|
Hello and welcome to the August edition of the newsletter, which - with apologies - you may find sticky and dripping in sweat because the UK's hot weather continues, though we have at least seen several days merely in the high 20s (Celsius, that's high 70s F) instead of the high 30s (high 90s F).
As I write this, a couple of days in advance of publication, the Environment Agency has declared more than half of England is now in drought status.
The effect of the heat plus the lack of rain, coupled with losses for all kinds of reasons (leaks through lock gates for example) means the Canal & River Trust currently have 23 canal closures in place due to low water levels, with a further 14 restrictions for the same reason.
With only 4% of the usual rainfall in July, the situation is unlikely to improve because despite the reservoirs having slightly more water than this time last year, it's decreasing far more quickly.
August and September cruising are likely to be badly affected, not just for boat owners and hirers of course, but all the businesses which rely upon the canals too (the hire firms themselves, pubs and cafes, wharfs etc)
It's all looking a bit dire and the CRT say they've activated a "National Incident Management" system with a focus on water saving taking priority over some other types of work.
Whether it'll have any tangible effect remains to be seen.
Cheers
David |
| |
|
*** News from the canal world. Send press releases (about canal topics!) to newsletter@cruisingthecut.co.uk *** |
| |
|
Unhappy Bunnies
Boaters' overall satisfaction with the Canal & River Trust has dropped to 50%, down a little on last year but higher than the low of 46% in 2024.
The figures come from the annual Boaters Survey.
CRT says it reflects the severe drought last year which led to widespread navigation restrictions and, at its peak, the closure of around 20% of the canal network. More than two thirds of boaters said they were unable to travel as expected, due to reduced water availability and drought-related stoppages.
Such stoppages were the dominant factor in the survey, with 58% of boaters citing them.
Just over half of boaters felt the closures were outside the Trust’s control because of the drought but a third believed more could have been done to reduce the impact.
However, the survey also suggests that some elements of the CRT's work, such as vegetation management, are being well-received.
For more, see https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/boating-news-and-views/boating-news/annual-boaters-survey-2026-executive-summary
Getting Engaged
Meanwhile, the CRT is inviting boaters to help them design a public consultation, which will be run in response to the independent Commission on Boat Licensing.
The Commission reported at the end of 2025, concluding that the current licensing system doesn’t work well for anyone, and raising concerns about communication and relations between the Trust and boaters.
The proposed consultation will start in December and last for 14 weeks, considering topics including boat safety, support for boaters, navigation requirements, fairness, and managing the canal network.
But the Trust wants boaters to get involved now, in making sure the consultation questions reflect their experiences and priorities.
Various boating organisations and representatives are being asked to help with the survey, as well as a new Citizens’ Boater Panel, which is what they're now inviting people to join.
There's a schedule, as follows:
August
* Recruitment for the Citizens’ Boater Panel.
* Workshops with national boating organisations, boater representatives and the Navigation Advisory Group.
September
* Citizens’ Boater Panel starts discussion workshops.
* Continued discussion with boating organisations and similar groups.
* Considering the practical implications of the Licensing Commission report.
October–November
* Final workshops.
* Checking the consultation language and questions are clear and accessible.
* Consultation dates, timescales and participation opportunities advertised.
December–February
The formal consultation runs enabling all boaters to respond via the Internet and in-person sessions.
Spring 2027
* An independent analysis of responses.
* Publication of the findings.
* Explanation of how feedback has informed next steps and future decision-making.
See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boaterconsultation
All together now!
CRT has launched a new Restoration Delivery Plan as well as appointing a dedicated senior engineer, setting out a clearer and more structured approach to supporting waterway restorations.
One key aspect is a process to help restoration groups meet legal requirements, particularly with respect to construction design and management. The plan is designed to provide "clarity, consistency and confidence", CRT says.
As well as improving compliance, the plan specifies the time, expertise and input required from the Trust to support restorations.
This is reinforced by the appointment of Andrew Dobson in a dedicated engineering role as a central point of contact.
The Plan has been developed with the Inland Waterways Association as well as restoration groups, and will be reviewed after a year.
See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/our-cause/looking-after-canals-and-rivers/canal-restoration/restoration-resources/beginners-guide-to-canal-restoration
Lucky Win
National Historic Ships UK has celebrated its 20th anniversary with a party and announced £140,000 of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The organisation represents historic vessels in the UK, acting as an advisory body and maintaining a database of the UK's historic and replica craft.
The new funds will support boats on the National Register of Historic Vessels as well as the infrastructure and techniques needed to conserve them.
This includes:
* Organisational checks
* Training of boat owners, with planning and risk assessment tools, maintenance training & online workshops
* A "Virtual Volunteering" scheme to engage people who can't easily get on the water
* Future proofing & contingency planning guidance
* A review of the boat registers
* And a 20-year plan for NHS-UK to provide more support. No, not that NHS. National Historic Ships, obviously.
Incidentally, the group has a fascinating list of historic boats for sale including some canal boats. See https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/page/vessels-sale |
| |
|
My recent videos
YouTube continues often not to alert people to videos even when you're a subscriber hence this quick recap of what I've published lately.
First of all, a day or two after this newsletter is distributed, there will be a new video filmed at the Electrika show a couple of weeks ago.
This video will undoubtedly be of very niche interest, as it's basically a set of interviews I conducted at the show about the safety of lithium batteries on boats and whether we should be concerned about fires on board. But if that's your jam, it's one to watch.
Before that were two further cruising videos (as promised in last month's newsletter) as I brought my narrowboat back up the South Oxford canal from Cropredy to the Wigram's Turn area.
They seem to have been well-received so far; viewers appear to enjoy a bit of canal cruising escapism in a world that's otherwise full of noise and horridness.
And right at the start of last month, I published an update on the project boat Twiggy, where I enclosed the new transom in fibreglass at last; take note that there's a further update about to come where this work was added to (more fibreglass including some filler to smooth the transition between old and new)
Click the links below to watch the videos (or go direct to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@CruisingTheCut/videos). |
| |
|
What am I up to?
My filming scheduled for August is a bit hazy (so no change there then) but is starting with a couple of days aboard the narrowboat, cruising up to Braunston, to show how busy the canals get in peak season.
This is normally something I'd avoid like the plague but with the school holidays in full swing, I thought it might be interesting for people to see; there's likely to be a fair few boats coming past both as I go along and then when moored.
Later in the month, there's a spot just outside Braunston where I've always fancied stopping but have so far only ever boated straight past.
It's nothing special really, just a lovely countryside spot to moor at and take in "being on a canal", so I think I'll do a couple of nights there and film that experience.
Then, towards the end of the month, I have pencilled in a collaboration with another well-known YouTube canal boater, which I am looking forward to.
And that's possibly not the only collab because I'm also tentatively pencilled in to visit a Very Big YouTube couple who do boating ... more on that next month, if it comes to pass (depends on our respective schedules)
Fingers crossed! |
| |
|
Canal-themed events this month
Standedge and Deliver!
The Standedge Tunnel, which is the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in the UK, is celebrating 25 years since it was reopened, and to mark this, a series of events are being held.
These include a flagship celebration of boat trips, canoe experiences, heritage and family activities and suchlike on Sat 1st and Sun 2nd August.
Canal boater and TV celebrity Robbie Cumming will also be presenting his one-man show at the North of England Centre for Music & Arts.
The tunnel was dug by hand over 17 years, being completed in 1811 and runs for 3.25 miles through the Pennine hills. It was closed in 1944 but brought back to life largely through volunteer enthusiast effort in 2001.
See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/standedge-tunnel-and-visitor-centre
Purring like a Bentley
August 8th and 9th from 11am to 5pm sees the Wednesfield Canal Festival at Bentley Bridge, Wednesfield WV11 1BP.
It's held to "create a sense of togetherness and promoting the unique charm of Wednesfield’s canal" and is free to attend, promising crafts, music and plenty of water activities.
See https://wednesfieldcanalfestival.co.uk/
How now, Brown Hill
The ever popular Brownhills canal festival runs again this year, organised by the Lichfield & Hatherton Restoration Trust.
It takes place on Sat 15th and Sun 16th August, on the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Silver Street. The festival has floating traders, historic narrowboats, land traders and lots more.
Better still, there's free admission! See https://lhcrt.org.uk/brownhills-canal-festival/
Feeling Festival
As usual through the summer, there are various floating markets and local canal festivals across the country. It's best to have a look at the Roving Canal Traders Association website for all the schedules: https://www.rcta.org.uk/markets-festivals-and-events/#!event-list
Plus there's a long list of waterways activities throughout August on the CRT website at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/events/canal-events-canal-festivals?start=2026-08-01&end=2026-08-31 |
| |
|
Into the dusty archive...
I've promoted this older video before but think it stands repetition in this month's delve into my archive; given the special celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the re-opening of Standedge Tunnel, my suggestion for your viewing pleasure this month is vlog 272, "Going Underground" in which I took a trip through this incredible tunnel by narrowboat.
Watch at https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2022/07/17/vlog-272-going-underground/
|
| |
|
My recommendation this month is a bit niche and worse, it's really a sales channel for a business. However, being a bit of a campervan and motorhome nerd, I find this a fun watch.
"We Buy Any Motorcaravan" (I have no idea if they actually do) provide video tours and reviews of a huge variety of British "RVs" in an amiable format, including pointing out any downsides of the vehicles, or who they're best aimed at (and vice versa).
If you too enjoy snooping around motorhomes, have a look at https://www.youtube.com/@webuyanymotorcaravan/videos |
| |
|
Final Thoughts
At the start of this newsletter, I quoted some stats about canal closures and water levels and so on. These were obtained from an online webcast forum held by the CRT which I tuned in to, along with about 150 other people.
Given there are 36,000 or so registered boats, attendance of just 150 people is surely a tad disappointing so was this disinterest from boaters or poor publicity for the event from the CRT? I don't know.
Unfortunately, the event was not great (sorry, CRT) with the usual shambles at the start of people joining with their microphones on, leading to a cacophony of noise, then later on questions being taken - via webcam - from the audience, which inevitably is never concise.
Add to that a rather corporate PowerPoint presentation about the CRT's boater consultation and you had an event that didn't really achieve much so maybe those who didn't attend were better off!
I hate being negative about it because we need and want more communication from CRT so I duly filled in the feedback form afterwards with detailed suggestions about making the event more useful.
And to be fair, I have never in my life attended a presentation or online forum that wasn't massively longer and less useful than you'd hope, so it's not just the CRT that suffer from this (why do we still do these Teams / Zoom things??!! They're terrible really)
Mr Grumpy is now signing off for another month. Thanks for reading.
David |
| |
|
