A SEVEN-MILE stretch of Louth Canal at Austen Fen, a few miles outside the Georgian market town from which the canal takes its name, is accessible once again to paddleboarders, kayakers and canoeists. Lucy Wood reports…
It’s thanks to the state-of-the-art slipway, which is free to use from dawn to dusk, and has a dedicated car park alongside it.
The project was undertaken by Louth Navigation Trust, which helps preserve the canal and aims to make it open to leisure use. It was given £96,000 in funding to construct the slipway by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, Richard Lake, and Inland Waterways Lincolnshire.
At the official opening, trust secretary Paula Hunt told Towpath Talk: “It’s a proud day. It’s been a labour of love for us – and has very much been worth it. To see the stretch of water being used is just brilliant.
“A slipway was needed to bring the waterway back into use because the banks here are very steep, and the water is hard to get in and out of otherwise. Activities like paddleboarding are so popular now, and it’s great to see it being used in this way – it’s an alternative to the sea, and the chance to be surrounded by the wonderful views the Lincolnshire countryside has to offer.”
Commercial traffic stopped using the navigation – which connects Louth with the River Humber Estuary some 12 miles distant – in 1924 when it became uncommercially viable to do so. Louth Navigation Trust was formed decades later, in 1986, by a group of like-minded local people who were dedicated to preserving the canal and encouraging its future regeneration. From small beginnings, the trust now has more than 250 members and is entirely volunteer-run.
The official launch was supported by Louth Rotary and Covenham Sailing Club. Mayor and Mayoress of Louth, Coun Darren Hobson and Mrs Sarah-Jayne Hobson, were delighted to carry out the first civic engagement of their mayoral year by welcoming paddlers to the water.
Coun Hobson said: “The hard work of the Louth Navigation Trust, in conjunction with the generosity of the landowners at Austen Fen, has resulted in a fabulous facility which will allow the growing community of paddleboarders and other users easy access to the water. Our congratulations go to all involved in successfully bringing this project to fruition.”
As well as funding, many hard-worked volunteer hours have been invested into the new slipway, and Paula said the project had been a real labour of love – with the aim of making every mile of the waterway, which first opened in 1770, accessible for all. The Austen Fen slipway can be found using the postcode LN11 0NX or What3words district.heaven.chose
