Vlog 274: Ethel the Unready
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.
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Category: Video
Posts including videos
Vlog 273: Mast from the Past
Rescuing hundreds of thousands of stranded Allied troops in World War 2, the Little Ships of Dunkirk are little miracles. Several of these historic vessels were on display at the Thames Traditional Boat Festival at Henley-on-Thames. I went along to have a look at all the spectacle and to hitch a ride on Little Ship “Aquabelle”.
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Vlog 272: Going Underground
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.
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Vlog 271: Fun and Games
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.
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Vlog 270: Darting About
On the canals of the UK, the speed limit is 4mph so how would I fare when given the chance to do over 30 knots on the open sea? An invitation from legendary boat-tour channel AQUAHOLIC gave me the chance to find out, on a day in Devon with Mr Nick Burnham himself.
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Vlog 269: Fire Power
On a sunny day at the Anderton Boat Lift, I was delighted to have the opportunity to chat with Katherine Hutchinson who operates the steam-powered narrowboat Emily Anne.
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Vlog 268: Gate Expectations
Every year, the Canal & River Trust replace a load of worn-out lock gates across the 200+ year-old canals of England and Wales. But how do you lift a 4-tonne chunk of wood out of its bindings, on waterway, often with limited room to manoeuvre? With a crane on a boat, that’s how.
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Vlog 267b: Wheel Meet Again
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.
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Vlog 267a: Pipe Dreams
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.
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Vlog 266: 2 Unlimited
What would a narrowboat look like if you were able to start with a blank sheet of paper and design it so that the boat was still very usable in later life or with limits on your physical agility? A couple from Hampshire have done just that so I went along to see the finishing touches being put to the boat ahead of it going on display at the Crick Waterways show in June.
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