BOATS were seen on the canal at Stroud at the Stroud on Water festival for the first time in 80 years.
The restoration enabled people to take a three miles cruise along the waterway in the trip boat, and the restorers believe that the completion of the entire waterway between Brimscombe and Saul is in sight.
40th anniversary
Professor Mark Horton, from BBC's Coast, opened the event on Saturday 2nd June, with celebrations of the Royal Jubilee, the 40th anniversary of the Cotswold Canals Trust and the IWA trail boat festival all thrown in.
There was a flavour of Glastonbury about the festival, with three stages offering a diverse choice of entertainment—folk, rock, poetry and dance. Trade stands added more interest but the children's entertainment, we are told, was exceptional.
Fireworks themed to patriotic music provided a grand finale on Monday evening.