildings along the waterfront.

I OPENED last time by commenting on the growing relationship between the Canal & River Trust and Angling Trust. I specifically mentioned the possibility of even more prestigious angling events and this, in particular took a significant step forward at a meeting held a couple of weeks ago.

It is far too early to disclose any real details, however, it is hoped that all CRT waterway units will be involved thus allowing people to participate on a fairly local level. There will be opportunities for our younger anglers too. That said there will be plenty of work to do in some areas particularly with a view to access, parking, towpath management and, of course, good fishing. This is very achievable but clearly needs the ‘buy-in’ of all concerned.

Clearly prestigious competitions help to raise a canal’s profile so there is much to be gained by everyone. If everything goes to plan there will be a ‘pilot’ run in the spring of 2014 so watch this space.

Apart from simply providing more high-level canal competitions this new project will also help tick a number of boxes in CRT’s Angling Strategy. There is the likelihood of some spin-offs such as taster days, community events, more youngsters on the canals, family days etc., all of which can be moulded around the main competition. In addition, by working within each waterway, it is hoped that there will be even more co-operation across the whole user community.

Talking point

Adapted extract from Britain’s Canals, a National Treasure in 100 Must-See Objects by Phillippa Greenwood and Martine O’Callaghan – published by Coolcanals July 2012.

A glassboat restaurant along the harbourside.

www.coolcanals.com

FACT FILE The Floating Harbour is open all day every day.

Former historic warehouses and transit sheds now house art galleries including the Arnolfini, the Museum of Bristol (in the M Shed), the Watershed Media Centre (in the E & W Sheds). An online resource of information, historical documents and photographs of Bristol’s Floating Harbour. www.bristolfloatingharbour.org.uk www.mshed.org www.shipshapebristol.co.uk Bristol Harbour Festival Bristol Harbour Festival, held in July, is Bristol’s biggest cultural festival and one of the largest free festivals in the UK. www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk Location Bristol OS Grid ref: OS ST585723 Canal: Kennet & Avon Canal

How to get there By train Nearest railway station is Bristol Temple Meads National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950 By bus Traveline: 0871 200 2233 By car Car parks nearby (charge) On foot The Kennet & Avon Cycle Route (Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 4) follows the Kennet & Avon Canal towpath all the way from Bristol to Reading and is an easy route to cycle and walk.

By boat Nearest boat hire: Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays, Bath. Holiday & day boat hire. 0117 304 1122 www.anglowelsh.co.uk

Boat Trips: Bristol Packet Boat Trips.

Bristol Floating Harbour.

45 minute cruises around the harbour with full commentary.

Themed cruises and private charter available. 0117 926 8157 www.bristolpacket.co.uk Moorings There are visitor moorings available in the harbour and along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Local Tourist info Bristol Tourist Info www.visitbristol.co.uk Canal & River Trust Use the Canal & River Trust website to find specific local information. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

This brings me on to what has become the main talking point at meetings I have attended in recent weeks i.e., the Government’s £10 million funding pot for cycling on our towpaths. While I have heard no one who is totally against the proposal everyone has said that without consultation with all users from the outset it would seem to be a disaster waiting to happen.

There has been cycling on our towpaths for dozens of years but the speed situation is a relatively recent phenomenon which all users, including many cyclists, are very concerned about. I have lots of anecdotal evidence especially from pedestrians, who have been involved in or witnessed incidents with these speed merchants. It is essential, therefore, that that there are controls in place and a clearly defined

complaints process just as there is for boating and angling.

Unfortunately I have nothing further to report on the recovery of my local Erewash Canal following the pollution 15 months ago. Anglers and clubs are now, not surprisingly, really disillusioned. I acknowledge that in these circumstances wheels often turn more slowly than one would like but the total lack of news combined with the absence of any sort of strategy for the canal’s recovery is taking its toll.

Let us hope something comes along very soon.

Good sport

With regard to the fishing elsewhere on our waterways, conversations I have had recently suggest that, generally, the sport is actually quite good. I understand the Trent & Mersey in the West Midlands is doing well as are, once again, the larger canals in South Yorkshire especially the Stainforth & Keadby. Again skimmers and bream tend to be making up most of the weights, although as temperatures drop chub are making their presence known. Maggot and punched bread seem to be dominating with worms sorting out the odd bonus perch here and there.

I usually conclude with a note on my own form. I do not want to speak too soon but I have to say I seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment with a win, a second and three other placings in my last five matches. It has been a long time coming so I am enjoying it while it lasts.

I have dug out all my thermal gear this week ready for the real winter coming. As I have got older it is the icy winds which I detest. Most other conditions I can cope with. If you are planning a session in the near future make sure you wear plenty of layers and take a hot drink.

Wishing you all a brilliant Christmas and a successful new year.

Canal catch takes angler by surprise AN ANGLER hooked more than he bargained for when he pulled a giant crayfish out of the Grand Union Canal at Loughborough.

Simon Bowerman, 22, from Quorn in Leicestershire, had settled down for a morning of gentle fishing at the back of the Belton Road Industrial Estate when he pulled out a 30cm giant red signal crayfish.

It scuttled back into the water – but he says it has spurred on his mates to try and catch it.

He said afterwards: “I could see a load of bubbles so I looked down and there was this big dark shape. I grabbed the net and it was this huge crayfish! It was quite scary. I’m pretty good with stuff like that but this thing was evil, it was trying to bite me.”

Fish moved for lock maintenance HUNDREDS of fish had to be rehomed as a canal lock in Leeds was repaired, writes Geoff Wood.

The essential maintenance work was being carried out on Armley’s Spring Garden Lock on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

The Canal and River Trust was replacing a set of 25-year-old 3.5 tonne lock gates and re-grouting the lock chamber to prevent leakages.

The fish – mainly roach, bream and tench – were rehomed in a safe section of the canal.

92 WET WEB

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The Wet Web With fuel costs very much in the news, Helen Gazeley has a look at some alternative energy sources.

NOT all attempts to reduce fuel use have caught on in The Cut (viz a pedal-powered narrowboat http://youtu.be/-a4upnYn_j8) but narrowboaters are surely among the most enthusiastic adopters of alternative energy sources.

Fuel cells, first invented in the 19th century, have teetered on the brink of practicability for years but it seems that we really are now on the verge of a major advance. Honda’s fuel cell car (which you can see reviewed by James May on www.topgear.com/uk/videos/honda-clarity) is already on sale, albeit in very limited areas, and at the Tokyo Motor Show in November Toyota launched the FCV concept car that should be commercially available in a couple of years.

A fuel cell aboard a narrowboat sounds ideal. Via an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, it creates electricity which is used to top up your battery.

Nothing else is produced except carbon dioxide, a small amount of water and, when operating, a faint hum. It works when solar and wind power aren’t available.

The technology is already being tested. Nb Ross Barlow, run by Birmingham University, was officially unveiled in 2009 and, alongside its solidstate hydrogen store, lead-acid battery pack and electric motor, uses a Proton Exchange Membrane

The Comfort 210 fuel cell and cartridge from Fuel Cell Systems.

Michael Fisher and wife Pat on The Wash.

PHOTO: GEOFF SMITH, nb Minimo.

Michael Fisher’s wife Pat, enjoying a rest by Nb Nuggler, with the wind turbine in full view.

(PEM) fuel cell (more technical details at www.greeningthewaterways.com). According to Tom Chicken, chief technical officer of Fuel Cell Systems (www.fuelcellsystems.co.uk), the most suitable cells for boats extract hydrogen from methanol in a clean system that demands only the changing of a cartridge to replenish the methanol.

Sales of these cells, said Tom, have doubled year on year in the marine yacht world.

At the moment, he suggests, they are most suited to leisure users, rather than liveaboards. However, if you’re a liveaboard who moves around a lot or tops up additionally with solar and wind power, the picture might be different; as a fuel cell only starts charging the battery when the voltage drops below 12.3V and enters stand-by mode once 14.2V is reached. The Fuel Cell Power Calculator on the FCS website will help calculate your needs.

Michael Fisher said that a cell would “just about be an adequate power source for our stationary power needs (fridge, freezer and TV) and the cost of the methanol is probably equivalent to the diesel otherwise used by the engine, so not a real issue”.

It was partly the practicalities of where to house the cell that decided him against having one, and he pointed out: “Capital expense has to be weighed against the potential benefits, i.e. extended battery life and the peace and quiet of not having to run the engine for hours every day.”

Tom Chicken also suggests that for those moored at a marina it might work out cheaper than paying for electricity units. This seems to be a technology that definitely deserves examining.

Potential benefits

Some narrowboaters have been attracted by the possibilities. Michael Fisher on nb Nuggler certainly was, but opted for a wind turbine instead.

“I explored the possibility of a methanol fuel cell,” he writes on his blog (http://nuggler.blogs.com) but these are obscenely expensive to buy, although otherwise would possibly fit the brief, though highgrade methanol is not cheap either.”

Fuel Cell Systems (FCS) has sold a number to narrowboaters and Tom feels that it’s a lack of awareness that prevents their use being more widespread. Energy use needs to be assessed, though. “Cells have a finite lifetime,” says Tom, “and if used 24/7 would probably last around two years.” This is because the chemical reaction is aided by a catalyst which gradually erodes and power output is reduced over time.

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A fuel cell newly installed in a yacht.

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Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com

Waterway walks on the web

By Graham Fisher

DISCOVERING Britain is an ever-expanding series that offers, as its own promotion claims, “the stories of Britain’s landscapes discovered through walks”.

The already eclectic collection encompasses all aspects of the natural and built landscape but, not surprisingly, leans quite heavily towards inland waterways for inspiration.

Produced by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), the walks are suggested and researched by people with knowledge and passion for a particular place, then compiled, edited and produced by an enthusiastic team from the RGS-IBG. All the walks are free to download from the Discovering Britain website. Anyone with a handheld device, such as an iPad or similar, can follow the route on screen, stopping at various key points along the way to read the commentary or listen to the audio version. For those preferring more traditional means, the selected walk can be downloaded as a hard copy booklet, but be prepared for your printer to strain to the tune of 3040 pages or so of quite comprehensive notes.

There are over 100 walks on the website to date of which over a dozen focus on waterways.

These tell the story of how canals changed the physical, economic and social landscape, yet each one is quite different. In Stroud the focus is on the close relationship between the waterways and local woollen industry, while the walk around the Tring Reservoirs looks at the engineering challenges of water supply. Other locations such as the Avon Valley, the South Pennines, Lancaster and

The Stroudwater Navigation past St Cyr’s Church.

PHOTO: SARA CHARDIN

On the Oxford Canal. PHOTO: RORY WALSH Oxford explore the interplay between canals, rivers and other routeways. There’s something for all interests.

The Crystal Canal, an exploration of the Stourbridge Canal and its relationship with the area’s glass industry – www.discoveringbritain.org/walks/region/west -midlands/stourbridge-canal.html – has proved one of the very popular downloads. I must declare an interest here, since this particular contribution is based on my 2010 book Jewels on the Cut, but that is hardly the point.

Set in the context of the ‘big guns’ of walk locations, including the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, this is clear evidence of the enduring popularity of a simple stroll along the cut. Take my advice and if the good folk from the Royal Geographical Society come your way, then grab the opportunity with both hands. See more at www.discoveringbritain.org

The entrance to Standedge Tunnel.

PHOTO: JENNY LUNN

93

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TALKBACK

Your chance to write to us on any Towpath topic:

Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

Internal water leak won’t sink a boat

★ Silky Star Letter ★ TOWPATH TALK has joined forces with Silky Marine Products to celebrate the great letters and pictures we receive from our readers with a star prize each month The lucky winner will receive a tub of Silky Cream Cleaner, Silky Deep Cleaner Ready to Use and Silky RX Enzyme Toilet Odour and Waste Reducer, worth a total value of more than £25 from the new range of Silky Marine Care and Maintenance products launched earlier this year.

Silky Marine Products are specifically formulated to work in sequence to remove dirt and residue specific to the boating environment, and include the widely regarded classic Silky Cream Cleaner.

When a boat’s surfaces have been cleaned to a high standard using the Silky cleaning range, the valet and polish products bring out the shine which is then sealed for the season with the unique polymer technology of Silky Protect.

Available to the public through www.silkyproducts.com and selected retail outlets, Silky Products have been manufactured in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield for more than 40 years.

THE how to winterise your narrowboat piece (Winter boating, Issue 98, December) could be quite useful to the inexperienced boater.

I have high regard for River and Canal Rescue and would certainly recommend it to all cruising narrowboats, but there is a little slip in this piece. A leak in the boat’s domestic water or heating systems cannot sink the vessel.

Water leaked into the bilge weighs exactly the same amount as it does when properly contained in tanks and pipes. Since most boats have their water tanks forward and tend to be deeper aft, a serious leak may slightly increase the draught at the stern but unless there are openings in the hull, very much lower than regulation.

Help make this jewel accessible to all

Canals need no embellishment

I AM retired and disabled and only get around via a mobility scooter. I have used the Huddersfield Narrow Canal towpath from Aspley to Longroyd Bridge quite often, a very peaceful and tranquil ride as the original towpath has been tarmacked over. I have passed older walkers, mothers with prams and even wheelchair users on it. A seat near the bridge is used by people having a picnic while watching fishermen enjoying their pastime.

One day I went from Longroyd Bridge to Milnsbridge and found the towpath had very muddy areas (even after a week of hot weather) with grass, weeds and bushes growing out of the side making the normal path less than half its width. Also quite a few places were difficult to negotiate because the cobble stones were so much out of sync with one another; it made my ride very difficult, so won’t be doing that again in a hurry.

My love of canals goes back a long time and I was for quite a few years an IWA member, plus as children we used to catch crayfish in the local canal at Stony Battery.

So I contacted Kirklees Council regarding the possibility of the towpath up to

Marsden Tunnel eventually being made smooth, so all year round use could be made of the canal by everyone. Also cyclists could use this rather than the roads going to work in a morning and evening leaving the rest of the day to others.

Kirklees Council’s Steven Hanley, principal engineer of investment and regeneration strategy and design transportation (I know it’s a mouthful), is working on a feasibility study to determine what improvements could be made to make the canal more accessible to a wide range of users. I have been asked to join the working party when it’s up and running.

To hopefully help matters, I have emailed MPs for Huddersfield and Colne Valley to ask them for any help they might give. So far, Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney has given his 100% backing and will help in any way possible. I have also contacted other waterway organisations and they too are looking at ways to help.

So now I am asking yourselves if you will be able to help in any way to make this jewel in our valley accessible to all.

Roger Beever by email

The towpath at Marsden.

Festival did not justify entrance charge I’M NOT a boater but I browsed your October edition (News, Issue 96) in a local pub and noted the piece on the ‘fiasco’ of the IWA’s recent Watford festival. I live close to Cassiobury Park but only became aware of the festival via the ‘access for construction traffic only’-type signs that appeared a few weeks before.

I didn’t see much more information but I enjoy the nearby Rickmansworth canal festival most years so I looked it up online.

Being a CAMRA member, I was happy to note there would be a real ale bar. But then I saw the £8 (I think) entrance fee. I resent paying

that amount of money just to wander along a stretch of park and towpath that I can enjoy for free (and look at boats) on any other weekend.

Rickmansworth does not charge for its festival, though charity collections operate.

Maybe boaters were the target market. As a non-boater I saw no entertainment or other features advertised that would justify that amount of money, so I daresay most other locals – at least those who were even aware of it – thought likewise.

Graham Ross Watford

● Due to a high volume of letters in the postbag this month, some have been held and will appear in the next available issue

Jeremy Scanlon By email

HOORAY for Old Bilge Pump. His approach to art on canals (Last Word, Issue 97, November) accords fully with my own.

Canals are intrinsically attractive and need no embellishment. Indeed much of the art intended as an enhancement detracts from the pleasure of visiting them.

Keith Noble Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

Art attack is well timed COULD I just congratulate Old Bilge Pump on his timely article (Last Word, Issue 97, November) regarding the pretentious so-called art works littering our canals.

I agree with everything he says. Incidentally, we were in Birmingham last year and saw the Floating Forest, which was a massive clump of foliage in a mud-filled British Waterways hopper being pushed along the canal by a BW worktug, the steerer of which obviously couldn’t see where he was going. Had all this crashed into an unsuspecting hire boat and caused injuries, can you imagine the outcry?

P Beer By email

Sir Titus will be turning in his grave REGARDING your article Alpacas help to commemorate Mill Heritage (News, Issue 95, September); we visited Saltaire in our narrowboat in July to see this wondrous World Heritage site – or rather, we tried to visit but were dismayed to find the only moorings now have a no overnight and maximum sixhour stay condition.

We understand that the people who live in the apartments – in the converted mill built next to the canal – object to boats being moored outside their canalside properties! We have been in touch with both the local Inland Waterways Association (very supportive) and the Canal & River Trust which are apparently trying to find a compromise to keep everybody happy.

Reasons for residents’ objections include use of generators and noise – presumably if the CRT can erect notices saying ‘6 hours max and no overnight mooring’ they could also erect notices saying ‘no generators’ and ‘please be considerate to residents’ etc.

As the canal sides are so shallow we ended up mooring at the Fisherman’s Inn (good food) and walking back approximately a mile and a half to spend the following day in Saltaire – and well worth the effort.

We wonder though how many boaters pass through without stopping because they can’t moor overnight. We also contacted the local traders’ association to let them know the situation and pointed out we spent a reasonable amount of money on food and drink in local businesses. How much are they missing out on by boaters not stopping?

Our view is why buy a property overlooking a canal and then object to boats? Sir Titus will be turning in his grave!

Alan and Mavis Beadle Nb Slockit Light

Left high and dry?

I WONDER if your paper is aware of a 50ft narrowboat which appears abandoned at Tewkesbury lock since the last flood this year. It is slowly deteriorating, the prop has been stolen as have all the cushions.

It is laying at a precarious angle high on the embankment. Maybe you could draw attention to it in your paper.

Concerned (name supplied) By email

‘Victor’ adds his ‘fourpennorth’ HAVING read An unlicensed boat for every mile of canal (Talkback, Issue 95, September) and subsequently Don’t judge a book by its cover (Talkback, Issue 96, October), I feel the necessity to add my ‘fourpennorth’ if such expression doesn’t make me sound too much an old wrinkly.

What a shame (BC by email) is using our valuable resources to such a lack of enjoyment he has to spend the time criticising other people’s way of life without fully knowing what he is talking about.

At the tender age of 70 I decided to build a new 60ft boat for my wife and I to live on. Of course there were purely selfish reasons, in that we enjoy boating, but also the fact we were able to relinquish the state benefits we needed to live in a rented cottage, saving the state circa £6000 per annum.

Regarding marinas, I would not use one if it were free and very few cater for liveaboards anyway.

Some selfish people who can afford a pleasure boat cruise for a weekend and dump the boat on visitor moorings for a week or so, leaving us bonafide continuous cruisers difficulty finding somewhere to moor when we move.

Regarding having to slow down for boats moored on line, BC must have moored many times on the line between Marple and London and back.

Victor Meldrew alias Alan Berry Hinckley, Leicestershire

And another grumpy old git?

I HAVE to wonder why Barry Chapman (Talkback, Issue 95, September) bothered to come to the canals at all. “While cruising there is not a lot to do except look at the scenery.”

Of course there is a lot to do – the countryside is a large part of boating. The vista, the structures, the history and the wildlife are all part of the canal experience. Paying attention to one’s boating skills is also important.

He might like to stop occasionally and clean up sections of the canal. He could try interacting positively with other canal users. Not everyone lives, or wants to live the way he thinks they should and he would do well to understand that not all boats not displaying a licence are unlicensed.

I find it preposterous that “if he knew how” he would set up a website to list licence offenders so he could check on the CRT’s performance. There is nothing in his letter that makes any real sense. I think he would probably be better off living in a static caravan park where he can join the committee and try ordering everyone about. He seems to be a well rounded chap who has a down on every aspect of life on the canals.

I am well known as a Grumpy Old Git but Chapman makes me look like a rank amateur.

Maffi NB Milly M

Canals are not a dumping ground I WOULD like to concur with Barry Chapman’s experience of the canals in his letter An unlicensed boat for every mile (Talkback, Issue 95, September).

Those of us who pay seem to make up the statistics quoted by Denise Yelland. Her 96.1% may be correct as per her records of people who pay, have their boat marked and display their licences. What is laughable about her 96.1% is the amount of unlicensed boats I see just on the Kennet & Avon, and I personally don’t give a damn about whether the people who have no licence and refuse to pay will be made homeless. The canals are not a dumping ground for all the social misfits who have been shunned by the land-loving community and have found a soft touch in the former British waterways, now the Canal & River Trust.

I, like Barry suggested, don’t now slow down past these boats, and make life as uncomfortable for them as they do for everyone else. And do you know what; they have the audacity to shake their fist at me when I go past, or should I say after I’ve passed, as they know to confront me when alongside would be to have it highlighted they are not welcome and why.

And I know what I’ll get from the CRT – you can’t take the law into your own hands; we all must try to get on. So man up CRT! Get a grip; they are taking the law into their own hands, we are just trying to wrestle it back.

Trevor Munton-Willis by email

94 THE LAST WORD

Old Bilge Pump THERE is ugliness lurking at your local sanitary station. No, it is nothing to do with toilets, nor the ‘linger longer’ moored nearby to be handy for the services. It is the new ‘Edwards’ water standpipes the Canal & River Trust is installing as modern replacements.

I have done my best to produce a

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Beauty or the beast?

It depends on your standpoint – or pipe photograph of a replacement set which will not scare the horses. As you can see from the photograph the new stainless steel water point unit is an ugly beast, I have seen better looking objects at two in the morning in Birmingham’s nightclubs.

One dog owner reported to me that he

was very grateful to the trust, for the structure was just high enough for his dog to cock a leg. His dog, he added, was making a true and timely comment on the design.

The whole standpipe appears to have been designed by a committee which nominated the items that had to be bolted or welded on. Although the CRT reports: “The choice of the Edwards standpipe was made after considerable research, it is the market leader and the industry standard. In total we have only used 179 Edwards standpipes out of a total of nearly 1400 sites, this represents only 16% of the total standpipes surveyed. These 179 standpipes would cost an extra £400,000 if we went in with cast iron units compared with approximately £17,900.”

So that is 179 ugly items we have to put up with; nice padlocks though. I wonder how long they will last; already I have two. Yet again I have been unlucky, Cambrian Wharf whence I walk has two of these stainless steel monsters.

Probably because it is Birmingham there are no ‘heritage implications’ as the city has consistently destroyed its heritage on the altar of progress.

Overall, I am very surprised at the cost of £400,000 given for 179 cast-iron standpipes – that is £2234 each. Could anyone produce them for half that amount?

Criminal offence

Two compliant Edwards standpipes, complete with padlocks. PHOTO: DAVID SCOWCROFT

Let’s wait and see…

AS FAR as I am concerned, the jury is out with regard to the formation of the Association of Continuous Cruisers. And it will remain so until by action and words the membership proves to be reasonable in actions and words.

It was something of an act of faith for the CRT’s ‘big guns’ – namely chief executive Richard Parry and directors Vince Moran and Simon Salem – together with an assortment of a lower level management to attend the association’s launch.

According to reports it was formed after a group of continuous cruisers negotiated with CRT a new structure on CRT’s winter mooring policy.

The founders believe “a gentler conciliatory approach would be more helpful in future negotiations”. That is to be commended after reading (and hearing) some pretty vitriolic comments about the previous chief executive’s description of some continuous cruisers as “continuous moorers”, even though it is obvious that true continuous cruisers are somewhat in the minority with more and more boaters using towpath moorings for indefinite periods. And I remember the aggressive attitude by one or two members of the National Bargee Travellers’ Association.

If the Association of Continuous Cruisers (ACC) wants to prove itself a responsible and acceptable user group it should distance itself from, and not tolerate, the kind of language which was often used; neither should it be forgotten that one individual came

On your behalf I did some research as to why this ugliness had come into your life. Well, the first people to blame are the legislators who have been quietly drafting laws to mess you about, sorry, to protect you from contamination.

Vote for me! I promise to make no new laws or regulations, just strongly implement those we already have.

The trust is now classed as a ‘private distribution network of water’ and covered by tougher requirements than in the past. Any non-compliance of the legislation is a criminal offence, which I have no complaint against provided we can nominate who we wish, from the trust, to serve the prison sentence.

Awarded the average salary of a trust

perilously close to facing legal action by the CRT. And above all it should co-operate fully with CRT is stamping down on the illegal mooring activities of what are totally bogus continuous cruisers.

I have been told that one of the ACC’s main aims is to challenge negative perceptions. To do that then let’s hear the genuine continuous cruisers verbally supporting CRT’s efforts to clean up the mooring issue.

Blatant money grabbing from the bereaved

I’ve just come across a blatant piece of money grabbing by the CRT which has left an unpleasant taste.

Apparently if someone who has been committed to the waterways – be it walking, cycling, fishing or boating – for years then departs this earthly domain and relatives want to place a commemorative seat at that person’s favourite location on the canal, they can do so – but at a cost of at least £2500 plus the cost of the equipment.

The CRT is trying to defend its financial greed by saying that such equipment would, in time, have to be maintained. What rubbish! Obviously such an asset would have to be of a suitable standard and suitably located. And on that I have no problem. But such an asset would be there for years with the sole beneficiaries being CRT’s own ‘customers’.

But surely with the CRT looking for assistance from organisations (or individuals) to finance such benefits and not be expected to pay a lot of money to site

senior executive I would be prepared to serve the sentence myself. Peace and quiet, no worries over heating and light, three meals a day and Big Al, the armed bank robber, as a love interest... plus prisoners probably have more space in their cell than I have in my narrowboat bedroom – bring it on.

Therefore in order to avoid meeting Big Al in the showers, the trust has spent half a million pounds on surveying and – where necessary – replacing the 1300 water points through the system.

The trust reports: “Around 1000 of these were non-compliant with these latest regulations for a few reasons; some potentially allowed water to siphon back and contaminate the water supply, others weren’t tamper proof, some needed a stop tap and a drain down valve while others didn’t have the right insulation, right type of tap or a double check valve.” Well I was not at my school when they did physics, I had to take my girlfriend dog racing and so I cannot imagine how water can siphon back from a pressurised tap, but what do I know?

The trust does say that it has tried to retain as many cast iron heritage water points as possible. Therefore, most of the gorgeous Victorian cast iron standpipes have been retained. In some cases the antique stand has been replaced with a modern cast iron replacement. These modern cast iron ones I have not seen and therefore cannot comment on their beauty... or lack of it.

Positive step

We are told that the Navigation Advisory Group of the trust has examined the operation to replace the water points and is in full agreement with the procedure. Perhaps they were all wearing sunglasses, I cannot believe that any of the Navigation Advisory Group are certified blind.

Perhaps the ugly standpipe was kept out of the way, like one of my old girlfriends who was only allowed out in the dark. This ugliness is a pity for the trust has completed a useful survey and updating the water points will be a

positive step for boaters. When cruising we tend to take water points for granted, it is only when one doesn’t work that you realise your dependency. So a vote of thanks to the trust but I do think some people should have gone to Specsavers.

We could have had a competition to design a replacement standpipe – as the trust did for its collection box. My ideas for that little number were ignored, although there is a picture of a swan on one of the possibles.

What would I recommend for a new water standpipe? How about a copy of one of these naughty Edwardian bronze statues of a young lady wearing a fur coat? The one that when the coat is swung open the young lady is naked.

On requiring water one would swing open the coveringand there she could be sat on thewater tap. Moving her arm or leg could set the water to flow. That would warm the male boater’s heart on a frosty morning, even if it would not keep the young lady warm.

TowPaTh TiTTer CONTINUING our light-hearted look at life on the cut with a contribution from Peter Brown of Market Drayton, who spotted this sign earlier in 2013 at Crabtree Bridge on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

something which will benefit, over the years, thousands of passers by enjoying the tranquillity of the waterway.

Left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing

Last month we published a news item stating that there would be no rebates on the unused part of a three month cruising licence. But because the CRT had forgotten to amend its website to this effect, two boaters received (with apologies) rebates for only using the three month licence for two weeks.

It now transpires – according to the website – that one week licences are still available and the financial director of one canal trust which is an agent for CRT licences has told me that, contrary to what the CRT is telling boaters, one week licences are still being issued and for a two week period, two one-week licences would be required. The same person has also told me that they have also issued one-day licences.

I suggest in CRT there is someone who doesn’t know their job or licensing procedures. It is obvious, once again, that in the CRT, the left hand often doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. ● Do you agree or disagree with Stillwater’s comments? Send your views to Talkback (see previous page).

CRT’s latest fundraising initiative is to sell off its swing bridges, using a specialist estate agent.

If you have a suitable photo or anecdote we can share with our readers, please send it to Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR or email: editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk And don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter @towpathtalk and on Facebook

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