Towpath Talk

RETURNS: Historic Lighter

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Web Editor

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August 5, 2024

THE beautiful Susan is the only surviving timber-built lighter from the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Susan was built in 1953 by R J Prior of Burnham on Crouch for Brown & Son timber merchants in Chelmsford to carry timber from Heybridge Basin to Chelmsford. Based on the design of the earlier horse-drawn lighters which from…
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CHARACTERS OF THE CUT: Stuart Fenwick

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August 3, 2024

Alice Elgie caught up with Stuart aboard The Briarose… AFTER sofa surfing for a number of years, florist and fiddle player Stuart Fenwick was finally introduced to the idea of a narrowboat named The Briarose by a work colleague. A 42ft semi-trad built in 1984 as a holiday boat, for the past seven years she…
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TRIP BOAT: ‘Heel Test’ conducted

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August 2, 2024

VOLUNTEERS from IWA Manchester Branch, WRG (North West), CRT and Tameside Canal Boat Trust took on the job of helping to load, distribute and then unload 153 bags of sand, each weighing 25kg. This was carried out on Friday, July 5 as part of the ‘heel test’ required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency before…
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OFFICIALLY OPEN: Schoolhouse Bridge

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August 1, 2024

By Phil Pickin SHROPSHIRE’S Lord-Lieutenant, Anna Turner JP, has officially opened bridge 86, Schoolhouse Bridge, on the Montgomery Canal. The ceremony took place in front of a large crowd of supporters and representatives of the many individuals and organisations that helped with the project. John Dodwell, chairman of the Montgomery Canal Partnership, thanked many local…
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MON & BREC CANAL: Safety Inspections

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July 30, 2024

SPECIALIST divers have been carrying out inspections on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal ahead of the manufacture of new safety gates. Glandwr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, carried out the work at Llanfoist Embankment. The embankment, which is located between the picturesque Llanfoist Wharf and Govilon Wharf, features two sets of safety…
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REPLACED: Ageing safety gate

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July 29, 2024

A £50,000 project has seen a deteriorating safety gate on the Shropshire Union Canal at Knighton make way for a handcrafted replacement. The Canal & River Trust carried out the work at the historic wharf in June, replacing the ageing gate with one made in the charity’s specialist workshop. Between 1911 and 1961, Cadbury’s used…
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TOP TIPS: For a perfect pic

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July 26, 2024

How do you capture the best of our waterways? Tipton festival’s organiser, Kev Maslin, a photographer for many years, offers his top five tips for taking that perfect photograph… • Visit a variety of locations and make use of different subjects within those areas to increase your chances of grabbing some eye-catching imagery. Each will…
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August 2024

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Alex Bestwick

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July 26, 2024

Towpath Talk features everything you need to know about boats, marinas, wildlife, conservation, heritage and superb days out. If you like the look of the August edition, we’re certain you’ll enjoy reading every issue, so why not take a look at our latest subscription offers? Remember Towpath Talk is a FREE publication, so you’ll only be paying…
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River Canal Rescue releases engine alignment training ‘how to’ video

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Scootering Web Editor

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July 26, 2024

RCR ‘how to…’ videos River Canal Rescue has released its second ‘how to…’ video on YouTube, giving engine alignment training. Fronted by RCR standards and ethics executive, Kerry Horton, he explains how to see if an engine is out of alignment, where adjustments can be made, the difference between radial and angular alignment and how…
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TIPTON FESTIVAL: Invite to budding snappers

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July 25, 2024

Talented photographers are invited to celebrate ‘the Venice of the Midlands’ in memory of a larger-than-life waterway trader. THE Ray Jordan Memorial Photo Challenge is part of the Tipton Canal and Community Festival, being held on September 21-22, and promises a raft of great prizes for the winners. The competition is free to enter now…
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CHARACTERS OF THE CUT: Paul & Anthony Smith-Storey

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July 24, 2024

Alice Elgie caught up with Paul & Anthony… AFTER 13 years of hiring a small day boat from Ellerbeck Narrowboats in Chorley, and multiple walks along the towpath with their dog Dexter, it was a chance meeting that finally propelled Paul and Anthony Smith-Storey towards living aboard. Paul explained: “We bumped into a lady who…
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RECOVERED: Museum’s stolen Tilley lamps

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Web Editor

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July 23, 2024

THREE Tilley lamps stolen from the National Waterway Museum Ellesmere Port have been recovered thanks to the keen eye of a Canal & River Trust volunteer who spotted them for sale on a well-known internet auction site. The trust’s museums team alerted the police, who recovered the items; the seller is now assisting police. CRT…
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ULSTER CANAL: Phase 2 officially opened

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July 22, 2024

By Alison Alderton TAOISEACH (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris and Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, alongside Waterways Ireland (WI), have officially opened Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal redevelopment project following an investment of more than €20 million. The redevelopment project was carried out by WI, the navigation authority for the inland navigable…
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EASENHALL CUTTING: Now open

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July 20, 2024

EASENHALL Cutting on the Oxford Canal has reopened to navigation while a major repair project by the Canal & River Trust continues. After a period of intense rainfall in early February an estimated 4000 tonnes of the 18m cutting slipped into the canal. Trust teams worked through difficult conditions, with continued wet weather saturating the…
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