It ain't looking good at all with a total of 33 stoppages in the space of the three weeks of Friday to Friday since the season began.
And not counting the vehicle strikes, third party bridges and the like. In fact tracing back to years gone by, it's a record, and made worse by it being the end of the winter maintenance season, when in the past British Waterways days, all would be definitely hunky dory at this time, with rarely a stoppage.
Take our last year's September cruise that allowed us passage only from Mercia Marina to the Trent at Alrewas and back. Mind you, it taught us something with no longer dashing off at the break of dawn to get the miles in—for it was rather pleasant just taking our time and moving when the urge took us.
Still being done
And there's more our Keith tells us, with the Huddersfield Narrow Canal still closed from lack of water between locks 24 and 32. The Kennet & Avon closed at lock 103—that will take three weeks. Erewash Canal is still low of water between locks 21 and 22. Ashton Canal is closed from Lock 1 to Lock 18—that's most of it—as the cill on Lock 10 is out of position. The Grand Union Canal is closed at Lock 84 and told it is also a lock out of position, but engineers are continuing to look further into a solution.
Strange having two separate canals with locks 'out of position'. Perhaps a new—you know what! (The picture is of a narrowboat caught on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.)
All the above, yet no news from Keith of any stoppages actually completed.
A new one for us
Having done virtually every navigable waterway north of the Thames—and that twice—and with things not looking so good with stoppages on the main system, here was a chance for a new venture for us—the Lancaster Canal.
But it could not be on our own boat, as too far, and one of us has had enough of tidal rivers, especially having to go across one, so it was a hire boat for a couple of weeks. As only a fairly short canal we will really be able to relax and get away from it all.
But the Lancaster is not free from stoppages, with a repair to an aqueduct taking months and then a breach in October 2024, pictured. So fingers crossed!
Any road up, as they say in my part of the world, I shall be telling you of the trip and the boat, it being some 30 years since we last hired one. So off we go tomorrow morning.
Victor Swift—telling tales for 26 years