Towpath Talk

  • Canal appeal raises nearly £100,000 in first quarter

    Canal appeal raises nearly £100,000 in first quarter

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    ORGANISERS of the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal are delighted with generous donations from many supporters in the canal area and across the country. Of the target of £250,000, more than £95,000 has been raised already with donations online, cheques by post and cash and notes in collecting buckets, all boosted by a substantial donation…

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  • Swansea Canal 225th anniversary exhibition heads out on tour

    Swansea Canal 225th anniversary exhibition heads out on tour

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    A special exhibition looking back on 225 years of the Swansea Canal is going on tour throughout the Swansea Valley after a successful six-months on display at the National Waterfront Museum Swansea. The exhibition is a partnership project with Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, and Swansea Canal Society, which looks back…

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  • IWA branch to join key River Dee committee

    IWA branch to join key River Dee committee

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    THE Inland Waterways Association (IWA), Chester & Merseyside Branch, has been invited to take a seat on the Dee Estuary Consultative Committee by the Environment Agency for Wales. The agency manages the basic navigation structures such as moorings, navigational aids etc in the area covered by law for the estuary. This area is basically from…

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  • North Cheshire Cruising Club celebrates oak anniversary 

    North Cheshire Cruising Club celebrates oak anniversary 

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    THE North Cheshire Cruising Club launched its 80th anniversary celebrations on September 9, when Rt Hon Lord Andrew Stunell cut a red ribbon on a rare surviving exhibit, recently dredged out of the Macclesfield Canal High Lane Arm. This historic relic, a significant section of tram rail that can be dated to 1922, is part…

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  • Canal & River Trust Shares Structure of Boat Licence Pricing

    Canal & River Trust Shares Structure of Boat Licence Pricing

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    Following the announcement on 19 September about changes to future boat licensing, the Canal & River Trust is today giving further details about the increases in licence fees to be applied from 1 April 2024 for boats without a home mooring and wide beam boats. Licences for all boats on the Trust’s waterways will increase above inflation…

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  • Tribute paid to WACT stalwart

    Tribute paid to WACT stalwart

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    THE Wey & Arun Canal Trust is mourning the loss of its vice-president John Wood MBE who died on September 5 in Didcot, Oxfordshire, at the age of 85. John was truly a key figure in the early history and development of the trust. He joined the Wey & Arun Canal Society (which later became…

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  • Marina nets garden centre cup hat-trick

    Marina nets garden centre cup hat-trick

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    Words & photo: Tim Coghlan  BRAUNSTON Marina was recently awarded the Dennett’s Garden Centre Cup, presented annually to local businesses to encourage floral displays on their premises. Since the cup was introduced in 2015 by the Daventry-based garden centre, the marina has now won it three times taking on the likes of local canalside pubs,…

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  • Winter works programme on the non-tidal Thames

    Winter works programme on the non-tidal Thames

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    THE Environment Agency is investing up to £8 million as part of its annual programme of essential works to maintain key navigation structures along the non-tidal River Thames. This is part of a long-term programme to replace or keep maintained 45 locks and their associated structures, towpath bridges and pleasure navigation facilities in a reliable…

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  • October 2023

    October 2023

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    Regularly topping 100 pages, Towpath Talk features everything you need to know about boats, marinas, wildlife, conservation, heritage and superb days out.

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  • Historic Stourport is third Heritage Inland Port

    Historic Stourport is third Heritage Inland Port

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    HERITAGE Stourport was formed through a partnership of organisations and individuals who saw the benefit of applying for Heritage Inland Port status. They included Stourport Forward, Stourport Civic Society, Stourport Yacht Club, S&W Canal Society, Inland Waterways Association, several town councillors and other interested local people. Stourport-on-Severn in Worcestershire will celebrate its Heritage Inland Port…

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  • Tackling one of IWA’s Silver Propeller challenges

    Tackling one of IWA’s Silver Propeller challenges

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    IT IS rare to have a passage enquiry more than 60 days ahead requesting a specific day and time – it has sometimes been less than 60 hours, writes IWA and River Foss Society member Peter Hopwood. However, on May 17 skipper Mike Wright confirmed his 57ft long, 6ft 10in wide narrowboat, Uz Boat, would…

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  • New guide to electric boats published 

    New guide to electric boats published 

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    IWA is pleased to announce the publication of its new guide An Introduction to Electric-Drive Narrowboats. It believes that it is vital for members of the inland waterways community to make their contribution to a more sustainable environment. IWA’s Sustainable Boating Group has been looking at how inland waterways leisure boating can become more sustainable…

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  • Boat licence fees to rise for next five years

    Boat licence fees to rise for next five years

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    THE Canal & River Trust has announced that boat licence fees will need to rise above the baseline inflation rate for each of the next five years. It will also introduce a surcharge for boats that continuously cruise and an increase for wide beam boats to reflect the greater utility they receive. The above-inflation increases…

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  • HS2 Select Committee report acknowledges IWA route concerns

    HS2 Select Committee report acknowledges IWA route concerns

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    Amy Tillson reports THE HS2 (Crewe-Manchester) Bill Select Committee has published its First Special Report (19/7/2023).  It covers responses to individual petitioners, some traffic and design issues, and a major section on ground conditions in Cheshire. IWA’s correspondence on the subsidence risk to HS2 and the Trent & Mersey Canal is referenced several times in…

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