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.
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Tag: Lock
How to operate canal locks, with crew
By far the easiest and safest way to get through locks is with crew. Even one other person on the boat makes things quicker and simpler as they can go
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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 240: Much Ado About Locking
Whether you’re a solo narrowboater or have plenty of crew aboard, there’s no doubt that at busy and long canal lock flights, a team of helpful volunteer lock-keepers can be a blessing to help you through. I spent a couple of days at Fradley Junction near Lichfield, talking to the volunteers as they prepare for the new boating season, and they explained what they do and why they do it.
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Vlog 42: Lock Up Your Daughters
A brief diversion from the usual videos of my route around the canals today, as – due to popular demand – I hereby present a video which attempts to demonstrate how I go through locks on my own. Various people have asked how you do it but please note I certainly don’t claim to be an expert – I’ve only been properly boating for a few weeks – so this is just my knowledge of it to date.
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Vlog 14: Lock Bottom
Come journey with me down into the depths of an English canal, to a lock at Banbury in Oxfordshire that was emptied for maintenance by the Canal and River Trust. Find out how the locks are maintained and what unusual things have been found at the bottom!
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