Stories about boats and waterways
This is part 2 of my return journey up the south Oxford canal from Cropredy marina to Napton. You can see part one using the link below. During this trip, I was unintentionally uncouth at a bridge-hole, a failing I have documented and lamented in this video.
Continue readingLet us turn to the final aspect of canal life that needs addressing and that is one of security and crime. Sometimes the canals can seem dark and threatening, and
Continue readingDoing a lock on your own is the same process as doing it with crew but you need to do everything yourself so the steps are modified thus: 1. When
Continue readingBecause canals were man-made and created to cross the landscape, they inevitably had to deal with changes in the height of the land: hills, valleys and so on. You might
Continue readingWhen I first took my boat on a river, it was a scary experience. Whereas canals are shallow and (mostly) have no flow – so even an engine failure isn’t
Continue readingNarrowboats When you think of a canal boat, most people (in the UK at least) would bring to mind a traditional narrowboat. Definitely not to be referred to as a
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For single-handed canal boaters, shimmying up and down lock ladders or trying to get through swing bridges can be a huge nuisance. How much easier it would be if you could steer your boat with remote control! That’s exactly what Gill Gregory can do aboard “Desiderata” so I went to see the system in action.
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Coventry Canal and the North Oxford canal. Includes an encounter with a cow.
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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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Pressing on from the mooring at LMH – see last vlog – I unexpectedly stop early for a week when the Bosley lock flight is closed due to a leak in the canal at the top. Once it’s re-opened, I go up the flight in a pretty good time, all things considered, despite the peculiar “dual top gate” installation on these locks.
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