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Issue 162 April 2019

WIN A PAIR OF WEEKEND TICKETS TO CRICK BOAT SHOW 10 PAIRS WORTH £640 P22

SHEFFIELD & TINSLEY BIRTHDAY FLOTILLA P5

ON BOARD WITH JONO

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BOAT REBUILD: ALL CHANGE INSIDE P62

Pilgrim’s progress The John Bunyan boat is ready for its 2019 season on the Great River Ouse at Bedford. Due to work by Bedford Borough Council on the Town Lock footbridge which has closed the lock until Easter, this will start a little later than usual. The first monthly jazz cruise will take place on Thursday, April 18 followed by a fish and chip supper cruise on the Saturday, afternoon ‘tea for two’ on Easter Sunday and short cruises along the embankment on Easter Monday. Regular Thursday afternoon public cruises from Sovereigns Quay to Cardington Lock resume on Thursday, April 25. For information visit www.johnbunyanboat.org PHOTO SUPPLIED

‘Exciting’ bid to extend Cromford Canal WIN A GREAT PRIZE IN OUR WEBSITE TREASURE HUNT P95 LOOKING FOR A FRIENDLY MARINA?

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A PLANNING application has been submitted to extend Cromford Canal north from the existing terminus at Langley Mill.

The Friends of the Cromford Canal (FCC) group said it was “excited” to announce that a cross-border planning

application had been submitted to Broxtowe (BBC) and Amber Valley (AVBC) borough councils.

The application is currently available to view on the AVBC website, reference AVA/2019/0179, and will also shortly be available to view on the Broxtowe

council website, when it is validated.

Named after a historic loading wharf on the site, the Beggarlee Extension will include the construction of 1km of new canal channel, a two-rise staircase pair of locks and utilisation of a disused bridge to pass underneath the A610 bypass.

It will also provide a vital missing link to the footpaths in the area and allow visitors to link from the existing Erewash Valley trail to the nature reserves north of the site without a road diversion.

• Continued on page 2

Bridge project completed

Traffic-free route

Moorings price review

A BUSY road into Nuneaton has reopened earlier than planned after the Canal & River Trust completed important restoration works to the bridge over the Ashby Canal ahead of schedule.

The trust had been working on the 200-year-old Bramcote Road Bridge since early January as part of its programme of repairs and restoration. The project has seen more than £200,000 invested in repairs to the bridge, which carries the B4114 over the Ashby Canal.

A PROJECT to revamp north Leicester’s canal towpaths will make it easier for people to spend some time by the water. The scheme has seen engineering works around Holden Street and up to Belgrave Lock. The widened and resurfaced path will provide a green, traffic-free route into the heart of the city for walkers, cyclists and people with buggies. New mooring rings have been installed by Wolsey Island to encourage more visiting boaters to stop and see the attractions.

WATERSIDE Moorings, a division of the Canal & River Trust, has written to customers in central London advising them of the outcome of the price review to bring prices in-line with the market rate for these sites. Apart from 16% of London customers who will see prices increase between inflation and 1% above inflation and 8% whose prices will remain the same, the remainder will see prices rise more significantly.

Annual increases will be capped to a maximum of 10% for a transition period of up to five years.

2 NEWS/COMMENT

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WITH the headlines still dominated by Brexit as I write, it is refreshing to see some good news. The latest storm, Gareth, has now cleared our shores, taking the gales with it. As they say, an ill wind.

The plus side is that the weaker pound and other uncertainties have resulted in more people taking their holidays in the UK, see British Marine’s report in Business News on page 61.

Holiday hire operators are also sounding a positive note, with the news that Anglo Welsh will add Whixall Marina to its bases from April and Drifters are promoting our waterways to overseas visitors, see Holidays on page 64.

On the home front, the army of waterways volunteers have been busy over the winter months clearing vegetation and preparing locks and towpaths for the season ahead. University of Lincoln student Shannon Butcher, with us on work placement, accompanied me on a visit to the Trent & Mersey Canal, where we saw a completed project at Derwent Mouth Lock and work in progress at Willington Woods, see her report on page 4.

As we start a new year of landmark anniversaries, crowds turned out to celebrate the bicentenary of the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, see Colin Wareing’s report on page 5. Geoff Wood took a trip through Tuel Lane Lock at the launch of an appeal for volunteer lock keepers, see page 10 and three RNLI members with 80 years of maritime experience between them tackle the Canal du Midi, see page 15.

With Easter falling late this year we will be well on the way to the May issue but the clocks go forward on March 31 so let’s make the most of the lighter evenings.

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Finsley visitors view works up close

By Colin Wareing

Just beyond the work site where the canal had been cut off and drained there was the chance for people to try their hand at fishing or canoeing on the straight mile embankment that runs across the town.

Engineers from the CRT and contractors Kier were on site to lead parties of visitors along the worksite towpath and explain the works. The weather wasn’t great, hence the umbrellas. Peter Downes from Kier is pointing out how the job has progressed and some of the problems they have encountered.

• Continued from page 1 This work will form the first substantial restoration by the FCC since its formation in 2002 and builds upon its successful trip boat Birdswood at Cromford Wharf and the involvement of hundreds of volunteer members on working parties and at social events.

Restoration of Langley Bridge Lock and the boatyard was previously carried out by the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association, and the FCC is grateful for its continued support in its current endeavours.

The application has been spearheaded by the FCC’s Strategic Restoration Committee (SRC) and is the culmination of 18 months of hard work by a dedicated team of volunteer professionals. The SRC is also indebted to the services of Derbyshire County Council’s waterways officer Susan White.

The FCC wants to give all local residents the chance to view hard copies of the application documents and to raise any questions directly with the volunteers involved. To that end, an open public consultation will be held on Saturday, April 13, between 10am and 4pm, at the New Horizon Church, Langley Mill (adjacent to the Great Northern Pub).

FINSLEY Gate open weekend attracted a good number of people to view the repair works at Burnley that are causing a stoppage of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in east Lancashire.

It was cool and wet, so quite a few umbrellas and weatherproof jackets were in evidence as people were guided across a stone dam blocking the canal, to walk a short way down the towpath to view the main worksite.

Engineers from CRT and main contractors Kier led the tours and explained what they were doing to reline and waterproof this section of canal.

They explained some of the unforeseen problems that had occurred around the site from an act of vandalism in the early days of the stoppage.

The fibre dam at the western end of the work site was cut, resulting in the area flooding.

The towpath side wash walls were found to be in worse condition than was first thought. They now need to be rebuilt, meaning the planned end date of the stoppage has had to be put back to May 8 (from March 15).

The former wharf area that is now the work compound will be redeveloped as a working hire boat base and dry dock, educational centre and hotel, so it was a good chance to have a look at the

The open day gave an opportunity to see the old buildings on the wharf that had been built by the Leeds & Liverpool canal as a maintaince yard when the canal was built more than 200 years ago.

This is the main workshop, there is also a former blacksmith’s shop and a wharf keeper’s house, which will become a small hotel.

Visitors were allowed to walk down the towpath under the supervision of an engineer to view the drained section of the canal. It wasn’t possible to walk the whole length of the work site as the wash walls supporting the towpath had unexpectedly started to collapse and had to be shored up and reconstructed in the area where the concrete blocks are, next to the digger. PHOTOS: COLIN WAREING, COLIN AND CAROLE'S CREATIONS

A temporary stone dam has been constructed across the canal, with a pathway across it, which allows access from one side of the canal to the other. Here, a party of visitors are having the works explained to them by engineers who have been working on the project. plans and the existing buildings that had been constructed by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal as a maintenance yard when the canal was built more than 200 years ago.

Marathon effort for city canal trust A LICHFIELD athlete is raising funds for the city’s canal trust by running the London Marathon.

Steve Williams chose Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust as his designated charity for a number of reasons, which he explains on his page on the JustGiving website.

“I ‘won’ my place in the marathon, courtesy of Lichfield Running Club – where the late Bob Houghton was such an integral part for many years,” said Steve.

“Bob was also a member of the trust and I thought this was a nice way to link two of his passions.

“Secondly, since retiring, my dad has joined the trust, giving him a new circle of friends including Bob’s widow Janet (as well as the chance for him to drive a digger, and my mum some peace at home!).

“Last but not least, the trust is doing London Marathon runner Steve Williams and his dad Brian, a volunteer with Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust. PHOTO SUPPLIED

some great work in and around the Lichfield area restoring the canal.

“Currently the trust is desperately seeking funds for its ‘Tunnel Vision’ project, the aim of which is to construct a tunnel under the Lichfield Cross City Railway Line to accommodate the restored canal.

“Any donation you could give will be greatly appreciated by the trust and motivate me while training for and running the marathon.”

Bob Houghton, who died of cancer in 2017, was a fully active member of Lichfield Running Club and was best known for his role as co-founder of the Lichfield 10K and race director for 20 years.

Now Steve is building up to the London Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, April 28, using some of Bob’s ‘legendary’ marathon training runs to assist him.

To make a donation to Steve, visit https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/steven-williams37 and to find out more about LHCRT’s ‘Tunnel Vision’ appeal, visit https://www.lhcrt. org.uk/tunnel-vision.html

NEWS 3

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City’s jewel set to sparkle again WORK has begun on the restoration of the Roundhouse in Birmingham – the jewel in the crown of the city’s waterways.

The work will ensure the future of this magnificent, one-of-a-kind building is secure, inspiring a new generation to explore the waterways and delve into the history of Birmingham and its canals.

Built in 1874, the Grade II listed Roundhouse is tucked next to the Birmingham Mainline Canal, very close to the centre of the city, and was

originally used as stables and stores for the Birmingham Corporation.

Designed by local architect W H Ward, the horseshoe-shaped building is a unique and beautiful Birmingham landmark.

The building is being brought to life by a partnership of the Canal & River Trust (CRT) and National Trust, made possible through a £2.5 million National Lottery Heritage Fund grant and funding of £196,000 from Historic England.

Due to reopen in spring 2020, the

The team involved in the restoration of the magnificent Roundhouse.

PHOTOS: CRT

Roundhouse will be an exciting space for the local community and a focal point from which to explore Birmingham’s canals by foot, bike or boat.

The restoration works will include strengthening and restoring the roof, repairing and relaying the cobbled courtyard and installing new ‘feature’ windows, giving views over the canal.

When finished, the Roundhouse, along with the distillery – Birmingham’s newest gin distillery which is located next door – will be a fantastic place for local people and visitors from further afield. It will create jobs and volunteering opportunities as well as promoting skills and encouraging healthy lifestyles by offering people of all ages and abilities fun and active ways to enjoy the city.

Stuart Mills from CRT said: “The Roundhouse is a really beautiful and unusual building right in the heart of the city centre and we are looking forward to the day we can welcome visitors and help them to explore its history as well as the tranquil canals in Birmingham.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few months, but this is a really exciting chapter for the Roundhouse.”

Vanessa Harbar, head of the National Lottery Heritage Fund West Midlands, said: “This is a major industrial building at the heart of the city’s canal network and we look forward to seeing it transformed into a city base for exploring Birmingham’s revitalised canals – all

An aerial view of this exciting and historic building in the centre of Birmingham, which will be transformed into a base for canal exploration. thanks to funding made possible by National Lottery players.”

Louise Brennan, Historic England’s regional director for the Midlands, said: “The city has more miles of canal than Venice and the Roundhouse tells the story of how these waterways changed the way we work and live.

“Historic England is delighted to be supporting a project that will see this important historic building find a new

Housing development go-ahead ‘disturbing’, says Lichfield trust A PLANNING application for a housing development that could have major implications for the work of Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust (LHCRT) has been approved.

The trust has described the decision by Lichfield District Council’s planning committee to give plans for almost 500 new homes and a 40-acre country park the go-ahead as “very disturbing”.

Christine Bull, chair of LHCRT, and Rob Beattie, of applicant Taylor Wimpey, both spoke at the meeting.

A spokesman for LHCRT said: “Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust is very disturbed that the planning application for the Deanslade Park housing site has been approved without inclusion of the canal bridge and canal channel works required by the council’s own Development Plan to safeguard the continuing restoration of the Lichfield Canal.”

LHCRT claims the planning authority has not sought to apply its

own policies relating to provision for the canal and for contributions to essential infrastructure and design.

Therefore, says the LHCRT, the plan’s approval would leave the charity, which is completely self-financing, facing at least £0.5 million additional costs to provide a canal bridge at the Claypit/ Fosseway Lanes junction and associated channel works alongside Falkland Road at a later stage.

LHCRT claims that despite several deferments and rewrites of the committee report, advice to the committee has wrongly interpreted the funding requirements for the canal works, leading to a decision that is “legally unsound”.

“LHCRT is not against the development itself and recognises that local authorities are under enormous pressure to achieve housing targets, but it strongly believes that the Local Plan Strategy and IDP requirement for the canal bridge at Claypit

Lane and associated works to be funded by the developer should be enforced,” said the spokesman.

They added: “It was a small comfort to those of us who attended the meeting that those councillors present were clearly deeply concerned about the dilemma they faced and most made reference to the enormous value of the work being done by the trust.

“As this is a serious threat to the continued restoration of the canal, the trustees will be carefully considering the next steps, which could include taking the decision to a Judicial Review.”

Coun Ian Pritchard, cabinet member for economic growth, environment and development services, said: “The council is fully supportive and appreciative of the work of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust and the benefits the canal restoration could bring to the area.

“When making their decision, planning committee members

had a detailed officer’s report that took all relevant, adopted policies and other material considerations into account. The report also set out the trust’s, and the applicant’s, legal advice.

“It explained that as the application site does not include the land where the canal works are to take place, and because our adopted Regulation 123 list states that the canal works should be delivered from Community Infrastructure Levy, we cannot ask the developer to directly deliver or pay for the works through a section 106 agreement.

“The applicant will be required to make a Community Infrastructure Levy contribution and the trust, along with others who have identified projects on the council’s Regulation 123 list, will be able to bid for such monies to contribute towards the delivery of the restored canal and any infrastructure, such as the bridge at Claypit Lane.”

and exciting use, and will ensure the building continues to play its part at the centre of Birmingham’s canal network.”

Various events will be held during the works phase to allow people the chance to see the progress being made and discover more about the building.

To find out more about the Roundhouse and to see when these events are happening, visit www. roundhousebirmingham.org.uk

NBTA publishes best practice guide

THE National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) has published a Best Practice Guide for Local Authority Boat Dweller Accommodation Needs Assessments under Section 124 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

The guide aims to advise local housing authorities on how to conduct a good assessment of the needs of bargee travellers and boat dwellers, for example whether temporary and permanent mooring space is required and how to avoid common practical mistakes and misconceptions about living on boats and about the people for whom boats are homes.

It was written collectively by the NBTA and has been

peer reviewed by Community Law Partnership; Marc Willers QC of Garden Court Chambers; and Dave Cowan, professor of law and policy, University of Bristol.

Section 124 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 brought boat dwellers into the ambit of local authority accommodation needs assessments in England for the first time. The NBTA had been campaigning for this change since 2009.

The guide is being distributed to local housing authorities and to relevant organisations such as navigation authorities and government departments, among others.

It can be viewed online at www.bargee-traveller.org.uk/ best-practice-guide/

4 NEWS

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Getting ready for spring South Derbyshire’s Towpath Taskforce has been working hard to remove overgrowth and improve areas for boaters, walkers and wildlife alongside the Trent & Mersey Canal. Shannon Butcher, on work placement with Towpath Talk, meets the team.

BOATERS and walkers travelling along the Trent & Mersey Canal near Derwent Mouth Lock No. 1 can now see a clearer way ahead thanks to the Towpath Taskforce.

Volunteering leader Oliver Lockett, of the Canal & River Trust, explained that a team of committed volunteers

Oliver Lockett tells reporter Shannon Butcher about the laborious vegetation removal around the Derwent Mouth Lock area. He believes the lock will be a much more welcoming place for boaters and walkers when the spring season arrives. PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

has been working to remove vegetation around the lock since October 2018. The purpose of this project was to allow a much easier passage for boaters, as well as an improved wildlife area.

He said: “We managed to remove about 3m of space around the edge.

The taskforce had to do a lot of uprooting from under the canal in order to achieve this amount using huge grappling hooks to pull it out.”

The group congregated weekly at the nearby village of Shardlow for a three-hour session. In total, around 576 voluntary hours and 18 sessions were required to complete the project.

Oliver continued: “The aim was also to make the lock more welcoming, as it looked very much neglected before the vegetation removal. Derwent Mouth Lock No. 1 is the border point for the River Trent, so it’s significant in that it also ties the west and east together. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, travellers would have to go around the country.”

The lock looks rather harsh after the vegetation removal, but come spring, it will be much greener. The area is already becoming a great location for nesting birds, although during the removal, the Towpath Taskforce had to be especially careful of wildlife already nesting in the area. Following the project’s completion,

Narrowboats have a much easier and more picturesque route to travel via the Derwent Mouth Lock. Now, with the vegetation removal complete, two boats can pass along the canal.

Approximately 3m of space around the canal’s edge has been removed by the Taskforce to create a much more navigable route for boaters. two boats can now easily pass each other due to the width recovery.

Oliver said: “Traffic will certainly increase when lock keeping starts in April and when boating in May picks up for the season. The taskforce will continue work on different projects throughout the year as well.”

Woodland walkway

Currently, the same Towpath Taskforce is working on another project at nearby WillingtonWoods,closetoMerciaMarina in Derbyshire.

The wooded area, owned by the Canal & River Trust, had suffered from neglect and overgrowth until regional director for East Midlands, Phil Mulligan, suggested that improvements should be made to allow greater access for walkers.

Steve Taylor, also a volunteer leader for the taskforce, explained that the lower woodland had already been removed some time ago in order to connect two entry ways to create a short woodland walkway.

He said: “Originally there were a lot of fallen trees on the towpath. Now, we want to build a boardwalk in order to avoid the mud. Following the vegetation and wood removal, the area will have a lot more light and space to encourage new growth in the future.”

The taskforce continues to work in Willington Woods, clearing dead trees and branches, as well as making animal habitats, or ‘bug hotels’ out of wood piles.

Steve said that this will eventually be incredibly beneficial for the local wildlife and the surrounding environment.

In a similar way to its previous project at Shardlow, the taskforce has been meeting weekly for several hours to help to improve this canalside space.

This group has been covering the South Derbyshire area for several years.

Derwent Mouth Lock marks the entrance to the Trent & Mersey Canal, now visible to walkers and boaters alike from afar, thanks to the efforts of the Towpath Taskforce.

Plenty of hours were put into the removal of vegetation from the Derwent Mouth Lock area, but with the commitment and dedication of the taskforce, everyone will soon be reaping the benefits of a more navigable and attractive location.

PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

The Towpath Taskforce continues its work throughout the year to improve canals and rivers across the South Derbyshire area. Volunteers are pictured with leaders Steve Taylor, left, and Oliver Lockett, right.

The volunteers are hard at work creating ‘bug hotels’ out of dead branches to support local wildlife. Plenty of insects and small animals will find this new habitat especially appealing.

Towpath Taskforce is a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in volunteering on local canals or rivers, but need flexible hours to fit around a busy lifestyle.

Volunteers need only come along when they have the time, whether that’s once a month or more often. Those interested in joining the taskforce can read more about opportunities and events in specific areas at www. canalrivertrust.org.uk

NEWS 5

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Thousands celebrate Sheffield 200

By Colin Wareing

A CROWD of 5000 people turned out to celebrate the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal bicentenary in style.

Well-wishers gathered in glorious sunshine to help the Canal & River Trust mark the 200th birthday of the historic South Yorkshire waterway.

In the future recording booth are Malaika Cunningham from the Bare Project who is recording the thoughts for the future of Simon Ogden. Simon is the project director for the Castlegate quarter regeneration project in Sheffield, which aims to breathe new life into the area near the Victoria Quays and reconnect the city centre with its waterways – the canal basin and the Rivers Don and Sheaf.

It was on February 22, 1819 that a canal barge called Industry led a flotilla of boats along the newly opened Sheffield & Tinsley Canal to be greeted by about 60,000 people, who realised the importance of this new transport link to the growth of the steel city.

On February 22, 2019 there were not quite as many folk, but they still enjoyed the sound of Worsbrough Brass playing aboard Industry – a CRT work boat that had been renamed for the occasion – as she arrived in the Victoria Quays basin in Sheffield at the head of a flotilla of about 20 vessels that had travelled a 2.5-mile route from Tinsley Marina.

Skipper of the last boat Simon Jones said: “I was at the tail end of the flotilla.

Great day, the atmosphere coming into Victoria Quays was amazing.”

The celebrations lasted 12 hours and included: a giant igloo hosting a range of activities, including a silent disco and live theatre experience with huge storybook, live music at Dorothy Pax bar, a fire dancer, local DJ and a night-time giant light projection showing images from the canal archives.

On the quayside, a pop-up ‘Story Swap Cafe’ was set up by artists from the Bare Project, a theatre company based in Sheffield. The idea was to record memories of the canal, and hopes for the future, collecting these together to create an oral timeline of the life lived on the canal from the past into the future.

Sean McGinley, Yorkshire & North East regional director for the CRT, said: “We’ve been bowled over by the public

‘Industry’ leads the flotilla past the remains of former industries that have probably come and gone during the lifetime of the canal.

Industry leads the flotilla along the canal as it approaches Bacon Lane Bridge. PHOTOS: COLIN WAREING turnout on this momentous day. It’s been truly amazing and a great day for the city of Sheffield, starting with the commemorative flyover at Endcliffe Park.

“A big thank you to everyone who has helped make this day so special – but this is just the start. We have a year-long programme of bicentenary celebrations coming up to help local communities and visitors to discover or rediscover the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal.

“This living waterway is a fantastic place for all to enjoy for leisure activities, local wildlife and heritage.”

Tom Wright, development and engagement manager for the CRT, added: “Today has been about recreating some of the excitement the local community might have felt when the canal opened in 1819, in the heyday of the industrial revolution.

The Canal & River Trust handed out flags for waving in celebration, though this one ended up on someone’s backpack.

The last of the flotilla boats arriving in the Quays basin.

“Events like this are helping to put the canal back on the map and we’d love to hear from anyone who would like to help with future activities as our charity looks after this space.

There are lots of ways to help – from creating and looking after wildlife habitats to restoring locks, tackling

plastic and litter pollution and helping at events.”

To find out more about the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal’s history and for details on upcoming bicentenary events, including Sheffield Waterfront Festival (September 21-22) visit: www.canalrivertrust.org. uk/sheffield200

One of the local widebeam boats, named J D Time, catches the sun on her ‘200’ balloons as she arrives at Victoria Quays.

6 NEWS

IN BRIEF Festival return THE popular Saul Boat Festival is set to return in July 2020. Held at Saul Junction on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, it previously attracted around 5000 visitors. Plans for the event from July 17-19 next year include a 20-acre festival field with hard standings for traders, live music marquee, bar and food court, boat parades and displays, narrowboat traders and children’s activities. There will be moorings and camping available. For information contact 07835 107309 or email dragonflyeventssaul@outlook.com

Waterfront scheme A MAJOR redevelopment of an area bordering the Huddersfield Narrow Canal is planned, writes Geoff Wood. The project aims to connect Huddersfield town centre and the waterfront area of the canal and the River Colne. Now Huddersfield-based SKA Developments is seeking partners to realise their vision and regenerate the area. If plans come to fruition, the project will include housing, businesses, artisan shops, leisure facilities and a health centre.

Marina plans AN EXTENSION to a marina in Northwich, Cheshire, is now likely with plans submitted for an additional 12 berths, writes Geoff Wood. There are currently 50 moorings at Hayhurst Quay on the River Weaver which were provided as part of a larger regeneration scheme. But the marina is now full to capacity and developers are seeking another 10 to 12 additional moorings.

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Whitchurch Gateway scheme moves forward THE first phase of the proposed Whitchurch Gateway scheme at Chemistry is nearing completion.

Contractors have been carrying out considerable dredging and consolidation works on the waterway link to the town centre.

The Whitchurch Armof the Shropshire Union Canal, more properly known as the Ellesmere Branch, is owned and maintained by the Whitchurch Waterway Trust (WWT). It is unusual in that unlike most of the UK’s inland waterways, which get support from the Canal & River Trust, this one is totally reliant on the efforts of volunteers and trust members and receives no regular funding from any source.

The trust was formed in 1988 in response to plans by the town council to re-establish the canal back in the town centre. While the original extension into the town was opened in 1808, funded entirely by local businessmen who could see the benefits of being connected to the whole canal system, by 1939 it had fallen into disuse and was abandoned in 1944.

In the 1980s a feasibility study was commissioned by the council to look at the benefits a renovated canal could bring to the town. All the signs were positive and work progressed to re-establish the arm, initially over a length of 1.2 kilometres. The trust was formed, grants were obtained to fund the scheme and 1993 saw the first boats on the arm for nearly 50 years.

While the arm proves to be a popular overnight stay for boaters, it has always been the ambition of the trust to restore the canal as close as possible to the town centre.

In 2012 the trust revealed plans to extend the canal under Chemistry and Meadowcroft bridges and to

create a basin and moorings closer to the town centre.

The trust continues to seek funding for this work, but in the interim the decision was taken in 2018 to upgrade the existing waterway, with the creation of a ‘Whitchurch Gateway’ through the bridges.

WWT chairman Chris Chambers said: “The work we are doing at the moment is actually what you might call ‘essential maintenance’ as well as upgrading.

“We have dredged out the moorings to give boaters a better and safer environment and cleared and reinforced the offside bank.

“Over the years the bank has become eroded and reduced the navigable width. We are now back to somewhere near the original width and depth.”

Chris continued: “It is essential that we make an overnight stay in Whitchurch as welcoming and secure as possible, which is what we are doing, but our real aim is to get the canal back as close to the town centre as possible, beyond the proposed basin and to the foot of the old gasworks site.

“It really is frustrating to see so many boats glancing up the arm and deciding to carry on up to Ellesmere and beyond, having already made a decision that a walk up to the town was a bit too far.

“The Ellesmere or Llangollen Canal, as it is widely known, is one of the busiest in the country and it is estimated that there are more than 16,000 boat movements a year on the canal at the New Mills lift bridge on the end of the arm.

“Surveys have been carried out and while several hundred boats and holidaymakers do decide to moor up and stay on the arm, it is clear that the town is missing out.

Considerable dredging and consolidation works have been taking place on the Whitchurch Arm of the Shropshire Union Canal. PHOTO SUPPLIED “Of course I am biased, but there is a great opportunity for the town of Whitchurch to take control and have some influence on the future of the community, and importantly the retail core, by supporting what we doing.”

Chris said the work the trust was doing now, which has cost tens of thousands of pounds, was being financed entirely from its own funds, put aside over several years for maintenance and was an indication of its commitment to the town.

The next phase will be focused on improving the footpath and the trust has been grateful to the town council for its financial support for this particular aspect of the scheme.

Chris said: “We are few in numbers but really committed to the prosperity of the town and given some of the more recent planning proposals it is doubly

important that we achieve our aims.

“Whitchurch is a unique market town with a very special mix of hospitality and small local retailing.

“The canal will continue to underpin and help the prosperity of the community, but we need the support of that community to achieve our aspirations.”

Over the last few weeks, more than 200 tons of material have been removed from the canal bed and replaced behind new environmentally friendly bank protection, thus re-establishing a 26ft navigable channel with an average depth of around 1.4 metres.

Work is expected to start on the footpath upgrade in the next few weeks, in time for the annual Whitchurch Canal Festival, which takes place on the arm and this year will be on the weekend of August 31-September 1.

ASK THE TRUST 7

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ASK THE TRUST

In this regular column, experts from the Canal & River Trust will be answering some of the most common questions from boaters, whether that’s via the Boaters’ Update, enquiries received by the customer services team, or the contents of the Towpath Talk mailbag.

What happened to the ‘Waterways Code’?

Towpath Talk reader Matthew Symonds, relationship, policy and strategy manager, says: Voluntary behavioural codes such as the Waterways Code promoted by British Waterways are useful – as we’ve seen with the trust’s Towpath Code, which helps to reinforce a pedestrian priority – but they’re not the only way to resolve conflicts on our shared spaces. Wider education, partnership working, signage and a whole host of other things play an important part too. It’s really up to everyone who uses the waterways to treat each other with consideration and use common sense.

As our waterways flourish and more and more people realise the huge well-being benefits they bring, we will all have to do more to make sure that everyone knows how best to share each other’s space. It’s certainly a far cry from the forgotten derelict spaces some of our canals were in the past – and that’s something to be celebrated.

We’re reviewing the Waterways Code with our navigation advisory group and boating reps to make sure it remains up-to-date and helps promote considerate behaviour on our waterways and towpaths.

What are your plans for dredging in 2019?

Nick Smith, national waste management surveyor, says: In 2019 we’re going to be carrying out a wide range of dredging, from the

Dredging teams will again be out and about keeping the waterways navigable. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON places that need attention every year to problem spots identified by boaters.

We’re spending £8 million on this work, which helps keep the waterways navigable for boaters.

Annual maintenance dredging will take place on the River Weaver (including Hunts Lock), the Ribble Link, the River Severn and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, and throughout the Yorkshire and North East region. We’ll also be clearing the River Thames approach to West India Dock, the River Mersey approach to Canning Half Tide Dock, and lock approaches on the River Trent.

You can also expect to see our dredgers out and about on the following canals over the next year: Oxford Canal (various locations between Enslow and Wolvercote); Grand Union Canal (various locations between Bull’s Bridge and Boston Manor); Upper & Lower

Peak Forest Canal (River Tame to Whaley Bridge); Macclesfield Canal (at various lengths); Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (Sebastopol to Usk Road); Coventry Canal (Coventry Basin to Hawkesbury); Worcester & Birmingham Canal (Diglis to Lea End Lane); Llangollen Canal (spot dredging); and Chesterfield Canal (River Trent to Babworth).

This year we’ll be supporting feeder improvement works at priority locations across the network to maintain water feed – more important than ever given the dry weather we’ve had over the past few years. We will also take on jobs that arise throughout the year and investigate sites for work in the future.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the needs of the whole network and in some cases the projects may change, new ones may be added, and occasionally projects may be dropped.

North West’s new regional chairman appointed

THE Canal & River Trust has appointed Professor Nigel Weatherill as the new chairman of its Regional Advisory Board in the North West.

This voluntary role, for an initial three-year term, comes at a pivotal time as the trust encourages the thousands of people who live near one of its waterways to get involved with their local canal or river.

The former Vice Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University will work alongside the region’s management team and help guide strategy and decisions at the trust.

Canal & River Trust regional director Daniel Greenhalgh said: “I am delighted to welcome Nigel to the Canal & River Trust. His experience and guidance will be invaluable as we work with local people to realise all the benefits that the North West’s network of waterways have to offer.

“From Lancaster to Liverpool and Rochdale through Manchester to the River Weaver, the region’s waterways flow through some of the prettiest countryside and many post-industrial urban areas where green space is at a premium.

“Connecting the countryside with the city, the Canal & River Trust and our waterways are uniquely placed to help improve people’s lives, whether it is encouraging people to go for a walk or a leisurely cycle, pick up a fishing rod for the afternoon, get out on to the water on a boat or volunteer with the trust out on the canal bank. We know that people are healthier and happier when they visit a canal or river.”

Nigel has worked at senior levels

in academia and community organisations. He has a passion for teaching and research and a keen interest in the environment.

He commented: “It is a great honour to be appointed chair of the North West Regional Advisory Board for the Canal & River Trust, an organisation very dear to my heart, with an outstanding historic network of waterways that is so important and relevant today. I very much look forward to working with the team for the benefit of the trust and local communities.”

Prof Nigel Weatherill has a keen interest in the environment.

PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

8 NETWORKING

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IN BRIEF Record number supports UCAN

A RECORD number of volunteers turned out to support Uppermill Community Action Network (UCAN) at a recent work party.

UCAN also welcomed several new members to the group, which has now passed the milestone of 2000 volunteer hours since it was formed in October 2015.

Work continued in the Viaduct Woodland and the team formed a chain gang to move vegetation away, while others concentrated on the raised beds near Limekiln lock and on clearing litter. The upcoming programme is: April – Thursday 11 and Saturday 27; May – Saturday 11 and Thursday 23. The usual meeting point is 10am at the canal bridge on Moorgate Street.

Contact Peter Killan on 01457 878361, or email peterkillan@ hotmail.com

Easter markets

THE Roving Canal Traders’ Association has announced Easter floating markets on the canal at Linslade and in Great Hayward, April 19 to 22. They will feature lots of boats with interesting crafts on sale. See the website for more details at www. rcta.org.uk

Sweden talk

THE Blue Ribbon across Sweden: Our Barge on the Göta Canal, will be an illustrated talk presented to the IWA Lichfield group

by Nicholas Bostock. It takes place on Wednesday, April 17, 7.15 for 7.30pm, at Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane (off Walsall Road), Lichfield, WS13 8AY.

‘Boats are homes’ message marks bargee association’s 10th anniversary THE National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in May. It plans to hold a two-day event starting on Friday, May 24 with a boat gathering at Paddington and march to the Canal & River Trust’s Little Venice

office, handing leaflets out to the public en route.

This will be followed by the Paddington Party and Rally on the Saturday from noon, which will include activities for children. Members will attach banners to their boats and form a flotilla, letting

people know that boats are homes.

NBTA stated: “The waterways have been changing but not always for the best; more places are having ‘no mooring’ or reduced mooring time signs slapped on them. There has been an ever increasing nibbling away of mooring spaces.

“We as people who live on the waterways shouldn’t let places where we can moor be whittled away by wave after wave of towpath grabs. We must act together as a barrier to stop the waterways changing into nothing more than a business park for profiteers.”

‘Danny’ team launches new ship canal talk RARE archive footage of the Manchester Ship Canal delighted the audience at the launch of a new presentation by the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society (DAPS).

The society has enthralled many groups with its original touring presentation featuring the 1903 steam ship Daniel Adamson in archive film and telling the story of its £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund-supported restoration since 2004.

Now, prompted by many archive photographs and a number of customer requests, it has developed a new talk, The Story of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was met with great approval when shown to the Friends of Irlam Station.

Rare black and white archive film from the beginning of the 20th century was the highlight for many.

The DAPS team had to be at the top of its game as included in the audience were a number of experts on the ship canal, but the wide range of aspects covered – from building the canal infrastructure to ship operations – offered something for everyone.

Developed by the DAPS fundraising team but utilising the knowledge of a number of volunteers who worked on the canal, as many aspects of the ship canal’s operations and social history as possible were covered, even down to the pubs where the tug crews enjoyed a pint or two between tows.

The full presentation, lasting over an hour, was further refined when shown to nearly 50 volunteers in two sessions in the lower lounge on board the ‘Danny’ in January. As a result, some interesting shots of rare visitors including, incredibly, German U-boats, were added.

Les Green said: “We knew we had the expertise in DAPS to develop a unique talk and in the research stage we were delighted at the material we found, but we had to be selective on the basis that our audiences would have wide interests.

“The basic principles behind the presentation were that it had to be both interesting and educational, but to some degree nostalgic owing to the age profile of most audiences.”

At the time of writing bookings were coming in for 2019 but some more work was needed to offer customers the option of a 45-minute presentation where there are room hire constraints.

The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society has completed many talks, with the main customers being the University of the Third Age (U3A) and historical societies, but even wine clubs and vintage car groups have been enthralled by the story of the steam ship’s restoration.

Audiences of up to 150 have been impressed with the work of the volunteer labour force and many have gone on to visit the vessel.

A team of 10 presenters and support volunteers is available, including a BBC commentator, a retired river pilot, senior managers from industry, ship canal tug men and even a former professional rugby league player.

The team covers a wide geographical area, which reaches Stoke and Shrewsbury to the south and parts of Cumbria in the north, while even parts of West Yorkshire are in the catchment area.

Focused on both raising funds and marketing the vessel, the team aims to encourage individual and family visits

while offering group customers a unique experience.

For more information visit www. thedanny.co.uk

The ‘Danny’ on inspection tour passing Norwegian tanker Anina at Partington. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Trust banks on double boost A group working to open up areas of the canal for public enjoyment.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

New trust celebrates £10k Lottery ‘win’

TOWPATH

TALK

WESSEX Waterways Restoration Trust (WWRT) has received an award of £10,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund.

As a new trust still establishing itself within the canal restoration movement, the cash will allow the

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group to purchase publicity material and extra equipment such as strimmers and mowers, as well as a substantial road trailer.

The trust aims to enhance the work already being carried out on the old Wilts & Berks Canal by working on lengths of towpath and canal that are currently inaccessible and, with landowner support and permission, open them up to the public.

It will also undertake minor rebuild and repair work on structures such as accommodation bridges and locks.

These are tasks that can be undertaken at relatively low cost and completed within a fixed timeframe.

To achieve this the trust needs to recruit members from all the relevant disciplines – planners, engineers, fundraisers, etc. – but at the heart of it will always be the ‘navvy’.

Enthusiastic canal volunteers are needed and anyone interested in taking part should email contact@ wessex-waterways.org or see www. wessex-waterways.org

LICHFIELD and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust (LHCRT) has received two donations after efforts to foster connections with local young people.

Trust chairman Christine Bull was “astounded and delighted” to receive a cheque for £779.42 at a presentation at a Foresters Scout Group cubs meeting.

During 2018 the Yoxall group’s beaver, cubs and scouts sections undertook a range of fundraising activities themed around ‘water’.

Christine said: “Foresters Scout Group is now in its third year of supporting the canal trust and once the clocks have changed we look forward to each section joining us to help with a variety of tasks, such as tree planting, brick moving, litter picking, tidying wild flower beds and backfilling new canal walls.

“This is a dynamic scouts group and every time they have joined the canal work has been a true delight.”

Meanwhile the trust received a grant of £1000 from TSB’s national Community Fund, which recognises the connection local causes make with their community.

LHCRT is a charity partner with the city’s TSB branch, thus making it eligible for a grant from the Community Fund.

Christine Bull, who received a cheque from TSB Lichfield manager Chris Hunt, said: “The trust has many youth organisation volunteers. Each week a team from Queen’s Croft High School works hard on one of the sites, during the lighter evenings two local scouts groups

Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust’s chairman Christine Bull, centre, receives a cheque for £1507.67 from TSB Lichfield manager Chris Hunt and staff member Julie Boulton, left. PHOTO SUPPLIED bring their youngsters to do various tasks and at any one time there are at least six Duke of Edinburgh Award young people doing their volunteering hours. These young people come almost whatever the weather and they do demanding work.

“We found ourselves short of leather gloves, tools such as loppers and saws and a portable gazebo to provide them with shelter. The £1000 grant from TSB’s Community Fund will provide us with the necessary kit for our superb young volunteers.”

Christine also received a donation of £507.67 from the trust’s link at TSB Lichfield, Julie Boulton.

During last summer Julie took her rowing machine into the branch and staff attempted to row the seven

miles of the Lichfield Canal (equivalent to the route from Huddlesford to Ogley Junction). The last mile was completed by three of the trust’s volunteers.

Branch staff also raffled a Christmas hamper they had made up and collected donations in the branch. As well as this, a notice in the branch for unwanted gardening tools resulted in many useful items now in regular use on the restoration and grounds work.

Christine said: “The £507.67 raised by the local branch would always have been most welcome, but coming now when we are still raising money to fund the ‘See It Through’ canal tunnel under the Cross City railway line makes it even more welcome.”

NETWORKING 9

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Characters of the Cut Phil Pickin meets canal ‘vlogger’ and continuous cruiser Jonathan Cecil, whose Journey with Jono videos are watched as far afield as Texas.

THERE is no shortage of blogs and social media accounts covering the trials and tribulations of boat ownership.

These accounts cover anything from building and refurbishment to cruising reports, and many of these take the form of vlogs or video blogs. One that has proved popular with the viewing public is Journey with Jono, produced

by Jonathan Cecil, which features his efforts fitting out his sailaway Alice.

Jonathan lives aboard his 60ft narrowboat with his trusty companion Molly, a black Labrador, and is slowly cruising the system while fitting out Alice – occasionally with the help of some of his viewers.

Despite having lived aboard for only a couple of years, he’s done very well given that his first few days aboard were spent living in a tent inside the boat in an attempt to keep warm! With nothing more than spray-foam lining to the boat, no heating and given that it was early February when he took delivery, it’s not surprising he was cold!

But after a couple of weeks moored up at Kingslock, during which time a stove was fitted, the adventure began in earnest, and it’s from these early days that he began documenting his progress.

The decision to vlog about his activities wasn’t difficult for a former BBC camera operator and producer. Having worked for the corporation for 14 years and after having his appetite whetted by a news story he covered involving a liveaboard, he decided to leave what he calls ‘the rat race’.

He now films using a mixture of mobile phone footage, a GoPro and occasional drone video, all edited using Adobe Premier Pro CC and uploaded to YouTube, his own website and his Patreon account.

Deciding to become a continuous cruiser – and as such selling his house – didn’t go down well with his mum, but despite

Work in progress: Jono’s 60ft narrowboat Alice.

PHOTO: JONATHAN CECIL

Jono at the tiller.

PHOTO: JONATHAN CECIL this, he’s thoroughly enjoyed his time aboard so far.

And even mum came aboard while they were on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal to check up on this. Undoubtedly his mind was put at rest when she saw that Jonathan was happy, and apparently she thoroughly enjoyed navigating on Alice.

Over the time he’s lived aboard Jonathan has had plenty of ups and downs, but what has added to the enjoyment has been the engagement he’s had with his audience, some of whom are in far-flung parts of the world.

Apparently, his videos are particularly popular in, of all places, Texas! The viewers like his incorporation of Google Maps into his posts as it puts things in context for those who have no idea as to his location and the surrounding area.

Another unexpected consequence of the videos (and Jonathan’s undoubted practical nature) has been his work with Victron. Having decided to move from leadacid batteries to lithium, Jonathan researched the subject

A drone’s eye view of Alice. PHOTO: JONATHAN CECIL

Black Labrador Molly is Jono’s constant companion.

PHOTO: JONATHAN CECIL in considerable depth. The resulting videos documenting the installation and set-up resulted in a noticeable increase in interest in the company’s products.

As a result, Victron has enlisted his help in producing promotional footage and also given him an input into the R&D. But one of the most noticeable results of Jonathan’s activities has been the support and help he’s received from the boating community. On a number of occasions, viewers of his vlogs have contacted him to offer advice and help in their own particular areas of expertise.

This isn’t given freely, but often at a reduced cost in exchange for Jonathan’s undoubted knowledge when it comes to boat electrical systems. Given that the project has been underway for only two years, it’s remarkable and a testament to the community spirit of the waterways community.

As for this year, Jono’s plans are more cruising and getting the fit-out completed. He plans to get back to posting video content after a recent quiet patch during which he helped a fellow boater with his boat.

With this out of the way, and with work on Alice (including a new galley and a change to line out material) being undertaken over the coming few weeks, new videos should start appearing.

Who knows, after being voted a favourite vlogger in 2018, and vying for the top spot when it comes to visitor numbers to his accounts, who knows what 2019 will bring.

If you’d like to take a look at Jono’s videos visit https:// www.journeywithjono.com and follow the links to his social media sites.

10 COMMUNITY

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Could you help boats through the deepest lock?

Following a volunteer appeal from the Canal & River Trust, Geoff Wood visited Tuel Lane Lock at Sowerby Bridge to discover exactly why new lock keepers are needed.

THE Tuel Lane Lock in West Yorkshire urgently needs more willing volunteers to operate the lock with a fall of almost 20ft.

With the summer season on its way, greatly increased boating traffic will arrive along with the warmer weather and as members of the public are not permitted to operate the lock mechanisms themselves, volunteers are a scarce but valuable commodity.

Pictures taken on our journey to Tuel Lane Lock. Lock keepers Peter Barton and Ian Kelshaw (right) take a break from their work.

Currently, only four lock keepers are managing the Tuel Lane Lock and are hoping that an increase in helpers will ease the workload between them.

Tuel Lane Lock on the Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, is one of the country’s most remarkable locks, lowering and raising boats almost 20ft as they make their journey across the Pennines. Its depth is equal to the height of a double-decker bus.

The reason for its significant depth is because it does the work of two locks. Built in 1996 during the canal restoration, it replaced a pair of earlier locks to provide a more efficient route. The lock is also in close proximity to a canal tunnel, therefore is required to be much deeper then usual.

Last year across Britain, 1000 people volunteered to be lock keepers with the Canal & River Trust, but it is still not enough to cope with the upcoming boating season for current members.

Lock keepers help look after the nation’s waterways; welcoming visitors, providing information and giving advice to walkers on the towpath, as well as maintaining historic locks.

Becca Dent, volunteer co-ordinator at Sowerby Bridge, said: “We are looking for at least a dozen volunteer lock keepers to help bring Britain’s deepest lock

Water pours into Tuel Lane Lock, lifting boats by 20ft. On board a Shire cruiser, Geoff Wood gets a front row seat to the spectacle. PHOTOS: GEOFF WOOD UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

Becca Dent, volunteer co-ordinator, on board Shire cruiser Cambridge in the lock. to life for everyone who visits.

“Often referred to as the ‘face of canals’, volunteer lock keepers fulfil a vital role within our charity. It is a great opportunity for anyone who likes spending time outdoors and talking to people.”

I had the opportunity to experience the lock first hand on board a boat provided by Shire Cruisers of Sowerby Bridge.

The Tuel Lane lock is a massive affair, similar to those on the Manchester Ship Canal.

It took a lengthy period to fill because of the volume of water needed to lift the boat to the correct level. At the other end, visitors could go into the lock keepers’ cottage, which keeps the staff sheltered in bad weather.

Ian Kelshaw, a current lock

keeper at Sowerby Bridge, said: “I took early retirement but I still wanted to do something in the community. My grandfather operated a Humber keel boat in Yorkshire in the 1920s. I find lock keeping a really interesting role where no two days are the same.

I have learned a lot and I really enjoy being outdoors.

“Because Tuel Lane is the deepest lock in Britain, it captures the imagination and attracts lots of boats and visitors coming to have a look to see what it is about.”

Nigel Stevens of Shire Cruisers explained that the Yorkshire side of the Rochdale Canal offers some of the best scenery in the north, especially with spring round the corner. The Shire Cruisers team are busy preparing to welcome boaters and holidaymakers.

The lock reaches a depth of about 4.4m, allowing boats to make their way across the Pennines. This can pose a safety issue, so lock keepers are certainly required for this job. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

Nigel said: “We are pleased to report that we attract visitors from all over the world and they tend to really love meeting the team of lock keepers. We much appreciate their support and we would love to see even more people helping out in the area.”

Prospective volunteer lock keepers will work about one day a week with the Canal and River Trust.

For more information about volunteering opportunities, including Tuel Lane Lock, visit: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

Major towpath works under way THE Canal & River Trust has started the last phase of major improvements to almost five miles of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal towpath in Greater Manchester.

It aims to encourage greater use of the towpath with local communities able to use it year-round.

The work is going ahead thanks to £800,000 funding secured by the Canal & River Trust from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) through the Department for Transport Cycle City Ambition Grant (CCAG).

It will see further improvements along the Bolton arm of the canal towpath from Meccano Bridge to Hall Lane in Little Lever. This latest phase of works follows on from upgrades to the towpath from Meccano Bridge to School Lane in Radcliffe, Prestolee Locks to Ringley Road in Salford and Benny’s Bridge area close to Elton Reservoir in Bury.

The new towpaths will ensure that the local community will be able to use this beautiful stretch of waterway for walking and cycling all year round. The work is scheduled to last until early summer with some towpath restrictions in place while the new improved surface is installed.

Lucy Rogers, enterprise manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “The Canal & River Trust is delighted to be working with Transport for Greater Manchester on this great project to improve a much-used community resource.

“Not only will the new towpath surface benefit cyclists and joggers but also the everyday user of the towpath including walkers, fishermen and families on a day out.”

The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal is 15 miles long and is a green pathway winding through the urban landscape of north Manchester.

The improved towpath along the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal.

PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

It originally ran north from Salford, on the River Irwell near Manchester, to Nob End within the village of Little Lever. Here it split into two: the main line continued to Bury, while a branch headed north-west to Canal Wharf in Bolton.

The canal fell out of industrial use in the 1940s after a major breach in 1936 just to the east of Prestolee Locks. While the towpath remains a popular local resource, plans are under way to restore the canal with boats returning to the waterway.

COMMUNITY 11

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The TV crew filming at Gallows Wharf in May, when the Garden of Reflection was little more than a building site.

Lichfield blooms in TV spotlight

LICHFIELD Canal will play a starring role in TV’s Britain in Bloom.

A new series of the BBC2 show was due to start on March 25 and the episode at 6.30pm on Thursday, April 4 will feature Blooming Lichfield’s gold award-winning entry in the Small City section of the Heart of England in Bloom competition.

A TV crew filmed at several sites in the city last spring, then followed up as the competition judges made their round in mid-summer, visiting Swinfen Hall Hotel with its newly constructed Victorian-style greenhouse, Dovehouse Community Garden’s flowers and food crops, Beacon Park’s formal display, the gardens associated with Swan Mews, Netherstowe Allotments and St Chad’s churchyard.

The series presenter, Chris Bavin, was particularly impressed by one of the biggest projects in the whole series, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust’s Garden of Reflection, at Gallows Wharf, including Rose Queen, the floral recreation of a 70ft narrowboat next to Tamworth Road.

Chris and his crew followed the progress of the work at Gallows Wharf, from building site in May to beautiful garden on judging day in July.

Nick Burton, the open spaces officer for Lichfield City Council, said: “The film will not be able to show the extent of effort and work put in by all the individuals and groups attached to Bloom last year which made gold possible.

Britain Bloom presenter Chris Bavin interviews LHCRT engineering director Peter Buck at Gallows Wharf in May “The watering to keep the plants looking their best during last year’s record dry summer was a feat in itself.

“I hope the film does capture the fun we all had and shows Lichfield to be the beautiful city it is, as well as encouraging others to join us in this hugely rewarding project.”

Heart of England in Bloom is one of 17 regions and nations in the UK that delivers the Britain in Bloom campaign on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society.

The Garden of Reflection at Gallows Wharf as it looked when Heart of England judges visited in July.

12 IWA ROUND-UP

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Local IWA branch supports Wappenshall Wharf appeal THE Shrewsbury District & North Wales IWA Branch has donated £3000 towards the restoration of Wappenshall Wharf in Telford.

Restoration work is being carried out by Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust (SNCT) who are hoping to be able to open the smaller wharf building as a coffee shop in the autumn.

Both buildings are grade II listed and date back to 1835 and 1838, when Wappenshall Junction became an important and busy interchange between the Shrewsbury Canal and the Newport Branch of the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal, now known as a part of the Shropshire Union.

Since the closure of the Shrewsbury and Newport canals, the site has been used as a coal yard and by a truck repair business, before it was taken over by SNCT who applied for planning permission to restore the site in 2008.

It is now owned by Telford and Wrekin Council and leased to SNCT on a 125-year lease to maintain and restore

the buildings. The donation of £3000 by the local IWA branch enabled the trust to buy a much-needed scaffolding tower to help with this vital restoration work.

Bernie Jones, chairman of SNCT, said: “This grant was great news to the SNCT Project Team, because obtaining funding in the present climate was extremely challenging.

“The scaffold tower has already been incredibly useful as without it the timber work on the restored roof could not have been completed.

It will also be vital when the team move on to re-point the external brickwork.”

Michael Haig, chairman of the Shrewsbury District and North Wales Branch of IWA, added: “The warehouses are significant heritage structures and IWA fully supports their restoration for the education and benefit of future generations. We’re looking forward to the time when the site is once again a busy local hub, albeit with a different purpose than in its original heyday.”

Part of the SNCT volunteer team who are bringing the wharf back to life, (from left) Bernie Jones (SNCT chairman), John Haynes, Phil Jones, Steve Heise, Mike Mee and Mike Haig (IWA branch chairman).

PHOTO: PHIL PICKIN

IWA BRANCH DIARY FOR APRIL 2019

Sunday April 14

IWA Lincolnshire Branch supporting Sleaford Navigation Trust: Volunteers will carry out a variety

of tasks to maintain the navigable section of the Sleaford Navigation. Contact Mel Sowerby: 01522 856810 or workparty@sleafordnavigation.co.uk

MIDLANDS

Sunday April 7 and Tuesday April 16

IWA Northampton Branch: Work parties on the Northampton Arm. 10am-2pm. Work usually includes a variety of tasks such as painting, vegetation clearance and litter picking. Contact Geoff Wood: geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk.

NORTH

Thursday April 11

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Work party on the

Uttoxeter Canal. 10am-3pm. Contact Steve Wood: 07976 805858 or steve.wood@waterways.org.uk

Thursday April 18

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society: Work party on

the Cheshire Locks, Trent & Mersey Canal. 10am3pm. Contact John Lawson: 07940 878923 or John.lawson@waterways.org.uk

Saturday April 20

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Work party in the

Chester area working alongside the Shropshire Union Canal. 10am to 4pm. Work will include painting and vegetation clearance. Contact Jason Watts: jason.watts@canalrivertrust.org.uk IWA Manchester Branch: Work party in Greater

Manchester. 10am-4pm. Tasks will include vegetation clearance, litter picking, painting and

THE Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has set out its ‘vision for London’ in an in-depth report that proposes ways some of the problems for boaters in the capital could be solved.

Vision For London outlines the IWA’s aims for the capital in the coming years, as the number of boats on the area’s waterways continues to grow, and looks at the complex issues faced by the many different users of the rivers and canals and how they might be addressed.

It will be used as IWA London Region’s manifesto for the next few years.

The primary issue for boaters in London is the shortage of both permanent and visitor moorings, as well as a lack of facilities.

IWA outlines how it will work with both navigation authorities and local councils to try and get the issue of boat residences included on the local planning agenda.

A number of possible sites for permanent moorings are highlighted in the report and the overall aim is to increase the number of affordable permanent mooring sites and to reduce the number of boats currently having to move every 14 days.

A new type of community mooring containing no more than 10 boats is suggested in the report. These would be owned and run by the boaters, ideally in disused basins or derelict canalside sites and IWA would work with interested groups through the entire process to get the mooring up and running.

Many boaters do not feel comfortable visiting London as there is a widespread belief that no moorings will be available. IWA is suggesting CRT increases the number of pre-bookable visitor moorings, especially on sections not currently available.

In conjunction with this, more rangers and increased enforcement are needed to help stop overstaying.

Boat density is a big issue in the capital, where boats are often double, or even triple moored, which has resulted in a shortage of facilities as well as an impact on air quality, fire safety and visitor experience, both on the water and for users of towpaths. IWA is asking for regular breaks in the line of boats, as well as the limiting of moorings to two abreast.

Its current national policy is for facilities to be provided

Paul Strudwick, chairman, IWA London Region, holding a copy of the report. PHOTO: IWA every five hours of cruising, however it is suggesting that within central London, they are provided every two hours.

IWA suggests that navigation authorities look to introduce a possible charging zone on the most overcrowded waterways in order to fund these additional facilities and will work with all stakeholders to develop a system that is acceptable to all parties.

Other topics discussed in the report include water quality, fire safety, towpath conflicts, unpowered boats, invasive species, freight and heritage. To see a full copy of the report, visit www. waterways.org.uk

AROUND THE BRANCHES WITH IWA’S GEMMA BOLTON

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 arrangements are indicated.

EAST

New report tackles problems of capital

pulling rubbish out of the canal. Contact: 07710 554602 or secretary@manchester-iwa.co.uk

Tuesday April 23

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch supporting Burslem Port Trust: Work party on the

Burslem Arm, Stoke on Trent. 10am-3pm. Contact Steve Wood: 07976 805858 or steve.wood@ waterways.org.uk

SOUTH Friday and Saturday April 5-6

IWA Milton Keynes: Clean-up of the Grand Union

Canal from Fenny Stratford to Wolverton. 9.30am3pm each day. Litter-pick from the towpath and hedges, or work aboard a boat to retrieve items from the canal or opposite bank. Contact: pat. durham@team.waterways.org.uk

Tuesdays April 16 and 23

IWA Oxfordshire Branch supporting Banbury Canal Partnership: Work party on the Oxford Canal near

Banbury. 9am-1pm. Contact Colin GarnhamEdge: bcpontheoxford@gmail.com

WEST

Every Saturday in March

IWA West Country Branch (Taunton): Work parties

in the Taunton area. 10am-1.30pm. Let us know if you intend to join us, by 6pm the day before.

Contact Steve: 07855 794256 or stevebulgin@ icloud.com

Every Tuesday & Saturday in March

IWA West Country Branch (Bridgwater): Work parties

in the Bridgwater area. 10am to 1.30pm. Let us know if you intend to join us, by 6pm the day before. Contact 07977 263840 or Mike Slade: mdslade8@gmail.com

For further information on any of these events please contact Gemma Bolton on 01494 783453 or email gemma.bolton@waterways.org.uk Details can also be found on IWA’s website at www.waterways.org.uk

Supporting the Great British Spring Clean THE Inland Waterways Association is supporting the Great British Spring Clean from March 22 to April 23, organised by Keep Britain Tidy.

Branch volunteers are set to join the army of people around the country who will be cleaning up the countryside, by organising several work parties along our inland waterways. Keep an eye on IWA’s website for a waterways work party near you www.waterways.org.uk/iwa/ calendar/

Black Country

IWA volunteers taking part in a spring clean – on land and water. PHOTO: IWA

At the end of March, more than 50 volunteers will gather to clear rubbish from in and around the Dudley No 2 Canal on the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

Taking place on Saturday and Sunday March 30-31, the BCN Clean-up weekend is a great opportunity to have fun and meet new people while clearing shopping trolleys, tyres, bicycles and even more exciting treasures from the canal.

It is hoped this annual effort will keep the less well used parts of the BCN and Black Country network from getting choked up with rubbish and becoming impassable for boats.

In previous years, volunteers have collected upwards of 50 tonnes of rubbish from the canals.

The clean-up usually includes volunteers from the Inland Waterways Association and

its Waterway Recovery Group, Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, Dudley Canal Trust, Coombeswood Canal Trust, Canal & River Trust, Friends of Tipton Cut and local residents.

Find out more about the BCN Clean-up at www.waterways.org.uk/bcn_cleanup

Limehouse pontoons refused

moorings, received more than 150 objections.

Limehouse Basin is the only safe haven, off the Thames Tideway, that is accessible over much of the tidal range.

It is understood the owners of the marina have advised they will not make any further planning applications in relation to these moorings, a move welcomed by the branch, which regards the availability of a clear area of water space essential for the muster of a fleet of craft off the tideway, especially in an emergency.

THE owner of Limehouse Basin Marina has been refused planning permission for its scheme to build an extra five pontoon moorings in the basin.

This proposal is something that IWA North & East London Branch, as well as numerous others, strongly objected to.

The proposal, for new mooring pontoons along the southern edge of Limehouse Basin, which would have reduced the number of available visitor

Milton Keynes

Another large-scale clean-up is being organised by IWA Milton Keynes Branch on Friday and Saturday April 5-6, on the Grand Union Canal, starting at Fenny Stratford Lock.

Volunteers can bring a boat or come on foot, litter-picking from the towpath and hedges, or working aboard a boat to retrieve items from the canal or opposite bank.

Find out more at www.waterways.org.uk/ miltonkeynes

www.towpathtalk.co.uk

13

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• Continued on ENTRIES are already page 2 flooding in for Canal Triathlon the Montgomery IWA’s Waterw by the Friends on Saturday, May 18. Organi ay Recovery Group of sed programme has release entrants from the Montgomery Canal, it brings of across the countr A RESPONSE holidays. This week-long residential voluntd its and canoe the y to cycle, walk has year WRG is runnin eer 35 following its ruling been presented to the across 13 differe Welsh Frankton. miles of canal from Newto EU nt waterways that g 23 Canal Camps last year on the wn to Nearly a quarte fulfil of up to 20 volunt its obligations UK’s failure to all already been booked r of the relating to red eers. The largest need the support has responded . Christine Palin, places have the support of diesel. HMRC projects that need the group, said: to the Commission chairman of volunteers are “To make the event a consultation based on the Granth Canal in Notting and is planni do have to limit manageable later hamshire, the the number of had failed to meet this year. The EU argued the ng the Wey & Arun Lancaster Canal am people who can we so we encour Canal in Surrey and age join, showing that UK requirements for fiscal markinUK Across all the and West Sussex asking entrants everyone to book early. We duty has been g– projects WRG . to are kerosene. This paid volunt chance to learn progress on the get sponsorship to help with could affect future – of gas oils and new skills, meet eers will have the more restoration of for leisure boats, use of red diesel get stuck into new people and Book at www.m this special canal.” with tasks implic such as restori ontgomerycan ations for boat and boatyards. canals, creatin html and montc al.me.u owner The g towpaths, remov ng locks, relining analtriath@btintern k/may2019. length of the inland UK’s response pointed out s uncovering archae ing et.com the waterway networ ological artefac vegetation and for both types 01494 783453 ts. More details of fuel to be availab k and the need ext 610, or email on safety implications enquiries@wr le, as well as the g.org.uk the correct fuels if boats were not able to access at all ports.

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Seven go sailing and find French canal is accident-free (almost)

Clive Edwards and his three travelling companions had more than 80 years’ experience in maritime search and rescue operations between them when embarking on a cruise on the beautiful Canal du Midi last autumn. Read his account below to find out whether their RNLI training came in useful.

I KEEP a boat on a marina at Cap d’Agde, less than half an hour by sea from the Canal du Midi, so why on earth would I want to hire a boat for a week’s cruise on the canal? The answer is actually quite simply because my own boat, with her two big petrol engines and limited accommodation, is totally unsuitable for use by four adults and three dogs on inland waterways.

Although my wife Lois and I had been on a short cruise on the Canal du Midi some years previously, our friends Malcolm (Wright) and Jill, despite being experienced sailors, never had, and nor had any of our three dogs.

Malcolm, Jill and I are all former coastguards, while nowadays Malcolm is the operations manager for the Weymouth Lifeboat, I’m the Weymouth Lifeboat area sea safety officer and a member of the Merchant Navy Association, while my wife Lois is a member of the Weymouth Lifeboat events team. To my surprise and with a rather nasty shock, I realised that between us we have more than 80 years’ experience in maritime search and rescue operations! So with that sort of experience between us, what could possibly go wrong on a gentle cruise on the beautiful Canal du Midi, you might ask?

We met our friends at the Nicols base in the beautiful old village of Le Somail south-east of Carcassonne and boarded our cruiser, a 33ft Sedan N1000 with three cabins and two showers/WCs, hired from Nicols, one of the leading French hire cruiser operators. Once aboard we took full advantage of the

very helpful and informative briefing provided for all their clients by one of the local Nicols staff members, which familiarised us with the layout and operation of this particular type of cruiser. As pretty experienced seafarers, we felt one of the least expensive models in the Nicols fleet, which had a single diesel engine and no bow-thruster, seemed likely to suit us best.

So after the briefing we set off in early evening sunshine south-eastward along the canal towards Argeliers and Capestang, planning to moor up, cook a meal and spend our first night aboard alongside the canal bank. Our original plan was for us to have a cabin for each couple with the third (smallest) cabin being for the dogs – two westies (Alix and Donald) and a cockerpoo (Stanley) but unfortunately we’d forgotten to consult the dogs about this and they had other ideas for their sleeping arrangements – our two in with us and Stanley in with Malcolm and Jill in theirs!

The weather forecast had indicated that a breeze might set in during the evening, but in fact during the night it blew a good deal stronger than forecast and at about 3am Malcolm quite wisely decided to check our mooring lines; unfortunately despite trying to do this very quietly he succeeded in waking Lois who in turn woke me saying “someone’s trying to get aboard the boat!” at which point I sat up suddenly and smacked my head hard on the cabin ceiling, resulting in a nasty cut above my eye which bled profusely all over the sheets!

Malcolm and Stanley.

Someone had to prepare lunch!

View of Beziers while crossing the aqueduct.

Canal at Poilhes. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Fortunately it didn’t require stitches and the contents of the first aid box on board were sufficient to stop the bleeding after a few minutes. By now it was a quarter to four and we’d had enough excitement for one night so we got back to bed and slept through until about 9am! So much for our first night aboard!

Good meal

The morning dawned bright enough at first but with a chilly wind, but with only the narrow and very low bridge at the former commercial canal traffic port at Capestang (the lowest on the Canal du Midi) and the narrow 160mlong Malpas Tunnel (said to have been built by the Canal du Midi’s designer and engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet in just six days) to negotiate before our next planned overnight stop at Colombiers, we were really very relaxed. Steering in the increasing wind required quite a bit of concentration, especially when meeting oncoming traffic on the many narrow and twisty sections of the canal.

Malcolm and I took it in turns to take the helm for a couple of hours at a time until we moored up alongside the canal bank just outside the village of Colombiers on the old Domitian Way Roman road, now with a very smart village centre including a modern marina extensively used by hire cruiser operators.

As it was Malcolm’s birthday we’d booked an evening meal here at Colombiers in a very nice, albeit quite expensive, restaurant named Au Lavoir, where we enjoyed a good meal in pleasant surroundings and where our three dogs were also made very welcome! (And they were pretty wellbehaved too.)

The next morning dawned rather grey and quite a strong wind (about Force 5) served to encourage us to stay put longer than we’d planned, so we spent a second night here before setting off again to negotiate the flight of seven locks known as the Fonserannes Staircase, where the canal descends more than 20m into the valley of the River Orb before reaching the city of Beziers.

Our descent through the locks was relatively easy, despite a fresh breeze and a large hire cruiser crewed by a party of Germans who were determined to overtake us, which they duly did as we simply pulled over to the bank and let them by. We managed to get down through all the locks without any

Waiting to go down the Fonserannes Staircase.

Entering the Tunnel de Malpas.

Lois with Alix and Donald.

incidents, which is more than could be said of some of the other boats, including the one that had overtaken us!

We then enjoyed an interesting cruise passing alongside the port of Beziers and across the aqueduct over the River Orb with spectacular views of Beziers Cathedral, then on through the light-industrial outskirts of the city to the old town of Villeneuve-les-Beziers where there is a lock and road bridge to negotiate, which proved to be a quite amusing experience (for us at least!).

Approaching Villeneuve-les-Beziers we’d agreed we needed to moor up and take on fresh water and the Guide Fluvial chart indicated there were freshwater connections just the far side of the bridge and lock. Once again we had quite a stiff breeze so we decided that one of us, on this occasion me, would disembark just short of the bridge, cross the road on foot and wait on the far side of the bridge and the lock ready to moor up at the water point.

So I duly stood waiting, with our hosepipe already connected at one of the two moorings, for the water connections, only to be assailed by the hire cruiser that had overtaken us demanding that I move in order for them to use the water point mooring that I was standing by to moor our boat, now less than 20m away, alongside. I politely suggested they use the next mooring, about 20m further ahead, but they shouted that it was too small for them, which was nonsense.

Having given way to them once before, I wasn’t in any mood to do the same again, so after a shouted exchange of a few more words they moved on downstream, still shouting at us…

breezy weather, a problem finding a nice overnight mooring at Agde coupled with the fact that we’d arranged to meet some old friends there who have a boat at Cap d’Agde, meant that in the end we stayed a little longer than intended at Agde and decided to turn back there and have a more leisurely cruise back. It turned out to have been a wise decision because the following day the wind was even fresher.

The cruise back from Agde to the Nicols base at Le Somail was mainly uneventful, although we did have quite an interesting time negotiating the upstream passage through the locks on the Fonserannes Staircase, largely due to the fact that the French skipper of the yacht immediately ahead of us was single-handed apart from his dog and for some reason insisted on towing his inflatable tender behind his boat rather than stowing it on deck. We never understood why, but it was a real nuisance to us because instead of his boat taking up about 10m of space in the lock he was needing anything between about 13m and 15m, depending on how close the tender was to his boat! There were also a couple of occasions when the French skipper was nearly dragged overboard by his mooring lines, which would have been a really serious accident, but on both occasions Malcolm and Jill were ashore tending our own mooring lines and were therefore able to help with the French yacht too.

We had a very pleasant stop at Poilhes and took our three dogs for a wander round the village before adjourning for lunch at a very nice little bistro by the name of Les Platanes.

We decided we’d prefer to get the boat back to Le Somail on the Friday evening rather than early on the Saturday morning, to enable us to make a reasonably quick getaway to our respective onward destinations after we’d cleaned the boat and had it inspected. We’d done no damage at all despite some very windy conditions at times and a couple of near misses (not our fault, of course!).

So after a really brilliant week’s cruise we rather sadly handed over the boat, vowing to repeat the exercise again the following year – and indeed we’ve already booked on what’s beginning to look like a rather optimistic assumption that after Brexit we’re still able to go to France with our dogs!

Breezy weather

In the end it was all a bit of a fiasco because by the time we’d moored up and walked the 50m to the office to buy a token to turn the water supply on, we discovered that we’d have to wait until the next morning because at that time of year the water connection is switched off on Sundays and Mondays!

So we ended up staying alongside overnight and enjoyed a good meal at the La Cremade bistro on the opposite bank.

We still had hopes of getting to the Port of Marseillan on the Etang du Thau before turning back for le Somail, but life goes slowly on the canal and the

16 PETS & NEWS

www.towpathtalk.co.uk

Pets on the cut Crafty cats

Alison Wilkerson meets the four felines who share the liveaboard life with their owners.

Nimue the tabby lap cat.

WHILE attending a canal festival on the Grand Union, I was hurriedly but politely trying to work my way past what seemed like hundreds of enthusiastic visitors, including excitable children and curious dogs on the towpath.

I stumbled across a wonderful narrowboat stall selling lovely handicrafts including jewellery, rag rugs, knitted and crocheted items, with cabin lace made to order.

Although I was late in meeting up with friends, I was immediately drawn to a cat sitting purrrrfectly still – completely unperturbed by customers and passers-by – on the lap of one of its owners.

Ray and Lesley own and live on their 1978 narrowboat named Morgana Le Fey, which is fitted with a 1500cc BMC engine.

PHOTOS: ALISON WILKERSON

Ginger tortoiseshell Treat is Nimue’s daughter.

This is actually their second boat and is a Leigh Grange vessel, which was, unusually (unless I am mistaken, of course), built in an airfield in Pocklington, Yorkshire. They purchased it 10 years ago but have been livaboards for about 14 years.

Lesley is a talented crafter and has been creating handicrafts on the boat and selling her wares (go to www.facebook. com/CraftsFromMorgana/ to see some of her work) at various festivals, floating markets, etc., throughout the year for the last seven years.

After a brief chat with Ray and making a fuss of his adorable tabby lap cat Nimue, who is eight years old, I discovered there are actually four cats who live with them aboard their wonderful boat and share their

travelling life. Two of them are eight-and-a half-year-old black and white twins, Gwynheuver and Lancelot, affectionately known as Gwynnie and Lance, who were born on a friend’s boat and happen to be half-sister and half-brother to Nimue. The boat is also home to Nimue’s daughter, ginger tortoiseshell Treat.

All of these delightful cats, whom they have had since they were kittens, have grown up on the boat and travelled thousands of miles on the cut, eaten lots of Felix cat food and travelled through thousands of locks, hundreds of tunnels and under hundreds of swing and lift bridges with Lesley and Ray. This is quite an achievement by anyone’s standards and these cats are possibly the most travelled felines I have ever had

Gwynheuver is a twin; brother Lancelot was asleep and missed the photocall. the pleasure of meeting.

From my brief visit to this floating stall, it was obvious that visitors love to see these cats.

Some were surprised to see them, especially as they appeared unfazed by their popularity.

I only met three of them on this occasion though, as one was having a quiet cat nap inside the boat, which was totally understandable and I did not want to be responsible for disturbing this very important and essential feline pastime.

So, if you ever see Morgana Le Fey moored up, do stop and view the wonderful products on sale, have a chat with Lesley and Ray, make a fuss of their cats and maybe even leave a treat for the feline foursome – a little bird told me that they really love Dreamies cat treats, although I am sure other brands would be equally acceptable.

Ireland’s Warren Point and lost township of Rindoon Barge Beagle – sniffing out good finds for crews with canines

BOAT crews, looking for an exciting adventure with their dogs, may find that Warren Point, strategically located on a promontory stretching out from the western shore of Lough Ree, fits the bill.

There are the ancient ruins of the lost township of Rindoon (Rinn Dúin) and looped walks to discover; plenty of opportunities to sniff out good finds!

It is possible to moor at the terminus of the Lecarrow Canal and walk the 3km of narrow lanes to reach the headland.

However, a far better way is to drop anchor in Safe Harbour and take the dinghy and crew for an ear flapping, jowl quivering, ride ashore.

Once ashore, it is possible to join two looped walks, both of which have interpretation boards relating the history of this ancient place. The walks cover 4.5km, rambling through a mixture of terrain, from lake shore to grassy meadows, full of wild scents for your dog to savour.

The fascinating remains of the

The impressive waterside castle. PHOTOS: ALISON ALDERTON Norman castle, now an ivy-clad ruin, and walled town, built in 1227, were destroyed, ruined and forgotten in less than 150 years.

It is a great place for children, learning while enjoying the outdoors – so why not make a day of it, pack a picnic and do not forget food for the dog as well!

The rocky, shallow bay below the castle provides not only a landing for your dinghy but safe paddling for all, including somewhere for the dog to splash about.

On the landward side of the peninsula, a church and crosswall are the last surviving remains of a once-thriving medieval town located in green fields. It’s now peacefully grazed by cattle and sheep, so please remember to keep your mutt on a leash and under control in these sections.

The beach below Rindoon Castle offers good paddling.

Access to this land is due to the kind permission of the landowners. Please follow the directional signage for the trail and respect the environment by following the principles of ‘Leave No Trace.’

You will find this a magical place, steeped in history and a veritable doggie dreamland – enjoy!

➔ Useful information

Discover more here and download a map of the walks here: https://www.discoverireland. ie/Activities-Adventure/ warren-point-loop/83649

The looped trails are clearly waymarked.

Coun Colin Slade and Grand Western Canal manager Mark Baker with one of the new panels. PHOTOS: DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL

New panels point the way for canal visitors

TWO new information panels have been installed at the Grand Western Canal Country Park to help point visitors to all the sights and activities on offer at the award-winning attraction.

Fixed to large limestone rocks, they have replaced old panels which were worn and outdated. One is in the car park, helping to give visitors their bearings and, with the use of a map and photos, shows some of the highlights of the canal basin and where to find them.

The other is located on the upper level beside the canal and an old limekiln and briefly tells the story of the canal’s construction and the limestone trade which underpinned its operation.

It explains the process of burning limestone in limekilns and shows an artist’s impression of the canal basin in its heyday in the mid-1840s, which helps visitors to get a sense of how smoky and industrial the canal basin was.

Most of the funding for the new panels has come from Devon County Council's Locality Budget, from which £1120 was allocated.

County councillor for Tiverton East, Colin Slade, said: “Devon County Council and the canal ranger service have worked hard to improve the visitor facilities and welcome at the canal’s main ‘honeypot’ site in recent years.

“The new visitor centre, the new play park and the project to move a wall back and improve visibility for drivers leaving the

car park have all made the canal more welcoming for visitors of all ages. The canal brings a lot of tourist income into mid Devon and so I’m pleased that these improvements have been made.”

Another improvement that visitors can enjoy now is a large new flower bed beside the car park entrance, filled with daffodils. Following a beautiful wildflower display in the new bed last summer, canal rangers and volunteers planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs during the autumn and they are now putting on a bright and cheery display. A wildflower mix will be sown once again, once the daffodils have gone over.

Coun Slade, who also sits on the town council, added: “Every year for the last few years we have seen ongoing improvements here in the canal basin.

“As well as the major capital projects – which have been mostly funded by Devon County Council – funding from Tiverton Town Council has enabled the canal ranger service to install new seats and picnic benches, add new games and information on the touchscreen system in the visitor centre and make a range of other small infrastructure enhancements, including the new flower bed.

“As a result, the canal basin is a really attractive and engaging place for people of all ages to visit. It also provides a great starting point for exploring the rest of our wonderful canal.”

The remains of a windmill.

Boats on Lough Ree viewed from Rindoon.

Canal ranger service staff and volunteers planting the daffodil bulbs (left). How well they’ve bloomed!