News

CHARACTERS OF THE CUT: Just Us Wandering

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September 16, 2025

A FAMILY of five who were looking to buy a house in 2019 unexpectedly had their heads turned by a fellow boat blogger and never looked back. Alice Elgie reports Mum Annabel told me: “We fell in love with the tiny lifestyle, slower pace of life, more freedom and closer connection to nature, all of…
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TOP SIX leafy canals to cruise this autumn

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September 16, 2025

BRITAIN’S 3000-mile network of inland waterways winds through some of the nation’s best-loved countryside, including beautiful stretches of woodland and tree-lined embankments. Drifters Waterways Holidays (drifters.co.uk) offers more than 500 boats for hire from 40 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. To celebrate the autumn colours in the trees and hedgerows that line Britain’s canals, Drifters…
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STARLINK Alternative?

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September 15, 2025

VISITORS to this year’s Crick Boat Show may well have seen one of the most interesting new products to appear on the market for boat owners for some time, and one that is particularly apt given the show’s notoriously bad mobile data connections. Phil Pickin reports… The company in question is Oyster Sat-Tech Limited, which…
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PARRY HONOURED after 12 years at the tiller

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September 13, 2025

OUTGOING Canal & River Trust chief executive Richard Parry has hinted he will keep his ties with the waterways after a presentation at Braunston Marina in Northamptonshire. Before the formal opening of this year’s Braunston Historic Boat Rally, Tim Coghlan of Braunston Marina asked Sir David and Lady Suchet to jointly present Richard with a…
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HOT WEATHER takes its toll on Irish Waterways

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September 12, 2025

IRELAND, renowned for its damp weather and lush countryside, has struggled in the recent heatwaves that have swept across the northern hemisphere. The first marine notices warning of low water levels were issued as early as March this year and with no major rainfall forecast for the foreseeable future boaters have and continue to be…
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HULL: Bridge work begins

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September 11, 2025

HULL City Council has confirmed that repair and strengthening works on the iconic Drypool Bridge over the River Hull have begun with Esh Construction and Mason Clark Associates leading the project, reports Alison Alderton. Following the receipt of a Marine Management Organisation (MMO) licence, the contractors started setting up the works compound on the former…
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MUSEUM FOCUS: End of en era as much-loved museum closes

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September 10, 2025

Nicola Lisle bids a sad farewell to the River and Rowing Museum in Henley, Oxfordshire. IF YOU want to visit the River and Rowing Museum in Henley you’ll have to be quick, because sadly this popular riverside attraction is closing in September after 27 years. The award-winning museum’s final hurrah will coincide with this year’s…
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STEPPING OUT for a good cause

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September 9, 2025

THE Clifton Suspension Bridge, spanning the Avon, is one of the locations in a much-loved fundraising sculpture trail this summer. Bristol-based animator Nick Park’s Academy Award-winning character, Gromit, was first unleashed on the streets of the city way back in 2013 to raise money for sick children. Now, more than 500 sculptures, four trails and…
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WIN! A year’s RCR Gold Membership

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September 8, 2025

To celebrate River Canal Rescue’s 25th anniversary, managing director Stephanie Horton is giving away prizes every month, throughout the year. In September, Towpath Talk readers can win a gold membership worth £335. The breakdown assistance and recovery package includes: vessel covered for any user or member covered on any vessel; unlimited call-outs; recovery to your nearest…
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BIODIVERSITY AWARD: Testament to hard work of charity and partners

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September 6, 2025

A scheme in the West Midlands that is improving the habitat for wildlife along the region’s historic navigable canals has received a prestigious award. Lucy Wood reports… THE transformative Unlocking Biodiversity programme has been recognised by a Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management award. It has helped preserve and restore wildlife habitats in the…
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LEARN NEW SKILLS and refresh existing knowledge

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September 5, 2025

RIVER Canal Rescue has spaces on its two-day maintenance courses, running on October 1/2, 15/16 and 29/30, November 12/13 and 26/27 and December 10/11. Held at RCR’s Stafford headquarters near bridge 101 on the Staffs & Worcs Canal, the boat and engine maintenance course covers how to maintain diesel engines and a narrowboat’s systems, including propulsion,…
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BEHIND THE SCENES at the Cotswold Canals Trust: Western Depot tours a resounding success

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Mark Lancaster

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September 4, 2025

The Western Depot of the Cotswold Canals Trust opened its gates to the public on August 19 and 21, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the ambitious canal restoration project. The special tours, part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund Summer Campaign, proved to be a resounding success, drawing visitors from near and…
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CANAL ACCESS improved with new ramp

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September 3, 2025

A brand-new mobility ramp for Grand Union Canal at Radford Semele is providing greatly improved access to the canal in Warwickshire for walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and people with limited mobility. LOCATED at Bridge 35, the ramp connects the local community directly with the towpath and the National Cycle Network and will make it easier…
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BOAT NAMING HONOUR for outgoing boss

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September 2, 2025

AHEAD of his final week as chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, volunteers and colleagues at the charity’s base on the Grand Union’s Hatton lock flight surprised Richard Parry by naming a new workboat in his honour. The 30ft work boat and hopper will be used for operational maintenance including brickwork repairs, litter-picking…
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