Canals, canal boats, canal walks, waterways

[stethoscope]

I know we have a few Urbanites that live on boats and there have been previous Urban walks. There's been a resurgence of programmes on TV lately including Canal Boat Diaries and Narrow Escapes.

I remember visiting Stoke Bruerne when I was young and that was my first time on a narrow boat. Living on a boat is something that has appealed to me as I get older although I know its far from straightforward.

(Regents Canal, Camden)

(Grand Union Canal, Northants)

(Rochdale Canal, Hebden)

So all things canals! Canal holidays? Waterway developments? Hassles of living on the water? Favourite canal side roams anyone?

 

[Elpenor]

There are a lot of running races along canal paths, they’re easy to navigate, traffic free and flat, so this is how I have mostly experienced canals.

A couple of times I ran a race that covered the 45 miles from Tring to Little Venice (Paddington), it was a nice day out that. It took place in the winter so just enough daylight and quite magical on a frosty morning.

In the noughties me and some friends made various attempts at the Grand Union Canal Race which goes from Gas Street basin in Birmingham to Little Venice. 145 miles in a 45 hour time limit, the fastest folk will do it in 22 hours. One chum took 3 attempts to finish, the first time he turned left at Braunston (which is not the right way!) and ended up vomiting all over the towpath. The second time he was running with someone who suffered hyperthermia and an infection caused by cellulitis and we (I was a buddy runner for the final 25 miles) had to knock on someone’s door just by Piggery Bridge. in Alperton to get him an ambulance. He finished the third time though without much incident.

My own attempt was dogged by blisters and I dropped out fairly early, but returned to help out at a few checkpoints over the years. Their names are imprinted on my memory - Heart of England, Navigation Bridge, Grand Junction Arms, Springwell Lock, Hanborough Tavern is of course notorious for other reasons.

I also did a race from Stratford to Bournville along the canals a few times too.

 

[Silas Loom]

The Levellers reckon that “along the canals and the rivers free / no hasty words are spoken”, but the cider-addled twats never piloted a rented narrowboat along the Lea with Mrs Loom as a carping passenger.

 

[stethoscope]

The ever excellent John Rogers recently walked the Regents Canal which is a good watch..



I've walked various sections of it - Little Venice to Camden (and watching the World and boats go by from Camley Street is always a pleasure), around Limehouse Basin, and Paddington Basin to Warwick Avenue. And numerous wanders along the Hertford Union Canal through Hackney.

In my immediate area, there are very few long stretches of navigatable canal for boats, but the Pocklington Canal and Driffield Navigation make for lovely walks.

 

[mx wcfc]

A canal boat, firmly wedged between the banks.

I did help free it, rather than just laughing and taking pics

 

[StoneRoad]

Talking of disasters ...

Capsizing of narrowboat in Kennet and Avon Canal will hit Wiltshire boaters

The closure of the Kennet and Avon Canal due to the capsizing of a narrowboat near Bath is likely to have a knock-on effect on boaters throughout…

www.gazetteandherald.co.uk

say no more - boat hired to a less than experienced stag party failed to navigate the 20ft deep lock from the River to the K&A canal ... it got hooked up on the gates / sill.

Back when I was a young teenager, while some parts of the K&A was being restored, I did volunteer over several Saturdays to help clear the winding ponds etc in Bath and just outside [I'll need to search for the actual places] and a year or so later on, with my father at the Crofton Beam Engines [heaven for steam fiends]. As you can imagine - there was quite a lot of junk in the ponds, locks and the canal itself.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

say no more - boat hired to a less than experienced stag party failed to navigate the 20ft deep lock from the River to the K&A canal ... it got hooked up on the gates / sill.

Back when I was a young teenager, while some parts of the K&A was being restored, I did volunteer over several Saturdays to help clear the winding ponds etc in Bath and just outside [I'll need to search for the actual places] and a year or so later on, with my father at the Crofton Beam Engines [heaven for steam fiends]. As you can imagine - there was quite a lot of junk in the ponds, locks and the canal itself.

i've never been actively involved in things canal, one of my former berkshire colleagues (now retired) was involved in the berkshire end of the K+A from the 70s on

there's not much canal left in S London

 

[stethoscope]

there's not much canal left in S London

That just led me on a search and reading this... Secret London: South London’s lost canals

 

[lazythursday]

Have always had a local canal everywhere I've lived, has been a constant in my life. I've just done an 8K run down the towpath this morning. My partner has a boat, and we've travelled pretty much the whole northern half of the network, though not done anything since pre covid now, the boat is rather needing attention.

I do love boating, it's like discovering a sort of parallel world - the rules, the social stratification (shiny boats, hire boats, scruffy liveaboards etc) the completely different geography to normal life. The way places can feel very different encountered by canal.

Sadly though the Canal and River Trust are fucked and it seems likely we will see canal closures (to navigation) within the next few years.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

more London canals (past and present) at London Canals

a few fragments of the surrey canal, on evelyn street, deptford (from last weekend) - the site of Bridge Wharf has been cleared for a new round of redevelopment.





i'm not sure there's enough to see for it to be worth an urban walk...

 

[pinkmonkey]

El Jugs and I have lived on our narrowboat for 18 years now. Originally based on the River Lea in London, now continuously cruising in Yorkshire. It’s a great life, the community is the best thing about it, but it is hard work and can feel precarious.

 

[StoneRoad]

I know a number of people that live or have lived aboard canal boats / barges [including a sea-going Dutch monster-wide one], mostly in "The Midlands" as there are rather more canal miles in that area.
I have to "make do" with occasional weekends on my friend's boat in Whitehaven ...

The one that got away [as in never built] was the one proposed between Newcastle and Carlisle ... I once handled the map for the proposed route, I wish I had taken it under my wing, as instead of it going to the county archives I expect that it was just binned as rubbish.

 

[bemused]

Such a charming thread

 

[Puddy_Tat]

former junction of the surrey and croydon canals (both at this point pretty much where the roads are now), surrey canal road / mercury way, new cross / deptford -

 

[Dystopiary]

more London canals (past and present) at London Canals

a few fragments of the surrey canal, on evelyn street, deptford (from last weekend) - the site of Bridge Wharf has been cleared for a new round of redevelopment.

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i'm not sure there's enough to see for it to be worth an urban walk...

Also maybe of interest:

London's Lost Rivers - Homepage



The guy does walking tours.

 

[blossie33]

Joining this thread as a Brummie, we love to tell everyone Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice

I live in London now, very near the River Lea, not actually a canal of course but quite canal like in areas of London. I'm also not far from the Regents Canal and often walk along the sections between City Wharf, Islington, Hackney and Kings Cross.

 

[marty21]

I do a lot of walking along the River Lea , which is canal-like , lots of folk live in barges along it. Occasionally work along the Regent's Canal in King's Cross/Kentish Town . Love a waterway!

 

[Crispy]

I have been canal boating twice.
Both times I fell in the canal.
(Once while edging down the side to collect an errant rope. The other when walking back to the boat from the pub; the towpath narrowed and the water was just as pitch black. My friend walked forward, I stepped into nothing. Lost my specs and spent the rest of the weekend half blind.)

 

[Zorra]

Love canals! My great grandpa was a bargee based in Wolverhampton, and carried freight on the canals with his horse, Bob I've been around canals all my life especially around Oxford and I find them really soothing. That's probably also because I've never lived on a boat and had to do the hard work but can just wander around admiring things.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

i'm not sure there's enough to see for it to be worth an urban walk...

hmm.

maybe two walks - one doing the camberwell and peckham bits, and one at the deptford end, also picking up the fragments of the deptford wharf railway line.

then there's the croydon canal...

 

[StoneRoad]

Spent a few years as a student in Coventry so walked towpaths for some of my time there,
Even looked at buying or renting a boat ...

 

[surreybrowncap]

During the summer I paid a visit here....
Until then I had been unaware of this museum..

London Canal Museum Home Page

London Canal Museum, the London waterways museum telling the story of canals, boats, the ice trade, and ice cream. The only London Museum of inland waterways.

www.canalmuseum.org.uk

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Have the River Wey at the end of my road, it's a canalised river; take a river that is not navigable all year long due to fluctuating water levels and turn it in to a canal to ensure an even flow of water. This was done to my town in the 1700's, was opened in 1764. Quite amazing really.

Every couple of years we'll rent a day boat from the local boat house and pootle up to Guildford for a boozy lunch and an even boozier return journey, the drink drive limit on the river is the same as a bicycle, very generous...

If anyone's interested you can rent them here: Farncombe Boat House | River Wey Narrowboat Holidays and Day Boat Hire Tel: 01483 421306 Which is a 10 minute walk from Farncombe train station (45 mins from Waterloo), it's a cracking day out.

 

[Artaxerxes]

From Birmingham and like others live near the Lea now - probably a bit further out mind.

It’s a nice walk and bike down towards Waltham Cross, the paving can be variable as hell though.

I do find the variety of boats somewhat appealing, proper custom jobs. Days like today though might be a bit much for me to live on one (it’s grim and wet out)

 

[marty21]

During the summer I paid a visit here....
Until then I had been unaware of this museum..

London Canal Museum Home Page

London Canal Museum, the London waterways museum telling the story of canals, boats, the ice trade, and ice cream. The only London Museum of inland waterways.

www.canalmuseum.org.uk

I've been there, a lovely museum.

 

[klang]

up and down the Lea several times a day. Home, work, school run, leisure, meet ups, kayaking, picking flowers and berries, etc etc.#
Love it every single time.
I deliver fire wood to boats and pubs and houses with wood burners too so know many many people along the Lea.
Great long spot.

 

[blossie33]

up and down the Lea several times a day. Home, work, school run, leisure, meet ups, kayaking, picking flowers and berries, etc etc.#
Love it every single time.
I deliver fire wood to boats and pubs and houses with wood burners too so know many many people along the Lea.
Great long spot.

I love that smell when you pass by boats burning wood

 

[klang]

I love that smell when you pass by boats burning wood

The season has started

 

[klang]

In the spring and summer we collect, chop and dry, in the autumn and winter we deliver

 

[lazythursday]

I love that smell when you pass by boats burning wood

toxic though it is - not necessarily great for people living close to towpaths. Suspect there is a real danger that efforts to cut down urban pollution from woodburners in houses will also affect boat owners who don't have a lot of choice.