This is an uninterrupted (almost, there are a couple of camcorder battery changes and a re-fuelling stop) video recording from the camera on the bow of a narrowboat as it travelled along the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire from Gayton Junction to Weedon Bec.
A long-standing viewer of this channel was kind enough to offer me a day trip on her boat as she came along the Grand Union canal from Gayton to Weedon, so of course I jumped at the chance.
Opened originally in 1811, the Standedge (pronounced “Stannedge”, apparently) canal tunnel is a legendary boating experience at 5km (3.5m) long and hundreds of feet underground. I was lucky enough to join narrowboaters on a Pennine Cruise organised by the Huddersfield Canal Society as they went through this amazing tunnel.
On Saturday 25th June 2022, around 80 narrowboats took part in a colourful and noisy parade through Birmingham to mark the city hosting this year’s Commonwealth Games. This is my record of that day.
As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations for the Union Canal in Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Falkirk, two flotillas were organised over two days in May. I joined both, through a bit of logistical effort involving my campervan, and this is the second of my videos of that trip.
Throughout 2022, Scottish Canals is holding a series of events to mark the 200th anniversary of the Union Canal which links Edinburgh to Falkirk, and I went along for a two-day flotilla cruise to mark the occasion. This is Part 1 (of 2) of that trip.
Here’s the third and final part of the voyage taking my narrowboat to North Kilworth Marina for sale with ABNB boat brokers.
On May 29th this year, I was lucky enough to be invited to join Alan, Tina and Richard of NB Wobbly, to travel in convoy across The Wash with Jo, Michael and Lorna on NB Perseverance. This is quite an adventurous crossing for a narrowboat as they’re designed only for the flat calm waters of the canals or small rivers – and The Wash is pretty much open sea.
In this vlog I take the narrowboat through Newark-on-Trent and head to Cromwell lock, where the river becomes tidal. That would be my end point for this session of cruising videos before I stopped for winter. More videos will be forthcoming nonetheless.
In this vlog I continue down the River Trent, from Holme lock to Hazleford lock, giving the engine some rarely-used revs yet still being slower than another boat that was doing the same trip.