SPECTATORS at the Moira Canal Festival were delighted to witness a convoy of wilderness boats at the annual event – and the boaters showed their support for the Ashby Canal restoration. Lucy Wood brings us up to speed…
Wilderness boats are trailboats which can be easily loaded on to a trailer and towed to get to their launch destinations. Ten of the boats from the Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club attended the Moira Canal Festival, held on the detached section of the Ashby Canal at Moira Furnace, near Swadlincote, Leicestershire, in mid-May, along with two CaraBoats and a Sea Otter.
All 13 boats were towed to the canal by their owners from all around the country and launched either at the Moira Furnace slipway or at Conkers Waterside Centre in the National Forest, just down the canal.
On the Sunday afternoon of the event, seven of the boats set off for the southern end of the detached section, about a mile away, and had a most enjoyable cruise. They lined up across the end of the canal and toasted the sunshine and restoration progress.
The Ashby Canal Association (ACA) is at the helm of the project to reverse the years-long closure of the section of canal due to the effects of mining subsidence. Through working parties, the ACA has carried out restoration work and maintains the restored length.
A spokesperson for the Wilderness Boats Owners’ Club said: “Of course, it will be some years before this section is linked to the rest of the Ashby Canal. In the meantime, our club continues to demonstrate its support for this, and other restoration schemes up and down the country, through supporting events such as the very well-attended Moira Canal Festival.”
