Towpaths could help restore canal

MEMBERS of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust believe that first restoring towpaths along the derelict sections of the waterway could help with its eventual restoration.

To further this aim the Towpath Challenge has been created, to help restore the various routes along the old canal, Alan Tilbury tells us. The photograph shows part of the canal with its towpath reinstated.

Eventual restoration

The plan is to restore the towpath route from Oxford to Bath, along the route of the waterway, as a forerunner to the eventual restoration of the Wilts & Berks Canal.

The Thames Path already connects Oxford and Abingdon, and the first stretch that is hoped to be restored is between Abingdon and Grove.

Grants

The cost is estimated at £1 million, with the Trust now applying for grants to cover the cost of restoring the towpaths.

The Wilts & Berks Canal was built to connect the Thames to the Kennet & Avon Canal but was abandoned in 1914.  It is estimated that it will take £200 millions to restore at today's prices.