Towpath Talk

MAJOR REPAIRS complete and bridge reopens

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August 5, 2025

The Canal & River Trust, working in partnership with Sandwell Council, has reopened the 129-year-old Wrights Bridge after extensive repairs. Located on the Dudley No. 2 Canal, the bridge connects local people to the Old Hill railway station and has been closed for several years due to safety concerns about the bridge deck and its…
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£80K BILL after latest historic canal bridge vehicle strike

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August 4, 2025

DRIVERS have been urged to take care after the bridge located on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal between Dimmingsdale Lock and Wightwick Lock was stuck by a vehicle for the fifth time in 14 years. Lucy Wood reports… The Canal & River Trust is carrying out urgent repair work, estimated to cost £80,000, to the…
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PLEA for volunteers

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August 2, 2025

VOLUNTEER lock keepers are needed to help keep a stretch of the UK’s longest canal open this year. People are being urged to donate a day a week to operate the Gargrave stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, located on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Lock keepers are ‘the face of the waterways,’…
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CANAL TEMPORARILY CLOSED to boaters for swing bridge repairs

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August 2, 2025

Engineers are working to repair a unique sliding swing bridge which takes trains over a canal in North Lincolnshire after a fault with its mechanism. Sensors on the structure in Keadby, near Scunthorpe, alerted Network Rail teams to a problem on August 1. Train services between Doncaster and Scunthorpe are unaffected, with the bridge left…
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NO PROSECUTION NEWS as canal reopens

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August 1, 2025

BOATERS are finally using the closed section of the Walsall Canal, 11 months after it was poisoned with deadly chemicals – but there is still no indication of any prosecutions. Remedial work has cost more than £500,000, involving dredging to remove some of the 4000 litres of zinc cyanide solution which leaked from Anochrome Ltd,…
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OVERLY COMPLEX PROCESSES could halt future restoration work

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July 31, 2025

CANAL restoration charities have slammed the Canal & River Trust after it revealed a new way of working with organisations that repair and renovate waterways. CRT says it will not support new projects at the expense of navigations it already maintains and will charge charities who do work on its property. But the Wendover Canal…
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LOVE THIS PLACE? Leave no trace!

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July 30, 2025

LEAVE No Trace Ireland has launched its annual Love This Place campaign, calling on the public to come together to protect Ireland’s rich natural landscapes, so we can all enjoy them responsibly as we navigate the summer season. With more people than ever seeking connection with nature – through hiking, swimming, dog walking and exploring…
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FREE GUIDED TOURS generate interest

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July 29, 2025

AS PART of the Shannon hydro-electric scheme, the Ardnacrusha Generation Station has played a critical role in enhancing Irish life since its construction more than 90 years ago, making progress possible through the electrification of the country. Ardnacrusha took just four years (1925 to 1929) and 5000 workers to build. It cost more than IR£5m…
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TRIPS & TIPS for beginners

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July 28, 2025

FOR families dreaming of a holiday with a difference, where the journey is just as enjoyable as the destination, a boating trip with Le Boat is the perfect introduction to slow travel. As no experience is necessary, first-time cruisers can take the helm with ease, thanks to Le Boat’s user-friendly controls, in-depth briefings and dedicated…
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RALLY POSTPONED Due to Ongoing Disruption

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July 26, 2025

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) announces today the postponement of the Rally for the Bridgewater Canal, originally scheduled to take place at Agden Bridge over the August Bank Holiday (23 – 25 August 2025). The event was designed to bring together boaters, communities, and stakeholders in support of restoring the Bridgewater Canal following the major…
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WIN! An engine service

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July 25, 2025

To celebrate River Canal Rescue’s 25th anniversary, managing director, Stephanie Horton, is giving away prizes every month, throughout the year. In August, one Towpath Talk reader can win an engine service, including labour and parts, worth £260. The service is available from September to March, when an RCR engineer will come to you and undertake:…
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TOP 10 summer destinations

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July 24, 2025

SUMMER is here and it’s time to make the most of it. Luckily, Drifters hires canal boats for the day from 19 places across England and Wales, offering the chance to enjoy a family day out on the canals this summer. The additional good news is that full tuition is included, so it’s a great way…
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ENTER THE DRAGON… from Poland

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July 23, 2025

It is always interesting to discover another person’s (or business’s) interpretation of what we see as particularly unique to the UK, so it was good to get the opportunity to view the first of a new range of narrowboats being built in Poland. Phil Pickin went to have a look, although he didn’t have to…
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CRUISE MOOR: not just a mooring scheme

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July 22, 2025

Cruise Moor has proved to be not only popular with the boating community, but with the participating marinas, who have gained more than just new business from taking part. Phil Pickin reports… A COUPLE of years ago, a small group of independent family-run marinas met up over a glass or two of “warm Prosecco” (their…
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