Towpath Talk

  • Mooring rings removed from East London towpath

    Mooring rings removed from East London towpath

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    HISTORIC bollards and mooring rings have suddenly been removed from a strip of towpath at Marshgate Bridge 15, near Homerton, according to the National Bargee Travellers Association. It claims that at 9am on Thursday February 2, the Canal & River Trust began removing them even though some were still in use at the time. Boaters…

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  • Words used on the cut – where do they come from?

    Words used on the cut – where do they come from?

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    John Souter continues his series exploring the origins of commonly used boating terms. MANY of you may be familiar with what a lot of the words that boaters use mean but have you ever stopped to wonder where the words we are all too familiar with actually originated from? Here are more examples of words…

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  • Canal & River Trust carries out work to protect Manchester’s city centre canal

    Canal & River Trust carries out work to protect Manchester’s city centre canal

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    The Canal & River Trust, the national waterways and wellbeing charity, is carrying out important repairs to keep the Rochdale Canal through in Manchester city centre flowing. The works to the Grade II Listed Lock 85 near Canal Street are costing £150,000 and include replacing the old-time expired lock gates with new handcrafted gates made in…

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  • Volunteer crew members wanted on the Forth & Clyde Canal

    Volunteer crew members wanted on the Forth & Clyde Canal

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    THE Forth & Clyde Canal Society is looking for volunteers and new members to help crew and maintain the society’s boats. These include two passenger vessels, Voyager and Gypsy Princess, and Maryhill, a two-thirds scale replica of a puffer moored in Southbank Marina in Kirkintilloch. Training is offered in boat maintenance, engineering, boat handling and…

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  • Protect our waterways!

    Protect our waterways!

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    The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is today launching a major campaign to Protect Our Waterways. Here’s their message: IWA is deeply concerned about the threat to our waterways posed by funding cuts, with for example Canal & River Trust and Scottish Canals financial situations being especially critical. Despite being recognised in the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, the condition of…

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  • Take a Friend Fishing – more opportunity than ever for angling success.

    Take a Friend Fishing – more opportunity than ever for angling success.

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    Take a Friend Fishing Easter runs from Saturday 1st of April to Sunday 16th of April 2023 (inclusive) Take a Friend Fishing with National Fishing Month runs from Saturday 29th of July to Sunday 3rd of September 2023 (inclusive) With the pressures of modern life, physical health and mental wellbeing are more important than ever.…

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  • Proposals to ban powered boats on the Montgomery Canal

    Proposals to ban powered boats on the Montgomery Canal

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    THE Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust sparked concerns recently when it put forward a proposal to ban powered craft on the Montgomery Canal. These concerns sparked a number of reports in the local press, with both sides of the argument urging supporters to take part in online surveys set up to gauge public opinion. Powys County Council…

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  • The boat’s ‘smallest room’

    The boat’s ‘smallest room’

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    Helen Gazeley catches up with composting toilet experts Circular Revolution IF KATE Saffin were to choose her Mastermind specialist subject it would, undoubtedly, be composting toilets, more accurately described as separators, as they separate liquids from solids. Not only has she had one for a number of years, is an administrator of the Facebook group…

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  • Spotlight on the Caledonian Canal

    Spotlight on the Caledonian Canal

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    AS SCOTTISH Canals recruits seasonal waterways operatives around the canal network, we focus on the Caledonian, almost 60 miles of natural loch and man-made canal running through the Scottish Highlands. Douglas Gordon is Middle District supervisor on the Caledonian – his patch being the often-remote section of the canal between Laggan Locks and Fort Augustus.…

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  • Clean air, water and fuel – the impact on our waterways

    Clean air, water and fuel – the impact on our waterways

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    NABO general secretary Peter Braybrook comments on some more topical issues. IT LOOKS as if 2023 will be the start of a period of environmental challenge. Everybody knows that the planet is dying because we cannot take care of it properly. Every indicator is that we are heading toward a disaster with carbon becoming a…

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  • Magnet fishers find rudder after plea on social media

    Magnet fishers find rudder after plea on social media

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    WHEN the rudder fell off Sinead and Matthew Hands’ narrowboat Recalcitrant, they set about trying to find it in the icy water of the Grand Union Canal. Sinead takes up the story… “The rudder fell off, we think because it banged on the sill a month or so prior to this. A mistake we made…

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  • Roz runs ‘Waterway 30’ ultra marathon

    Roz runs ‘Waterway 30’ ultra marathon

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    Runner and continuous cruiser Roz Owen is running rather a long way (31 miles!) to help raise money for our canals. This is what Ross told Towpath Talk: “I am a YouTube vlogger (The Narrowboat Good Life) and live on my narrowboat with my husband (and dog) as a continuous cruiser.  I secured a place…

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  • Revised Manchester Ship Canal guide released

    Revised Manchester Ship Canal guide released

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    THE Manchester Ship Canal is a waterway which links Manchester with the coast and provides access to the city for large ocean-going vessels. The canal is more than 37 miles long and has five locks in total, but it is not considered a leisure waterway and the incompatibility of large ships and small boats means…

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