Vlog 328: The steepest lock flight!
Opened in 1774, the Bingley 5-Rise lock flight is the steepest in Britain and still going strong today. The Canal & River Trust held a media day to celebrate this milestone and I went along.
Go Boating!
Canal Life
-
An introduction to the British Canals
February 23, 2024
-
The Boat Safety Certificate
January 23, 2024
-
Canal boating: what’s it like in different seasons?
January 23, 2024
-
Steering a canal boat
January 23, 2024
-
Diesel engine servicing: the basics
January 23, 2024
This was an incredibly information-rich twelves minutes. The lock was definitely made when things were built to last a long time, and it has.
David, do you think there would be records of the people who built this? Not just the engineers but the ones who did the manual labour day after day.
I actually doubt it, they were just armies of labourers paid by the day.
Was pairing in a placky 28′ launch with a 55′ narrowboat – reached the 5 Rise and the lock keeper was clear – “Not having fibreglass sharing with steel – you go up separately”.
Is the tradition of a couple of bottles of beer for the lock keeper still maintained?
No tips required but the occasional slice of cake or beer is appreciated, I expect.