Them and us

ALL over the system boaters are noticing the difference between the parts of the waterways where there is easy public access and the parts that only the boaters see.

Because there is easy public access and a boat club adjacent the lock at the top of the Rushall Flight, it is all very smart, as Ralph Freeman's photograph above shows.

However, the view from below the same lock is not so good, as his further photograph show. There aren't even bollards for boaters to moor up to to set the locks!

And it gets worse, for further down the flight (Lock 4),  Ralph told us he had to strap across the balance beams to keep the gates open, and then found bottom pound was empty, remarking 'This is how things change from 'public access' to 'in the sticks'!