Towpath Talk - June 2015

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128 PAGES

Issue 116, June 2015

Descent at the double

TWO CHANCES TO WIN

Fuel cleaning equipment worth £255

P62

P4

NEW! CATCH UP WITH CRACKER’S CHAT P4

Two narrowboats share the Braunston ‘pub lock’ on the Grand Union Canal in front of The Admiral Nelson. Read more about this popular canalside pub in the Braunston Historic Boat Rally preview on P67. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

GRAB A FREE BILGE SOCK

Hire boats back on Thames Tideway

50 to give away

THE Port of London Authority (PLA) has lifted its ban on all hire boats on the Thames Tideway between Brentford and Teddington.

Boats which comply with the Tidal Thames Hired Narrow Boat Operations Guide and submit the relevant paperwork to the PLA will be applicable to travel this route.

In October 2014 the PLA prohibited

P7

A NEW £84 million pontoon has been fixed to the side of the canal bank, near to the A6 Buxton Road Bridge (bridge 37) at Macclesfield, creating much needed visitor moorings for up to six boats.

Funding for the £130,000 project has come partly from public donations to the Canal & River Trust and partly from the sale of derelict land opposite the new moorings to Adlington, a Cheshire development company, which has planning permission to build 47 ‘extra care’ apartments on the site.

361 BOATS FOR SALE

P19

boat count has confirmed that licence evasion rates are below 5% for the sixth year in a row – with 95.4% of boats found to be holding up-to-date licences.

The national boat count also paints a picture of the changing numbers of boats across the country. London, for example, has seen an increase of 291 boats sighted year-on-year, equivalent to more than five boats arriving every week. Nationally the number of boats sighted during the count was up around 3% on 2014.

More locations, more choice Stourport Marina Tel 01299 827 082

Racecourse Marina, Windsor

Stourport on Severn

Tel 01753 851 717

River Thames, Windsor

Thames & Kennet Marina

Walton Marina

Tel 01932 221 689

Boat sales at seven Marinas with over 150 boats for sale

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

Visit:

group created a set of clear, safe and practical requirements for commercial narrowboats to be deemed able to safely travel the Thames.

These take into account the generic feasibility and risk of hired narrowboat operations on the Thames, the technical build and construction of vessels, the hire company responsibilities and hirer’s qualifications and/or experience,

operational considerations leading to safe practice and the application process to obtain PLA authority to operate.

APCO chairman Ann Davies said: “The guide provides an excellent Code of Practice for the safe passage of hired boats between Brentford and Teddington on the tidal River Thames.”

• Continued on page 2

service for Sonia Licence evasion still low AMemorial New Macclesfield moorings THE Canal & River Trust’s annual national LARGE congregation gathered in St Paul’s

NEW DAWN FOR CUCKOO BOAT P18

Starts on

hire boats travelling the Thames Tideway. Since then the British Marine Federation (BMF), along with its group association the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators (APCO), formed a working group with the PLA to see if a position could be established under which hire boat operations could continue in some acceptable form.

With the PLA bylaws in mind, the

Tel 01603 717 804

Pyrford Marina

Tel 01932 343 275 River Wey, Surrey

Norfolk Broads

Cathedral on May 14 for a memorial service for waterways campaigner Sonia Rolt, who died last year.

Held in The Chapel of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, it celebrated Sonia’s life and recognised her wide range of heritage interests including the Inland Waterways Association of which she was a vice-president.

Among the people who shared their memories of Sonia were former British Waterways and Canal & River Trust chief executive Robin Evans and Sir Neil Cossons, former chairman of English Heritage.

2 NEWS

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WELCOME

IT’S hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year as we prepare for a busy month attending events at Crick, Middlewich and Braunston.

The clock is also ticking for nominations for our Volunteer of the Year award, sponsored by ABC Leisure with the fantastic prize of a boat hire holiday to the value of £1500 to the winner from any of ABC’s 14 locations in 2015 or 2016.

If you know someone who you think goes the extra mile for their canal or river, towpath, society, boat club or community boat scheme, please get your nomination in either by filling in the form on page 4, entering online at www.towpathtalk.co.uk or picking one up from our stand at the above events.

Nominations close on July 31.

Over the last few weeks we have been out and about around the network.

Harry Arnold reports from the Easter Gathering at Ellesmere Port (P17) and the Braunston Boat Share Show (P61) while I visited the Derby Motor Boat Club (P14) and Les Heath ventured up the Wendover Arm (P16).

With lots still to come, we have extended our What’s On Guide to four pages this month, starting on page 68 and I visit the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in our Holiday section (P74).

I am always amazed at the energy of some of our more senior readers but this month octogenarian Elizabeth Scott takes the biscuit by taking the train and then cycling home from Bowling to Edinburgh along the towpaths of the Scottish lowland canals with her husband. See her account on P120.

Make the most of the long days

TOWPATH

TALK

Janet

Editor Janet Richardson jrichardson@mortons.co.uk Publisher Julie Brown Display advertising Nikita Leak nleak@mortons.co.uk Classified advertising Stuart Yule syule@mortons.co.uk Feature advertising Jason Carpenter jcarpenter@mortons.co.uk Editorial design Tracey Barton Divisional ad manager Sue Keily Direct sales executive John Sharratt Group production editor Tim Hartley Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole 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 – June 25, 2015

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NBTA’s Towpath Gathering hailed a great success

By Polly Player

THE NBTA (National Bargee Travellers Association) held its first London Towpath Gathering recently to celebrate London’s itinerant boating community and raise awareness of perceived threats to its lifestyle.

Designed to bring boaters and local communities in the capital together for a fun family day, the gathering also gave visitors the chance to find out more about boating life, and the challenges that face the community.

A dual-purpose open air event, the day itself saw music and live performances take place, as well as talks from members of the NBTA and local boaters. Ten trading boats supported the event, allowing local residents to take the opportunity to take a look at life afloat, and get to know some of the transient members of the community in their local area.

The gathering, which took place at

Canal Gate on the Regent’s Canal at Victoria Park, East London, saw around 300 visitors pass through during the afternoon, and around 100 boaters as well, most of whom stopped for a while to pick up leaflets, enjoy the entertainment, and find out more.

Although made aware of the gathering in advance, the Canal & River Trust did not send along a representative or any official attendees.

However, in a statement made later to the Hackney Citizen newspaper, a CRT spokesman said: “We know that people at the event have strong opinions about boating and we’re very happy to discuss things with them directly.

“We are clear where we stand: we welcome all boaters, but we do need to provide guidance on boat movements, so that everyone has fair access to the canals and rivers. The requirements for continuous cruisers aren’t changing. We’re still monitoring boat

Candidates call at ‘quay’ marginal

‘Boats are homes’ posters at the Towpath Gathering. PHOTO: DAVID ROBERTS movement in the same way, and we’re not asking people to move any further if they are genuinely cruising.”

A spokesperson for the NBTA London branch said: “We heard speakers from the London National Bargee Traveller Association and we heard from other campaigns around housing and accommodation, like the Focus E15 campaign and the Radical Housing Network.

“But most importantly, it was a show of strength and solidarity. I think we sent out a clear message to the Canal & River Trust that we are an integral part

of the London canals and that many people support us.

“We are not anti CRT. The trust has done some positive things in London, we have had a few more mooring rings and we have our helpful mooring rangers. However, they must stop seeing us as a problem that needs to be solved and they need to do more to support our independent trading boats and stop giving busy pitches to big commercial operators who can pay top dollar. These traders operate in a labour of love economy and the trust should cherish that.”

● Further information on the NBTA and future events planned in London and other parts of the country can be found on the NBTA’s website, bargee-traveller.org.uk .

Fens link is still ‘on the cards’

By Janet Richardson

On the campaign trail on Northwich Quay before the General Election are Conservative candidate Graham Evans, subsequently re-elected as MP in the key marginal seat of Weaver Vale in Cheshire and, left, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, now MP for Uxbridge & South Ruislip. A waterway supporter, Graham formally opened the quay having supported this important piece of urban regeneration on the River Weaver Navigation.

He has been invited as one of the official guests for the opening of the Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally later this month. PHOTO SUPPLIED

• Continued from page 1

Hire boats make their return to Thames Tideway

The guide is publicly available for all to view and download at http://britishmarine.co.uk/Publi cations/2015/May/Thames-HireBoat-Operations.

Once operators have ensured their boats comply with the requirements they can apply to the PLA for a Certificate of Compliance to travel the Thames Tideway between Brentford and Teddington.

Work is ongoing between the PLA, BMF and APCO to reach an agreement for the Limehouse to Brentford route.

THE future of the proposed Fens Waterway Link was among concerns raised by boaters to Canal & River Trust chief executive Richard Parry at a recent meeting in Lincoln.

East Midlands waterway manager Sean McGinley pointed out that from the Black Sluice Lock in Boston, it came under Environment Agency waters but it was still ‘on the cards’.

Lincolnshire IWA committee chairman Dave Carnell commented that the Black Sluice Act of Parliament had never been rescinded but the plans for the waterway link connecting the cities of Lincoln and Peterborough had ‘fallen apart’ because there was no incentive to take things forward.

Mr Parry said that it would be on the list for future discussions over the proposed transfer of EA waters to the Canal & River Trust. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he added.

Although the construction of Boston’s tidal flood barrier remains on track for completion by the end of 2019, Lincolnshire County Council has stated that it will continue to work towards water level management – aimed at keeping water at consistent levels between Grand Sluice and Black Sluice

Narrowboats heading into Kyme Eau on their way to the recent gathering at South Kyme. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON Pumping Station – as a long term aim but it is a complex issue.

Other ways to enable boats to navigate through Boston will be explored separately.

Among other topics discussed at the meeting, held at the Pyewipe Inn alongside the Fossdyke Canal, were customer service, volunteering, sale of properties such as lock cottages and auction of moorings.

Mr Parry said that CRT is in a much healthier position than if it was still under Government ownership. “We have the freedom to think long term and be in control of our destiny.”

Terror alert in Reading as boat fitted with fake missile comes to town

By Polly Player

BOMB disposal experts and antiterrorist agencies were scrambled to attend a narrowboat moored on the Thames in Caversham, Reading, on April 14 after a member of the public reported seeing a large surface-to-air missile mounted on the roof of the boat.

This was exacerbated by the presence of a sinister-looking man wearing a blue balaclava and peering out from the roof hatch.

A passer-by called Thames Valley Police as the boat passed through Reading, who in turn called in an army bomb disposal team to examine the vessel. After the boat was investigated by experts, the 4ft-long rocket, complete with launching gear, was found to be ornamental rather than functional, and

the balaclava-clad man behind it was in fact a dummy.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “Officers attended and conducted a search of the area, and the boat was located. The reported weapon was found to be purely ornamental.”

The boat, named Tiger Moth, was moored near to Christchurch Meadows children’s playground, just a few miles from Windsor Castle, where the Queen was in residence at the time.

While it was ultimately found that the rocket itself was not functional, Thames Valley Police and local residents did not appreciate the perceived humour value of the staged missile and accompanying terrorist-fashioned dummy, which caused a significant amount of alarm to some passers-by who spotted the boat.

Local resident Janet Shields told

The replica missile launcher which sparked a terrorist alert. PHOTO: PAUL KING Towpath Talk: “From a distance, the mannequin was very convincing, and you had to stand still for quite some time to realise that it was not a real person. The missile too looked very sinister, I don’t know what they were thinking setting up a barge like that and sailing it through the town centre.”

NEWS 3

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Restaurant boat is sunk as its floating pontoon fails to rise

By Polly Player

WELL-KNOWN Richmond restaurant The Boat, based on the River Thames at Richmond Bridge, sank during the early hours of Friday, April 17.

The Boat, which was moored on a floating pontoon, began to sink from the stern at around 1am when the pontoon itself failed to rise with the rising tide. Several other vessels moored in the same spot were also partially submerged during the incident, which saw helpless bystanders watching from the riverside as the tide rose, taking The Boat under the rapidly rising water.

The Boat is a well-known local fixture of Richmond’s riverside, and is itself of national historical interest. A converted college barge that

is thought to be one of only 11 left, it was formerly owned by the Oxford University Boat Club during the 1800s and was used for rowing boat storage, as a changing room for the teams, and to carry spectators at race events.

The Teddington branch of the RNLI attended the incident at the request of the London Coastguard during the night, and launched a salvage operation to support the owners of several local rowing boats, who were attempting to rescue some of the debris floating around the pontoon.

RNLI crew member James Kavanagh said: “The pontoon had failed and any vessel moored with decent rope was quickly being dragged under. As the tide rose, the stern of The Boat restaurant became fully submerged.”

Nobody was on board the vessel at the time of the incident, and nobody was hurt as a result of the sinking. The RNLI acted quickly to search the area for possible casualties, and to do what they could to secure electrical fittings and shore connections from The Boat in order to reduce the chances of exacerbating the incident.

However, nothing could be done to save the vessel from sinking, as the stern of the vessel was quickly submerged along with the failed pontoon.

The owners are currently in the process of launching a clean-up and recovery operation to refloat The Boat and restore the interior, with a view to reopening as soon as possible. As yet, a potential timescale for the reopening of the restaurant has not been provided.

Signpost threatened by rotting timber

By Harry Arnold

The signpost at Great Haywood.

PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

ROT in the base of the large and elegant wooden signpost at Great Haywood Junction – where the Staffs & Worcester and the Trent & Mersey canals meet – threatens its future.

It is the final one of five erected by the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Society (SWCS) at all the junctions this canal makes with other waterways and – as a plaque states – was unveiled on May 26, 1984, by the late Dr Alan Robertson, then deputy chairman of British Waterways (BW).

Initially the Canal & River Trust (CRT) said it would simply remove it on health and safety grounds; but in correspondence with Chris Dyche of SWCS it was pointed out the signposts paid for and erected by the society were taken into BW’s ownership portfolio by then local waterway manager, with a view to maintaining the standard of these important artefacts.

SWCS is pressing for the repair and/or replacement of the signpost, in which it is also fully supported by the Trent & Mersey Canal Society. We understand that – although the signpost may have to be taken down temporarily – CRT has now agreed to this course of action.

Suitcase victim named

A MAN has been arrested and charged with murder following the discovery of a woman’s body in a suitcase in the Grand Union Canal near the Little Venice moorings, writes Polly Player. The deceased has been named as Marta Ligman, a 23-year-old Polish national from Buckingham Road, Brent.

Another two men were arrested and bailed pending ongoing enquiries. Police enquiries into the murder remain ongoing, and the boating community is invited to contact the investigating team with any information by calling their direct line on 0208 785 8244, or by calling the police non-emergency number, 101.

Soar dredging project

A £700,000 dredging project aimed at making Leicestershire’s waterways easier for boaters to navigate has begun. Almost nine miles of the River Soar is being dredged by the Canal & River Trust in two phases.

The first phase from Belton Road in Loughborough to Zouch Lock near Hathern was expected to be completed by the end of May. The second phase will focus on the river between Junction Lock near Rothley and Lime Kiln Lock to the north of Leicester city centre and is due to be completed by the end of June.

‘Slow ways’ campaign

The 1984 commemorative plaque.

The fingerpost to the future THE Stafford Riverway Link has recently made significant progress in re-establishing the entrance of the navigation from the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal near to St Thomas Bridge No 101.

A 99-year lease negotiated with the landowner has enabled SRL – a Community Interest Company – to establish the position of the entrance basin and also to excavate the foundations of the former lock house.

A new fingerpost was installed and unveiled recently. It was produced by John Mountfort and Alan Gosage in the workshops at Stafford Boat Club to the design of other Staffs & Worcs finger posts.

The ribbon on the post was cut by Olive Price, whose family were the last to occupy the Lock House. The post was financed by the ex-Mayor of Stafford’s charity fund, with a further contribution from River Canal Rescue.

The fingerpost has four arms. Two of them point to Great Haywood and Wolverhampton, and a third points to the location of the River & Canal Rescue.

The fourth, the most important as far as the Trust is concerned, points towards Stafford.

IN BRIEF

LAUNCHING a campaign calling on people to share the space and drop the pace, Canal & River Trust chief executive Richard Parry described them as ‘super slow ways’, providing a slice of peace and calm through the centres of our busiest cities.

The trust’s towpath code Better Towpaths for Everyone was produced after consultation with more than 2000 towpath visitors and interest groups. The top three issues raised were the need for improvements to the towpaths, better signage and better behaviour between visitors.

Bats in the pillbox GIRL Guides have transformed an

abandoned Second World War pillbox on the banks of the Kennet & Avon canal in Berkshire into a haven for bats.

Working with the Canal & River Trust, the Guides have created a bat mansion, as well as helping out with painting and wildflower planting, at Garston Lock near Reading, after having ‘adopted’ the lock through the Trust’s volunteering programme.

Results of our online poll

At the fingerpost at the junction of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal with the River Sow Navigation are, from left: Olive Price, her friend Peggy Payne, Lily and Brian Cross former Mayoress and Mayor of Stafford, Sarah Rowley representing Canal & River Rescue, John Mountfort, Commodore of Stafford Boat Club and vice-chairman of Stafford Riverway Link and Ivor Hind, SRL chairman. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

IN OUR last online poll at www.towpathtalk.co.uk we asked readers whether they have used the Liverpool Link.

Almost half those who responded had used the Link and a further 12% were planning to do this summer; 15% may do in the future; 22% said no.

With the IWA Northampton Festival of Water taking place in August, we are asking readers whether they have cruised the River Nene.

4 NEWS

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Big ale unloading is just the beginning of canal’s 200th anniversary celebrations

By Harry Arnold

Beer being unloaded at ABC’s Alvechurch wharf, from left: Darren Mathews, ABC manager at Alvechurch Marina, Ivor Chambers, skipper of Atlas, John Humphries, landlord of The Weighbridge Inn, David Wheeler, chairman Worcester Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society, Adrian Smith, harbourmaster Worcester Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society and Paul Cooksey, head brewer at Old Swan Brewery.

UNLOADING casks of special ales at ABC Leisure’s Alvechurch wharf was the first in a series of events organised by the Worcester Birmingham & Droitwich Canal Society, which involved the carriage of beer on to the St Richards Festival in Droitwich.

This was all part of celebrating the 200th anniversary of the 1815 opening of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

Carried from Birmingham aboard the Birmingham Canal Navigation Society’s (BCNS) Atlas some casks of two specially brewed ales were initially delivered to Alvechurch Marina’s Weighbridge Inn for a subsequent beer and boat festival. Atlas then carried on down the canal to deliver the rest for the festival in Droitwich.

From the other direction an ABC holiday hire boat took aboard casks of another special brew – ‘58’, named after the number of locks on the Worcester & Birmingham – to carry them to Droitwich and

Actress Ellie Darvill and director Karen Benjamin perform a scene from River’s Up. meet Atlas; so beer-carrying boats navigated the full length of both canals.

As part of the Alvechurch event there was an outdoor preview of scenes from a play called River’s Up, written by Alex Jones, and directed by Karen Benjamin, which will be staged at The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, from June 10-13. Described as “a quirky tragi-comedy of epic proportions”, it is claimed “to be the very first play to tackle the serious subject of climate change” and is set on the flooded River Severn around Worcester. One of the visitors to the Alvechurch event who lives locally, Anthony Cheetham, came specially to show his new son his ‘namesake’ narrowboat.

Anthony Cheetham shows his young son Atlas his namesake boat – the BCNS’s historic Atlas.

Anthony’s son is called Atlas, just like BCNS’s historic boat that brought the beer.

✃

CRACKER’S CHAT

The Volunteer of the Year will receive a free holiday worth £1500, courtesy of ABC Boat Hire Holidays! This fantastic prize can be taken in 2015 or 2016, and the winner will have 14 superb locations to choose from – the perfect reward for all their hard work.

Nominate the volunteer you feel deserves this accolade by using the form overle Nominate overleaf af and return Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs return to: Volunteer Volunteer of the Award, Award, Towpath Towpath Talk, Talk, PO Box Alternatively, LN9 6LZ. Alterna tively, visit www.towpathtalk.co.uk/volunteer2015 www.towpathtalk.co.uk/volunteer2015 and enter online.

Nominations Friday, Nomina tions will be accepted until 5pm on F riday, July 31, 2015

About the person you are nominating:

HELLO and welcome to this first edition of Cracker’s Chat, which will now be a regular feature in Towpath Talk.

By way of an introduction, you may be surprised to hear that I’m a strawberry roan gelding, standing 13.2 hands high and I am officially known as a ‘Shropshire Half-leg’, which means I look like a miniature shire horse.

Although my ancestors were originally used as pit ponies down the mines, I now ply my trade by pulling a canal boat along the Montgomery Canal, affectionally known as the ‘Monty’.

Operating from Canal Central in Maesbury Marsh, north Shropshire, I take visitors out on Countess, a narrowboat built in the style of a Victorian packet boat.

The early May Bank Holiday coincided with my 11th birthday and, as you can see from the picture, it was well attended by friends, crew and VIPs. The guest of honour was Rosemary Griffin, the great, great, great granddaughter of George Watson Buck, who was the Monty engineer in the early 19th century. Among his many

achievements, he invented the unique lock paddle design, rebuilt the Luggie Aqueduct at Brithdir and repaired the aqueduct over the River Vyrnwy. So a very clever chap indeed!

A good time was had by all playing quoits with my old horseshoes, holding the preliminary round of the AllEngland Inland Waterways Gurning competition and consuming the biggest carrot cake in the world (kindly baked by my friends at Fine & Dandy, Oswestry).

So, until next month’s issue, I leave with you with this thought: “You can take a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead”! Okay, I know they contain graphite, but then the joke wouldn’t work.

Follow my exploits on Facebook @BoatHorseCracker and, until we meet again, may your bucket always contain carrots.

Cracker

ABOUT YOU:

Cracker with his birthday guests: back row, from left: Pearl Cross, Mike Dutton (with Daisy), Tim Barker, Phil Cross (winning Gurner), Barry Graham, Sylvia Edwards (Monty Canal Development Officer) and Marion Blockley. Front: Cathy Tallentire (Fine & Dandy), Lynne Griffiths, Gill Dutton, Bridget Graham and Dylwyn Griffiths. Centre: Cracker with Rosemary Griffin. PHOTO SUPPLIED

NEWS 5

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Cavalcade coincides with royal birth A RUMOUR was circulating around the Paddington area that a special party was being held to celebrate the arrival of the new royal baby, born just a few metres along the towpath in St Mary’s Hospital, which drew the crowds to enjoy the sun and spectacle of the annual IWA Canalway Cavalcade over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.

At the opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon, Libby Bradshaw, events manager on the organising committee, introduced Coun Audrey Lewis, Lord Mayor of Westminster, who praised the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) volunteers for organising the festival for the 33rd year.

National chairman, Les Etheridge, thanked all the volunteers who put in such a tremendous effort to plan, organise and staff the event. He also encouraged everyone to make a donation to support the work of IWA and to visit the marquee on Warwick Crescent to find out more about the work it does.

Libby then thanked British Land, which supported all the waterborne events at the festival.Coun Lewis rang the ship’s bell to officially open the event attended by 147 boats from all parts of the waterway network.

The pageant, themed Canals in Bloom, after the opening ceremony and procession of illuminated boats on Sunday evening were very well attended with some beautiful displays

of blooms, including one made entirely from recycled plastic bags. There was a wonderfully friendly atmosphere among the crowds throughout the three days of the festival.

Organising committee chairman and commercial director Jerry Sanders said: “We increased the number of stalls and extended the trade show, added more interesting, high-quality food stalls and changed the format slightly.

“The word soon spread that Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice was the place to enjoy real ale, good food and a terrific atmosphere, so the crowds just poured in.”

The following awards were presented

by John Edmonds, vice-president of London Region IWA: Best decorated privately entered boat in Saturday’s pageant – Muttley owned by Michael and Marion Birch, runner-up Little Gem, owned by Franze Progatzky; Community/volunteer group – Roger owned by the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, Boaters’ Sunday Best costume – Brian and Margaret Oliver on Zavala; Illuminated boat – Stacey Su, owned by Shaun Stavey, runner-up Webbies owned by Alan Webb; New entry – Ivy Rose owned by Jim Fisher; Boat handling – Martin Ludgate on Fulbourne, runner-up Tim Garland on Flora Dora, best novice competitor – Grebe, owned by Mr Dabineth, Best boat overall – Wat Tayler, owned by Roy Roper and Ray Bowers.

Decorated boat runner-up Little Gem in the pool. PHOTO: INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION

Home on the range at South Pennine Boat Club despite the downpours BOAT lovers found they were home on the range at a boat rally and Wild West open day, writes Geoff Wood.

But the hosts of the biennial event, the

South Pennine Boat Club at Mirfield, West Yorkshire, found it was not a place where the deer and the antelope roam.

Yet the enterprising club had a

Busy on the barbie are club commodore Peter Davies with his cowhands Peter Smith, Frank Auffret and Avril Davies. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

Racing pigs proved a popular attraction.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

Launching a new addition to their Tankbuster fuel-cleaning products – a range of Thai ornamental products – are Bruce and Aunchalee Hewitt.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

The young entrants in the fancy dress competition receive their prizes following judging by commodore Peter Davies, right. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

pantomime horse and a pantomime cow racing through the marina.

However earlier plans for the pantomime horse to pull a barge were abandoned after the ‘animal’ ran out of puff in earlier trials.

Members dressed in cowboy gear and visitors were encouraged to turn up in costume and there were prizes for the best dressed.

Western music echoed through the site, hay bales proved handy seats and numerous side shows were available to amuse.

The Calder Navigation Society’s boat Savile – powered by a diesel engine – was very busy giving canal trips.

But the big disappointment was the weather – a few drops of rain at first and then a downpour.

Although it eased a little in the afternoon, by then the site had been given a thorough soaking.

Boat club commodore, Peter Davies, said: “It is a shame about the weather.

But we have had a reasonable turn out of people despite the conditions.

“We cannot do anything about the weather but we can put on a pleasant show for visitors.”

6 NEWS

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Working boats to return to city wharf

IN BRIEF ‘Sub’ skipper sent down

AN ECCENTRIC boater who converted his narrowboat to resemble a German U-boat has started a jail sentence for a £1 million tax con, writes Geoff Wood.

Adopting the title of captain, Richard Williams moored his boat at Clarence Dock in Leeds and set up a string of bogus companies supposedly selling disability furniture. He then pocketed cash by claiming back VAT he had supposedly paid, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Williams was jailed for four years and eight months after pleading guilty to cheating the public revenue and making false claims.

His then wife Lauren Howarth was jailed for 20 months.

Navigable drains

THE Black Sluice entrance lock to the Fenland Link is back in use following last year’s flood damage. The Link and the Boston Navigable Drains are open for navigation from May to September inclusive and suitable times for passage over the tidal Boston Haven can be checked with the Grand Sluice lock keepers on 01205 364864 or 07712 010920 (Black Sluice booking line is 01522 785041). Before leaving either lock, check with the Port of Boston Harbour Master on 01205 362328 about any commercial shipping movements.

New partnership members

THE Canal & River Trust has appointed seven new members to join the North Wales and Borders Waterway partnership. They are: John Yates, a heritage conservation specialist from Wem, Shropshire; Nicola Said, marketing expert from Wrexham; Mike Carter, marine surveyor from Weaverham, Cheshire; Sara Mogel, further education specialist from Caerwys, Flintshire; Campbell Boyle, construction specialist from Gnosall, Stafford; Barry Stamp, councillor and charity CEO from Stafford; and Sue Cawson, leader on education on the waterways from Audlem, Cheshire.

By Harry Arnold

Councillors Wendy and Andrew Dyke beneath the new signpost in Vines Park, Droitwich Spa. INSET: To the north is Tewitfield on the Lancaster Canal – a distance of 127 miles. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

New canal signpost unveiled in Droitwich

A CARVED oak signpost was recently unveiled in Vines Park, Droitwich Spa by Wychavon district councillors Andrew and Wendy Dyke.

Standing at more than three metres high, it was designed and carved by sculptor Tom Harvey, an expert in large-scale wood carving, who has produced many of the wood sculptures in Wychavon’s parks.

Council parks officer Lynn Stevens explained: “The sign, which is as much a work of art as it is informative, points to the furthest places attainable on the inland waterway system in each direction – be that north, south, east or west.

“The boards mark the waterway distance in miles, as well as the number of locks, bridges and tunnels that a narrowboat would encounter along the way if it was to set off from Droitwich.”

Coun Andrew Dyke said: “Over the years Wendy and I have visited all of the places mentioned on the signpost as we’ve travelled along our wonderful waterway system in our own narrowboat, the Lord Toulouse.”

The money to produce the signpost was raised back in 2009/10, at which time Coun Andrew Dyke was chairman of Wychavon District Council with one of his chosen charities being the Droitwich Canals Trust.

A RALLY of traditional working boats is to be held on the Nottingham Canal section of the River Trent navigation at Castle Wharf, right in the city centre of Nottingham.

The regenerated waterfront includes both the local historic warehouse depots of the wellknown Fellows, Morton & Clayton company and that of the later Trent Navigation Company.

The event is being organised on Saturday, October 10 by the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) East Midlands waterway partnership to promote Nottinghamshire’s canals and River Trent, to celebrate their role in the county’s history and to recognise their importance to local communities and the benefits

they bring to the local economy.

It is being organised in conjunction with Nottingham City Council and local pubs and businesses and will tie in with others taking place in the city, including the popular Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival, held at Nottingham Castle.

The FMC warehouse is now a popular pub/restaurant, but a few years ago – as the sign still states – it was initially renovated as a dedicated local waterway museum. Two ex-FMC craft – the motor boat Ferret and the butty boat Ilkeston – were fully restored and based there. For various reasons the project did not continue and both boats are now in the National Waterways Museum collection at Ellesmere Port; the former has recently been fully restored again.

CRT’s local partnership is keen to attract a gathering of around 20 historic boats. The canal is, of course, a wide waterway, so there is no reason why historic barges cannot attend, as well as narrowboats.

During the event the visiting public will have the opportunity to try a variety of water-based activities, including canoeing, angling and boat trips. It will also have craft stalls, live music and other land-based family activities.

Anyone wishing to bring a historic boat to the event should contact enquiries.emidlands@ canal rivertrust.org.uk to book a mooring.

The historic warehouse on Nottingham waterfront used by the Fellows Morton & Clayton company.

INSET: A boatman’s 1930s snapshot of butty boats at the warehouse.

(PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES/WALLEY FAMILY – WI LIBRARY)

‘Linking the Locks’ project launched in Warrington and Widnes THE ‘Linking the Locks’ project has been officially launched at events held in Warrington and Widnes. As reported in our March edition, it is a joint initiative between Warrington BC, Halton BC, with specialist input from the Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS) and will provide a package of support to businesses and organisations located along the route of the Sankey Canal.

Jonathan Aghanian of Warrington & Co, which is

delivering the project, said: “This is a unique programme for smallmedium businesses based along the historic Sankey Canal route.

“Not only will the project make a valued contribution to improvements in the local environment, crucially it will enable businesses to access financial assistance and expert guidance on recruiting and retaining skilled apprentices/ trainees in the local area.”

He added that coupled with

the ability to access wider support from partners in this project, it presents a fantastic opportunity for organisations within Warrington and Widnes.

Events were held at True Fit Golf Centre, Cuerdley and Catalyst Science Museum, Spike Island, and attended by a mix of local businesses, partners and key agencies in Warrington and Halton, delegates reacting positively to news of the project’s aims.

Chance to have your say on the future of the Pocklington Canal LOCAL people are being given the chance to have their say on the future of the Pocklington Canal as a travelling roadshow makes its way around the East Yorkshire town.

As well as finding out more about a draft plan for the canal, they can submit a short survey giving their views.

Everyone taking part will be entered into a prize draw to win a family boat trip with Pocklington Canal Amenity Society on their boat New Horizons.

This will be drawn on July 31.

The roadshows started in May and continue on June 6 at Canal Head; a copy of the survey is also available online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ Pocklington Rachel Walker, Pocklington Canal development officer for the Canal & River Trust, said: “We want to hear how they think we can improve the provision of information and how we can really engage people with the wider efforts to restore the

canal through events, activities and volunteering opportunities.”

It’s all part of a Heritage Lottery Fund bid, led by a partnership including the Canal & River Trust, East & North Yorkshire Waterways Partnership, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society (PCAS), and Natural England, which if successful could see £500,000 invested in protecting the canal’s delicate ecology and historical features.

Survey findings will be fed into more detailed Visitor Interpretation Plans, Conservation Management Plans and Activity Plans, which will be presented for people’s comments at the PCAS Boat Rally on July 25-26 and at Pocklington Summer Fair on August 8.

The final plans will form a key part of the funding bid to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund in November. Funding has also been provided by PCAS and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

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.

Put a sock in it!

THE Canal & River Trust has opened a pilot dredging treatment site near Coventry in a bid to combat the rising cost of landfill disposal and new legislation regarding ‘wet waste’.

It should provide a cost efficient place to process dredgings that aren’t suitable for other uses, such as being spread on to agricultural land or reprofiling eroded canal banks. The site includes drying lagoons and the CRT is trialling various methods of drying out the dredgings. Material should dry down by a third on average, which reduces the amount going in to landfill and associated costs.

The Green Blue project manager Jane Swan reports on ways to cut down on water pollution.

IT IS an offence under the Water Resources Act 1991 to cause or knowingly discharge poisonous, noxious or polluting matter or solid waste matter into water, and that includes waste from a boat into inland freshwater.

It’s standard practice that sewage should not be emptied into the waterways and that it’s best to avoid phosphates in cleaning detergents that could be discharged in grey water; but another source of water pollution comes from oil and fuel.

Although less catastrophic than the spills we see from industrial accidents, the cumulative effect of small spills and leaks from boats can still build steadily to cause widespread damage.

While fuel tends to evaporate fairly quickly (though still a good idea to use a collar when refuelling to catch drips), oil is a highly visible pollutant that does not dissolve and covers the surface of the water. It reduces the level of dissolved oxygen in the water and can kill aquatic life. It can also smother fish and damage the waterproofing plumage of birds.

One simple way of preventing your narrowboat or cruiser from contributing to water pollution is to maintain the engine regularly. This will not only cut emissions but also increase your engine’s efficiency (while decreasing fuel bills).

Take time to inspect the drip tray, fuel lines, hoses, gearbox and all connections for deterioration and leaks. Fix leaks and replace worn parts. If your engine leaks, not only are you wasting oil and money, but also chances are that oily water will accumulate in your bilge.

Oily bilges Oil is a highly visible pollutant that does not dissolve and covers the surface of the water.

And that brings us on to the matter of oily bilges.

The engine bilge is usually fitted with an electric bilge pump to empty the water overboard. If the bilge water is oily, then the hydrocarbons will be pumped overboard too, causing pollution.

IN BRIEF Dredging treatment trials

Badge of honour

A bilge sock is covered in hydrophobic material that repels water but absorbs the pollutants.

A number of forums suggest disposable nappies to soak up the oil, but in fact a bespoke bilge sock is a far better option built just for the job.

A bilge sock looks something like a draught excluder and is covered in hydrophobic material that repels water but absorbs the pollutants. Once soaked with oil (most socks can contain around a litre) it needs to be disposed of as hazardous or special waste at your local marina or household refuse site.

You may even want to look into installing an inline bilge filter which will also remove and contain the hydrocarbons before the bilges are pumped.

For more information take a look at http://www.wavestream.co.uk/or www.asap supplies.co.uk Many chandleries now stock bilge socks but The Green Blue – the joint environment project of the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine Federation – has a handful to give away for free to the first 50 readers of Towpath Talk who get in touch.

Simply email project manager Jane Swan at jane.swan@thegreenblue.org.uk with your name and address and details of where you keep your boat, and a bilge sock will be sent to you ready for the summer boating season.

For more information on how to make your inland boating as sustainable as possible visit www.thegreenblue.org.uk

THE Huddersfield Narrow Canal recently ‘starred’ in a popular children’s TV programme, and for canal workers it was a dream come true, writes Geoff Wood.

The workers were presented with their Blue Peter badges following the long-running BBC show’s broadcast. In the programme, presenter Barney Harwood helped make a new lock gate and fit it together with staff from the Canal and River Trust and the Manchester and Pennine Waterway team. Lock 37 east was being replaced as part of the trust’s maintenance programme.

Historic hedge project

A PROJECT to restore canalside hedgerows along the Ashton Canal in central Manchester aims to halt the 50% decline in hedgerows since the Second World War. The Ancoats Canal Adoption Group joined the Canal & River Trust’s Adopt a Canal scheme in 2011. The group is repairing and replanting existing hedges, filling in gaps between hedgerows and helping to connect important habitats.

Open water warning

WITH many people around Britain tempted in warmer weather to take a dip in canals, rivers and reservoirs, warnings are going out from emergency services over the dangers swimmers face, writes Geoff Wood.

Head of the Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service Alex Waller said: “Our advice is only ever to swim outdoors as part of an oganised open water swimming club.”

8 NETWORKING

SOCIETY NEWS

Election pledges

BY THE general election on May 7, pledges of support for the Inland Waterways Association’s manifesto were approaching 300 from all the main political parties including two former waterway ministers, three former secretaries of state and a party leader.

Of the 289 candidates who signed up to the manifesto, 39 were elected and IWA is making arrangements to meet these and all other new MPs with navigable waterways in their constituencies.

They will be invited to a reception at the House of Commons later this summer, where they will have the opportunity to discuss waterway issues with IWA representatives.

Marsworth lock-aid CHILTERN Branch IWA is

recruiting volunteers for the popular annual event assisting boaters through Marsworth Bottom Lock over the weekend of July 18-19 to raise funds for the canal restoration programme.

If you have never worked a lock before but would like to know how, here is your chance to learn by working alongside experienced boaters. They operate the lock from 9am till 6pm on both days and welcome volunteers who can do any of the time slots mornings or afternoons. Contact John Brice 07740 733241, john.brice@waterways.org.uk (Chiltern eNews April 2015)

Tyrley tattle

AT TOWPATH Talk we were interested to read a historical Tyrley Tattle item from 1840 about two men facing jail sentences if they couldn’t pay fines for wasting water in locks on the Tyrley flight by opening the ‘cloughs’ (paddles) before the lower gates were closed and the other before another boat had come through. The fines were 9s 6d and 30s plus costs – more than the wages of a skilled craftsman at that time. (Shroppie Fly Paper, Spring 2015)

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Wey & Arun anniversary project launched

The concrete causeway at the entrance to Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, with the severed canal below.

THE Wey and Arun Canal Trust has raised enough funds to begin work to remove a concrete causeway blocking the route at Compasses Bridge, Alfold, Surrey, and construct a new bridge over the canal.

Over £400,000 had been raised, which means the project can start, but fundraising will continue in order to meet the full £700,000 cost.

The trust was given planning consent on March 11, which allows it to connect two 2km long restored sections – 150

years after boats last used the original canal.

The trust hopes to officially reopen the restored section next September, in time for the 200th anniversary of the canal’s opening. Compasses Bridge is important to trust members, as it is here that the canal’s official opening was declared in September 1816, before the party retired to the nearby Three Compasses public house to continue celebrations.

The causeway at Compasses

Cardboard boats

THE cardboard boat race will be the highlight of the fun day on the Union Canal at Linlithgow on Sunday, August 16. The event is organised by the Linlithgow Union Canal Society which celebrated its 40th birthday in April. (LUCS News, March 2015)

Bridge that blocks the canal route was built in 1942 during the construction of the adjacent Dunsfold Aerodrome, which was built for the Royal Canadian Air Force, as part of the Commonwealth contribution to the war effort.

Restoration of ‘London’s lost route to the sea’ has been under way since the 1970s.

The 23-mile canal was opened in 1816 to link rivers in Surrey and West Sussex, but closed in 1871 because of competition from railways.

Proving a point in the Middle Levels A RECENT survey by the IWA revealed that approximately 70% of the navigation structures that the Environment Agency were failing to maintain were in the Anglian region of that authority.

The Peterborough branch IWA has for some time continued to emphasise this point, writes branch chairman David Venn, particularly since the closure of Welches Dam lock and the Horseway channel.

The annual Easter cruise this year was planned with this in mind. Seven boats of a more determined nature met at the newly installed moorings sited in Three Holes, the cost of which was borne by Peterborough IWA and the Middle Level Watermen’s Club.

The boaters set off down the 16ft drain with the wind to their faces and to the musical accompaniment of car horns from the road that has a parallel course to the waterway. They reached their first

night’s stop, at Stonea and after much manoeuvring tied up to the bank. A further member then joined them before retiring to the local hostelry for a convivial evening and chance to plan the following day’s itinerary.

Come Saturday the conditions were much the same as the previous day, apart from the wind, which had turned 180 degrees and was now blowing on their backs. Arriving at the junction with the Forty Foot Drain they managed to turn half the boats around to enable them to pull the boats in both directions, as there are no winding facilities at Horseways lock.

The first bridge hole caused no problems approaching from this direction; there was, however, a fair amount of floating debris associated with the infrequent use of a dead-end channel, along with overhanging vegetation and tree branches. They

arrived at Horseways Lock free of any damage and moored up for a photo call and a well-deserved coffee.

The return journey saw two groundings in the bridge hole and a few weed hatches being raised before reaching Ramsey Forty foot for the night’s mooring.

Easter Sunday’s objective was to take the boats, which by now had grown to 10, to the winding hole at the Ramsey basin where work has been done to the bank revetments in anticipation of a new bridge being constructed, with mooring facilities. Despite the best endeavours of the overgrown brambles on the offside all the boats winded under their own power with the exception of a 60-footer which required the fenders to be lifted, poling at the stern and bow hauling.

From Ramsey they proceeded to Benwick for an enjoyable social event laid on by the MLWC.

The boats at the current head of navigation, Horseways Lock on the Forty Foot Drain of the Middle Levels.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Monday morning saw the boaters dispersing to their various home moorings with good memories and a feeling of a job well done. Cruises like this are needed to ensure the waterways are maintained in a navigable condition and to highlight potential problems.

Diesel engine fans go electric for boat

First narrowboat for over 80 years

RNR members about to board Birdswood at Cromford Wharf. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

DESPITE incessant drizzle a larger crowd than might have been expected turned up to see the opening of the slipway and swing bridge during the Canal Open Day on the Thames & Medway Canal.

The Mayor of Gravesend, Coun John Caller and his wife attended the event, and with their umbrellas at the ready the ribbon was duly cut declaring the slipway officially open with the first narrowboat for more than 80 years Grey Owl slipped into the water.

After seeing the displays, the civic party then made their way to the recently restored Swing Bridge for a further opening ceremony which is the first time for over 40 year that the footpath Bridge has been swung .

Later a short trip was undertaken by the mayor in Grey Owl. Members of the Gravesend Sea

Cakemaker quest INSPIRED by Saturn’s anniversary

cake at the recent Easter Gathering at the National Waterways Museum, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society is seeking a culinary connoisseur among its members to create a celebration cake for the Leeds & Liverpool Canal’s bicentenary next year.

The society is also looking for ways of celebrating the 200th anniversary of the canal’s completion. (Clogs & Gansey, Spring 2015)

The view north from Compasses Bridge. PHOTOS: COLIN TYSON

By Harry Arnold

AFTER taking to the narrow gauge steam railways of Wales last year, the diesel engine fans of the Russell Newbery Register (RNR) sampled the electric propulsion of the Friends of the Cromford Canal’s passenger boat Birdswood for the first part of their 2015 spring outing.

More than 30 members and friends

enjoyed the cruise from Cromford Wharf then later on went to the nearby Crich National Tramway Museum to try out traditional wheeled electric power.

RNR members will again gather – aboard their boats this time – for this year’s annual rally on the BCN at Titford Pump House from July 16-19, kindly hosted by the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society.

On the slipway in front of Grey Owl are David Parnell, swingbridge coordinator, Coun and Mrs John Caller and David Rouse, chairman Thames & Medway Canal Association. The canoe group are from Gravesend Sea Cadets led by Brenda Mackley.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Cadets and leaders also braved the elements and a model boat display was attempted in the blustery conditions.

New challenge for Lichfield canal

At the cheque presentation are, from left: Brian Kingshott, (LHCRT chairman; James Hodson, MEL director of motorway operations; Tom Fanning, MEL CEO; Michael Fabricant, Lichfield MP and LHCRT patron; Peter Buck, LHCRT engineering director and Eric Wood, LHCRT founder and president.

PHOTO: MEL

DESPITE making excellent progress at many locations along the Lichfield Canal, the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust is facing yet another major challenge.

The long-delayed plans to extend the Lichfield Bypass are finally moving forwards.

Staffordshire Highways intends to install a tunnel under the Birmingham Railway line by the end of next year parallel to the crossing that LHCRT must also install to get the canal to London Road.

It is not possible to include road and canal in a single tunnel; for operational reasons, it is essential that the canal crossing is installed immediately after the road goes through.

The main issues are gaining a railway possession from Network Rail and ensuring site access before the planned housing developments start.

Trust chairman, Brian Kingshott, said:

“Lichfield & Hatherton is faced with a project cost estimated to be in excess of £2.1 million with a very short time frame to raise the money.

“Assuming the rerouting of the canal at Huddlesford in the wake of HS2 this is probably the last potential ‘showstopper’. All our other major projects will cost considerable sums but are not timelimited by factors beyond our control.”

Toll cheque

The operators of the M6 toll road recently made a major contribution to the trust’s work with a contribution of £50,000 from Midlands Expressway Limited (MEL) towards the costs of work near the motorway.

This was presented at an on-site ceremony close to the trust’s aqueduct over the motorway.

MEL’s chief executive officer, Tom Fanning, was honouring an undertaking

made when the motorway was built to make a ‘substantial contribution’ towards the cost of reinstating the Crane Brook Culvert, which was removed as part of the motorway construction programme.

He was presented with a certificate of honorary life membership of the trust in recognition of the generosity of MEL and the currently close co-operation between the two organisations in progressing this stage of the restoration project.

The aqueduct will be opened up to the public when the Heritage Towpath Trail has been completed along this Summerhill section and when safety work to the structure is in place.

The restoration of the seven-mile Lichfield Canal, opened in 1797 and closed in 1954, will allow boats to travel from Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal to Ogley Junction on the Birmingham Canal Navigations near Brownhills.

NETWORKING 9

www.towpathtalk.co.uk

Characters of the cut Helen Hutt talks to Noah Price about the pleasures and pitfalls of being a single-handed boater...

TWELVE years ago Helen Hutt found herself “at a crossroads” in her life. She was living in a flat in Leamington Spa, which she saw as only a temporary set-up until she had a clearer idea of where she wanted to live. But because she hadn’t enough money to buy a property outright and felt that at 57 she was too old to take on a mortgage, her options were limited.

Her flat overlooked the Grand Union Canal and when she was not working as a self-employed public relations marketing consultant, she would cycle and take long walks along the towpath. One day she thought to herself: “The people on these boats seem a friendly bunch – I wonder what it’s like living aboard?”

She visited a boatyard in Warwick where she was shown around some of the boats and gained a “mental checklist” of things she needed to consider. She left the yard feeling quietly confident that she was on the cusp of finding what she had been yearning for.

A whole new lifestyle

Over the next few months Helen “did a bit more research and looked at some more boats”. Then she was invited on a day trip on a narrowboat belonging to the parents of a friend. This convinced her that a boat “wasn’t just going to be a place to live, but the gateway to a whole new lifestyle”.

Some acquaintances felt she was taking a bit of a gamble – and Helen is sure that even her adult children thought she had “gone barmy”. But she ignored all voices of doubt and in December 2005, three months after the day trip, she bought a 57ft narrowboat called Pipistrelle.

Pipistrelle had two previous owners and had been used mainly as a holiday boat. Before she was prepared to move aboard, Helen had a few alterations done at a boatyard in Lower Heyford.

At the same time she set her mind on rectifying her lack of boating experience and went on a threeday narrowboat handling course. A few months later she attended a course in engine maintenance and in February 2006 she moved out of her flat and was officially ‘living aboard’.

A genuine continuous cruiser

Balancing her work life with the responsibilities of owning a narrowboat turned out to be “doable”, says Helen, mainly because she was selfemployed, so it did not matter too much where she was located as long as she was in reasonable car or train distance from Oxford, where her main client was situated.

She would typically cruise for a few hours from A to B then cycle back to A – where her car would be – and then she would put her bike on the car and drive back to the boat, ready for a couple of days of client visits. This routine was the start of Helen’s travelling. She is proud to say that since then she has always been “a genuine continuous cruiser”.

When she retired in 2010 after 25 years as a PR marketing consultant, she sold her car and cruised round all of the accessible southern waterways except the Medway. Her voyages included the whole of the Thames upstream of Limehouse, Lee Navigation, the River Wey, the Kennet & Avon Canal, up through Bristol to Sharpness via Portishead, up the Severn to Stourport, along with all the Midland

Helen Hutt cruising along the Pontcysyllte aqueduct on board Pipistrelle. PHOTOS SUPPLIED canals and the Avon and Soar. In 2013 she travelled up the Shropshire Union and along the Llangollen where she went across the (must-do-for-everyintrepid-boater) Pontycysyllte aqueduct.

Her next area to “tick off” was the Fens.

The magic of the Fens

Last year in April she set off on a tour which went through four counties: Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.

She originally planned to tour for about a month and bought only a month’s EA licence from Gayton Junction. She ended up having to keep on renewing the licence because she had become so swept up by wanderlust that she thought: “Ah, blow it – I’ll just take my time and really enjoy myself.”

The journey there and back normally covers around 440 miles and 162 locks. Helen loved the area so much that she kept revisiting places. The tour lasted for four and a half months. “I have no idea how many miles I covered,” she says. “I didn’t really want to come back to the real world, it was so quiet and lovely.”

She suggested that if you are a keen bird-watcher or a wildlife enthusiast, the route she took was ”the best place to be” for observing the natural world.

She recalls mooring up at Wicken Fen, a wetland in Cambridgeshire which in 1899 became the first nature reserve to be cared for by the National Trust. There she saw a group of wild Konik ponies – “they were absolutely beautiful”.

Another sort of nature reserve was, to her surprise, on the roof of a narrowboat she passed.

“The man who owned the boat had actually planted a wild flower meadow all along the roof.”

All stations north

It wasn’t all plain sailing. One problem was a lack of moorings, particularly on the River Nene. In spite of signs requesting boaters to be prepared to double-moor, some polite requests were met with lame excuses and even hostility. Helen felt that such reactions did not fit in with “the spirit of good boatmanship”, but she shrugged them off and carried on.

One of her biggest problems came in passing a tree which had fallen across the river. Because Pipistrelle has a deep draughted hull, the keel got wedged on the river bed and Helen had to spend an hour heaving, shuffling and poling her way through. She takes these “mishaps” in her stride.

She is currently moored up in Manchester and will soon be heading off to Liverpool, up the Lancaster Canal and on to Rochdale and many more places.

“I’m going to travel as far I can,” she declares.

“There are loads of places I want to ‘tick off’. I’ve gone round the south, now it’s all stations north!”

Pipistrelle moored at Fotheringhay. Helen was enchanted by this historic village on the River Nene in Northamptonshire,

10 VOLUNTEERING

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WORK PARTY ROUNDUP WITH IWA’S STEFANIE PRESTON

Reinstatement of historic ramp in Congleton A BRIGHT spring day greeted volunteers meeting at Congleton for the regular monthly IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire work party.

They continued work to uncover and restore the old ramp leading to the former canal lengthman’s cottage as well as undertaking the usual litter pick. It was encouraging to note that the amount of litter now collected every month seems to have reduced.

A length of the ramp has now been uncovered and volunteers have replaced missing stones from the walls that formed the sides of the ramp, as well as laying a base layer of hard core. This is preparation for the installation of wooden edging and fine gravel in the coming months.

The local town council has been supportive and plans to provide lowmaintenance plants to further enhance the banking along this area of the towpath between Congleton Station and the Dane Aqueduct. CRT contractors have also relaid an improved towpath surface between the Railway Station and Bridge 76 as part of Congleton Town’s cycle route, making the visitor moorings in that area a much nicer place to stop.

Already there are many positive comments being received from towpath users and local residents with regard to the improvements in the area, with IWA, CRT, Congleton Town Council and local residents working together over the coming months aim to build on this for the benefit of all.

Wednesdays, June 3, 10, 17, 24 and Saturday, June 6

IWA Ipswich Branch supporting River Gipping Trust: Pipps Ford (Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LJ) or Baylham Mill Lock (Mill Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LG) River Gipping. Meet at 9am to continue clearing storm damage to Pipps Ford or carry out maintenance at Baylham Mill Lock, finish at 3.30-4pm.

Contact Martin Bird 01394 380765, restoration@rivergippingtrust.org.uk

Saturday, June 6

Working to restore the ramp at Congleton. PHOTO SUPPLIED

West Country Branch work parties top 1000 volunteer hours

Fenny Stratford Lock ready for spring

THE IWA West Country Branch recently had two volunteer groups working on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

The first group collected rubbish from Bridgwater Docks and the Newtown Lock area and the second litter picked along the towpath from Bathpool towards Creech St Michael. In addition, 8m of the fencing and posts around the Dockside car park were painted and a visual inspection of part of the of the canal was carried out, so the volunteers could record structures and identify possible future work party needs and sites.

This latest work party has once again added to the branch’s volunteer hours spent on the canal. In the 12 months up to April 30, volunteers at IWA West Country Branch work parties on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal have given 1014 hours.

Four of the volunteer team have completed more than 100 hours each, six have put in 80 hours training for Boat Crew and Helmsman requirements, and a further four volunteers have also engaged in getting their accreditation for the safe use of motorised power tools.

The branch has formally adopted a large stretch of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal under the Canal & River Trust’s volunteer scheme and was recently presented with its certificate at Bridgwater.

Adopted stretches are Bridgwater Docks and the canal length from there to Bridge 6 Taunton Road Bridge; the stretch of Canal from Old Taunton Road Bridgwater Bridge 7 to Huntworth Bridge 12; and Bridge 29 ,near Bathpool to Firepool Lock Taunton, including the adjacent lockside areas.

IMPROVED weather was just what IWA Milton Keynes Branch volunteers wanted when they returned to Fenny Stratford on the Grand Union Canal after their winter break.

They managed to plant, stake, collar and water 50 whips, which filled the last gaps in the hedge up to Bridge 96; many had already been filled in 2014. The group also did some maintenance work to the whips planted last year, replacing any that had failed and re-staking a few where necessary.

In addition, volunteers weeded, removed dead growth, planted donated plants and bulbs in the pump house garden, cleaned the Swing Bridge and rubbed down and repainted the white balance beam ends.

Litter-picking fun at Beverley Beck IWA East Yorkshire Branch assembled a group of volunteers to help members of the Beverley Beck Boating Association (BBBA) in what has now become a traditional annual clean-up along the beck.

The IWA branch took its normal south side and worked from the town end down to the lock at the junction with the River Hull. BBBA took the north side, and between the two groups the whole length of the beck was covered. A gloomy weather forecast pleasingly turned out to be inaccurate and warm sunny conditions were enjoyed throughout.

Litter pick volunteers at the Beverley Beck submarine.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Upon finishing at the lock, the bags of rubbish were disposed of and all volunteers were treated to tea and biscuits in the BBBA clubhouse.

Group takes a trip to Liverpool THERE was a change of location for IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch work volunteers in May when they headed over to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Eldonian Village.

The group cleared lots of litter from in and around the canal between Eldonian Village Hall and Stanley Locks, including the removal of a large wheelie skip from the canal behind Robert Lynch House, and also weeded and tidied up the towpath.

The Chester & Merseyside Branch work party team. PHOTO SUPPLIED

FORTHCOMINGWORK PARTY EVENTS Anyone intending to attend one of these events for the first time should contact the organisers beforehand and wear suitable clothing and footwear. If staying all day take a packed lunch unless other arrangement indicated.

Work parties prove popular on the Uttoxeter Canal THE latest IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust work party on the Uttoxeter Canal continued work in the Crumpwood area.

One group dealt with a large clump of hawthorn, which was hiding the wall of the weir-keeper’s cottage, while another group went to Bridge 70 to remove a tree beside the recently restored towpath.

Work to reveal buried parts of the weir also continued. An investigation of the flood control sluice on one side of the weir indicated that the paddle might well still be in place, buried under years of accumulated silt.

Full investigation of this will take place after a couple of large trees have been removed as part of the WRG Reunion Weekend in November.

Northampton Branch collects more than 60 bags of rubbish

LITTER clearance was the focus of the IWA Northampton Branch during four recent work parties on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

The aim was to remove as much rubbish as possible before the vegetation grows and hides it from view, and more than 60 bags were collected as well as some larger items, including six shopping trollies and four tyres.

With the weather bright enough to start work, volunteers painted the top gates of Lock 2 and the garage by Lock 1. Hopefully it will continue to be dry so that painting can be continued.

IWA West Country Branch: Monthly work party on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

Tasks can include painting, planting bulbs, managing vegetation and litter picking.

Contact Mike Slade 07977 263840, mike.slade@waterways.org.uk

Monday to Friday, June 8-12

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Hazelhurst Junction Bridge Painting Week, 10am to 3pm each day.

Come along for a day or two to help paint this iconic listed cast iron bridge. Meet at Hazelhurst Top Lock; best access is on foot along the towpath from Denford Road, Denford ST13 7JT, where parking is available on the road. In the case of wet weather will postpone until the following day. Contact Alison Smedley, IWA campaigns officer, 01538 385388/07779 090915, alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

Tuesday, June 9

IWA Northampton Branch: Fortnightly work party on the Northampton Arm. Work usually includes a variety of tasks such as painting, vegetation clearance and litter picking. Location to be confirmed.

Contact Geoff Wood by email Geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

Wednesday, June 10

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch: Himalayan Balsam work party on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, location to be confirmed. This is a great activity for all the family (children must be accompanied and supervised). Contact David Struckett 07976 746255, david.struckett@waterways.org.uk

Sunday, June 14

IWA Lincolnshire Branch supporting Sleaford Navigation Trust: Join IWA Lincolnshire Branch supporting Sleaford Navigation Trust work parties on the second Sunday of the month. Volunteers carry out a variety of tasks to maintain the navigable section of the Sleaford Navigation. Dates are subject to change so contact Chris or Steve Hayes, 01522 689460, to confirm date and location or check the Trust’s Facebook page.

Wednesday, June 17

IWA Lichfield Branch: Himalayan Balsam work party at Wychnor on the Trent & Mersey Canal, from 3pm working into early evening. Contact Helen Whitehouse 01543 491161, helen.whitehouse@ waterways.org.uk

Thursday, June 18

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society – Monthly work party on the Cheshire Locks, Trent & Mersey Canal. 10am-4pm.

Venue to be confirmed depending at progress on previous work parties. Contact: Andy Hellyar-Brook 07926 204206, andy.hellyarbrook@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, June 20

IWA Manchester Branch: Monthly work party at a venue to be confirmed in the Greater Manchester area, 10am-4pm. Tasks will include vegetation clearance, litter picking, painting and pulling rubbish out of the canal. Contact secretary@manchesteriwa.co.uk or phone 07710 554602

IWA West Country Branch: Monthly work party on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

Tasks can include painting, planting bulbs, managing vegetation and litter picking.

Contact Mike Slade 07977 263840, mike.slade@waterways.org.uk IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: New Saturday monthly work party on the Uttoxeter Canal, 10am to 3pm. Himalayan Balsam clearance at Bridge 70, Crumpwood. No parking available at site so please meet at 9.30am at Denstone Village Hall, College Rd, Denstone, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5HR for a lift, or meet on site at Bridge 70 at 10am, having made your own way on foot. Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve.wood@waterways.org.uk

Tuesday, June 23

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch supporting the Burslem Port Trust: Monthly work party on the Burslem Arm. Meet at Luke St, Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3LY. 10am-3pm.

Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve.wood@waterways.org.uk IWA Leicestershire Branch supporting Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society and Canal & River Trust Towpath Taskforce: Himalayan Balsam clearance at Aylestone Mill Lock, off Aylestone Road, Leicester LE2 8TB, 10am-1pm. Contact Stefanie Preston 01494 783453, stefanie.preston@waterways.org.uk

Thursday, June 25

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Monthly work party on the Uttoxeter Canal, 10am-3pm. Himalayan Balsam clearance at Bridge 70, Crumpwood. No parking available at site so please meet at 9.30am at Denstone Village Hall, College Road, Denstone, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5HR for a lift, or meet on site at Bridge 70 at 10am, having made your own way on foot. Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve.wood@waterways.org.uk

Friday, June 26

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch: Work party in Congleton as part of the Congleton Station project, 10am to about 12.30pm. Work will include vegetation clearance and litter picking to help improve the environment around Congleton Railway Station, the Macclesfield Canal Towpath and Hightown. Meet at the Queen’s Head Pub, Park Lane, Congleton CW12 3DE. Contact Bob Luscombe 07710 054848, bob.luscombe@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, June 27

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Monthly work party at various locations alongside the Shropshire Union Canal in the Chester area. 10am-4pm. Work will include painting and vegetation clearance.

Contact Mike Carter 07795 617803, mike.carter@waterways.org.uk

Sunday, June 28

IWA Northampton Branch: Fortnightly work party on the Northampton Arm. Work usually includes a variety of tasks such as painting, vegetation clearance and litter picking. Location to be confirmed.

Contact Geoff Wood by email Geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

Monday, June 29

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch: Evening work party on Himalayan Balsam on the Caldon Canal, 7-9pm. Meet on top of Froghall Tunnel to work upstream towards Cherry Eye Bridge.

Meet at west end of Froghall Tunnel (parking available in layby on B5053 where it crosses over the canal). Contact Alison Smedley 07779 090915, alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

For further information on any of these events contact: Alison Smedley, IWA branch campaign officer (07779 090915 or email alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk) or Stefanie Preston, IWA branch campaign assistant (01494 783453 or email stefanie.preston@waterways.org.uk).

Information can also be found on IWA’s website: www.waterways.org.uk

VOLUNTEERING 11

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Turning out in force to clean up River Lee ON A warm sunny April day, a team of volunteers turned out to clear more than 40 sacks of rubbish from the River Lee, between Hertford and Ware.

The clean-up was organised by the Canal & River Trust as part of its regular Towpath Taskforce series, which encourages people to come out, get their hands dirty and help protect some of the most important heritage and wildlife habitats along the historic river.

Bob Owen, chairman of the Ware Society, was one of those taking part. He said: “This is my first time coming to a Towpath Taskforce event and it was great to get involved. The Ware Society do a lot to preserve the town’s character and history and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to work alongside the Canal & River Trust to help keep the towpath tidy for people to enjoy.”

The trust is looking for more people to join the Towpath Taskforce, which meets once a month.

Projects can include litter picking, painting, towpath maintenance, repairs to listed structures, creating wildlife habitats and tree planting, among others.

Volunteers who took part in a clean-up on the River Lee. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST ● For more details about getting involved visit https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/ volunteering-in-london or contact volunteer@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Teenagers join painting party at Red Bull APRIL was a turning point for volunteers at IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch’s work party at the Cheshire Locks on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

After a fair few wet days earlier in the year, the rain finally stayed away and the sun came out long

enough for the volunteers to paint. Volunteers from the regular team were joined by two hardworking teenagers (working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award) and Naomi from CRT, all of whom put in a great day’s work and almost completed Lock 44 painting at Red Bull.

Students take potholes to task at Saul Junction VOLUNTEERS from Gloucestershire College have helped spruce up one of the county’s most popular canal locations, after spending a day filling in car park potholes at Saul Junction, near Framptonon-Severn.

The important work was carried out by more than 30 public services students, together with staff from the Canal & River Trust as part of

continued work to improve the area for visitors.

Saul Junction dates back to 1827 and is the point that the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal meets the rural Stroudwater Navigation. The marina, canal heritage and tea rooms make it a much visited site, particularly during the summer months.

CRT volunteer development coordinator Caroline Kendall said: “We’re very grateful to the

The Gloucester College volunteers after filling potholes at Saul Junction. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

team from Gloucestershire College for all their hard work.

We’re always on the lookout for more people to join our Towpath Task force of volunteers and help keep this site of important industrial heritage in the condition it deserves.

“We’re also keen to recruit more volunteers at our Welcome Station, so if you enjoy meeting people and chatting to them about the canal, or carrying out odd maintenance jobs we’d love to hear from you.”

Richard Coughlin, from Gloucestershire College, added: “The students were up for the challenge of maintaining the surface of the car park after their recent litter pick along the canal from Gloucester to Hempsted.

They showed great enthusiasm, and even refused a break, such was their determination to get the job done.”

Tackling towpath trees at Borrowwash MEMBERS of the Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society have been working on two fronts during their recent work parties.

They have been putting up a safety fence at Draycott, under the Derby Road bridge, to secure the footpath and prevent animals or children falling off the path into the water in the canal bed below.

The fencing is in place and just some finishing touches are needed next time to fence in the ends.

At Borrowash they are working to help a local

group which has adopted the canal line at the back of Mear Drive and have made a real impact in cutting down cracked willow and laying sections of hedge. Some surplus cracked willow trees in the way of the hedgelaying have been felled and new growth has been tidied up by the towpath and in the canal.

There is still lots of work to be done here and at other sites along the stretch of canal – see www.derbycanal.org.uk

A dirty weekend in Smethwick THIS year’s Birmingham Canal Navigations clean-up concentrated around the Smethwick area, writes Steve Bingham of Dudley Canal Trust.

It was organised over the weekend of April 18-19 by Chris Morgan from IWA (Midlands Division) along with Waterways Recovery Group (WRG) and the Canal and River Trust, supported by Dudley Canal Trust, Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, and Coombeswood Canal Society.

Accommodation for those who wanted to stay overnight was supplied by Sandwell Council in the Malthouse Stables in Tipton and slightly more than 100 volunteers came along to support this very worthwhile event, which was blessed with dry and sunny weather.

Volunteers were dropped off

using the WRG’S Vans at different location around the Old Main Line, starting from the Stewart Aqueduct through Smethwick locks and down to the junction, where the canal meets the New Main Line.

During the day, boats from CRT (work boat), DCT (tug Bittell towing Flying Scott), BCNS (Phoenix pushing Crow) and CCS (Hawne towing Ringo) all started collecting the piles of rubbish that were pulled out by volunteers using a long rope with a grapple iron on the end, and by the end of the day a good haul was pulled from the canal.

CRT chief executive Richard Parry also came along to oversee proceedings.

The main objective on the Sunday was to clear the section of the New Main Line canal between Smethwick Junction

Part of the haul of rubbish during the BCN clean-up.

PHOTO:ANN JOHNSON

and Bromford Junction, and by 3pm it was all done. Around 40 tons of scrap and rubbish had been shifted in a joint effort.

Most unusual items were a large bag of cannabis plants and part of a shotgun which was inside a bag with its cartridges still inside.

12 NEW BOATERS/COMMUNITY BOATING

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Hard cheese in the tunnel

The Not So Secret Diary of Witches Promise Following the first year on the cut for new boaters David and Alison Wilkerson.This month Alison talks about deck boards, soundproofing, cruising club and Brownberry.

Waiting to enter the Blisworth Tunnel. PHOTOS: www.alisonwilkersonphotogaphy.co.uk

IT WAS June 2014 and “What… I can’t hear you?” seemed to be the mantra on our cruiser stern.

Having spent two months putting up with the noise of our BMC 1500cc engine, resulting in continual headaches and lost voices, we decided not only to install soundproofing purchased after attending Crick Boat Show, but also to replace the deck boards at the same time, as some of the fittings required a ‘Mind the Gap’ announcement if boarding without deck shoes.

Between commencing work on cardboard templates and fitting the final wood, which was 18mm veneer ply (varnished several times), we moved mooring and were now four miles north and (one hour by boat but 10 minutes by car) up the Grand Union due to membership acceptance and a mooring available at Lionhearts Cruising Club, Great Linford.

We even managed to save a drowning white dove (arguably a pigeon) on arrival day, which was ceremoniously released, the next day after drying out.

Once fitted, we had to try them out, which coincided perfectly with a week’s annual leave, so we headed north for our first cruise without additional crew. And

what a difference… “Tea! Hat!” orders (requests) could now be heard, as could my warning shouts from the bow, acting as lookout.

Our first leisurely day was en route to Cosgrove to meet the family at The Navigation Inn at Thrupp Wharf and mooring just north of it. The following day was fruitful as we managed to obtain two large water bottles and pipes thanks to a towpath shed sale advertising ‘free s**t’.

We moored up for the night in Stoke Bruerne, south of Blisworth Tunnel, finally getting to grips with using the Nappy Pins (mooring pins with loops) and visited The Boat Inn for dinner joined by more family and friends.

The next morning we were up bright and early as our plan was to be the first in the tunnel without rushing, so we made our way towards the mouth to be flagged down by a Canal & River Trust volunteer: “You’ll have to moor up and wait, there’s a wide beam coming this way.”

It was rather annoying especially as an hour later it turned out to be a narrowboat towing a no-engine wooden boat. With thumbs up and approximately 10 boats queuing

The deck boards needed replacing. behind us we were about to cast off when his nature called and I hand signalled for the others to overtake.

Fifteen minutes later “Oh f**k!” came from the cabin loo as it transpired that his Blackberry mobile phone had somehow fallen in our new cassette toilet and only my hands as being smaller, would fit the orifice using maintenance latex gloves.

We now had a Brownberry (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Luckily, three days later having been dried out in the sun and sanitised, it started working again (partly). Our return trip to Bugbrooke continued without drama however we missed the Cheese Boat, as we passed each other in the tunnel so could not stop.

New lives from old boats Over the past 12 months in these pages we have illustrated the diversity of the National Community Boats Association.

This month looks at one of the association’s unique members dedicated to the restoration of old boats.

THE Wooden Canal Boat Society has the second largest collection of former working wooden canal boats in UK. Rather than simply restore and preserve them, it is finding new uses for these wonderful old boats, putting them to work on behalf of the local community and at the same time providing opportunities for people to learn new skills, meet people, make friends, do something useful and rewarding… working with wooden boats can change people’s lives.

Tameside is an area of considerable deprivation with high levels of disadvantage, low income and health problems. Poverty, mental illness and social exclusion all too frequently impact together, affecting an individual’s ability to work efficiently, often resulting in unemployment or being confined to low status jobs and consequent loss of self esteem and confidence. Volunteering with The Wooden Canal Boat Society can be a way of giving daily lives meaning and structure.

Key projects are: ● Portland Basin Museum where it maintains and displays its working wooden boats (Lilith, Southam, Forget me Not, Queen and Elton) and informs the public about the history of working boats, our canal heritage and the work of the WCBS. ● Three working boat trips a month for community recycling. ● The Wooden Canal Boat Society Charity Shop on Stamford Street Central, Ashton under Lyne ● The restoration of Hazel as a residential wellbeing boat at the Boatyard in Knowl Street.

The Wooden Canal Boat Society has up to 100 volunteers per year involved with these projects. Mainly living in Tameside, volunteering activities revolve around boat handling, boat building, maintenance and repair, ‘boat sitting’, community recycling (collection, sorting and sales), van driving, charity shop sales, tourist information, industrial heritage, marketing, project development and fund raising.

For some, volunteering with the Wooden Canal Boat Society is about getting out of the house and meeting new people and doing something useful. For others it is an opportunity to learn new skills and a route back to work. For still more, it is putting their existing skills to work and ‘giving something back’ and for many it is about ‘wellbeing’ and reducing the risk of social isolation.

Volunteering with WCBS helps people to be active, stay fit, live independently and remain healthy for longer and at the end of it, these historical wooden canal boats are retained as assets, working for the community, bringing our heritage back to life and filling our waterways with colour and the sound of enjoyment… ‘new lives’ indeed, from old boats!

Activities

Society activities are dependent on the many volunteers who work with the boats, help in the charity shop and assist on the boat recycling trips.

The core activity is the preservation and maintenance of the six historic wooden canal boats currently owned by the society. Three of the boats are

Historic wooden boats moored at Portland Basin. PHOTO SUPPLIED currently put to community use, one is undergoing complete restoration and two are awaiting major refurbishment.

These activities are carried out at a boatyard in Stalybridge and at Portland Basin in Ashton-underLyne and afford numerous opportunities for volunteers to meet people, make new friends, apply their existing skills or learn new skills including traditional boat building methods.

When Hazel has been restored it will be used as a ‘wellbeing’ boat, providing trips and short breaks for people at risk from or suffering from poor mental health. Trips will operate around Tameside and the North West and are designed for people who may be socially isolated, suffering from depression, anxiety or stress or for carers.

The society is currently offering volunteer opportunities for skippers and crew members for Hazel which will be launching into service later in the year; to find out more or to apply, please contact Hazel Mayow on 07879 073071, email hazelmwcbs@gmail.com or visit www.wcbs.org.uk The other five boats are currently displayed at Portland Basin, adjacent to the Social History Museum, and the society makes them available for the general public to view and provides guides and display boards to explain the history, construction and operation of wooden canal boats.

The society also travels further afield with the boats, taking them to boat festivals and so spreading the

information about them to the wider public.

WCBS runs a charity shop in Ashtonunder-Lyne to help fund the boat preservation and other activities and this provides paid employment and shop work experience for the many volunteers.

It also runs monthly boat trips along the Ashton canal to collect surplus clothing and household goods.

Suitable items from these trips are resold in the shop while others are recycled and reused to help protect the environment. These trips offer further volunteering opportunities for people to ‘work’ the boats or simply benefit from the therapeutic experience of being on the canals.

● Follow NCBA on Facebook.com/NationalCBA and Twitter @CommunityBoats.

Blogging at http://blog.national-cba.co.uk

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14 CLUB FOCUS

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A hidden gem in the heart of the East Midlands

Janet Richardson finds members doing it all themselves at the Derby Motor Boat Club’s spring working weekend.

FROM small beginnings, the Derby Motor Boat Club has evolved into a thriving community of dedicated and like-minded members.

One of the inland waterways’ longer established clubs, it was formed in 1938 by a group of local business people with a handful of boats tied up to a tree on the bank. Now there are 130 moorings, home to a mix of narrowboats and cruisers, at its base at Sawley near the junction of three counties: Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Club commodore Andrew Whitehead. PHOTOS JANET

RICHARDSON

Showing me round the club’s pristine facilities, Commodore Andrew Whitehead stressed the community spirit in the club whose members nowadays come from all walks of life and do virtually all the work themselves. “I don’t know of any club in the area which has the dedication and workforce we have here,” he told me.

My visit coincided with the club’s spring working weekend and one group were busy replacing a wooden pontoon with a metal framework and wooden decking. Others were gardening, installing LED lighting – “We are trying to go green” – and I came across a retired Coventry Cathedral archdeacon and his wife treating the timber of one of the sheds.

“This is our village green, it could be anywhere in England. It is a hidden gem,” Andrew continued as the sound of church bells ringing could be heard from Sawley. “We own the land here and are completely self-funding, we are also very family orientated.”

The club’s moorings are beside a quarter-mile cut of the River

Members busy replacing an old wooden pontoon.

Boats can be brought in here for light maintenance and blacking.

Trent and stretch down to the Sawley Locks close to the junction with the River Soar, and are within easy reach of the Nottingham Canal, Trent & Mersey and Erewash canals.

It is part of the Leicestershire Ring which takes a fortnight – or a week if you rush, according to Andrew.

He explained that it is heavily used, as the 600-berth Sawley Marina is next door and not far away is Mercia Marina at Willington.

The club holds working weekends twice a year – one to get everything ready for the boating season and in the autumn to decommission everything for the winter.

Members had been erecting a marquee next to the portable building (one of the original ones) that it uses as a clubhouse.

The marquee stays up all summer and is used as a social area. In the kitchen I found a hive of activity as members prepared for a pie and pea supper that evening. “We do as much as we can ourselves and annual events include a cream tea and cheese and wine party.

The events are used for fund raising and charity recipients are RNLI, air ambulance, Alzheimer and Meningitis trusts.”

The club also has its own defibrillator on site and members have been trained in its use. The Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service was also due to visit and give a fire safety demonstration the day after my visit.

Members had travelled from as far afield as Devon to give up their time. And such is their generosity that one donated the money to buy a new shower block and toilets two years ago, now named The Marshall Suite in his honour.

Installing LED lighting.

Terence Balchin, who edits the club newsletter Engine Room Telegraph, with his replica 30ft tug Heron – built to some old plans in 1988 at Old Junction Boatyard on the Soar run by Harrison Bros.

The marquee provides an extension to the clubhouse.

The club, which is affiliated to the Boating Association and Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs, is proud of its workshop and slipway facilities.

It also has CCTV for members’ security. The membership year starts in January and the club is always looking for new members

Volunteer lock keepers at the Sawley locks – the only mechanised locks in the area. The original lock is in the background.

Retired archdeacon and former diocesan surveyor, Ian Watson, and his wife Denise treating the shed timbers.

according to Andrew who was about to start his second year as commodore at the AGM the following day.

“We have got about 13 free moorings at the moment,” he said.

For more information visit www.derbymotorboatclub.co.uk

The lock keeper’s house, built in 1793, is now a cafe run by Kathryn Collier.

Reputedly owned by the late George Formby, Arthur Kirkland’s boat Arctic Skua was built in around 1931 by Wroxham boatbuilder Graham Bunn at the Windboats yard. The Lancashire actor and comedian, famed for playing the ukulele, is said to have had several boats all named after his wife Beryl and called Lady Beryl I, II, III etc. Although Arthur has no provenance, the boat, which he has owned for 34 years, has been recognised by many people, the main change having been to the wheelhouse from an open to a fixed one.

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15

16 CANAL REVIEW

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An arm with charm

By Les Heath

HANDS up those who have ventured along the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

Out of the thousands of boats on the canal system, I would guess that only a handful have left the main line to explore this Cinderella of the waterways.

I, too, am guilty of ignoring this gem in the Chilterns, having passed the Bulbourne entrance on many occasions over the last 10 years. This year, however, I decided to go for it.

One reason for its lack of popularity must be the short length, and many boaters could have believed it was hardly worth the effort. Also, anyone relying on an out-of-date Nicholson’s guide (as some of

mine are) would be disheartened to learn that they had to reverse for the last half mile.

That has all changed and thanks to the efforts of the Wendover Arm Trust it is now possible to navigate one and a half miles to an excellent basin in a quiet rural setting at Little Tring – a wonderful spot to spend the night away from the main line. It may be short but already I found it to be an arm with charm.

Look beyond the basin, which sports a welcoming banner for visiting boaters plus a handsome plaque recording all the achievements so far, and one can witness the efforts by the trust to restore the one and a quarter mile ‘dry’ section.

The old mill at Tring – an industrial ‘blip’ on a very rural canal.

Early spring on the arm showing the excellent towpath.

Lock-free route

The Wendover Arm was originally built as a feeder to bring water from the springs around Wendover to Bulbourne to supply the Tring summit level on the main line. For a small additional cost the feeder was made navigable and it opened in 1797.

The canal continued to operate with horse-drawn traffic until 1904 but problems with leakage, which began in the 1800s, resulted in it being closed with the middle section left dry. In fact the leakage became so bad that, before closure, it was actually taking water from the summit level rather than supplying it.

In 1912 to ensure a supply of water to Tring summit a pipeline was laid under the dry canal bed.

The Wendover Arm Trust members are now capping the old pipe and relining the canal bed with specialist material so that boats will eventually be able to reach Wendover for the first time in more than 100 years.

When finally restored, this contour canal will follow its original lock-free route through tranquil countryside. Only the

The bridge over the entrance to the arm on Tring summit. PHOTOS: LES HEATH old mill at Tring, which has operated on this site since the 19th century, interrupts the quiet rural aspect of the one and a half miles already navigable.

The first phase of the restoration, which included the basin and an award-winning bridge, was completed 11 years ago. The second phase, relining the dry section, is now well under way.

With so many different canal restoration projects on the cards it is quite common to hear boaters say: “Great, but it won’t happen in my lifetime.”

But the Wendover venture is different. The drive and enthusiasm of this amazing organisation are bringing results week on week. This is one restoration project that will happen.

And when it does I would love to be on one of the first boats to reach Wendover.

The tranquil basin at the end of the arm. ● The Wendover Arm Trust welcomes more volunteers.

If you can help contact 07457 181857 or www.wendover armtrust.co.uk

NEWS 17

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Traditional boats lined up abreast in the Lower Basin. PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

Shanty singing and cake cutting feature at museum’s Easter gathering

By Harry Arnold

THIS year’s traditional Easter Gathering of Boats at Ellesmere Port’s National Waterways Museum (NWM) was marked by a number of events – an opening, a re-launch, commemoration and an unveiling – all of which took place on the Saturday of the bank holiday weekend.

The day started with the opening of The Tony Burnip Room; a much needed and welldesigned new space and facility for visiting researchers within the NWM’s David Owen Archive.

Tony was one of the earlier and hard-working stalwarts of the Boat Museum Society (BMS) and the opening was performed by his widow Jan and Canal & River Trust (CRT) chairman, Tony Hales. They cut a commemorative cake, one of a number during the events; cake cutting and eating was a major feature of the day.

Funding for the room and equipment came from The Bugsworth Basin Heritage Trust, Joseph Boughey, Arts Council England and the Friends of CRT. As with the later events it was good to see among the guests friends of Jan and Tony, particularly from the early days of BMS and the NWM and those representing waterway organisations.

Tony Hales relaunches Keppel with a bottle of Admiral Ale.

Tony Hales and Richard Parry cut cakes commemorating the relaunch of Keppel and the 10th anniversary of the relaunch of Saturn. name Tony Hales – who has been a supporter of the project – re-launched Keppel.

Anniversary of re-launch

Friendship crochet panel unveiled

by BMS vice-president Tony Lewery.

Following the AGM of the Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society (SUFBRS) (The Saturn Project), which always takes place during this event, members and guests of this and the Etruria Boat Group (EBG) joined together to watch the re-launch of the Admiral class butty Keppel. The boat – which is paired with Lindsay – has been extensively renovated at Roger Fuller Boatbuilding of Stone and EBG members.

Pouring an appropriately named bottle of Admiral Ale over the

This ceremony was followed by a joint EBG/SUFBRS reception for members and guests in The Rolt Centre which was also attended by CRT chief executive, Richard Parry. Saturn is a unique survivor of the Shropshire Union boats that once operated from Ellesmere Port and the event celebrated the 10th anniversary of its relaunch and subsequent successful education programme. Those involved in both boat projects were praised by a number of speakers and the event rounded of by this time the cutting of two cakes. One by Tony Hales for Keppel and the other for Saturn by Richard Parry.

In the Island Warehouse exhibition area – where there was also the usual range of interesting visiting stands – a very colourful 8ft x 4ft ‘tapestry style’ panel, created in crochet, was unveiled by artist and BMS vice-president Tony Lewery.

With a theme dedicated to the painting on the adjacent boat

Tony Hales, Jan Burnip and her daughter with NWM staff and BMS members celebrate the opening of the Tony Burnip Room. exhibit Friendship and its last owners the Skinners, it is the work of the Coffee & Crochet group which meets regularly to practise this skill at the NWM. The turnout of visiting historic boats was impressive as this year the event was one of the main ones supported by the Historic Narrow Boat Club (HNBC). Too complicated for me to count but the HNBC expert says that there were 44 members’ boats. That is in addition to the NWM’s own

Shanty singing in the Stable.

collection of historic craft and a number of modern canal boats.

So, add in to the odd somewhat larger passing vessel on the Manchester Ship Canal, and there was much to delight both the enthusiast and the public’s eye.

Easter at the NWM is also now the venue for an annual Sea Shanty Festival and about 35 individuals and groups – with intriguing names such as Dutch Uncle, Males de Mer, Nervous Wrecks and The 2 Anchors –

sang lusty nautical songs at locations throughout the site.

Sometimes quite ear-ringing in such small buildings as The Stable: Very entertaining though.

The place to be though was the Island Warehouse Bar where about 20 real ales and ciders on draught were on offer. A main venue where much impromptu shanty singing took place – dare I suggest – becoming more enthusiastic as the alcohol lubricated the vocal chords?

“I’m arresting you for excessively loud shanty singing.”

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Cuckoo boat launched on to Chesterfield Canal

THE first Cuckoo boat to be built for more than 80 years has been safely launched on the Chesterfield Canal.

It has been built by volunteers from the Chesterfield Canal Trust who used only hand tools as would have been the case originally. They even made their own nails.

The boat will be named on June 6 at the Worksop Water Day organised by the East Midlands Waterways Partnership, at the Lock Keeper pub in Worksop. It is hoped that it will arrive under horse power, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Cuckoo boats were unique to the Chesterfield Canal. The design did not change from the 1770s right up to the 1920s when

the last ones were made. Up to the end of commercial use in the 1950s, they were still horse drawn and were never equipped with engines. A mast was used when they ventured on to the River Trent.

The last Cuckoo boat, Dawn, known to be in existence rotted away more than 20 years ago.

A group of Chesterfield Canal Trust members decided to build a new Cuckoo boat in the early 2000s and decided to call it the New Dawn Project. After much research, they drew up a list of all the timber that was needed.

This was published in the trust’s magazine, also called Cuckoo, in Spring 2004 and sponsors were found for every piece within a few weeks.

Safely floating in the water after coming off the trailer from the slipway.

Seven and a half tons of fresh Lincolnshire oak and boat-skin larch was then bought and stored in a secret location to season. An appeal also went out for traditional hand tools of the type used a century ago.

Working knowledge

An agreement was reached with British Waterways to do the work in a corner of Shireoaks Marina.

Construction started in 2011.

The work was led by David Bownes who has a vast knowledge garnered by talking with working boatmen of the Chesterfield Canal. He was involved with working on Cuckoo boats as a young man, so he was one of the very few people alive – possibly the only

The boat in the compound where it was built having been loaded on to the trailer ready to be towed by the tractor and backed down the slipway.

The boat builders from the Chesterfield Canal Trust inspired by the 1910 photograph taken at Shireoaks Colliery Company’s Wharf at Dock Road, Worksop.

PHOTOS: CHESTERFIELD CANAL TRUST

one – with real working knowledge of their construction.

As a result of this build, there are now several others who have picked up this knowledge.

David was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chesterfield Canal Trust at its AGM this year.

It has taken four years to complete the boat. Some of the planks (or strokes) that make up the sides are 27ft long, 10in wide and 2in thick. They had to be planed exactly and then put into a home-made steamer for several hours before being bent into place. There are 90 planks along the bottom. Each one had to be planed precisely and they were then fixed into place by 360 home-made nails each 9in long and hammered upwards.

Vast quantities of old rope, tar, pitch and linseed oil have been used to make the boat watertight.

Red tape

Following completion of the work, there was a hiatus to get the red tape completed. Some organisations were baffled because they had no experience of new, wooden, horse-drawn boats. Simple things, such as insurance, took a long time to be sorted out.

There was a long debate about how to accomplish the launch.

The boat is 70ft long and weighs nearly 10 tons. A crane was the obvious method, but there was a fear that the boat might break in half. A cradle could be made, but this would be vastly expensive. Finally it was agreed to launch it down the slipway with an especially lengthened trailer.

The front of the boat was lifted a few inches by crane and the trailer was slid underneath.

Extensions were put on to the trailer and the rear of the boat was jacked up to until it was sitting straight. This process took several hours over the course of two days.

There followed a full 20 minutes of a tractor manoeuvring the trailer to reverse down the slipway until finally the moment of truth arrived. The boat slowly entered the water, started to float and eventually slipped off the trailer – a perfect launch.

A mooring has been secured at Shireoaks Marina, which will be financed by a group of supporters.

● If you would like to be involved or want further information, contact Michael Edwards by ringing 01246 477569 or email python@chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk

Appeal to restore surviving steam tug, Brent

By Harry Arnold

FOR those like me who are enthusiastically involved in the restoration of historic vessels one of the most interesting stands – in quite a prominent position – at the CWM FX London Boat Show was that of the Steam Tug Brent Trust.

Brent is one of only three

remaining London steam tugs and the last of many once owned by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

Launched in November 1945, Brent was one of 182 TID class tugs built for the Admiralty during the Second World War. Sold to the PLA and renamed Brent it first worked in the dredging department then later

in the London Dock system towing barges and lighters. Brent was the last to be officially scrapped and went to the breakers yard in 1970.

Remarkably Brent survived as it was purchased from the breakers in 1971 by owners who thought the tug should be preserved for posterity; the best way to convert it into a

Brent on the River Thames as PLA2, probably late 1940s or 1950s. Its funnel could be lowered to go up the river under low bridges.

family home and cruising vessel. However, only essential changes were made to the accommodation cabins, with the engine and boiler rooms and the superstructure remaining as original.

In preservation, during the 1970-1980 period, Brent regularly attended rallies and events around the east coast and in London, being the only steam vessel to attend The Queen’s Silver Jubilee and Coronation anniversary celebrations.

Concerns about the boiler meant it did not steam again after the early 1990s, although the engine remains in good condition.

The Steam Tug Brent Trust (STBT) – which now owns the vessel – was formed in 2011 and its volunteers undertake preventative maintenance to halt further deterioration and are fundraising for the tug’s full restoration. The London show stand was the launch of this initial campaign. Full details are on www.steamtugbrent.org where there is also a donations link.

Apart from actually restoring Brent as an historic vessel STBC plans to use it as a training ship for young people. One of the planned deadlines is to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2019.

Fundraising at the London Boat Show: STBT chairman Richard Albanese, with volunteer Paul Burgoyne, and trustee Janet Hall, who, with husband Ron, rescued Brent in 1970. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

At Goldhanger in 1989 – when in private ownership – beached for annual hull painting. PHOTO: RON HALL COLLECTION

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Braunston boost for boat share companies

By Harry Arnold

ORGANISERS of the 2015 Boat Share Show – hosted by Tim Coghlan again at Braunston Marina over the weekend of April 25-26 – say that results exceeded all expectations.

Good weather and a wide range of

boats and products brought in around 200 visitors to the event; sponsored by the three management companies BCBM, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare.

The latter company’s boats were unfortunately unable to attend because key members of their team had illness

Team Towpath’s Nikita Leak and Sue Kiely on board Raymond.

problems, but their information was available and they were able to report share sales directly linked to the show It is estimated that there are about 220 shared ownership narrowboats on Britain’s canals and nearly half of them are managed by the three companies who sponsor this show.

Shared ownership narrowboats collectively have an annual input into the waterways economy of around £2.5 million.

Shares were on offer at prices ranging from £950 to £10,950 in boats with launch dates from 1994 to as recent as April 23 this year and in lengths from 40ft to 61ft. Around 15 shares were sold at the show itself and as follow-up enquiries came in it was expected that the total would reach 25 by the end of the following week.

The organisers said: “This is an amazing result. Since most visitors came as families, it means that around a quarter of them made a decision to join the shared ownership community on the basis of seeing the boats and getting information from the companies at the show.”

There was again a range of companies with stands offering boating services and equipment, such as ABC Leisure and the experienced boat cover and furniture manufacturers Wilsons and this year – Towpath Talk.

Getting ready for aquatic wildlife arrival at Bosworth CONSTRUCTION of a compensation pond has been taking place at Bosworth Marina in order to protect the SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), further along the Ashby Canal.

The SSSI habitat is now complete and the water is flowing gently from the canal into the pond. The pond is built with a central bund to form two canal-like strips of water and replicates the adjacent Ashby Canal.

A formal annual monitoring visit to the reserve will be made in July and August and will record all submerged, floating and emergent species present within the reserve channels and identify the presence of invasive and undesirable aquatic plant species (both native and non-native). The monitoring regime agreed with Natural England will also include a check for the presence of water vole burrows and other significant wildlife.

At the new marina, the chandlery and shop are extending their ranges of boating items and groceries and passing boats are making use of the fuel and pump out services. Also available in the facilities building, which has full facilities for the disabled, are wi-fi, Elsan disposal, showers, toilets and laundry, coal, gas and a lounge with coffee machine and TV.

A donation of £1000 was made to Tim Coghlan’s favoured charity, the Friends of Raymond who had their historic motor and butty boats Nutfield & Raymond on display at the event.

Another Boat Share Show will be held on September 5 this year. The venue will be around the northern end of the Four Counties ring of canals but has yet to be confirmed. Full details will be posted on the website boatshare4u.co.uk

The connecting pipe from the Ashby Canal to the compensation pond is installed. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Mug Tug business sails into Mercia Marina shapes, including plates, piggy banks, ornaments, bowls and, of course, mugs.

Lesley still proudly holds onto the mug which inspired her business several years ago. She created her Tea One Sugar mug while visiting another pot-painting studio.

At the time, having recently completed a degree in complementary therapies at Derby University, she realised the creative process would be a perfect fit for her work with people with disabilities. Add a boat, and you have something really special.

“It was my lightbulb moment,” she said. “I simply expanded the idea to include everyone.”

Other new businesses to have moved into The Boardwalk development since it opened last autumn include Elegant Touch Beauty, Bluewater Clothing, The

Lesley Mason with The Mug Tug, the newest business to open at Mercia Marina. PHOTO SUPPLIED Boardwalk Bar & Dining, The Butcher Baker farm shop and growing pharmaceutical company Bionical.

There are also furniture and gift stores, fashion accessories and children’s clothing and giftware.

● Anyone interested in finding out more about the commercial moorings available at Mercia Marina, should contact info@merciamarina.co.uk or ring 01283 703332.

The interior of BCBM’s Little Dawn illustrates the quality of boats available.

Increase in demand for berthing for the Castle Marinas Group CASTLE Marinas has announced a significant increase in berthing numbers for 2015.

At one of its South Coast marinas, Birdham Pool Marina, the result has been a waiting list for certain sized berths and across the group there has been a huge increase in berth demand for inland moorings too.

Operations director Mike Braidley said: “We have made

● The marina is taking provisional and firm bookings. To book or arrange a visit contact the marina landline 01455 291111; Chris Hubbard on 07711 211446; assistant manager Jane Hubbard on 07711 211227 or email helen@bosworth-marina.co.uk

VISITORS have been going potty following the arrival of the latest business at Mercia Marina – The Mug Tug – where customers can step onto a canal boat and create their own personalised ceramic ware.

The arrival of The Mug Tug follows the release of up to six commercial moorings at the 74 acre South Derbyshire marina, near Willington, alongside its new £1.7 million Boardwalk shopping and leisure development.

It is the second Mug Tug business launched by owner Lesley Mason, having started her enterprise more than four years ago at Barton Marina, in Staffordshire but she said there are no plans to launch a land-based business.

“This is our unique selling point,” she explained. “People very rarely have the opportunity to go on a narrow boat, so that really adds to the experience.”

Customers, who range from the very young to the very old, can choose from around 300 different ceramic designs or

Visitors and prospective shared owners are shown the boats on offer.

PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

various changes to our team, procedures and sites over the last year and we are delighted that the berthing numbers are reflecting our efforts.

“At Castle Marinas our primary function is to provide a safe, secure and enjoyable boating environment and we have brilliant staff, great locations and competitive prices to help us achieve that.”

● Castle Marinas owns the following inland marinas: Buckden Marina next to the River Great Ouse near Cambridge; Kings Bromley Marina on the Trent & Mersey Canal at Lichfield; Nottingham Castle Marina in the heart of Nottingham; Ventnor Marina on the Grand Union Canal near Rugby and Wigrams Turn Marina at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford Canals at Southam.

For further information on events, prices and facilities click on to www.castlemarinas.co.uk or email info@castlemarinas.co.uk

New floating dry dock on the K&A A NEW purpose-built floating dry dock has been launched at The Boatyard at Hilperton on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Built by specialist steel fabricators it can accommodate boats up to 70ft long and 10ft wide and, as it is fully covered, will enable work all year round.

Spencer Collin, who with his wife Victoria, owns and manages The Boatyard said: “Having a dry dock gives us the ability to completely lift craft out of the water and work on all parts of the boat. As well as undertaking specialist engineering work we will be able to offer a full range of blacking and painting services.”

The floating dry dock is the latest in a line of developments at The Boatyard that has included day hire boats, a fully fitted holiday boat and Aquilo, the bespoke built fuel boat that supplies the K&A boaters all year round on its published, fixed, and reliable schedule.

The floating dry dock operates by being flooded and sinking into the canal, a front ramp is lowered and the boat floated in. After closing the watertight ramp powerful pumps drain the dry dock and with the aid of floatation tanks the dock floats with the boat inside and sitting securely on bostocks. The addition of folding walkways at gunwale height means that both the lower hull and the cabin can be worked on with ease.

The Boatyard also has a well-stocked chandlery, coal, fuel, water and pump out and offers full engineering and electrical services, LPS gas certification, boat building and fitting as well as long term linear moorings. ● For information contact The Boatyard on 01225 710017; email info@ukboatyard.com

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Mikron brings live theatre to the waterways THE Mikron Theatre Company launched its 44th national summer and waterways tour with the premieres of its two shows for 2015.

Based at Huddersfield, it is the only company that tours by canal, river and road, using historic narrowboat Tyseley to reach canal and riverside venues such as pubs, village halls, marinas and even dry docks.

The cast of four actor musicians

learned to steer the 72ft vessel and navigate the waterways, swapping theatres and dressing rooms for village greens and beer gardens.

This year’s offerings by Mikron are as different as chalk and cheese although food in the shape of jam, and fish and chips features in both of them, showcasing the versatility of the cast members Ellen Chivers, James Mclean, Steve McCourt and Rachael Henley.

● During June, Mikron will be touring with these two shows along the Grand Union and Regent’s Canals and in July on the Thames, Lower Avon, Kennet & Avon and Basingstoke. For full details of Mikron’s summer tour dates and venues, visit www.mikron.org.uk

These WI ‘ladies’ are not all what they seem: Ellen Chivers, James Mclean, Steve McCourt and Rachael Henley in a scene from Raising Agents. PHOTOS: PETER BOYD

One of Each A BATTER battle between fish-frying twins for the Golden Fish Fork Award presents lots of opportunities for songs and titbits about one of Britain’s favourite dishes, writes Janet Richardson.

I attended the sellout opening night at the company’s ‘home’ theatre, Marsden Mechanics, where an enthusiastic audience heard that fish and chips are popular on any day of the week and not just Friday.

In this savoury tale, the man on a mission to find the finest fish shop, Sir Caspian Delamere announces the finalists for his Golden Fish Fork Award only to find they are the competitive Whale twins Roderick (Steve McCourt) and Annette (Ellen Chivers) who have establishments at the opposite ends of the culinary spectrum.

While Roderick’s The Pickled Egg serves good oldfashioned fare fried in beef dripping, Annette’s upmarket The Silver Darling offers healthy options such as cod in caper sauce to more sophisticated palates. Her right-hand man is Scottish scientist Struan (James Mclean) who shares her belief that producing the finest fish and chips is a science rather than an art.

Reporting on their contest is investigative journalist Meriel Hacker (Rachael Henley) who soon finds she has bigger fish to fry when her insistent questioning starts to bear fruit.

One of Mikron’s objectives is to incorporate history and contemporary social movements into vivid drama and

Have you heard the news? James Mclean, Ellen Chivers, Rachael Henley and Steve McCourt in a scene from One of Each. PHOTOS: PETER BOYD One of Each charts the story of this national dish and the geographical differences in the way it is prepared and served interspersed with songs highlighting the cast’s musical talents playing instruments ranging from violin and accordion to ukulele, trombone and flute.

The play was directed by Chris Honer and written by Deborah McAndrew; composer and musical director was Rebekah Hughes and Kate Morton was the designer.

All the songs were warmly applauded but the biggest cheer on the night came for A Little Bit on the Side.

Audience participation also features in the culmination of the story when they are asked to vote for the winner of the Golden Fish Fork Award – I won’t give away who was the winner on the night.

WHAT’S NEW

A guide to the Grantham Canal

By Janet Richardson

A NEW guide to the Grantham Canal was launched recently at the Plough Inn, next to the canal at Hickling Basin.

The 86-page spiral bound booklet includes detailed maps and guide to the canal written by Jonathan Mosse and reproduced from the Collins Nicholson Waterways Guide for Nottingham, York and the North East with the permission of HarperCollins publishers and the Ordnance Survey.

Guests included local councillors and election candidates and stakeholders including the Canal & River Trust, the Inland Waterways Association, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, South Kesteven District Council, Cropwell Bishop Parish Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council and the Bottesford & District Angling Association. Several Grantham Canal Society members were also on hand to answer questions.

Chairman Mike Stone said: “The cover gives it away because most people think of it being about boats. This is designed for the whole of the people who use the canal – walkers, dog walkers, those who cycle and those who run.”

Grantham Canal Society chairman Mike Stone, right, with Kenneth Clarke MP at Hickling Basin.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

Raising Agents

He thanked the members who had painstakingly written and proofed the test, provided photographs and press and publicity officer Steve Swann who had pulled it all together. Mike presented a copy to Kenneth Clarke, since re-elected as MP for the Rushcliffe constituency, who he has known since school days. “We used to go round the country chasing railways, we never thought about canals,” he admitted.

Kenneth Clarke added: “I am now very attached to the canal; it is one of the most beautiful things in this constituency and an extraordinary piece of industrial heritage. It is amazing that so much is intact and so much has been done to restore it in recent years.”

The guide includes diagrammatic maps, information regarding car parks and drop-off points, towpath surface details and who controls fishing rights to various lengths. There are also lists of places of interest in and around Grantham and a guide to pubs and restaurants along the canal.

Wildlife is in abundance on the canal and also included are pictures and details of some of the local flora and fauna which can be seen along the way.

The guide also includes a brief history of the canal and the progress of restoration work.

Grantham Canal Society is keen to engage with local residents along the canal so that every section is represented by volunteer groups.

The guide is currently available from the GCS website at www.grantham canal.org although interest has also been expressed by a number of bookshops and post offices.

ONCE it was known as a centre for jam and rousing choruses of Jerusalem. Yet despite having nearly 100 years of experience, the Women’s Institute was creaking at the seams; the battles for survival of a small WI branch are chronicled in this production, writes Geoff Wood.

I watched the show in the upstairs assembly room of the historic Swan pub in Dobcross in Saddleworth – just a short distance from a canal, Mikron’s natural means of getting around – and it proved ideal for an intimate review.

Even though the WI branch featured was down at heel there was plenty of entertainment with music and laughter for the 60-strong audience.

A new member joins intent on bringing the branch up to date and rebranding them as the Bunnington Bunnies.

But all this doesn’t go down too well with the established membership.

You will have to watch it to see how it turns out.

But in between the mirth, there are snippets of information about the life

and times of the WI movement, which has this year clocked up 100 years. It championed social improvements and took active part in the world around it.

The audience will have noticed that the show skirted around the antics of the Calendar Girls in a branch further north. But you cannot have everything.

Most of us will have noticed that two of the lead characters in the production are rather large and manlike, which only adds to the general hilarity.

There were good performances from actors Steve McCourt, James Mclean, Ellen Chivers and Rachael Henley. The play was directed by Marianne McNamara and written by Maeve Larkin; composers were Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, musical director was Rebekah Hughes and Kate Morton was the designer.

The Swan was an ideal location for a spring event but as the show tours the UK in the summer, audiences are warned to be prepared for the changeable British weather for outdoor performances.

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

A history of the Wawne Ferry ORIGINALLY published in 2003 in booklet form, Martin Limon’s history of the Wawne Ferry over the River Hull has been updated as an eBook for Kindle.

A Passage over the River Hull: The Story of Wawne Ferry includes much of

the original text as well as new material gleaned from census records and the British Newspaper Archive.

Wawne Ferry operated over the River Hull in East Yorkshire for over 800 years finally closing in 1946.

The new version is available to download from the Kindle Store at Amazon, priced £4.09 including VAT. You simply have to type Wawne Ferry into the search box at www.amazon.co.uk

One hand on the tiller, the other grasping a glass of red!

Reviewer: David Lewis

FOR over 30 years, Michael Pearson has been producing his Canal Companions. These are fascinating guides to travelling on the British waterway system. To mark the summer season of 2015 he has published a new volume on West Yorkshire’s canal’s and rivers, called Leeds & Liverpool – West Yorkshire Waterways.

Michael doesn’t just deal with the L&L but also goes into great detail about lesser-known canals such as the Calder & Hebble, the Selby Canal and the pitfalls and pleasures of cruising the rivers Aire and Ouse and the mighty Aire & Calder Navigation.

When Michael starts his book by declaring “Stuff Santiago de Compostela – if you have to make one pilgrimage in your life, make it from Sowerby Bridge to Selby,” you know you’re in the company of an author with a wry wit and a sound sense of observation of the kind of cultural nuance that adds so much to a journey.

Over 100 pages, Michael’s maps and text guide you through what there is to see and what to avoid. Gems of mythic wisdom such as “Why are Castleford’s maiden’s so fair? Because they bathe in the Calder and dry in the Aire!” are intermingled with a wistful travelogue of the remnants of many and various former industrial sites of the West Riding that canals pass by.

Not all is mournful. Michael remarks on gems from the industrial era, such as the aqueduct at Stanley Ferry, “an iron trough suspended between bowstring girders with classical ornamentation... 19th century England that is said to have spawned the Sydney Harbour Bridge” capturing the mood perfectly. He also has a word for landmarks reprieved. On approaching Leeds Michael is glad to report “the Italianate chimneys of Tower Works have been spared demolition... exemplars of Victorian England’s predilection of making art out of toil”.

The Canal Companion does not restrict itself to rich descriptions of the passing scene, but provides invaluable advice about locks, bridges and moorings to be heeded as one makes one’s passage. Passing Bramley the boater is advised “the earlier in the day you negotiate the locks, the less angst you’ll experience”.

Should one be tempted to make the kind of pilgrimage Michael suggests, the Canal Companion doesn’t let you down once you’re tied up. At potential mooring points, details of perfect pubs, estimable eateries and touristic temptations appear, along with more prosaic information on subjects such as where to empty your Elsan.

For instance, Michael notes that on arrival at Selby: “The town centre lies five minutes walk from the canal basin.

Market on Mondays and supermarkets nearby...

Selby’s gorgeous Abbey has the knack of absorbing light like a solar panel and the quirkily quaint Bridge View Tearoom overlooks the riverside. 24 hours’ notice should be given if you want to pass through Selby’s lock into the Ouse.”

The Canal Companion is not exclusive to those who cruise.

Landlubbers and cyclists too can be inspired by the descriptions of what can be seen and enjoyed from the towpath, as well as warnings of obstructions and diversions.

Lovingly written, profusely illustrated and densely detailed, Michael Pearson’s latest guide should inspire all with an interest in our waterways and industrial heritage to get out there and explore. It’s available from all good bookshops, price £9.95, or via Wayzgoose publishing, who can be contacted at enquiries@jmpearson.co.uk ISBN: 978-0-9928492-1-4

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High water at Bull’s Bridge Tim Coghlan continues his series of articles looking to this year’s 13th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally – co-sponsored by Braunston Marina and Towpath Talk – and touching on some of the historic narrowboats that will be attending.

I AM convinced that there is still a lot of historic canal material out there just waiting to come to light, as shown by my recent find. It is a large, very fine mounted photograph –

reproduced here – of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company (GUCCC) Bull’s Bridge Depot in about 1937.

This was the headquarters of its canal carrying and boat

maintenance operation. It was simply bursting with activity, with about 23 GUCCC boats undergoing various stages of maintenance.

The photograph was taken

The recently discovered photograph of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company’s maintenance depot at Bull’s Bridge, West London, in about 1937. PHOTO COURTESY TIM COGHLAN

when the GUCCC at its peak of canal dominance, with a fleet of some 180 boats, and this framed print was certainly in the ownership of the then fleet manager Leslie Morton, who was relieved of his position in that year – hence the suggested dating of the photograph, which is in fantastic condition, simply because, for reasons to be explained, it has not seen the light of day since 1970. It is even still in its original frame, the label on the back stating ‘J Brown & Son, Fine Art Dealers and Picture Frame Manufacturers, Aldgate, EC’.

It is similar to the one in Alan H. Faulkner’s booklet The George & The Mary, A History of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company Ltd, and was no doubt taken by the same photographer on the same day and from almost the same spot. But two things are special about this one, which I have never seen before: Firstly there is shown here a horse-drawn maintenance barge, full of dredgings, and on closer examination a recovered motorcycle that had been dumped in the canal – so no change then from today.

The other special thing is that in this version two boats are seen in the bottom right hand corner, one of which is the Phobos, which from 1943 until 1945, was worked by the famous Idle Women trio of Sonia Rolt & co. It is the only photograph I have seen of the Phobos in its preSecond World War fine livery.

When I showed it to the Phobos’ present owner, he was thrilled and told me it was only the second photograph he had seen of the boat in its GUCCC days, the other being that famous one of Sonia painting pro-Labour political slogans over the cabin for the1945 General Election, which the Labour Party won, throwing out Winston Churchill.

The name of the butty moored with the Phobos is not visible, but using the registration number, it can be identified as the Marcellus, which may then have

Braunston Bottom Lock during the terrible winter of 1962/3 when the canal froze for three months, helping to kill off what little trade remained on the canals. Three loaded Willow Wren boats are moored below the lock. Michael Streat’s pair of hotel boats – converted former working narrowboats – are moored against the quay. The buildings seen are the workshops of Willow Wren. PHOTO: PAT STREAT

The lay by at Bull’s Bridge in April 1944. This was to the south of the maintenance depot, where boats mustered awaiting orders. A group of Idle Women are seen – the girl in the white jersey being Evelyn Hunt whose motor was the Sun, which was later converted to the tripboat Water Ouzel. Behind the Town Class butties Bedworth and Feltham can be identified. PHOTO:WATERWAYS TRUST been paired with the Phobos, but by the time of Sonia’s arrival was paired with the butty Moon. All three of these boats will be attending this year’s rally.

Only two of the other boats in the photograph have their names visible, the butties Orion and Romsey. What became of these boats post the early 1950s is not known to me. They do not feature in that recent definitive work by Williams & Silvester, Historic Working Narrow Boats Today, but then neither does Sonia’s Moon.

Those two boats may be out there somewhere, as hulls awaiting a sympathetic restoration.

Garage clearance

The photograph’s discovery was the result of a garage clearance following the sale by the widow of the late Dennis Clarke of her house neighbouring Braunston Marina. Our marina builder Roy, whose weekend hobby is car boot sales, spotted the framed picture, with two others, at the back of the opened garage when he was speaking about matters of mutual interest to the Polish builders, who were giving the house a makeover for its new owner. The pictures were about to go into the skip, so it was a timely intervention – and yes, I have since been formally given them by Mrs Clarke.

Roy smiled as he said: “You just might be interested in these!” I was indeed, especially as the other two pictures gave a convincing clue as to who the original owner was. One was the framed certificate for Leslie Noel Morton’s membership of The Institute of Transport, an organisation founded in 1919, “established to promote and encourage Knowledge of Traffic Science and the Art of Transport in all its branches and the means and appliances connected therewith”. Morton’s certificate is dated November 4, 1955.

The other picture was a fine small coloured print of J Spurling’s famous 1924 painting of the Cutty Sark – Morton had in his time served an apprentice on a square rigger. So all three pictures had once been owned by Leslie Morton, one of the now forgotten heroes of the canals, who held the pass before they found a new life and purpose in recreation.

But how had Morton’s pictures ended up in that garage? The Clarke’s house had originated as a pair of semi-detached cottages that had been built in 1919 as staff accommodation for canal carriers Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC), which then had a base occupying about half of the wharf of what is today Braunston Marina. The houses

were sold to the Clarkes in 1970 by the British Waterways Board, which had acquired the cottages on the nationalisation of FMC in 1947. The Clarkes had then converted them to one dwelling and built that garage.

Dennis Clarke was a Braunston lad, his parents for many years running the lockside Admiral Nelson pub. He was a man of talent and worked his way up from an apprentice in Samuel Barlow’s yard – now part of Braunston Marina – before being appointed in 1954 as the Braunston foreman to the newly formed Willow Wren Canal Carrying Company, with premises and workshops at Braunston Bottom Lock.

Willow Wren had been formed in 1954 by the IWA under the driving energy of its chairman Robert Aickman, who had proclaimed that only by encouraging “the canal’s lifeblood of commercial carrying”, could the canals be retained for pleasure use.

Aickman was wise to appoint Leslie Morton as general manager, who then aged 56 was working as an import export agent, and looking forward to his retirement. In the event Morton took up the challenge of saving canal carrying, and worked tirelessly on his new appointment, until he died in the harness in 1968 aged 72. His death really took the driving force of Willow Wren which finally ceased commercial carrying in early 1970.

Head office

Willow Wren’s head office was firstly in Brentford and then moved to Bull’s Bridge, with the northern branch depot at Braunston Bottom Lock, which Morton would visit each week.

He would drive up from his home in Epsom, and stay Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Admiral Nelson.

On the evenings of his visits, he was to be found in the bar of that in what today is the table-skittles room. Any of his boatmen who were in Braunston would be treated to a pint of black ’n tan, a mix of bitter and stout in equal measures.

Those evenings made for great party nights among the boatmen, with much loud singing to the accompaniment of accordions and mouth organs.

David Blagrove, who worked for Willow Wren for three years in the early 60s, wrote a song, the last verse of which was: We work for Leslie Morton a very kindly man, On Wednesdays at the ‘Nelson’ he buys us Black and Tans,

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www.towpathtalk.co.uk He gets us lots of orders, and pays us now and then, Three cheers for Leslie Morton, the King of Willow Wren.

For the most part Morton was well liked and respected by those of his boatmen who had come from his old GUCCC fleet and also the FMC. But he was generally detested by many of the neighbouring Barlows boatmen who saw him as responsible, during his GUCCC years, for killing off the old independent boatmen – the Number Ones – by undercutting them on prices to the point when many had surrendered their independence to join Barlows simply in order to survive.

Morton had a small wooden hut for an office attached to what today is Wharf House Narrowboats’ shop. Dennis Clarke’s son told me who could not recall seeing those three pictures in Morton’s office – there didn’t even seem room for pictures, and he just did not know where they had been after Morton died, and how they got put in his parents’ garage in 1970. But they had been there ever since, until their recent discovery.

After Willow Wren closed its Braunston operation, Dennis Clarke ran a trip boat with his wife, until his death in 1992. The

Leslie Morton, left, with his foreman captain Jack Monk, appearing in the Eamonn Andrews TV show This Is Your Life in 1958. The ‘life’ was Sister Mary’s of Stoke Bruerne fame.

This is one of only two photographs of Leslie Morton in all his canal years that the author has been able to find. He died childless. Jack Monk was born on a boat at Braunston bottom lock in 1901. PHOTO: DAVID BLAGROVE

The site of the former Bull’s Bridge maintenance depot as it is today.

In the late 1980s the land, then in a state of semi dereliction was sold off by the British Waterways Board to Tesco to make a large supermarket and the slipways filled in to make a car park. As a token heritage-gesture the dry dock was saved, but does not operate. PHOTOS:TIM COGHLAN boat was the converted former GUCCC motor the Sun, renamed Water Ouzel. During the Second World War Sun had been the motor for another trio of Idle Women Evelyn Hunt & co. Today Water Ouzel still survives as a tripboat, operating on the Regent’s Canal in London.

At its height in 1961, Willow Wren had a fleet of 38 boats, which it had acquired from British Waterways Board, whose nationalised fleet – mainly of former GUCCC and FMC boats – was now in steep decline. The fleet size was only a fraction of what Morton had previously experienced in the prewar heyday of the GUCCC. It is to Morton’s credit that all these boats survive into modern times, and several are regular attendees at the Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rallies, including the former FMC butty Grimsby, which is returning this year after an absence of a few years.

Dramatic expansion

Leslie Morton was born in Birkenhead in 1896. When aged 13, he served as an apprentice on a square rigger, the Beeswing, in which capacity he had sailed six times round Cape Horn. By the time of the First World War he had moved to modern ocean liners, and was an able seaman on the Lusitania on that critical day of May 7, 1915, when it was sunk by torpedo off Ireland.

Morton was taking the

starboard watch at the time, when he spotted what he claimed were two torpedoes coming towards the ship, one of which sank it. Morton survived and also saved many passengers, for which he was awarded a Lusitania medal. Morton’s medal is in the current Lusitania Exhibition in Liverpool to commemorate the centenary of the ship’s sinking.

In the years after the First World War, Morton went ashore and joined the Northamptonbased Associated Canal Carriers Ltd, which was acquired by the GUCCC in 1930. Morton became traffic manager for the combined operation, and was then appointed fleet manager in 1934 until he was ousted by the new chairman in April 1937, after the company got into financial difficulties, after which Morton left the canals.

His three years at the helm saw a dramatic expansion of the GUCCC fleet, with 80 pairs of new boats ordered from various builders – mainly Yarwoods of Northwich and Harland & Wolff at their North Woolwich works.

These were to designs by Morton, who by this time was a qualified naval architect.

Morton’s main designs were twofold, the Town Class and then the Star Class. It is quite astonishing that so many boats could be built – 160 of them – in so short a period of time. They caused Morton no end of

Diana Coghlan memorial concert in aid of Northampton Hospice BRAUNSTON Marina owner Tim Coghlan has organised and sponsored a concert dedicated to the memory of his wife Diana, who died last year of cancer.

The concert will be performed by Armonico Consort, who regularly feature on Classic FM, in the large, former priory church of St Mary’s Everdon, near Daventry, Northampton-shire, on Saturday, June 6 at 6.30pm.

Tim Coghlan said: “The works to be performed are Mozart’s Requiem, a special favourite of Di’s, which gave her much comfort in her last illness and in the second half, as a cheerful antidote, Part 1 of Haydn’s Creation.

“There will be an hour’s interval to allow concert-goers to picnic in Everdon’s beautiful churchyard, which is one of about five that claim to be the setting of Gray’s poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”

He added: “I have paid for the concert in full, so all ticket sales will go to the Cynthia Spencer Hospice Outreach Team, who did a wonderful job in looking after my wife, allowing her to die peacefully at home as she had wished. This is my personal thank you to that brilliant team.

Tim and Diana Coghlan on the Erie Canal, Rochester, Upper New York State, USA when attending the 2010 World Canal Conference.

PHOTO: JENNY BOWMAN

“Di was not that visible in my first 26 years at Braunston Marina, but she was always there in a strong supportive role. She loved coming to our Historic Narrowboat Rallies, and accompanying me to a number of World Canal Conferences. I sadly feel I have lost my crew.”

Tickets are available at £10, £15, and £25 and can be bought through the Armonico website – www.armonico.org.uk or by phone 0844 581 0750

problems in naming them. It is said that for the Town Class, once he had run out of canal towns, like Nuneaton, he resorted to the current Bradshaw’s Railway Guide, taking names which had nothing to do with canals, like Brighton and Battersea – both of which will be attending this year’s rally, as well as Nuneaton.

As regards the Star Class, Morton again soon ran out of popular names, the likes of the Sun and Moon, Orion, Milky Way and Polaris being soon used up. However, during his years at sea, during the long night watches in the Southern Ocean, with clear nights of stars, Morton made an academic study of astronomy – hence the Phobos, one of the two small moons of Mars only discovered with a modern telescope in 1877, and Stoke Bruerne Museum’s Sculptor, which is named after a small and faint constellation in the southern sky, supposedly resembling a sculptor. It was not known to the ancients, but discovered by a Frenchman in the 18th century.

But the intriguing Star Class name is the Marcellus, as there is no Marcellus anywhere that I could find in astronomy.

However, there is a Marcellus in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a nightwatchman on battlements of doomed Castle Elsinore, Canal author David Blagrove worked for Willow Wren for three years in the early 1960s –

after dropping out from being a London solicitor – and got to know Morton well. Blagrove informs me that Morton was both widely read and loved the theatre, so he would have known this play. And Blagrove’s view is supported by actor and canal enthusiast Timothy West – that this is the literary source of the name (Timothy West pointed out that this is one of only two occasions in Shakespeare’s plays when Christmas is mentioned, the other being a brief reference in Love’s Labour’s Lost).

The ghost of boat Marcellus will be with us for its first ever visit to our rally – the butty was cut in two in 1995 and made into two boats and we are getting the back end that appeared in that photograph. And also in their entirety, Sculptor and Phobos.

Regular supporters, actors Timothy West and his wife Prunella Scales will be steering Sonia’s paired Phobos and Moon in the parade of boats. And those three Leslie Morton pictures will be on display in the marina office.

The tripboat Water Ouzel entering Nelson Lock, Braunston, in about 1970. The steerer could well have been Dennis Clarke, former foreman of Willow Wren’s Braunston depot, who operated the boat with his wife until his death in 1992. The boat still operates as a tripboat on the Regents Canal in London. The Admiral Nelson Inn is seen, where Leslie Morton would stay on his Braunston visits. PHOTO: HUGH MCKNIGHT

A new baby joins the historic fleet crew

BABY Elizabeth is certainly a boat child. The daughter of David Ray and his partner Sarah has lived on board David’s boat Ant since returning from the hospital and will get her first taste of back-cabin life when the couple take their working boat, Ibex, to the Historic Narrowboat Rally at Braunston later this month.

Hardly surprising really, as David is a dedicated boater who was also introduced to narrowboating at a very early age. He is not only something of an expert on historic narrowboats but his day to day life is spent surrounded by all types of boats as manager of Norbury Wharf Ltd on the Shropshire Union Canal.

Elizabeth arrived at 3.15am on April 9, weighing in at 5lb 11½oz by which time David had managed to adapt the accommodation on Ant to fit in a cot bed for Elizabeth and make room for all the many other essentials a new baby needs.

David, who still has a large smile on his face weeks after Elizabeth’s arrival, said: “Sarah is very resourceful and we have managed to give Elizabeth everything a new baby needs on board.

“Ibex is a sort of new baby too, at least she is to me, and I have been getting her ready for this summer over the past few months.

“It will be wonderful to be able to take Elizabeth and our working boat to Braunston where a lot of my friends in the historic narrowboating community will be able to get together.

“Whole families use to live their entire lives in the back cabins of boats like Ibex so I am sure Elizabeth and Sarah will be comfortable for a week or so.”

If Elizabeth’s early-hours arrival is anything to go by she may well help ensure David can ‘get ahead’ on the journey to Braunston, with lots of early starts.

David Ray and Sarah with their baby Elizabeth and Ibex, whose back cabin will be home for the family for a week or two this June.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

David added: “I suppose we are all concerned about how we get more young people involved in the waterways and I can’t help hoping that Elizabeth will be at the helm of an historic boat a few years down the line.

“I enjoyed lots of boating as a young child and I want her to have that experience too.”

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WHAT’S ON

Compiled by Janet Richardson

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

Anniversary celebrations at Middlewich

The chickens start spreading the news. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Start spreading the news

THE birth of a foal causes much excitement among the animals in Fowl Play – a Farmyard Adventure, Puppet Theatre Barge’s latest production.

Chickens soon spread the news which leads to an unexpected turn of events brought to life by carved farmyard animal marionettes with exciting lighting and soundscape. The show is suitable for everyone from three years old upwards.

Running until Sunday, July 12, there will be performances on Saturdays (11am and 3pm) and Sundays (3pm). Shows were also due to take place during the May half-term from Monday-Friday, May 24-29 at 3pm each day.

Described as ‘one of London’s more elusive treasures’, the Puppet Theatre Barge is moored at Little Venice, Blomfield Road, London W9 2PF (Warwick Avenue tube station). It is an established 55-seat theatre with all modern facilities.

Tickets: Adults £12, children £8.50, concessions £10, no booking fee. Contact the box office on 0207 249 6876 or online at www.puppetbarge.com

Historic boats moored along the Town Wharf. PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON

THIS year sees the 25th annual Middlewich Folk & Boat (FAB) Festival welcoming friends old and new to the canalside town in the heart of the Cheshire countryside.

Mooring and live entertainment are free at this popular event from lunchtime on Friday, June 19 through to Sunday, June 21 – the longest day of the summer.

Along the canalside and in the town centre, artists from around the UK and beyond perform to 1000s of visitors each day on the Live Stage, to which admission is free, and the Fringe, comprising 10 venues at pubs, clubs and hotels.

Together with 100s of canal boats and its town centre setting, Middlewich FAB (folk and boat) Festival continues to provide a fabulous showcase of live entertainment.

Geordie legends Lindisfarne will open the festival in fine style on Friday night and Countryrockers Ward-Thomas are sure to entertain the Saturday night crowd, whatever their musical taste!

Sundays `Party in the Park` features artists from the UK, Canada, Mauritius and New Zealand, before ska legend Neville Staple and his band bring the festival to a fabulous conclusion!

Middlewich Council events manager Dave Thomson said: “Join us in June, there`s so much to see and enjoy and it’s free to moor! Reserved moorings are now full, but boaters are still most welcome to join us.

“The floating market is also fully booked with a good variety of traders, all looking forward to

another busy weekend.”

The market is sponsored by Towpath Talk.

Mooring is on a first-come, firstserved basis. Boats arriving on the Trent & Mersey Canal from the south are advised to moor above Kings Lock or on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal; those coming from the north are advised to moor above Big Lock, but not beyond Town Bridge. Boats arriving via the Shropshire Union Canal are advised to moor above Wardle Lock on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union or above Kings Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

Camping is available by the canal just five minutes’ walk from the town centre.

For more details visit www.midfest.org.uk

The floating market at last year’s event.

Oyez! The town centre comes alive for the festival parade.

Join in the carnival fun at Long Eaton BOATERS are invited to Long Eaton Carnival which takes place over the weekend of June 20-21. They can moor alongside the parade route and join in the fun.

The aim of the carnival is to meet, encourage and engage with the members of the community and at the same time raise money for local charities.

This year’s theme is musicals so it should be a vision of colour with plenty of music, movement and dance.

Artists, entertainers and boaters of all ages are welcome.

The moorings on the Erewash Canal, along Tamworth Road, are not subject to time-limit restrictions at the moment and there is no charge for the carnival, even on the field itself.

The carnival parade leaves at 11am and should pass the canalside moorings by about 11.15-11:30am. It then goes through the centre of the town, over the Derby Road canal bridge, before returning to the carnival field at about 1pm.

Once the parade has reached the field, the event is formally opened.

This year there are two arenas along with all types of entertainment and side stalls.

There is a beer tent, of course,

entertainment, arts and crafts, animals… all that you would expect for a diverse and interesting day.

On Saturday night in the beer tent there will be live bands to give the evening a great variety of music and cater for most musical tastes. There will be a small admissions charge for the evening – £4 per person.

Sunday starts with a car boot sale and then there are various events on the field in the afternoon.

Long Eaton is the first town on the Erewash Canal and was only a small village when the canal was opened to bring coal away from the coal mines at Ilkeston and Langley Mill.

It now has two large supermarkets, a full range of shops and a selection of pubs and eating establishments. The shopping centre is recovering quickly from the recent recession and there are also markets in the town centre on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

If you plan to stay longer, there are brilliant bus services next to the moorings, which serve Nottingham, Derby and Ilkeston.

There is also a train station within 10 minutes’ walk.

Unfortunately, there are no services for boaters on this stretch of moorings, but full facilities are available at Trent Lock, the first lock on the Erewash Canal, and so boaters may want to use them before going to the moorings which can be found under the road bridge and around a quite tight turn, the Sea Scouts buildings will be on the left hand side.

Moor on the right anywhere along that straight stretch of the canal, and you will be able to see the road parade from the comfort of your boat.

The carnival field is also on the left hand side of the canal, behind the large school, but to access it leave the towpath as you near the town and at the first set of traffic lights, turn left and there is a footbridge. (Just follow the crowds).

If you don’t want to travel the Erewash after the weekend, there is a winding hole just through the next set of locks. You may need your Waterways key for some locks due to ‘inquisitive’ teenagers.

● For more up-to-date information on the carnival, please go to www.longeatoncarnival.org.uk or look Long Eaton Community Carnival’s Facebook page.

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Boat gathering on the BCN

Jacques and his floating laboratory of herbal liquids

LONGWOOD Boat Club is hosting a boat gathering over the weekend of June 13-14 to encourage boaters to its part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations at the top of the Rushall Locks.

Phoenix will be doing boat trips and vintage working boats Atlas & Malus will be there, too.

Open from 10am-5pm each day, the Longwood Boat Festival will take place on the Rushall Top Lock Field off Aldridge Road WS4 2JS. Attractions will also include have-a-go canoes, classic cars, musical entertainment, a fun dog show, children’s games, street dance, fire engine, real ale bar, food and craft stalls.

A heritage bus from the museum will come from Walsall and Aldridge and stop at Longwood.

AFTER a very successful first year of Black Country Voyages, the Aaron Manby has been transformed into an apothecary for the second year of the project.

Lead artist for 2015, Jacques Nimki has created a floating laboratory of herbal liquids derived from local plants, fermenting slowly over time, housed in glass, reflecting light and colour. The display includes lozenges, cordials, country wines, sorbets and teas which will be available for consumption at selected events.

Black Country Voyages will also showcase drawings, recipes and objects that relate to the business of apothecaries. Jacques will work with the youth programme at various canalside venues along the BCN to hold workshops where visitors can interact with Black Country Voyages.

The spring and summer programme includes the following events: Longwood Boat Club Canal Festival, Saturday, June 13 at Rushall Top Lock, Aldridge Road, Walsall WS4 2JS, 11am-5pm, admission free; Brownhills Community Festival, Sunday, June 28 at Canalside, Silver Street WS8 6DZ, 10am-5pm, admission free; and Kings Norton Junction Festival, Friday and Saturday, July 10-11 at Kings Norton playing fields, Pershore Road South, Kings Norton B30 3EJ, 10am-4pm, admission free.

WHAT’S ON IN JUNE

● For more information contact Claire Bird at c.bird@ikon-gallery.org or call Ikon on 0121 248 0708.

RAMPAGING Vikings, historic, working and model boats on the water, and displays of traditional canal crafts will be among the attractions at Stoke Bruerne’s Family Festival, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Visitors will get a glimpse of what life would have been like on the historic waterway with a display of working narrow boats, demonstrations of breasting up and lock working and a chance to get afloat on one of the two trip boats offering an opportunity to see nearby Blisworth Tunnel from the inside.

Add a bustling market with trade and charity stalls, cream teas, children’s activities and face painting, a colourful water pageant and a real ale bar, live music, theatre, dance and there really will be something for

Watch out for rampaging Vikings at Stoke Bruerne. PHOTOS: LYNDA PAYTON everyone during the event over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14.

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.

June 2

Worcester, Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society: The BCN in the 80s, talk and slideshow

by Martin O’Keefe. The Meeting Room, Alvechurch Boat Centre, Scarfield Wharf B48 7SQ, next to The Weighbridge pub, 7.45 for 8pm. Visitors welcome, information: www.wbdcs.org.uk

June 3

River Foss Society: Foss Walk 4, about six miles. Easingwold to Coxwold, 9.30am.

Contact Bob Jowett 01904 764702, bob.jowett1@btopenworld.com

June 4

Southampton Canal Society: John Ross demonstrates and talks about traditional narrowboat painting and canal history. Chilworth Parish Hall, Chilworth, Southampton SO16 7JZ4, 7.45pm. Visitors welcome. Contact 0238 067 5312, www.sotoncs.org.uk

June 5

River Foss Society: Evening country walk around Strensall with John Millett, followed by pub meal. Contact John Millett 01904 491290, johnmillett1@talktalk.net

June 5-7

Beale Park Boat & Outdoor Show: Beale Park, Lower Basildon, Reading RG8 9NW. 10am-6pm.

Say ‘Towpath Talk land ahoy’ at the entrance to receive discounted tickets at £4.50 adults, £1.88 child 5-15, under 5s free. www.bealeparkboatandoutdoorshow.co.uk

June 10

IWA Warwickshire: A walk at Bascote Locks, Grand Union Canal. Meet at Welsh Road Lock car park NGR385640 at 7.30pm.

Contact IWA Warwickshire 01788 891545, info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk IWA South London: Memories of Humber Ferries by Kirk Martin. The Primary Room, The United Reformed Church Hall, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon CR0 5LP. 7.30 for 8pm. All welcome, no admission charge but donations of £2 towards costs. Contact Alan Smith 07787 077179 or email alan.smith@waterways.org.uk

June 11

Weedon Art Group: Still Life drawing taster class. Scout Hut, New Street, Weedon. One session £15. Contact Libby Hart 01327 341816, weedonart@btinternet.com

June 13

River Foss Society: Himalayan Balsam Pull.

Meet at Yearsley Bridge at the junction of the Huntington Road, Haleys Terrace and Fossway, 10am. Names to June Card 01904 766196, junecard700@gmail.com

June 15

Friends of Cromford Canal: The history and development of the Midland Railways – utterly by Stuart Smith. Ironville Church Hall, Ironville NG16 5NN, 7.30pm. Admission £2, bar and raffle.

June 16

June 6

Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust: Neath and Tennant Canals by Mike Jones. Royal Oak, Much Marcle HR8 2ND, 7.30 for 8pm.

Everyone welcome.

June 7

Heulwen Trust: Adventure cruise – threehour public trip to Brithdir. 10.30am http://makingwaves2015.co.uk

Heulwen Trust: Adventure cruise – threehour public trip to Brithdir. 10.30am http://makingwaves2015.co.uk Wendover Arm Trust: Restoration open day – take a free guided tour of the restoration site and see volunteers at work. Tea and cakes for sale. 12.30-4pm. Car parking at St Mary’s Church, Drayton Beauchamp HP22 5LT. No admission charge but donations welcome. www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal: Islington – Mile End. Starts Angel tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs. Contact Roger Wilkinson 0203 612 9624.

June 8

Charnwood Drawing and Painting Club: Self-help group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at Barrow-uponSoar’s Bishop Beveridge Club, Sileby Road.

Located on the canalised section of the River Soar just a stone’s throw from the cut and all are invited to join in from 12.30 to 2.30pm.

A still life is set up, which is suitable for all standards of artwork in any medium.

Cost £2.50.

Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust: Flicks in the Sticks – The Bargee. Welshpool. http://makingwaves2015.co.uk

June 9

Fun for all the family at Stoke Bruerne

IWA Middlesex: Skittles match – all welcome.

Hillingdon Canal Club, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2QX. Doors open 7.30pm for 8pm start. Contact Lucy at middlesex.socials@waterways.org.uk

June 20

June 21

Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust: Summer Solstice walk, Carreghofa. http://makingwaves2015.co.uk IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal: Little Venice – Camden. Starts Warwick Avenue tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs. Contact Roger Wilkinson 0203 612 9624.

June 23

Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society: Walk, for information see www.derbycanal.org.uk

June 26

Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust: Display at Welshpool Tourist Information Centre until July 9. http://makingwaves2015.co.uk

June 26-27

River Foss Society: An opportunity to walk the full Foss Walk on consecutive days or sections of it. Further details from Bob Jowett 01904 764702, bob.jowett1@btopenworld.com

June 26-28

Roving Canal Traders Association: Floating market on the Shropshire Union Canal at Market Drayton, Bridge 63-64, Bretton/Lords. www.rcta.org.uk Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust: Making waves with coracles, Welshpool.

Coracle building and demonstrations. http://makingwaves2015.co.uk

Take a trip into Blisworth Tunnel.

Entry is free and parking is only £5 per car (all day) in the village car parks.

During the weekend The Canal Museum will have extended opening hours (10am-6pm) with special 2-for-1 entry to enable festival-goers to explore the history of our waterways. Entry includes a recently revamped audio tour of the canalside.

The Family Festival is being organised by the Friends of the Canal Museum, which won a Living Waterways Award in 2014 for its programme of annual events, in partnership with the Canal Museum and the local community to raise awareness of the museum and all that the canalside village of Stoke Bruerne has to offer.

Brentford to Bristol and back Beyond the A NEW summer programme of open air and on-board film screenings, performances, talks and events can be seen on board The Floating Cinema along the waterways of the south-east and west of England.

It will begin its epic journey on Thursday, June 4 with three nights at Brentford Lock before travelling along the Kennet & Avon Canal, across West Berkshire and Wiltshire, arriving to take up residency in Bristol in early July.

Highlights include an ‘al fresco’ screening at the gateway to the Thames in Brentford Lock, a Lock-a-Thon at Caen Hill Flights (a horse-drawn barge procession exploring the Kennet & Avon Canal through archive film, local archivists and canal champions), an evening of immersive film, music and experimental projection at the magnificent Crofton Pumping Station and a two-day animation workshop Moonrakers and Movies for young people in Devizes.

An action-packed programme will screen rarely seen film from local archives, alongside features and historic canal classics. It will also present artist talks and hands-on educational activities for all ages. The events, both on-board and on land, will explore the histories, myths and legends along the route, including Reading’s rock hall-of-fame, Wiltshire’s world-famous crop circles, and alternative trade in historic market town Newbury.

The Floating Cinema will finally take up residence in Bristol’s floating harbour for a week in early July presenting a celebration of home-grown talent in collaboration with Bristol-based partners and artists, including Arnolfini, Cube Microplex and Bristol Record Office.

Floating Cinema On Tour is curated by UP Projects with artist duo Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie (Somewhere).

For programme details visit www.floatingcinema.info

towpath

TELEGRAM Gallery presents its latest pop-up exhibition Beyond the Towpath at the London Canal Museum from Tuesday, June 2, showcasing work by artist Alberta Bamonte, inspired by London’s Regents Canal.

The gallery will be exhibiting prints, drawings and photographs in the top gallery of the museum until August 1. All works will be for sale from £200, along with a selection of tea towels, tote bags and postcards.

Alberta Bamonte’s works approach the canal and the surrounding areas from an aerial point of view. She uses Google Earth to focus on a section of the water, the towpath and beyond, before reproducing the bird’s eye view on paper or jute, adapting the colours and shapes to create a unique kind of landscape where the industrial and the natural sit side by side.

Follow @telegramgallery on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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Wey to go for festival entertainment AFTER last year’s success the next Wey River festival will take place again at Dapdune Wharf in the heart of Guildford on September 18-19.

There will be plenty of moorings available on the towpath side of the river, both up and down stream. Facilities will be available at Dapdune Wharf, with the railway bridge offering easy access to moorings, and is well lit at night. The navigation authority – the National Trust – will be offering a 20% discount on visitor licences for visiting boats coming to the festival.

Stalls and activities will be available for all the

Restoration open day SEE the volunteers at work at the Wendover Arm Trust’s restoration open day on Sunday, June 7.

There will also be guided tours of the canal restoration site, sideshows and teas, cakes and ice-creams for sale between 12.30 and 4pm.

Admission is free, donations welcome, to the event held in association with St Mary the Virgin, Drayton Beauchamp. Parking is available at the church, postcode HP22 5LS. ● Information: 07547 181857, www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk

family at the wharf on Saturday, including demonstrations form the Surrey Wood Turners and ’have a go’ sessions with the Black Dragon Morris dancers and Guildford archery club, naming just a few.

The Croydon Steel Orchestra will be leading the illuminated procession from Millmead lock to Dapdune on Saturday around dusk – a wonderful spectacle not to be missed.

For further details and entry form contact the navigations office on 01483 561389 or email riverwey@nationaltrust.org.uk

Canal boats and crafts at Cosgrove

THE Cosgrove Canal Festival and Craft Fair is being held in conjunction with the Cosgrove Village Feast from July 11-12 at Cosgrove Lock, on the Grand Union Canal.

Attractions will include historic narrowboats, Saturday night music, stalls, trade boats, with extra tables available in Cosgrove Village Hall.

All are welcome. To book a place email events@buckinghamcanal.org.uk and for further details contact Athina Beckett of Buckingham Canal Society on 01908 661217.

Worksop families encouraged to enjoy free waterside fun PEOPLE living in Worksop will have a chance to enjoy some free waterside fun as part of a day of activities taking place on Saturday, June 6.

The event, being held at the Lock Keeper Pub and nearby Chesterfield Canal, will give families the opportunity to enjoy a boat ride, try canoeing or even have a go at fishing. It’s all part of a drive to get more people out into the fresh air and exploring the town’s great outdoor places such as the historic Chesterfield Canal.

The day is being organised by the Canal & River Trust, Chesterfield Canal Trust, the Angling Trust, Focus on Young People in Bassetlaw, and Bassetlaw District Council, and supported by the Grafton Angling Association, Worksop & District Anglers Association, and the Lock Keeper Pub. Glyn Williams, member of the Canal & River Trust’s East Midlands Waterways Partnership,

said: “We held a similar event last year which was a great success and this promises to be even more fun and a great opportunity for people to try something new. With fantastic outdoor spaces like the Chesterfield Canal there’s lots for families to do in and around Worksop and we want to show them what’s available on their doorstep.

“This event will enable people to find an activity that suits them, whether it be canoeing or something a little more relaxing like fishing – we’d simply urge people to come along and have a go.”

The event is free of charge and all activities begin at 11am on Saturday, June 6. Families are encouraged to wear waterproofs and suitable footwear and all children must be accompanied by an adult. The Lock Keeper Public House is situated off Sandy Lane, opposite Sainsburys, next to the A57, postcode S80 1TJ.

A line-up of traditional boats. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Traditional boats on the Thames THE Thames Traditional Boat Rally from July 17-19 has been relaunched as a festival for 2015 to reflect the broader range of attractions. It will take place at Henley-on-Thames from July 1719 and will be the finale of three weeks of special events, including the famous regatta.

Attractions will include the largest display and sail-by of traditional boats in Europe, with the biggest gathering of Dunkirk Little Ships commemorating the 75th anniversary of the evacuation.

There will be some surprises with some weird, wonderful and very fast boats planning to attend and opportunities to go aboard some of the participating boats. The Thames Traditional Boat Society will also be offering the chance to ‘have a go’ in their traditional rowing skiffs and canoes.

The 1883 passenger steamer Alaska will be offering trips on both days and the first steam umpire’s launch (1898) Consuta will be offering trips on Sunday.

In addition to all the activity on the river, there will be vintage flying displays, classic cars and bikes, wartime military hardware, and a special amphibious vehicle display.

Alaska will be offering trips on both days. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES There will also be traditional fairground attractions and a great selection of top-quality places to eat and drink, including a pop-up pub!

There is interesting shopping too and entertainment throughout the festival, which will run into the evening on Saturday with the illuminated boat parade. The festival will also be open on the Friday

evening for those who would like a sneak preview.

There is easy access by car, with lots of free parking, by train to Henley-on-Thames station and, of course, by boat.

A ferry shuttle service will run from the town either for people arriving by train or just wanting to arrive by boat!

For advance tickets, visit www.tradboatfestival.com

Lymm all set for third historic transport day JUST two years ago we ran a story about a new event on the Bridgewater Canal – Lymm Historic Transport Day. Now, as is prepares for its third year, on the weekend of June 27-28, it is going from strength to strength with a new feature this year being a combined display of historic working boats and traction engines in the village centre. One of the boats will even be delivering three tons of Welsh steam coal to the site of the old coal wharf for the engines.

Those of you who have never ventured onto the Bridgewater will be in for a pleasant surprise. Apart from many miles of lock-free cruising there is a great combination of industrial heritage and peaceful rural scenery.

Lymm itself has always been a popular stopping place as it ticks all the boxes for boaters. It’s very

Children from Statham Community Primary School at last year’s education day to which they travelled courtesy of Castlefield, owned by the Bridgewater Heritage Boat Company. PHOTO SUPPLIED

handy for shops, plus a great choice of pubs and restaurants, including canalside gardens. There’s even a chip shop within 50 yards of the canal!

A highlight of the first show in 2013 was a sail past of working boats that nearly had to be called off as the boats battled with near hurricane winds at the winding hole. But last year the whole day was blessed with sunshine and around 8000 people turned out for an event that had everything from Victorian prams to a bi-plane fly-past and also featured 300-plus classic cars, motor-bikes and bicycles as well as model railways, ships and planes.

One special feature of the event is the three-day ‘We Love Our Canal’ education programme aimed at Key Stage 2 primary school children. Nearly 200 children, some arriving by boat in Victorian costume, learnt about life on a working boat as well as trying out skills like rag rug making and bridge building.

“The education programme is something we are especially proud of,” explained event director Alan Williams, “and we are enormously grateful to the Saturn Education Project and to the museum staff and volunteers at Ellesmere Port Boat Museum for their enthusiastic support.”

Pleasure boaters are welcome to just turn up, but if you are coming in a historic boat you are requested to get in touch in advance so that sufficient village centre space can be reserved for you. ● More information at lymmtransport.org.uk Those of you out of reach of the internet can call 01925 754080.

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HCS boat rally coincides with Stalybridge Carnival FOLLOWING on from last year’s successful event, Huddersfield Canal Society (HCS) is again holding a boat rally in Stalybridge to coincide with the well-established Stalybridge Carnival.

This year’s event will take place over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28.

HCS has again worked with the Stalybridge Carnival Committee and the Stalybridge Town Team to provide a series of attractions for all visitors over the whole weekend. A major attraction this year will be a display of great courage and skill by the Tameside Sea Cadets (TS Quantock) with a breath-taking coordinated display on a 30ft-high window ladder in Armentieres Square. This will take place through Saturday and is certainly not one to miss.

On the Sunday an outdoor market is planned in the square, with the carnival parade attracting large numbers of visitors; last year’s impressive line up had about 55 entries.

HCS is inviting boat owners to bring their boats to Stalybridge for the

weekend; there is also a prize for the bestdressed boat, which will be presented by the Stalybridge Carnival Queen and Princess.

Society council member Pete Rawson said: “We intend to organise entertainment of some sort on the Saturday evening for boaters, but this will depend on numbers so please let us know in advance if you are likely to come along.”

He added that there would be free boat trips again, these having proved very popular last year.

The Wooden Canal Boat Society will be bringing its wooden canal boat Hazel, which has been restored and refitted to start a new life as a ‘well-being boat’, providing short breaks for people with mental health problems.

Volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions, along with members of the Huddersfield Canal Society. ● For further information please contact HCS on 01457 871800.

Last year’s boat gathering at Stalybridge. PHOTO: HCS

Catch up with Kennet

Cut it at The Record Deck

Pod market dates

LEEDS & Liverpool Canal ‘short boat’ Kennet has started a busy programme of summer events along the 127-mile canal.

Having visited Skipton and Saltaire in May, it will be heading for the Bingley Family Day on June 14 before moving on to Micklethwaite for the Community Day on June 21 and the Leeds Waterfront Festival on June 27-28.

Kennet will then be heading for the Heritage Open Day at Apperley Bridge on July 4; Blackburn Waterway Festival on July 18-19; Burnley Canal Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend; Blackburn Heritage Weekend on September 12-13; and back to Skipton for the Puppet Festival on September 2-4.

FLOATING music shop The Record Deck travels the cut for the summer festival season. Catch up with liveaboard boater and musician Luke Guilford on board nb Tashtar on the Regent’s Canal in London until June 5 then at the Field Day Festival in Victoria Park over the weekend of June 6-7. The Record Deck is full to the brim with albums, singles, CDS and books, and can be seen at the following destinations and many more places in between: Foxton Locks Festival, June 19-21; Stratford-upon-avon River Festival, July 2-6; Evesham River Festival, July 10-12; Blisworth Canal Festival,August 7-9; Cropredy Convention Folk Festival, August 12-16; Oxford, August 18-25 and Angel Canal Festival, September 6. For more exact locations and impromptu shop openings contact Luke on 07579 964138; email therecorddeck@ hotmail.co.uk or visit therecorddeckuk.word press.com

GLASSWARE designer and artist Kate Webley of The Pod will be exhibiting at some exciting new events as well as some old favourites over the summer. Dates for your diary are: June 6-7, Leicester River Festival; June 27-28, Braunston Historic Boat Rally; July 4-5, Stratford River Festival; July 11-12, Kings Norton Village and Canal Festival (to be confirmed); and August 29-31, IWA Festival, Northampton. www.pod4art.com

Kennet has a busy summer of visits. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

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The Holly Bush Inn, ready for exterior painting.

PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON

nts Canalside pubs & restaura to satisfy all tastes...

Plas Kynaston pub project

By Janet Richardson

The full reinstatement of the Plas Kynaston Canal and Marina at the rear of the Queens Hotel will be one of a raft of submissions to be made for inclusion in the new LDP2.

MAJOR works are nearing completion at the Holly Bush Inn, which is owned by the Plas Kynaston Canal Group (PKCG) at Cefn Mawr and used as its headquarters.

Exterior painting was due to be completed when the weather improved and external contractors have been completing the groundwork.

Plans also include a Cartographic Museum specialising in the Pontcysyllte

World Heritage Site and cafe on the first floor of this historic pub.

The pub dates back to the early 1800s and the construction of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The oldest part of the building was built from the stone spoil produced during the construction of the aqueduct.

PKCG will hold further talks with Wrexham County Borough Council and site owners Eastman Chemical to discuss reinstatement plans for the Plas Kynaston Canal following the closure of the last section of the

Monsanto Chemical Works.

Proposals for inclusion in the Local Development Plan were recently discussed and a further meeting is planned for Wednesday, June 17 at 7pm in the Holly Bush Inn. Following the closure of the last section of the Monsanto Chemical Works, the vacant brownfield site offers the opportunity to reinstate the full length of the former Plas Kynaston Canal all the way back to the Queens Hotel in Cefn Mawr.

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Mmmm – Squisito... it’s quite simply exquisite PRODUCING Italian food from local ingredients to slow food principles, Squisito Butchers & Provisions already has boaters from the nearby marinas and canal among its customers.

Within easy access of the

Grand Union Canal at Yelvertoft it opens all weekend and has somewhere to sit and have tea or coffee, and even has free dog parking.

Meaning exquisite in Italian, Squisito can make hampers for

collection or drop them down to boaters at Skew Bridge or the marinas – not just bacon, eggs, milk and bread, but a whole range of things from cheese to ready meals.

Details: www.squisito-deli.co.uk

Iconic pub to reopen after £1.5m investment FRIDAY, June 5 sees the reopening of one of the Grand Union Canal’s most iconic pubs – The Navigation Inn at Cosgrove, between Towcester and Milton Keynes.

The refurbishment is the result of a new partnership between the multi awardwinning Hertfordshire-based Oakman Inns and Greene King,

one of Britain’s largest breweries.

A £1.5m investment will bring major enhancements, including a new extension incorporating a large outdoor decked viewing platform and extended restaurant area overlooking new gardens.

Internally, the original stonework has been exposed

and previously blocked-up fireplaces reinstated.

The Navigation Inn, which has been a destination on the famous waterway since 1809, will employ a team of 30 when it re-opens, and training has already begun for some.

Full and part-time positions were still available at the time of going to press.

● To apply for a position visit www.oakmaninnsrecruitment.co.uk or find out more at www.thenavigationcosgrove.co.uk

nears completion This would link the former industrial village directly into the busiest stretch of inland waterway in the UK network, the Llangollen Canal. It would also provide much-needed moorings north of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

The Local Development Plan (2) is being formulated by WCBC for submission to the WAG (Welsh Assembly Government) over the next 18 months.

All the proposals for the Cefn area made by the PKC Group will meet the LDP objectives and will support the WAG Planning Policy for Wales (PPW), Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) Destination Management Plans, the Protection of World Heritage Sites and UNESCO guide lines.

The Cefn and Cefn Mawr is currently a depressed community in the wake of the closures of its only major employers, the former Monsanto Works and the Air Products plant, and the reinstatement of the canal and other infrastructure improvements being proposed for the LDP2 will help regenerate the local economy.

For more details: www.plasky nastoncanalgroup.org

Richard Gardner on the new deck which will overlook a landscaped area outside the pub.

The under-construction decked viewing platform, overlooking the Grand Union Canal. PHOTO SUPPLIED

First birthday celebrations for The Boat Cafe

These doors will open out onto the terrace.

THE Boat Cafe recently celebrated its first birthday on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Meadows Bridge, between Bradford-on-Avon and Avoncliff.

Seating 18 people inside and eight more outside on the bank, the 70ft narrowboat is family run by Matt Windsor, who manages the cafe day to day, mum Jan Windsor bakes all their cakes, dad Alfie Windsor keeps the boat shipshape and

and son Will Windsor delivers all their diesel, gas and coal from his working boat The Coal Boat.

Matt said: “People are really intrigued to sit inside an old narrowboat, especially as you normally only get glimpses into boats from the towing path.

Some people are surprised that the boat rocks a little, but we are afloat!”

The cafe serves made-toorder hot and cold sandwiches

and a selection of delicious home-made cakes and ice cream. It has a wide range of teas, coffees hot chocolate and soft drinks. Everything is Fairtrade or locally sourced.

Open seven days a week from 9am till 5pm – later in the summer – the boat can also be hired for children’s or private parties, for office meals with a difference, or as a unique venue for small business meetings.

Details: www.theboatcafe.co.uk

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BOATING

HO LIDAYS

Canal breaks and river cruising in the UK, Ireland and Europe

The stream in the sky Janet Richardson meets the manager of the visitor centre at perhaps the inland waterways’ most iconic structures – the Pontcysyllte aqueduct.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal over the Dee Valley.

Visitor centre manager Lynda Slater on the Froncysyllte side of the aqueduct.

PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON

THE Llangollen Canal from Horseshoe Falls to Gledrid Bridge – a distance of 11 miles, all but half a mile of them in Wales – is a world heritage site attracting thousands of visitors every year.

Having previously managed the Tourist Information Centre in Llangollen – famed for its annual Eisteddfod – Lynda Slater is a local woman who has brought her wealth of experience of the area to the visitor centre at Trevor Basin, where she has worked for the Canal & River Trust since 2014.

I met her as the centre prepared for its daily opening from Easter until the end of October (10am-4pm), having operated from Fridays to Sundays during the winter.

“I am really enjoying it, I love it,” Lynda told me.

“It is my first Easter here; we were very busy last

AQUEDUCT FACTS

The ‘hand of industry’.

Length: 1007ft (307m) Height: 126ft (39m) Arches: 19 Span between arches: 45ft Water: 1.5 million litres Date of completion: 1805 Initial cost: £47,000 Designers: William Jessop and Thomas Telford

A birthday trip crossing the aqueduct. summer, but even in the winter we have quite a lot of visitors.”

She is helped by two part-time staff and a team of volunteers. “We are always wanting more volunteers to work as destination assistants within the centre. Customer care skills are the main qualification and tasks include dealing with customers’ enquiries and cash handling, but they get full training.”

Although the aqueduct – known as ‘the stream in the sky’ – is the main attraction it is crossed by 15,000 boats a year and more than 200,000 pedestrians; the whole heritage site brings people from all over the world to see the magnificent scenery and learn more about its history.

Awarded World Heritage Site status in 2009 (the youngest in the UK) the 11-mile site crosses three counties – Denbighshire and Wrexham in Wales and Shropshire in England, the Llangollen Canal then continuing to the junction with the Shropshire Union Canal at Hurleston, some 46 miles from its source.

The Canal & River Trust runs the site and looks after the aqueduct which is a Grade 1 listed structure and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Spanning the Dee Valley from Trevor to Froncysyllte, it is 1007ft (307m) long and is fed by water from the Horseshoe Falls, above Llangollen.

“We did quite a large refurbishment of the towpath in 2004 and drained the aqueduct in 2009 to do an inspection,” Lynda continued. “We now use drones to take photographs and film footage to see if any work needs doing.”

She said that the majority of visitors to the aqueduct are pedestrians – they sometimes get seven-eight coach tours in a day – and they also have education visits by local children, with whom the CRT Explorers do projects, and schools from further afield. Part of Lynda’s role is also co-ordinating with local community groups and councils.

“We have just had a new paved area which will give us the opportunity to do more events on site and hope that community groups will come and have stalls, and we also plan to have some events with the CRT Explorers.”

When I visited the centre in late March, it was hoped to have a historic boat in the dry dock at the end of April. There are plenty of boats to see at the Anglo-Welsh holiday base in Trevor Basin which also has its own indoor dry dock and shop serving teas and coffees. Day boats can also be hired for trips across the aqueduct or up the Llangollen Canal.

Day-hire boats moored at the Anglo-Welsh base.

Boat trips run across the aqueduct from Llangollen Wharf.

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Give yourself a break and take a helmsman course

The visitor centre.

Watching one of the displays inside the visitor centre.

These young visitors try their hands at building the aqueduct.

Lynda said that Jones the Boats at The Old Wharf, Trevor, also does boat trips over the aqueduct and has a cafe and gift shop; boat trips also come here from Llangollen and as well as visiting narrowboaters, people also cross in canoes.

I walked over the aqueduct with Lynda, who is

luckily not afraid of heights, to the neighbouring village of Froncysyllte, famed for its male voice choir. Although it was quite breezy during my visit I needn’t have worried – she said that she had only heard of it being closed to pedestrians once due to high winds.

● Canal & River Trust, Trevor Basin Visitor Centre: 01978 822912; email: TrevorVisitorCentre@canalrivertrust.org.uk; website: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/Pontcysyllte ● Pontcysyllte Aqueduct website: www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk ● Anglo Welsh, 0117 304 1122; website: www.anglowelsh.co.uk/trevor.php ● Jones the Boats, 01798 824166/07775 840444; email: peterjones@canaltrip.co.uk; website: www.canaltrip.co.uk ● Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Cruises from Llangollen Wharf, 01978 860702; email: enquiries@horsedrawnboats.co.uk; website: www.aqueductcruises.co.uk; www.llangollenwharf.co.uk ● Queen’s Hotel, Cefn Mawr, 01978 469889; website: ww.queenshotelpontcysyllte.co.uk ● Telford Arms, Trevor Basin, 08719 511000 ● The Sun Trevor, Sun Bank, 01978 860651, email: paul@suntrevor.co.uk; website: www.suntrevor.co.uk

WHY not combine a RYA Inland Waters Helmsman Certificate training course and a stay aboard a highly appointed holiday narrowboat at the same time?

Staffordshire-based Birmingham & Midland Marine Services, which specialises in inland waterways training, marine access and rescue services, has teamed up with JD Boat Services of Gailey, near Stafford.

Aimed at those new to the canal network and considering a summer holiday afloat, the scheme combines RYA Inland Waters Helmsman Certificate training and a stay aboard a highly appointed holiday narrowboat, allowing potential hirers to ‘learn the ropes’ before their holiday afloat.

This joint venture aims to offer a new concept in ‘short holiday training breaks’ which allow up to three of the party of hirers to attain the RYA Inland Waters Helmsman Certificate – while their friends and family enjoy a short break afloat.

Although Mids Marine already offered the RYA’s IWHC course, this was aimed at experienced commercial operators requiring one day assessment or two day training and assessment courses for novices, and took place on a purpose-built work boat.

Having partnered with JD Boat Services Gailey Ltd, who form part of the ABC Leisure Group, there are three training options that holidaying clients can choose from: ● Two day standard training courses, training for three people, various wellappointed holiday vessels available, (up to eight berths) providing a floating holiday for the family who are welcome to stay aboard during the course. ● Have the trainer join you on the first day or two of your summer holiday from Gailey; from morning until late

Holidaymakers enjoying a training session at Gailey. PHOTO SUPPLIED afternoon to show you the ropes. Ideal for complete novices or those hirers who may be a little nervous or rusty! ● Short Breaks through pretty Staffordshire villages on the idyllic Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal with your trainer joining you on your first morning, from 10 until four of your first, full day afloat and until midafternoon of your second full day. You then have the vessel to yourself and your group for the rest of your holiday. Three students may partake in the training while any other guests joining you on the water can sit back, relax and enjoy the voyage!

Training is undertaken with a 3:1 student/instructor ratio due to space restrictions at the helm. Trainees benefit from a discounted hire fee on their next week or two-week holiday from Gailey.

In addition to the new leisure training, Mids Marine usually supplies services to companies in the civil engineering,

construction, maintenance, rail and events sectors, requiring temporary marine access, with full safety and rescue support.

Complementing its commercial provision, Mids Marine is also an established commercial training provider; approved training vendor and external assessors to the Canal & River Trust, offering a broad portfolio of specialist inland marine commercial training programmes for both skippers and crew and to personnel who are deployed on or near the water. Specialist water rescue training is also available for organisations deploying staff near the water.

Courses are available from the relevant National Governing Bodies including: ● Royal Yachting Association ● Maritime & CoastGuard Agency ● Inland Waterways Association ● Rescue 3 Europe in conjunction with our Training Partners RYA IWHC – Own Boat Tuition is also available for either leisure or commercial owners.

● Further details of Birmingham & Midland Marine Services activities can be found at www.midlandmarine.co.uk or by emailing the operations manager/training centre principal at midsmarine@gmail.com

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BITS & BOBS GREETINGS! The first time I heard bell-ringers at practice I thought the world was coming to an end. Rexx said not to worry, I just had bats in my belfry. Curious, we walked up to the local church, were invited up to the tower and stayed to watch living history being celebrated in determined unison. We have visited several groups of bell-ringers since and have a great admiration for the members’ dedication to preserving something so beautiful. The pure, synchronised movement that created these ancient sounds is perfected through many hours of practice and dedication. Not unlike my determination to conquer the foibles of barbecuing out on the cut. Below is my easy-method preparation for wild rice

by Rexx & Phill

June top tip There is another sound, not so pleasant, although it has a music all its own; the thumps and bangs of those mooring places along the cut that have a shelf. Every time the water shifts, the boat glides out and bangs the shelf upon return. I call it the headache part of the luck of the draw of mooring spots. For that reason, we travel with a big rubber tyre that sits on the bow of the boat and holds a container of flowers. When we get caught in one of the ‘noisy’ moorings, we remove the flowerpot, pull off the tyre, hang it, centred, alongside the boat and set the flowers back down on the bow. We keep a line on the tyre that is adjustable to whatever challenge of a shelf that we find. When we move on we put the tyre back under the flowerpot. Lubbly, chubbly.

Some use a couple of go-kart tyres (each at the side of bow and stern) but this works for us.

Phill’s Vegetable Kebabs over Wild Rice

Gardening afloat

Lee Senior’s topical tips for growing your own fruit and veg.

THIS is the year of the sunflower. These showstoppers are great for providing a talking point for adults and children alike.

Our young sunflower plants should now be growing nicely outdoors in goodsized containers. There are some very good dwarf varieties around these days too. These are ideal for confined spaces and useful where low bridges are a problem on your stretch of water!

Inevitably weeds are growing strongly now as we approach midsummer. In confined spaces regular picking of weeds by hand is a great way of keeping the

weed population in check. On a larger scale, hoeing on a dry sunny day is the way to go.

Our first new potatoes of the year are ready this month. Exciting stuff! Rather than digging them all up at once, simply scrape away the compost to pick just a handful as needed. The rest can be re-covered and left to grow on until required.

Start to feed tomatoes weekly once the first truss has set.

Keep a lookout for pests and diseases now as we approach midsummer. Check underneath the leaves too. It is far better to catch a problem early.

Red spider mite can be deterred by maintaining some humidity, as the pest thrives in dry conditions. Cucumbers too prefer a humid atmosphere to grow, but will also grow well outside in good-sized pots.

Total prep time 20 minutes, grill time 10 minutes, makes 4 skewers Rice needs five minutes baking time and eight hours of resting time in the oven. See below. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1 cup wild rice 2½ cups cold water 2 small vegetable bouillon cubes ½ tsp Chinese five-spice 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp veg. oil/1 pat butter ½ cup spicy salad dressing Salt/pepper to taste

Kebabs ● 2 lemons, halved (1 for the grill and 1 for plating) ● 8 Pearl onions, halve ● 2 small eggplants, cube ● 1 green, 1 yellow courgette, cube ● 16 button mushrooms ● 2 Red bell peppers, seed/cube ● 24 Cherry tomatoes ● ½ cup spicy salad dressing Method: Here’s my trick for easy effort wild rice: Just before setting off in the morning crank the oven up to full whack and put the kettle on to boil. Rinse the wild rice in cold water, tip it into a casserole that has a tightfitting lid and tuck in two small bouillon cubes. Sprinkle over the spice, brown sugar and vinegar. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the rice (the water line should be about one pinky finger’s width above the rice). Cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Invert the casserole lid and place it upside down on top of the foil. Place in the oven at the high temperature (5min). Turn the oven off

and leave the casserole in until you pull over at the end of the day. Then remove the casserole and fluff the rice up with a fork. (This method works well overnight too).

In the morning, before we set out chugging, I also like to prepare the kebabs. Thread the vegetables on to the skewers alternating the different kinds. At the end of the day, when we pull over, I brush the grill rack with oil and rub it with a sliced lemon. We have a propane grill for fast heating up. (For a charcoal grill, slice and prepare the kebabs while the coals are heating). Place the skewers on the rack and grill, turning as needed to cook evenly; baste occasionally with the spicy salad dressing.

The grilling takes about 10 minutes. While the kebabs are grilling, Rexx adds oil and butter to our cast-iron skillet. She adds the rice, salad dressing and salt and pepper while frying (10min). Covered and off the heat, the rice is at the ready to provide a bed for the kebabs.

To serve, plate a bed of rice, strip the skewers, top the rice with the vegetables and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Reserve half of the kebabs for Rexx’s ratatouille pancakes below.

Rexx’s Ratatouille Pancakes

Dwarf varieties of sunflower are available for growing on board. PHOTO: LEE SENIOR

Canalside plant sales THE National Trust is taking a leaf out of Holland’s floral tradition by selling plants by the canal, writes Geoff Wood.

A few steps from the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, The Old Goods Yard at

Marsden is proving the ideal venue for plant sales.

Sales with advice on growing the plants on offer are under way every Friday until the end of September.

Prep time 15 minutes, cook time 5 minutes per pancake, makes 4

Gardeners’ Question Time leaps aboard

I like to think that these little pancakes resemble the bells we have grown to love. One day we hope to return to our hosts who let us stay and watch them at practice and present them with a fanciful arrangement that captures the spirit and the tummies of our bell-ringers.

A NARROWBOATER from Fenny Compton on the Oxford Canal caused merriment on BBC Radio Four’s Gardeners’ Question Time in April, writes Helen Gazeley, when she described the conditions her plants will face as she sets off on two and half years’ continuous cruising around Britain.

Given her dislike of the narrowboater staples of begonias, busy lizzies and petunias, what could she grow? The possibilities of shallow soil, wind, rain, hail, gales, snow and sunshine held no terrors for the GQT panel.

Pippa Greenwood suggested alpine strawberries as immensely tough plants, providing a tasty topping for muesli, and decent-sized tubs for potatoes and carrots.

Christine Walkden plunged in with simple shallow troughs of alpines and rapid crops such as lettuces and beetroot, before advancing to step-over apple trees

Pancake ● 1⁄2 cup flour ● A pinch of salt ● 1 tsp sugar ● 1 tsp baking powder ● 1 cup milk ● 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk ● 2 tbsp melted margarine ● Vegetable oil for frying Filling ● 2 tbsp each oil/margarine ● 2 skewers of roasted vegetables ● 1 garlic clove, peeled ● 2 tbsp ketchup ● 1 cup chopped, tinned tomatoes, drain/reserve juice ● 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in the juice of the tomatoes ● A pinch black pepper ● 1 lemon ● 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese Method: Filling – chop the grilled kebab vegetables finely. Heat margarine in a large frying pan and add the chopped vegetables. Grate a large clove of garlic over.

Stir to heat through and soften the garlic. Stir in the ketchup, add the chopped tomatoes. Add the mixed cornstarch and tomato juice. Let the mixture simmer on low until thickened (10min). Add salt and pepper to your taste. Continue to simmer while cooking the pancakes.

Combine dry ingredients, stir together the wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour

in the wet. Preheat a frying pan to medium temperature. Brush the surface with vegetable oil.

Pour in enough batter to coat the bottom thinly (I swirl the pan around to encourage the batter to spread out, but you have to do it quickly). Cook (2-3min) on one side, then flip over and cook the other side (2min).

Slide the pancake on to a plate, recoat the frying pan and continue the cooking process until you have a stack of four; cover the stack with a towel. I do not bother to put baking paper between the layers, they come apart fairly easily. The towel will keep the pancakes warm and the hot filling finishes the job.

Spoon the ratatouille mixture into the centre of each pancake. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Then fold each pancake in half, then in half again to make a double layered triangle. Note: if I am preparing these pancakes for a crowd, I cook the pancakes the night before, stack, and refrigerate. Day of, I preheat the oven 200oC (400oF) Mark 6, fill each pancake as above but as I fill each one, I set it on a baking tray and pop the batches in the oven (5min) before plating. These are great for a starter or as a main with a tossed green salad. Fare well!

In the slow lane

HALF a million viewers were mesmerised by a canal trip with no commentary, music or presenter, writes Geoff Wood.

All Aboard the Canal Trip was filmed in real time and proved a major hit with BBC Four viewers. There were only passing boats, changing scenery and the occasional passer-by on the towpath. It was filmed with a camera strapped to front of a boat on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

and cordon fruit in 9in pots, resulting in a “beautifully fruitful and vegetatively lush houseboat”.

Chris Beardshaw got excited with his image of using handrails to support 120 feet of cordon grape along the sides of a 60ft craft, starting from a large tub in the stern. Lashing two jute fenders together to make a ring, he added, would create a floating bed for watercress which could be towed behind the boat. He settled down enough to suggest that anything that normally required staking (tomatoes, courgettes) could instead be allowed to drip over the sides from growbags.

The huge advantage, he suggested, was that, by taking the gangplank up at night, no molluscs would make it aboard and the narrowboater would have her own pest- and disease-free island.

Hear the discussion again in the episode from April 17, starting 36 minutes in, on BBC iPlayer.

Pearsons guide winners revealed

CONGRATULATIONS to the four lucky readers who each won a set of Pearsons Canal Companions in our recent competition. They are: Liane McCreanor of Belfast; Christine Holland of Weston-super-Mare; Kathleen Bywaters of Leeds and Janice Walkden of Chorley. Thanks to everyone for entering.

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MICRO PLUS 16FT DAY/FISHING BOAT with pram canopy on trailer, 9.5hp long shaft outboard, less than 10 hrs use from new, moored River Lea, Herts. Tel. 07854 337497. London.

MIDWAY SEMI-TRAD 55ft, 4 berth semi trad, built 2005, Takin’ Our Time, moored at Barrowford top lock.

Isuzu 4 cylinder, water cooled, diesel engine 1499 cc (35hp) gearbox Newage PRM150, 1600 Victron invertor, Webasto c/h boiler, calorifier provides domestic hot water to sinks and shower, full gas cooker and LEC fridge in galley with Acorn multi-fuel fire in living area, radiators in living area, bottom blacked Jun 14, licenced until Nov 2015, Safety Cert until 2018, excellent storage and full fit-out with many extras, including recent new batteries, 2 x 100 watt solar panels, television and CD radio, canopy fitted over deck area, ideal sitting area for use in all weathers, used as liveaboard for last 5 years. Reluctant sale. £38,500. Tel. 07902 805250.

NORTON CANES 62ft fit-out Glynn Walker Boats, rare opportunity to purchase, beautiful narrowboat built to the highest spec in 2004 but with only 835 hrs total use. Tel. 01785 662945, 07791 673312. Staffs.

ONE FIFTH SHARE in 56ft 4-berth cruiser narrowboat based Midlands.

Full details and Summer plans. £4000 plus £50 per month, running share including mooring. Tel. 01299 878461. dstruckett@aol.com Worcs.

STYLISH WIDEBEAM This stylish 11ft x 57ft Widebeam, beautiful in Ash, top quality craftsman fit-out, striking ash woodwork throughout keeps this boat light and bright inside, virtually new (6hrs). £89,500. Tel. 07596 345245 for more pics. bgl@blueiq.co.uk .

TEAL CRUISER 4-wheel trailer, new tyres, good condition, Borner 2-berth boat, measurements 27ft x 7ft 2”, no engine, outboard if required, £1950 ono. Tel. 07715 948426. Somerset.

TRAD STERN 57ft, 1997, Tim Tyler shell, fit out by Braidbar Boats this boat was to be Braidbars showpiece at the Crick show in 1997 but wasn’t quite finished in time, she has a permanent double bed with a Pullman dinnete which converts to another double, heating is provided by a Morso Squirrel 1400/1440 multi-fuel stove. Tel. 07552 186204. losdevalde@hotmail.com for details Lancs.

VIKING 23 for sale, recent new Mariner 9.9hp 4 stroke engine, new canopy, full re-fit to inside, hot & cold water, toilet, beautiful clean boat will be hard to find one this clean, narrowboat forces sale, £7000. Tel. 07814 543150. Staffs.

WIDE BEAM 57ft 10in, with Isuzu 55hp engine, diesel fired c/h, battery management system, 3000 watt Pure Sign wave inverter giving 240 volts throughout the boat, 500 watt solar system fitted and stunning multi-fuel stove, new 4 yr Certificate of Compliance, requires some interior improvements. An absolute bargain at £50,000 (no offers!) Tel. 07718 467684. Lancs.

Selling your boat is FREE for private readers of Towpath talk

See coupon on page 117 for details

RENTING A BOAT TO LIVE ON, OR HIRING OUT YOUR OWN BOAT? Our important message to both groups is to do careful homework first and not to either hire out your boat or rent a boat that isn’t properly licensed for this use.

Please visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/ a-boat-of-your-own to avoid any difficulties with the legal and safety issues involved.

BIRCHWOOD CLASSIC 33 Original gel coat, twin Perkins diesel, 6 berth, two toilets, shower, cooker, fridge and extras, anti-fouled, with mooring, diesel, heating, beam 11ft 2ins, £22,000. Tel. 07891 201290. SYorks.

BRAUNSTON BARNEY BOAT 35ft, No 36 (1976), 10hp Sabb, new gas hob, wood burner, Palmo water heater and cratch cover, needs some attention to fibre glass sides, moored River Soar, BSS Exp 2018, Offers over £5000. Tel. 01509 502365.

Notts.

4 WEEKS A YEAR share in very friendly private syndicate on 62ft semi-traditional narrowboat, built 2003, sleeps 6, currently moored at Wrenbury Mill, just in time for the new season. £2995 ovno. Tel. David on 01634 721533.

MV DAWNLIGHT PROTOTYPE model boat, built by Tom Gorman, reputable model boat builder, very well kitted out, with quality fixtures, only sailed twice for testing, as new, in presentation case. All proceeds to MacMillan Cancer Support, £400.

Tel. 01142 510515. S Yorks.

NARROWBOAT PROJECT Grab a bargain, selling due to illness new build 57ft semi traditional, 75% complete, never been on water. Located Worksop yard. Offers around £39,000.

Tel. 07902 944129; 07960 287945; 07903 044043 to view. Notts.

NAUTICUS 27ft Ford D, licenced March 2016, CFC 2017, full survey Aug 2014, Shoreline fridge, ropes, fenders etc, clean, comfortable boat, lying Sawley, R Trent. £6500. Tel. 0115 9398342. Derbys.

NORMAN CRUISER 23ft GRP, fully serviced and refurbished, Honda 15hp o/b, good all round condition.

Reduced to £4495 ono. Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749. Staffs.

QUARTER SHARE in narrow boat, (not timeshare) gives 12 weeks holiday a year on a rotating basis, 58ft traditional boat, £6000. ono. Tel. 01527 457666; 07882 946598. Worcs.

SEMI-TRAD NARROWBOAT for sale 45ft, beautifully built, excellent condition, only 525 hours on clock, built in 2009, must be viewed, moored on Leeds Liverpool canal, £39,000.

Tel. 07979 102927. Merseyside.

SHELLEY ENGINEERING 36ft cruiser stern narrowboat, 1976, steel hull, recent survey, blackened March 2015, GRP top, Sabb twin engine, £14,500. Tel. Kevin 07546 074109.

Herts.

Wanted NARROWBOAT 57ft- 65ft with mooring and preferably with small garden area, max £70,000. Tel. 01249 730566. Avon.

NARROWBOAT WANTED 40ft upward in length, project boat, unfinished sail away etc. Tel. 0790 6019299. Norfolk.

TWO CHAIR BEDS for narrowboat, must be excellent condition. Tel. 07967 799290. Derbys.

Engines

BCN early 1900s, 60ft, unfinished project, Gardner 4LK engine, Boat Safety 2017, £20,000 ono Tel. 07809 686839. Staffs.

GARDNER 1L2 diesel engine, fully rebuilt with engine, bed and drive pulleys for use as a generator, would make excellent boat engine, full photo record of work from start to finish, beautiful example of a rare slow running engine, an absolute show unit.

Tel. 01254 202341. Lancs.

GARDNER 2LW diesel engine, fully stripped and rebuilt with new parts as required, fully marinised and c/w PRM 260 gearbox, this engine is to a very high std and will look splendid in traditional engine room, must be seen to be believed, will separate from gearbox if required. Tel. 01254 202341.

Lancs.

GARDNER 4LK ENGINE fully rebuilt to a very high standard by a gardner engineer, fully marinised with all copper water pipes, oils rain pump, alternator, oil cooler, belts - guarding and sitting on engine bearers with solid mounts, ready to grace an engine room, stunning with/without PRM 260 gearbox. Tel. 01254 202341. Lancs.

MAST LAMP, grace any boat, painted by Alan Barnett, has spare glass, £500. Tel. 07713 177304; 07563 188944. Coventry.

Parts for sale CANAL BOAT CHIMNEY double skinned, purchased in error but did have to use it twice, 6” x 12”, £40. Tel. 07923 515387. Sawley Marina, Notts.

FORD NEW XLD 1800cc, diesel cyl head, 1996, some reconditioned parts, inc reconditioned injectors, new glow plugs, also inc Lucas injection pump for this engine, type F181NA02, £175 ono. Tel. 01924 273783. Ossett, W Yorks.

PRM HYDRAULIC GEARBOX 150 D2, purchased new as spare on our boat, never been used, will accept £320 ono. Tel. 01253 701969 or 0780 8062493. Lancs.

2 RECLINING CHAIRS with foot stools, vgc, £100 pair ono. Tel. 0780 8170730. Leics.

ARROW BECTON BUNNY multi-fuel stove, c/w flue, roof, collar and chimney, also inc tools and book, excellent condition, £325. ono; buyer collects Tel. 07966 260066. Bucks.

FORD NEW XLD 1800cc, diesel cyl head, 1996, some reconditioned parts, inc reconditioned injectors, new glow plugs, also inc Lucas injection pump for this engine, type F181 NA02, £175 ono. Tel. 01924 273783.

Ossett, W Yorks.

BETA 1903S with acoustic box, £800ono. Tel. 07771 987757. Lincs.

CHEST WADERS new, £30ono. Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749. Staffs.

D/GLAZED WINDOWS **brand new**, d/glazed drop back, lift out windows, polished aluminium, these windows have NEVER been fitted (unfinished project), 2 x 48"; 2 x 30";2 x 24"; 1x 18"; all windows 24" deep, £1500; (sensible offers considered).

Tel. 07762 362598. Lancs.

ECO FAN two bladed, vgc, £55; Bargee Bill prop cleaner, vgc, £60.

Tel. 07967 563214. Devon.

FRANCIS SEARCHLIGHT Splendid original, 12" dia reflector, chromed brass finish. Fully working. Has its serial number and plate, £500 ono. Tel. 074120 79895. Shardlow.

GRAPNALL ANCHOR 25kg, £20 ono. Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749. Staffs.

JCB INVERTER 2-stroke, 850w, generator, £85 ono. Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749. Staffs.

JERRY CANS 20 ltr, used but in good condition, 4 available, £10 each. Tel. 07811 314112. Warks.

LOCKGATE STOVE marine diesel stove with s/s flu pipe, used but in good condition, £45 ono. Tel. 07905 264299. Derbys.

MANUAL MARINE reversing gearbox with a ratio of 1:1, any make and preferably in good working order, suitable for engine of around 30hp, can collect. Tel. 01364 644662. Devon.

POT BELLY STOVE top loading, good condition, £150 ono. Tel. 07873 269671. Shrops.

R/H PROPELLER 19 x 14", 3 blade bronze propeller, 11⁄2 inch shaft, vgc and ready to fit, £200 inc courier. Tel. 07890 604121. Bucks.

TWIN WALL FLUE KIT brand new, for Morso Squirrel stove, £325 ono.

Tel. 07538 433928. Cheshire.

WALLAS DIESEL OVEN including controls fittings and diesel tank. We are on Great Ouse river system, £300. ono, buyer collect. Tel. 07711 511358 or 07503 111447. Norfolk.

WHALE FILLER PUMP Mk 4, as new, £20; long wooden boat hook, £12; small compact dehumidifier, Home Base, £20; assortment of fenders, £10. Tel. 077910 34695. Cambs.

Parts wanted STARTER MOTOR wanted for Lombardini LDW 1204 FOCS. Tel. 01233 639191. Kent.

Miscellaneous

ARROW BECTON BUNNY multifuel stove, c/w flue, roof, collar and chimney, also includes tools and book, excellent condition, £325 ono; buyer collects. Tel. 07966 260066.

Bucks.

BOATMANS CABIN STOVE Stratford N1910, offers invited to uninstall and collect, top needs work,. Tel. 07470 440375. Notts.

DICKENSEN ALASKA diesel heater, complete stove in excellent condition, comprises stove, flue pipes inc bends, barometric, damper, skin fitting, cowl, e/pump, filter bowl, copper piping, brass connections, fitting and operating instructions, cost £1000, too hot for 23ft boat, £450 ono. Tel. 01663 732989; 07773 910622. Derbys.

SEALAND VACUFLUSH TOILET as new - with 2 vacuum cassette tanks and other accessories, £420 ono. Tel. 07828 847989. Dorset.

THETFORD CASSETTE TOILET CS200CS plus spares, (over £400 new), exc cond, c/w 17 ltr waste tank and spare 17 ltr tank and additional toilet seat, push button elec flush, adj swivel seat. £197 Collect only Saul jct Marina, Tel. 07850 401759. Glos.

TOILET CASSETTE Domestic Sealand vacuum toilet cassette, £50.

Tel. 01788 822414; 07909 857708.

Northants.

Canalia

LARGE CANAL SHOP SIGN Approx 8ft long x 28” high. Collection only. £20. Tel. 07961 236169. W Sussex.

TWO FOLDING BIKES - compact & easy to stow, 6 speed, suspension, rack and stand, like new - only used once! Bargain at £150 for both Tel. 01865 767936. Oxon.

WASTE TANK s/steel, 2 Jabsco pump toilets, wash basin, c/w hoses, 36”, 15”, 10”. Tel. 01924 400472. W Yorks.

WEIGHTS A number of 56lb and 20kg weights available, ideal for trimming ballast, £5 each Tel. 0780 8062493. Lancs.

ACRYLIC BATH a brand new, unused, truly compact white, 103cm long, 65cm wide and 52 cm high, stepped base, giving the option to bathe whilst seated, purchased in error recently for £110, £75 ono. Tel. 01522 683894. Shrops.

NEW EPPING STOVE never been used first to see will buy. Tel. 0771 9034583. Cheshire.

REFLEKS DIESEL BURNER including flue, chimney, and all associated parts, fully working on boat currently; selling due to personal preference for solid fuel burner, £375. Tel. 07812 567261. Notts.

VANETTE GG 2200 gas oven, brought from Lime kiln 3 years ago, good condition but grill not working, £60 pick-up Banbury/post £15 Tel. 07712 370306. Oxon.

2 RECLINING CHAIRS with foot stools, vgc, £100 the pair ono Tel. 0780 8170730. Leics.

3 SEATER SOFA. dark brown, real leather from DFS Dazzle range, dark feet, only 18 months old, £400ono.Tel. 07507 196658 or 01282 704121.

Lancs.

BATTERY CHARGER heavy duty, 24/12 volts, Sea Magnet with cable, £10; jerry cans, £10 each; mooring pins, £5 each; mooring hooks, £5 each; 3 ton trolley jack, £10.Tel. 07886 538350. Cheshire.

BOAT FRIDGE 12v, 32in high x 19in wide, 18in deep, goes under counter, good condition, £50 ono. Tel. 07711 398562. S Yorks.

CARAVAN SEATS suit boat or caravan conversion, exc condition, multicoloured plus set of loose covers, £80 ono. Tel. 0161 429 6925. Cheshire.

EBERSPACHER D5WSC water heater for sale, unused and still boxed. Tel. 07581 719014. Staffs.

SLEEPING BAG new, never used.

"Kozi-tech" mummy type with hood, maroon polycotton inner, green nylon outer, £5. Tel. 01949 843572. Notts.

TECMA PRESTIGE SILENCE Macerator Toilet and 3ft x 4ft C.A.K.holding tank. 2 switch control panel, inlet and outlet pump, gwo, £200 ono; buyer must collect Tel. 0772 5047509.

Warks.

TWO SINGLE BEDS memory foam bed toppers, as new, half price, £50. the pair Tel. 01327 341866. Northants.

TWO LA-Z-BOY swivel recliners with foot stools, navy blue, real leather, not bonded, exc cond, £600. ono; buyer to collect. Tel. 01332 557723. Derbys.

VANETTE GG 2200 gas oven, brought from Lime kiln 3 years ago, good cond but grill not working, £60 pick-up Banbury/post £15. Tel. 07712 370306. Oxon.

WILSON BED/SETTEE Wilson 2seater bed settee, 2 yrs old, clean and tidy, always had throws on it, £225. ovno; buyer collects. Tel. 07743 916801. Staffs.

TECHNICAL TIPS 119

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Bring the sun on board to help power your boat In the first of a short series on solar power, Photonic Universe highlights five benefits of having a solar charging kit on your boat.

KEEPING your boat batteries charged is a constant worry for most boat enthusiasts. The need for an electric hook up when moored or a portable generator while cruising can be a pain.

The investments for new batteries to replace the disused and discharged ones, or using fuel to provide your daily energy needs can become costly.

These problems have led thousands of boaters to choose solar power – generating electricity from sunlight. Due to technological advancements, panels have become more affordable and a viable alternative to other fuel sources. Here are five big benefits of having a solar charging kit on your boat:

Save on fuel and electric hook up

A typical 100W solar panel would save on average £2-£3 of fuel per week depending on your generator and usage pattern, which means that in 1-2 years the cost of purchasing the solar kit will be outweighed by the savings from it. Given that a typical solar panel works for at least 25 years, it is an investment worth making!

Extended battery life

It has been well proven that solar charging kits help to extend the life of batteries by keeping them charged and recuperating the power loss from selfdischarge and small power appliances when the boat is unmanned. Solar charge controllers which come with most solar kits constantly monitor your battery and prevent overcharging. Due to the gentle nature of charging and a special pulse

technology, solar kits can also recover some previously lost capacity from older batteries.

Clean and silent technology with zero pollution Gas canisters or petrol generators are very noisy, smelly, and bad for the environment. In contrast, solar energy does not release anything harmful into the air or water, keeping the boating environment clean and quiet for everyone to enjoy.

No maintenance cost

As there are no moving parts in a solar panel (unlike their renewable cousins – wind turbines, or on-board generators), they require no maintenance and no associated costs are involved after the initial purchase.

Stable source of continuous power

Solar panels generate electricity constantly throughout the day. Their output of course goes up and down depending on the weather conditions, but in this aspect they are different from wind turbines which simply stop when there is no wind.

There are lots of different solar panels on the market for any boat and application. From small 20W trickle chargers to powerful 300W solar panels, from rigid frame to flexible solar panels on which you can walk – you will certainly find something suitable for your needs. Start reaping the benefits of the sun, as it is not likely to run out, and nobody will be sending you a bill for using it.

A narrowboat fitted with Photonic Universe solar panels. PHOTO SUPPLIED ● Photonic Universe. Tel: 0203 150 1111. Fax: 0203 150 1212.

Email: info@photonicuniverse.com. Website: www.PhotonicUniverse.com Find us on Facebook and Twitter!

Weed hatch and stern glands leak risk RIVER Canal Rescue attends a number of vessels every year which have sunk or are taking on water and at risk of sinking. The most common causes are due to leaking weed hatches, leaking stern glands and bilge pumps not working. By checking and maintaining these vital components you can safeguard against such incidents.

When the seal on the weed hatch fails it allows water to enter and overcome

the bilge pump (don’t underestimate the force of water while you are on the move). So before your first voyage, replace the weed hatch seal. To do this remove the weed hatch, peel away the old seal tape from around the rim of the hatch, clean the surfaces and re-seal with new weed hatch tape (bought from any chandlers). This simple job takes around 20 minutes to complete, it costs very little and prevents leaks developing.

A weed hatch with a new seal.

Next check your stern gland is not leaking profusely (a quick look will do).

A drip every two seconds is considered acceptable, but if you’re unsure, feel the gland after you have run in gear for a while. If it’s too hot to touch then it needs more water flow, if it’s too cold, then less.

Use the large nut to tighten/loosen and control the water flow; but be aware

The pipe for greasing the stern tube.

The stern tube is attached to the main prop shaft and adjusted using the two flange bolts on either side of the prop shaft. These can be tightened or loosened to adjust the water flow though the packing. The pipe attached to the stern tube is for greasing the stern tube; it should be full of grease and turned down to force grease into the stern tube. This should be undertaken after every journey.

This seal needs replacing. PHOTOS: RCR

that if over-tightened it can cause major damage to the stern gland and prop shaft. If you’re unsure, ask a mechanic to show you how. In addition regularly grease the gland and where required, replace the packing.

These simple tasks can determine whether you become a RCR statistic or not.

● Do you have a burning question on boat maintenance which breakdown and assistance firm River Canal Rescue can help you with?

If you are keen to see a particular technical topic covered, contact us at Technical Tips, Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ; email editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk River Canal Rescue runs boat and engine maintenance courses throughout the year, to find out more visit www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk email enquiries@rivercanalrescue.co.uk or call 01785 785680.

120 ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty

Bowling home at 80

Edinburgh octogenarian Elizabeth Scott, pictured here at Bowling, reports on a marathon cycle ride along the Scottish lowland canals.

HILLS lose their appeal, after the big 80.

So my husband and I took our bicycles on the Edinburgh to Helensburgh train and got off at Bowling, where the Forth & Clyde Canal opens into the Clyde.

We would let the prevailing west wind blow us to Falkirk and then, by the Union Canal, home to Edinburgh along canal towpaths.

Once a busy port, Bowling is now a picnic spot with grassy wharves.

Although there is still access to the Clyde, the basin has become sheltered housing for old boats. Pots of trailing flowers riot over their sterns. The sun glints through sheltering trees to highlight the Erskine Bridge, a sweeping gull’s wing curving away above the Clyde, and the smooth, wide canal towpath leads east by green banks alive with wild flowers.

At Dalmuir a rare ‘drop lock’ enables boats to slide under a low bridge.

Singer lies peacefully on our right, its busy sewing machine factories which once employed so many thousands silent now. On towards Drumchapel we pedal.

Passing people, carrying shopping bags, smile and wish us ‘good morning’; children throw bread to quacking ducks; flotillas of swans swim regally past on the broad calm channel, one eye cocked for possible largesse. At Clydebank the canal emerges as the centrepiece of a shopping precinct and a great white ship, moored against the opposite bank, proclaims that it is ‘The World’s First Sail Thru Fish and Chip Take Away’.

became famous and widely used in Glasgow apartments of the time.

After Maryhill, we follow a sign to Falkirk, manhandling our bikes down a long flight of steps, under a tunnel and up to ride beside the north bank of the Forth & Clyde Canal, having turned away from the branch into the centre of Glasgow.

On our left the Campsie Fells stretch along the horizon, time to rest on the grassy bank in the sun!

A passing cyclist puffs to a halt beside us. “Scotland is so beautiful,” he says.

“My wife and daughter wanted to go to a theme park so I bought them tickets to Disneyland, grabbed my bike and took the train north. This is better than any theme park. ” On we go past welcome pit stops in inns and stables built to serve the original canal travellers and now run for the new market created by the reopening of the canal, up past locks to Kirkintilloch, past Auchinstarry Marina, and on to Kilsyth, where the canal is fed from Birkenburn Reservoir in the Kilsyth Hills. A lifting bridge at Bonnybridge, and suddenly the Falkirk Wheel appears. We are half way home with just over 30 miles to go.

What the sheer size of that soaring silver structure does for engineers I don’t know. I am left speechless with wonder every time I see it.

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Splashing out on a new play park at Falkirk Wheel KIDS are getting their feet wet and learning at the same time, thanks to Scottish Canals and the Scottish Waterways Trust splashing out £430,000 on a new water play park for youngsters at the Falkirk Wheel.

Based on the map of Scotland, the granite feature includes contours and representations of the canals, complete with working water gates and even a turn-and-work model of the

Falkirk Wheel itself.

Pupils from Easter Carmuirs Primary School, who have been carrying out a special canal study, came along to join Falkirk Council Provost Pat Reid and Richard Miller, Scottish Canals director of heritage, enterprise and sustainability, to declare the park wet and truly open as well as testing it thoroughly.

And the verdict? “It’s magic!” said one dripping wet lad who’d been

Great concentration makes it plain sailing model style. PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Thumbs up for the play park from Provost Reid and the pupils of Easter Carmuirs Primary School.

Technical triumph as Carmuirs tunnel completed CANAL and railway chiefs have hailed the completion of the Carmuirs tunnel and aqueduct in good time for the summer season as a technical triumph, and as a good example of working together to safeguard both rail and water rights of way.

Network Rail needed to demolish the 150-year-old rail tunnel which allowed the Glasgow to Edinburgh main line to pass under the Forth & Clyde Canal, close to the Falkirk Wheel, and to replace it with a new structure.

That meant placing dams on the canal on either side of the

The mathematical river

The sail-thru fish and chip shop at Clydebank. PHOTOS SUPPLIED Our next excitement, after an aqueduct high over the Kelvin, is where the towpath climbs through Maryhill beside a series of great locks. We push our bikes slowly up the path beside them, entranced by such a dramatic feat of engineering. Five locks with gigantic gates lead from one huge oval basin to another.

But Maryhill is more than just the film set for Taggart. It takes its name from Mary, the last daughter of the Hill family who owned the estate of Gairbraid for many generations. With her husband, Robert Graham, they attempted to mine coal. The enterprise failed but they were saved by selling land to the Forth & Clyde Canal Company.

Venice of the North

The area became known as the ‘Venice of the North’, not only for the waterway, but because, with its own Murano Street, it was central to the new glassmaking factories, whose stained glass

Now we are on the Union Canal. Almost at once, a sign points to Rough Castle, the largest Roman marching camp on the Antonine Wall. This canal, its narrow waterway built along a single contour from its start in Edinburgh, used to be known as the ‘mathematical river’. In place of locks, it relies on tunnels and aqueducts. Narrower, rougher towpaths slow cyclists down, but now we are waving to barges. The canal is well used.

In no time we reach the Falkirk Tunnel, more than 600m cut through solid rock. Eerie lighting casts shadows of young stalactites forming on the roof arch. Drips fall on my head and occasionally down my neck. The path is irregular and only the railing between me and the water brings any comfort.

Emerging from the dark into countryside with long views of fields and farms we meet few pedestrians. The surrounding foliage gets denser and suddenly we are upon the second longest aqueduct in Britain curving over the deep, tree-filled valley of the Avon.

Linlithgow appears and we pedal past bright garden borders planted right up to the towpath. We look across to the towering walls of Linlithgow Palace, but the wind blows us eastward and we are heading for Edinburgh.

The canal curves on through flat farmland by small towns. Shortly after Broxburn it slides under the M8 motorway and the railway, and after a last look at views to the far away shale bings and train viaduct, we plunge into a penumbra of heavy trees leaning over the water, romantic backdrops to grey stone bridges.

A heron flaps past, its slow wing beat seems to span the canal. Emerging, we reach Lin’s Mill aqueduct over the River Almond, a delightful stop on the narrow bosky path that heads for Ratho with its hostelry and busy barge marina.

After that we head across fields to the stark, spindly Slateford viaduct across the Water of Leith. Now we are in Edinburgh, passing schools and houses, playing fields and rowing clubs. A last stretch under urban bridges that seem triumphal arches to weary cyclists and we reach trendy Edinburgh Quay.

A two-day safari. Were we younger, who knows?

having a go turning the model Falkirk Wheel at speed as his classmates tried out water jets and even had a go inside giant, floating balls.

“We’re delighted to deliver this excellent play feature with the Scottish Waterways Trust,” said Richard Miller.

“It’s proved most popular with the Easter Carmuirs Primary School pupils, and they’ve given it their seal of approval after testing it thoroughly.”

The new aqueduct in use and the canal open again as landscaping works are completed. PHOTO: HUGH DOUGHERTY

tunnel in October 2014, blowing up the old tunnel, replacing it with a concrete aqueduct and reopening the canal at the end of March 2015, while keeping trains running as regularly as possible.

The £4.5 million project was carried out by contractors, BAM, who described the work as ‘very challenging’. Network Rail is delivering a £742 million electrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line, and the Carmuirs Tunnel had to be renewed to allow overhead electric wires to be erected with sufficient clearance for trains and beneath the canal bed.

Steve Dunlop, Scottish Canals chief executive, said: “It was a pleasure to work with our partners in Network Rail and BAM to create an asset for the 21st century. As with any alteration to our canals, which are listed national monuments, we had to liaise closely with Historic Scotland throughout the engineering project.

“We also ensured that access remained open to the Falkirk Wheel thanks to a temporary footbridge erected over the railway. It is very gratifying that the work was carried out on time and to budget and that the canal is now fully open again for all to enjoy over the summer season.”

A Network Rail Scotland spokesman said: “We are used to working with a variety of partners, but this was the first time we have had to dam and drain part of a canal and rebuild a tunnel beneath it. The job went extremely well and railway passengers and canal users are both benefiting from the renewed structure.”

‘Neigh’ bother wheeling it from the Kelpies to the Wheel!

VISITORS to The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel have been finding it ‘neigh’ bother at all reaching the attractions thanks to First Central and South East Scotland.

Their Number 3 buses have been branded with pictures of the famous horse heads which celebrated their first birthday in April.

The horse-head buses run regularly between the Falkirk Wheel and the sculptures, creating a direct public transport link between the two attractions and Falkirk town centre. And canal and tourism chiefs say that the move has been just the ticket to boost and encourage access to both attractions.

A First spokesperson said: “We decided to brand the buses on the route to make it easier for visitors to identify them and the move has proved to have been a great success.”

Check the First website for bus times for this unique chance to ride The Kelpies, as crews and locals have dubbed the buses themselves, even though the real giant horse heads remain rooted to their canalside spot at The Helix!

Destination Kelpies and Wheel mean ‘neigh bother’ getting to both! PHOTO: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Not locked out, as competitors surmount this pair of lock gates.

PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Open-water swimmers make a splash in the Forth & Clyde’s Maryhill locks THE Forth & Clyde Canal had never seen anything like it before a recent event when 100 elite, open-water swimmers ploughed their way through the icy waters of Maryhill Lock flight to compete for the coveted Red Bull Neptune Steps title.

Over 1500 spectators cheered the brave competitors on as they swam between the eight locks and scrambled over the locks themselves, using grappling nets and handholds, with Glasgow’s own Mark Deans (20) taking the title to the delight of the home crowd.

Swimmers, made up of elite athletes from all walks of life, including members of the armed forces, doctors and police officers, with entrants from across the UK and Europe, all donated their £5 entry fee to the Wings for Life charity, which raises funds for spinal cord injury research.

Steve Dunlop, Scottish Canals chief executive, who attended the canal race, said: “We are delighted with the success of the event and hope to host it again at Maryhill Locks, which has been shown to be an outstanding location. It was wonderful to see so many spectators on the canal towpath bringing the area very much to life.”

The Forth & Clyde Canal Society brought along two of its boats, Voyager and the appropriately named Maryhill ‘puffer’ outline vessel, to add to the sense of occasion and to publicise the work of the society.

ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty 121

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The secret world on your doorstep Hugh Dougherty finds a hidden canal gem in the Scottish capital.

MENTION Edinburgh and you’ll picture Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street, the Palace of Holyrood House and the historic Royal Mile.

But just 15 minutes’ walk from the end of Princess Street is Edinburgh’s hidden canal gem, Lochrin Basin and Edinburgh Quay, the terminal point of the Union Canal in the Scottish capital, and redeveloped over recent years as a real canal hub.

These banners invite you to experience this hidden gem. PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Once a bustling focal point for passengers and goods, with warehouses surrounding the area, the basin and quayside are now equally busy with leisure craft and cyclists, many using the towpath to commute into the city, as well as pleasure riders, walkers, runners and water-based residents enjoying the Living on Water berths provided by Scottish Canals.

In summer, this is a busy spot, and, along Union Path, there’s boat hire, cafes and pubs in plenty, as well as the harbour office, so that this is the place to just relax, unwind and enjoy what the promotional banners at the entrance to the basin at Fountainbridge Road describe as ‘the secret world on your doorstep’.

The site is also home to the unique and historic Leamington Bridge, originally constructed at Fountainbridge in 1896 by Armstrong Whitworth of Tyneside and moved to its present position between Gilmore Park and Leamington Road during the 1930s.

The lift bridge structure and deck were refurbished in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project, with a new lifting mechanism installed, operated

by Scottish Canals staff. This has now been further improved by fitting a programmable logic control system, allowing boat users to operate the bridge easily and safely themselves, while preserving the heritage, iron latticework of the bridge.

Don’t feed the birds! These fine specimens of the sculptor’s art which welcome you on to the quayside at Lochrin Basin.

Panorama

A short towpath walk west, under one of the Union Canal’s sandstone bridges, dating from the waterway’s opening in 1822, opens up a panorama back to Edinburgh’s nearby historic core, and, yes, you can see Edinburgh Castle from the canal and vice versa, if you know where to look!

If you’re a canal sailor, this is a perfect spot to berth and come ashore to experience Edinburgh, and you’ll avoid traffic congestion and arrive in ‘Auld Reekie’, as the city’s affectionally known locally, relaxed and ready to roam.

And if you arrive in Edinburgh by train, bus or car, and would like to experience the city’s hidden canal gem, which the vast majority of your fellow tourists won’t experience, simply make for Lothian Road, at the west end of Princes Street.

Walk up to Fountainbridge Road, turn right, go on for another few minutes and the entrance to the basin and quay is right before you, with the aptly named Lock 25 pub pointing the way.

So don’t miss this hidden gem. The Union Canal played a key role in the development of the city in the 19th century. Now, in the 21st, thanks to Scottish Canals and Edinburgh City Council, it’s firmly back on the map to be enjoyed.

A pleasant place to tie up and enjoy living on water.

The Victorian-built Leamington Lift Bridge hides the latest electronic control system within its ironwork.

Looking back east to the basin and quay. Edinburgh Castle can be seen peeping out behind the high building, left centre.

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Foxton Trail

Narrowboats scrambling uphill

FOXTON is a place to wallow in the sheer joy of the living heritage of Britain’s canals. It’s like an open-air museum, without stuffiness, counting boats in and out of its lock flight in the same way as it did when it opened in 1812.

Visitors to Foxton can follow the fascinating Canal & River Trust trail (marked by arrows tiled on the ground and on posts) on an adventure that explores a site that is both historically intriguing and stunningly beautiful.

At the top of the lock flight, passers-by

The remains of the inclined plane.

bump into John Cryer, a life-sized model of the former lock keeper. He will witter on, to anyone who’ll listen, about his life as a lock keeper in the old days when narrowboats rushed through, laden with sugar, tea, soap, tinned food, chemicals and paper. Anyone who overstays their welcome in John’s company will hear the story again, and his rock hard, stone cold cup of tea will never empty.

The old stables next door to John’s cottage, at the edge of the lock flight,

have become a discovery room with displays about the 50-60 horses that once travelled through the locks every day. Following the trail, the locks lead downhill in a staircase flight with 10 locks that descend 75ft and use 25,000 gallons of water with every boat that travels through today. Boats need to book their journey time, and pass through in gluts with the assistance of the (living) lock keeper. The route is a challenge for boaters and is always high drama to watch.

Words: PHILLIPPA GREENWOOD Images: MARTINE O’CALLAGHAN

The waymarked trail twists to the other side of the hill, where the remains of Foxton Inclined Plane lie. Old rail tracks cling into the grassy hill, tantalisingly almost intact, running from the canal at the bottom of the hill to the canal at the higher level. In 1900 the inclined plane was opened to bypass Foxton Locks, saving almost an hour on a boat’s journey time.

Narrowboats were lifted sideways, in two caissons (water-holding tanks). The caissons were hauled uphill by a cable and a steam-driven winch. The madness of tugging a narrowboat up a dry hill is simply thrilling to imagine from a windswept viewpoint over some rubble on a hillside.

Foxton Trail has an award-winning, recently renovated museum, outdoor exhibits, historic buildings, boat trips,

Activity at the foot of the lock flight.

One of the numerous information plaques on the Discovery Trail. pubs, teashops, ice creams and an exuberant landscape with uplifting views over the best of Leicestershire.

A glorious canal experience and a perfect day out.

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The Towpath Angler David Kent

Our monthly look at the angling scene

LAST month I referred to an item which had been raised at the Angling Advisory Group – namely vegetation management, particularly on the offside of our canals. Seemingly this continues to cause concern around the network.

While most people will acknowledge that carrying out such major operational activities on a ‘once every five years’ basis provides a significant financial saving, it is debatable whether any significant benefits could be ascribed to the waterway as a whole.

It is fairly safe to assume that such works place additional stress, especially on busy sections of canal, on fish stocks, invertebrates and, almost certainly, on water fowl.

The removal of cover and natural habitat can create all sorts of unforeseen problems. For example, this quite drastic work makes predation, especially from the air, all the easier, thus jeopardising our valuable fish stocks asset.

Similarly, any work of this type often further erodes the total angling experience and very possibly causes the Canal & River Trust’s angling club customers a loss of vital revenue due to members and visitors going elsewhere because catch rates have diminished. I have frequently made the point that full consultation with all parties in advance of any such works being undertaken and co-operation for the duration of the works will ensure that everyone remains onside.

The lock cottage at the top of Foxton Locks.

The colour-coded lock mechanisms.

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 narrowboat heading up through the lock flight.

www.coolcanals.com

FACT FILE Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane Foxton Inclined Plane is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Foxton Locks are Grade II*listed. The lock keeper’s cottage by Top Lock and lock keeper’s cottage, stable block and craft shop by Bottom Lock are all Grade II-listed.

The inclined plane and the staircase locks have both been awarded Transport Trust Red Wheel Plaques.

The entire Foxton site is open all day every day.

FREE admission (there’s a small charge for the car park). Audio trail. www.transporttrust.com www.transportheritage.com The Boilerhouse The newly refurbished museum is now open daily all year. Gift shop. Small admission charge.

Wheelchair access. Run by the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust. www.fipt.org.uk Location Foxton.

OS Grid ref: OS SP691897 Canal: Grand Union Canal – Leicester Section How to get there By train Nearest train station is Market Harborough National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 By bus Traveline 0871 200 2233

By car Large car park (charge), short walk from the canal.

On foot The towpaths are regularly used by walkers and cyclists, and the locks are part of several local walking trails.

By boat Nearest boat hire: Foxton Boats, Foxton. Day boat hire & boat trips on Vagabond II. 01162 792285 www.foxtonboats.co.uk Moorings Plenty of visitor moorings along the stretch of canal beyond the bridge below the locks.

Local Tourist info Market Harborough Tourist Information www.goleicestershire.com Foxton Inclined Plane Trust Foxton Inclined Plane was abandoned after only 10 years of use because it cost too much to keep in operation. Foxton Inclined Plane Trust hopes to reopen the plane one day, and for now is concentrating on preserving what remains of it and keeping the heritage of the site alive with modern innovations such as a digital model. www.fipt.org.uk Canal & River Trust Use the Canal & River Trust website to find specific local information. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

Action plans

This leads me on to the current project involving the waterway Fisheries & Angling Action Plans.

By now around half of these have reached the first report stage and most contain some really good stuff. I have attended a number of the initial workshop sessions and plan to attend three more in the next month.

The project is, of course, led by the CRT’s national fisheries and angling manager.

Generally the response from both waterway managers and anglers has been pretty good. I am confident that fisheries and angling can be in a good place going forward provided that the communication continues.

All of this is evidence, of course, that if customers are fully engaged from the outset the chances of a positive outcome are seriously increased. It is at the waterway level where the bulk of customers form their opinion of the CRT and I believe we all have a responsibility to ensure that they have a good experience.

All the Action Plans have at least one ‘flagship’ project. These vary from upgrading a canal’s facilities to help it become fit for purpose for a major angling event to working with ethnic groups to help them understand the importance of conservation and habitat creation.

The plans will not just benefit fisheries and angling but the waterway as a whole in terms of profile, community engagement and, possibly in the longer term, adoptions. The adoption concept has arisen more than once at the workshops. There have been some brilliant innovative ideas.

Championship qualifers

The CRT/Angling Trust Canal Pairs Championship is now under way. One qualifier was a complete sell-out and another came very close.

Catches have been good with the recent Shroppie event producing a wonderful score sheet. From what I understand, co-operation along the match lengths has also been excellent with no issues being flagged, so all concerned have enjoyed themselves.

Next on the list will be the Gloucester canal qualifier, and I believe that will see a really good turnout too. Some venues are certainly capturing the imagination.

I have not fished too often recently myself, and while not picking up many brown envelopes, there have been some enjoyable matches. I am hoping to organise a session on my local Erewash Canal where catches are definitely on the up. Two weeks ago a small match on the section upstream of that controlled by my club saw the winner take 16lb of bream to the scales.

There is apparently little consistency in catches, but this is due in no small way to the dramatic fluctuations in the weather. Last week we had some horrendous April showers coupled with gale-force winds followed by almost freezing night-time temperatures. Like most anglers I cannot wait until we can leave the thermals and waterproofs in the car.

At least the evenings are lengthening and will, as always, provide good sport wherever you go during the coming weeks.

Tight lines.

Oldest angling club casts a new line into canal

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

DOZENS of perch, roach and bream were released into the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre recently to mark the start of a new fishing agreement between the Canal & River Trust and the world’s oldest angling club, the Salford Friendly Anglers’ Society.

The club, which can trace its roots back to 1817, had fishing rights on the River Irwell and a few small lakes and reservoirs around Greater Manchester. Now members can extend their angling activities to a 12 mile stretch of the Rochdale Canal – from the canal’s start in Castlefield through Manchester city centre to Middleton, near Rochdale.

Anglers will be able to fish for roach, bream, perch, pike, carp, tench and eels which swim between the canal’s many locks.

Mike Duddy, chairman of the Salford Friendly Anglers’ Society, said: “This new agreement is a fantastic opportunity for the city’s anglers to enjoy excellent fishing right on their doorstep.”

BELOW: Anglers today in the city centre. INSET: Salford anglers from a bygone era.

● Anyone wanting to fish on the Rochdale Canal should contact the Salford Friendly Anglers’ Society; membership is free online via www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk Any angler also needs an Environment Agency rod licence (if aged 12 or over) available from https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/when-you-need-a-licence

124 WET WEB

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The Wet Web This month Helen Gazeley finds out more about narrowboat painting.

TRADITIONAL, modern or downright eccentric? I’m talking narrowboat decoration. Richard Williams, in the news for tax fraud recently, spent £50,000 on restyling his narrowboat as a German U-boat (http://bit.ly/ 1QtjVkh), while the owner of nb Tiger Moth was searched and questioned near Reading when

Paul Smith smooths down for another paint layer on nb James.

his replica surface-to-air missile, attended by balaclava-clad figure, raised alarm (see story on page 2). Not every-one’s choice.

If you’re tempted to paint your boat yourself, there’s plenty of good advice out there. Willow Boat Painting gives a good picture of what’s involved with its 10 Top Tips (www.willow boats .co.uk). They advise leaving plenty of time to do it, pointing out that they, well practised and with all the right equipment, take four weeks start to finish.

Owner Sally Tooze finds traditional colours the most popular, probably because many customers remember the 1940s and 50s; and the British Standard colours such as Deep Brunswick Green and Oxford

Nb Foxglove in London Midland Railway colours.

John Barnard shows how it’s done on one of his narrowboat painting courses.

Blue are familiar and warmly appealing. The trouble with considering less traditional colours like purple, which is asked about surprisingly often, is that pigments tend not to keep their colour so long. Red, of course, has the reputation for being a fugitive pigment, but Sally says that the very bright shades such as Ayers Red or Rochelle Red will generally remain the same longer than the slightly darker shades that many find more appealing.

Cost is pretty much the only reason narrowboaters give for painting their boat themselves and a number of accounts on blogs are well worth reading if you’re contemplating such a project.

Paul Smith on Living on a Narrowboat gives a detailed run down of his experience of painting nb James and lists all the equipment he needed. It wasn’t easy, but it was cheap.

Drips were a major problem: “It

Not so conventional colours can work very well, as with nb Intrigue, painted by Willow Boat Painting. is almost inevitable that, unless the coat is slightly thinner than gold leaf, paint applied to the underside of any window will wait until you’ve gone for a tea break before surging down any beautifully flat recently coated surface,” he warns (livingona narrowboat.co.uk). The article is included in his guide to owning a narrowboat, available as a free download.

Andy Tidy, of Captain Ahab’s Watery Tales (http://captain ahabswaterytales.blogspot.co.uk March 2009) described his experiences in seven detailed blogposts in 2009, but they’re still excellent reading, covering everything from planning your paint job to the mistakes he made, such as using the wrong angle grinder and not removing the mushrooms.

More experiences are to be found on blogs for nb Tickety Boo (http://lifeafloatonnarrow boatticketyboo.blogspot.co.uk/A pril 2012), Travels nb San Serriffe (http://sanserriffe1.blogspot.co. uk/ October 2014) and nb Herbie (http://nbherbie.blogspot.co.uk) – the latter also carries a paint comparison, with Craftmaster (http://www.craftmasterpaints .co.uk) the clear winner.

Together the accounts paint a colourful picture (sorry!) of how to avoid the pitfalls.

Painstaking attention to detail on nb Foxglove by Willow Boat Painting.

How much paint? Ely Boat Chandlers gives calculations for three coats on various boat lengths (www.elyboatchandlers .com/paint-calculator) though you might like to consider the eight coats that professional Carl Tickle lists under his explanation of Mirror Painting (www. cheshirebrush.co.uk).

More expert advice, by Master Boat Painter Phil Speight, can be found on Canal Junction (www.canaljunction.com/boat/

painting.htm).

Finally, if you like to get direct input from an expert before blundering into the unknown, John Barnard Ltd runs a two-day narrowboat painting and repair course. Find a brief taster on (www.johnbarnard.biz).

➔ Formoreinformation Do you have a favourite website?

Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com

POET’S CORNER

My Garden

How long is your garden, five yards – maybe more?

What do you see when you open your door?

Perhaps there’s a lawn with borders trimmed neat, A quiet shaded corner, an escape – a retreat.

Could be a main highway with trucks thundering by, Or a view from a tenement, on a reflective blue sky.

For as seasons change, my garden does too, But unlike suburbia each day’s a changed view.

Wild life in abundance I see every day, Swans, ducks and kingfishers, rabbits at play.

A heron stands stately, majestic and proud, Takes flight as we glide by, is lost in a cloud.

The length of my garden is hard to define, As I wake up each morning be it wind, rain or shine.

For the picture before me like a canvas unfolds As an artist’s creation, my own pot of gold.

For I live on a narrowboat and cruise the canal, And the life it affords me is far from banal.

Meandering waters through meadows of green, The scent of the bluebells, air that is clean.

I’m glad that I left the rat race behind, I feel more content, I know peace of mind.

How long is your garden, five yards – maybe more?

What do you see when you open your door?

Marion Fellows

125

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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

Taking to the water again

★ 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.

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.silky products.com and selected retail outlets, Silky Products have been manufactured in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield for more than 40 years.

Going against the flow WITH reference to ‘Survey seeks views on river boating’ (News, Issue 115, May). For many years my husband and I lived on the Chesterfield Canal; coming and going out onto the tidal Trent was actually quite an event for us, especially on the return home, and coming back to West Stockwith Lock.

On one or two occasions we crashed into the lock entrance, because of the strong flow of water, and the very difficult entrance, which unlike other locks on the Trent, is not sheltered by a staging area so that boats waiting to get into the lock can tie up in an orderly queue.

Boats waiting are forced more often than not to wait in the sometimes very fast tidal flow, wasting fuel and being very scarily at the mercy of the elements, and the time it takes to process a lock full of boats, probably 20 to 30 minutes, and then depending on the draft of your vessel, you have only a limited time in which you can get over the cill into the lock, as the river level drops.

It is not always made clear to boaters that the best way to enter this lock is to go against the flow, which means sometimes one has to go past the lock, giving false info to other boaters, that you are not going to go into the lock. They then approach the lock, crashing into you and the lock. This is one way to put off anyone who watches this to resolve not to do this in the first place or for those involved ever again.

Slow progress

The Trent is as far as we can see a waterway that is a means of getting to other waterways. The very strong flow can make slow going sometimes, depending on the size of your engine and prop, and then

when the flow changes you can find yourselves with that slightly uncomfortable out of control feeling, hurtling around the bend, say at Gainsborough.

Not that you’d want to anyway, but there are very few points at which boats can moor up on the tidal Trent even if you did want to draw breath. You’d have to notify the lock keeper where you were expected, just in case he/she thinks you are in trouble.

Then there are the Trent lighters, very large vessels that can disturb the water so much that it makes passing also interesting to say the very least, especially when they only appear to see you, and navigate to miss you, at the very last moment.

Avoiding the sunken islands is also one of the lesser joys of boating; okay when you’ve got used to navigating the Trent, but a considerable worry until you do.

Also, never cut a corner, we’ve seen many a boat that we couldn’t help, and left waiting for the tide to change at around 3 or 4am.

All the pleasure of boating for us happens when we get off the tidal Trent and yes a really true warts and all boating the Trent guide, would be for every boater, an essential guide to safely navigating this waterway, and I think, guys, that you have your work cut out for you making the tidal Trent a more appealing proposition.

Maybe you could come up with a phone app for those brave enough to attempt it for the first time, or even a cyber trip on the river showing how it’s done safely.

Good luck with that!

Trish Woods By email

FOLLOWING on from my hugely successful trip to Bishop’s Stortford last year, with the many generous donations for the Friends of Murambinda Hospital (FMH) received along the way, I am taking to the water again this year.

Once again I will be trying to raise money for FMH so if any of your readers spot me along the way and feel inclined to drop a coin, or even a note, into my collecting bucket, then I will be more than delighted. As before, I will be

keeping a daily Ship’s Blog on my website at www.kestrel45.co.uk should anyone, other than my wife and family, be interested in what I’ve been up to.

Bill Colombi Nb 67649 Kestrel

Editor’s note: Bill tells us that he had hoped to cross the Ribble Link this summer but due to circumstances beyond his control has had to postpone that trip. However he will be out and about on the canals.

Kestrel on the tidal River Ouse during a previous trip. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Why pick on Birmingham?

AFTER reading Peter Underwood’s article several times, ‘What’s the point of 48 hour moorings’ (Last Word, Issue 114, April), I’m afraid that all his facts and figures seem to do is confuse me, but perhaps that’s his intention.

Of all the areas to pick, why Birmingham? We first moored in Birmingham in 1981 when visitor moorings were but a gleam in British Waterways’ eye. We have gone from hire boaters to share boat to continuous cruisers and have moored in the city numerous times, at different times of the year, and have always found a space.

At the same time the moorings have altered to reflect that change of use. He says the amount of short stay moorings is excessive but goes on to state they are always full of hireboats during the summer months. He seems to feel that hire boaters only stay overnight but observation would show that many stay longer. With two hire bases less than a day’s cruise away, many hirers elect to stay for the last couple of nights of their holiday to explore the many delights Birmingham has to offer.

Has he cruised the Kennet & Avon recently? When last there, eight years ago, the designated visitor moorings on the western side were congested with

‘resident’ CCers. All these moorings now seem to be short stay so boaters cruising through can usually find an overnight mooring without having to moor to a bit of overgrown bank.

Perhaps Peter should direct his efforts to other parts of the canal system. Ripon or Sheffield, difficult to get to, few boaters do it, but when they get to the end they are expected to turn round and return after two nights.

It doesn’t even equate to 48 hours. Just time to stock up the larder and then a quick trip around the attractions offered.

Leicester, another major city with limited access time.

Liverpool where the previous fortnight’s mooring has now been reduced to a week. Or there is London.

Towpath Talk has had many letters bemoaning the lack of short stay moorings within the capital, with a number of boaters stating that they won’t go there again. The current moorings in Birmingham work well so leave them alone and look elsewhere.

Pete Earley Nb Joanie M. Continuously cruising somewhere.

Carrying fuel across the aqueduct AS ONE who harbours an ambition to take a boat horse and horse boat across the Pontycyllte aqueduct I was delighted to read that a fully laden boat is to cross the aqueduct to deliver fuel to Trevor. (News, Issue 115, May). However, in view of the age of the aqueduct and the weight of a fully laden narrowboat, are the powers that be confident that the integrity of the structure will not be compromised and have ‘health and safety’ been informed?

Stephen Rees-Jones, Bywater Horse Drawn Cruises, Maesbury Marsh

RIGHT: Canal Carrying Co fuel boat Mountbatten is believed to be the first fully loaded working boat to trade and cross the Pontcysyllte aqueduct in 14 years. Having recently started trading on the Llangollen Canal, Mountbatten cruises once a fortnight from Burland up to Trevor basin selling fuels and small chandlery items. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Grand Western Canal launches 2015 photo competition BUDDING photographers are being encouraged to capture the beauty of the Grand Western Canal for a special competition this year.

There’s £350 worth of photography vouchers up for grabs plus the chance of the pictures appearing on the website and Facebook pages.

The competition is open until November 30, 2015, and winners will be announced in December.

Entries are welcome from anyone but limited to amateur photographers only please and 10 pictures per person. There are three categories; Canal Landscapes, Canal Activities and Canal Wildlife. For each category there will be a first prize of £100 of Photo Lesk vouchers and a second prize of £50 of Photo Lesk vouchers.

It won’t be the first time the Canal has been in the limelight recently having appeared on the front cover of the BBC’s Countryfile Calendar in 2012

featuring the winning picture of Taffy with the horse drawn barge.

The competition builds on the success of 2014 bicentenary celebrations, according to Cabinet member for Environment and Communities, Roger Croad. “I’m sure the competition will generate a great deal of interest and we look forward to seeing the entries.”

The last GWC photo comp was in 2003 and generated hundreds of entries.

Local council member for Tiverton East, Des Hannon and for Willand and Uffclume, Ray Radford are contributing towards the prizes through their locality budgets.

Cllr Hannon said: “Our canal is a photographers’ dream. It has as many moods as the Devon weather and looks wonderful in all of them. This competition is a great excuse to get out there, enjoy the canal, and maybe capture another iconic image.”

Coun Des Hannon launching the competition. PHOTO: DCC The photography and print studio, Photo Lesk on Gold Street in Tiverton have also kindly donated vouchers towards the prizes. ● For details on how to enter go to www.devon. gov.uk/gwcphotos DCC will retain the right to use all photos entered in its future publicity and promotion of DCC services.

This photograph of Warnicombe Bridge by Mr N S Bathurst won the last competition in 2003. PHOTO: N S BATHURST

126 THE LAST WORD

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What’s the point of… the Canal & River Trust’s new terms and conditions?

Peter Underwood looks at issues affecting boaters and asks: what’s the point?

THE point seems very clear to some boater organisations – it is to achieve by the use of a commercial contract a degree of control of boaters’ use of the waterways consistently refused

by Parliament… and that means all boaters.

Jackie Lewis, CRT general legal counsel, has told the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) that boats with a home mooring “must cruise on the waterway while you are away from your home mooring, stopping only for short periods”, going on to say that a boat away for long periods is in effect subject to the same rules as a continuous cruiser.

She insists boats with a mooring must not ‘shuffle’ but ‘cruise’ instead – terms NABO says are not in any legislation.

NABO, a well-respected boater organisation, has made a detailed response to the new terms and

conditions and says, over and over again, that the changes are ‘ultra vires’ or beyond CRT’s legal powers, as well as being unfair and unreasonable. It accuses the trust of failing to demonstrate the need for many of the changes, of using legalistic terms to bamboozle boaters and says it may be breaking data protection laws.

The National Bargee Travellers Association sees it as a direct attack on the homes of those living on boats and says: “It is clear that CRT intends to impose these draconian new terms regardless of any comments.

The contract will therefore be imposed under duress through CRT’s powers to remove unlicensed boats, rather than freely entered into by both parties, and as such will be open to challenge.”

NABO talks of CRT’s aggressive tone, saying: “It smacks of ‘I have a lawyer and you do not, so I (CRT) will take advantage in this contract because you have no choice’.

“A new customer should not have to get legal advice before applying for a licence. It greatly saddens us.”

Press release

CRT’s new head of customer services Ian Rogers. PHOTO: CRT

Amy Whitewick finds the funny side in every situation.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

I invited CRT to respond to these concerns but they chose to simply send me a copy of a press release issued by the new head of customer services, Ian Rogers, announcing the imposition of the new terms on May 1.

That release ignores the boaters’ organisations critical of the T&Cs, although it cites the support of the IWA and the AWCC, and he simply says: “The changes set out to clarify our terms and conditions so that all boaters know what is expected, and

ToWPaTh TiTTeR

CONTINUING our light-hearted look at life on the cut with this contribution from ‘Captain Ken’ Smith from his first visit to the River Weaver last year. He tells us: “I broke down and was there for three days (enjoyed every minute) till John of nb Goodmorning Bob came to my rescue and took me back to Orchard Marina without a bump and bang, so hope to bring a smile to him and the good folk of the lift for all their kindness and help.”

Now all boat owners must cruise and not ‘shuffle’. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON can be clear about what they are signing up to.

“That in turn will help the trust respond more effectively if and when a small numbers of boaters don’t respect the rules or the need to share the system fairly with others.”

However, the trust has acknowledged the impact of some NABO criticism, changing the original document in minor ways, most importantly over its own ability to board a private boat and its plans to pass on private boaters’ data.

Most of the new terms still stand, as does the trust’s conviction that it has a right to impose whatever conditions it sees fit.

Responding to the NABO document it says: “Various other changes were

THE ideal antidote for anyone who takes themselves or life too seriously, We Bought a Fat Boat chronicles Amy Whitewick and her family’s conversion from narrowboaters to widebeam bargees –all with a liberal pinch of salt.

Her book brings together a series of blogs chronicling their experiences on the cut which she describes as “perhaps the most humorous place I know of in Britain”.

After five years narrowboating on the Kennet & Avon Canal followed by a break due to work and family commitments, Amy and her parents decided to go large and buy a secondhand widebeam. This journal tells an often tongue-in-cheek story of how they tackled learning the ropes.

She finds the funny side in every situation even if

requested on the basis that they were either alleged to be outside the powers of the trust or claimed to be unfair, unreasonable or unnecessary.

“We have not made these other changes on the basis that we do not accept that any of the revised terms and conditions are outside the powers of the trust. Section 43(3) of the Transport Act 1962 enables the trust to make the use of its waterways subject to terms and conditions as we see fit.

“We are also satisfied that the other specific terms and conditions that were questioned are fully justified and reasonable for us to include.”

It seems the lawyers still rule the CRT roost and the point of the new T&Cs really is to give the trust the powers refused by Parliament.

it means resorting to toilet humour and recounts how they set about the challenge over the winter of preparing their ‘fat boat’ – double the pleasure, double the work – for her first cruising season under their captaincy with a little help from friends such as African Ron, engineer Dave and Terry the Paint.

Illustrated by Amy’s own drawings, her journal ‘entries’ tell of getting to grips with the boathandling, painting, cleaning, plumbing and the battle of the bilge all washed down with liberal trips to the pub or breaking open a bottle of wine or cider.

For those of you who have already enjoyed the excerpts from We Bought a Fat Boat in Towpath Talk over the last few months, this is the icing on the cake – the full Monty – or, in Amy’s words… life on the other side where big is best!

● Read Amy’s blog at http://weboughtafatboat.blogspot.com

What really happened!

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 @towpath talk and on Facebook

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