GixaJane

We have had so much rain in the UK this year, summer has passed us by bit time (never complain its too hot or we need some rain because if you had lived here this summer you you never wish for rain again)

Thie canel lock is approximatly 25 miles from where I live, today is the first day in weeks its not rainined all day so took the gixa and myself a long run around the twisty lanes and stopped for a while at 'Fradley Lock' hope you enjoy the pics.

Ironic isn't it first chance to get out and I went to a canel

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ND4SPD

What are those boats used for? They look like a Hearse.

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maxib

Beautiful... thanks for sharing. Here's hoping you can get more ride time before things get frozen!

GixaJane

People actually live on canel barges/narrow boats or use them for weekend pleasure.

200 years ago the canels were the 'highways' of Britian transporting everything coal, iron ore, wheat, cotton all dry goods in bulk pulled along the canels by horses before steam engines.

proto

My mum lives only a few miles from Fradley at Lichfield.

The canals were originally built to transport coal and iron ore (and other goods) to feed the Industrial Revolution that sswept though Britain in the late 1700's. Huge growth but soon eclipsed by the new fangled railways (they'll never catch on), and by the mid 1800's were mostly finished as commercial enterprises, but limped on until they were rediscoverd as a national asset in the late 20th century, mostly though for leisure pursuits.

Notice the design of the bridge in the third photograph. Before the days of the infernal confusion engine the narrow boats (their correct name) were pulled by horses. So on one side of the canal will be a 'towpath', and when the towpath crossed to the other side the horse went over the top and the boat through the middle and the bridge was designed to be snag free for the tow rope.

I've had a few holidays chugging up and down Britain's waterways on various narrow boats. That hollywood bloke Harrison Ford and his bird are pretty keen on the canals too by all accounts. One time I took a 69 footer into Bath onto the River Avon. Slightly scary as the locks are only 70 feet long and if you get it wrong, pretty easy to sink the boat (there's a big ledge on one end of the lock. Sit your boat on it, let the water out and oh f*ck, doomed)

One aspect of canals that always amazed me - the tunnels. Some of them are miles long. Longest I've been through was on the Grand Union Canal, I think it was about 2 miles long. About 15 feet wide (all narrow boats are 7 feet wide), so quite a test of nerve when you pass another boat in the tunnel. Dug by hand by Irish 'navvies' (name derived from their work on the 'Navigator' Canal, literally with spades and buckets. Incredible engineering. Still in daily use today.

Are you bored yet?

PS Maxi, it never gets that cold here. If it drops below -8°C, that's pretty unusual. And it hardly ever snows on lower ground (that's most of England), and if it does snow it'll all be melted within twenty four hours (he says tempting fate). Southern England is a very mild climate. But wet. And this summer one of the wettest on record.

proto

Have a look at this blog.

Retirement with No Problem

Some great photos and really gives a flavour of live on the water

maxib

Thank you for that most interesting explanation proto. It is truly amazing what human engineering can achieve!

I must confess that I thought this area was about nearly the same latitude as where I live, so expected the same weather. I guess I'll need to do some research on that.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the photographs quite a bit. The buildings along the waterway were great.

CBR929RE

boring, no way. I found it pretty interesting. one question though. where does the rope go when the horse goes over the bridge and the boat goes under? wouldn't it get caught on the back side of the bridge? do they unhook and let the boat drift through and rehook on the other side?

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GixaJane

The rope goes on the barge and the man who takes the barge under the bridge used to lie on his back and use his legs/feet to push the barge along the bridge ceiling (think of the 'dying fly on its back )

proto

I'm not too sure on this but I think it goes a bit like this (maybe):

Horse on left towpath. Goes up ramp of bridge crosses to the right. Descends from the bridge going in the opposite direction to horse/boats travel direction. Then turns right again onto the right towpath and under the bridge.

This might be complete bollocks though, and wouldn't be possible in the bridge in photo #3.

The tunnels were too narrow, long and dark for the horses to pass through. So at the entrance to each tunnel the horse would be detached and professionsl 'leggers' would take over. The Leggers used to live in small cottages/hostels at the edge of each tunnel. As GixerJane describes, they would lie on the backs on to of the boat and 'walk the boat through the tunnels, their feet on the roof of the tunnel.

BTW Birmingham (no not that one) has many more miles of canals than Venice.

PS GixaJane, you anywhere near the Lichfield/Asbourne road? It's a belter, Then onto Buxton. Top fun!

GixaJane

Yep Pronto, I'm Derby and do miles and miles around the peak, Ashbourne, Buxton, (got speed cameras by the side of the road in the cromford/Via Gellia, Bakewell roads disquised as builders vans firstly painted blue now thev'e changed to green and the B^&%$*&s are allowed to get away with disguising them as builders vans rather then the normal police vans!!!

I went to Horse shoe pass, Llangolan last week, rained like the heavens had opened all the doors just as we got to Wales, I was followed for 20 miles by a cop (sussed him) on a Busa!

'At horse shoe pass it was buzzing with police, they had been asked to come in overtime to carry out a campaign only on bikers (we were told by one of them due to 4 guys (so they say) being killed the week previous), that day but as it was fizzing down they had called it off. Saw one cop on a red and black Fireblade (my oh so second favourite bike). We stayed a while then set off home we had abandoned the 80 mile tour of the area due to weather, we pulled in for fuel, as we were waiting for fill up I noticed a blue Busa go by, what pulled my attention was the bright green helmet (blue and green!).
A couple of miles down the road I saw the same guy/bike by the side of the road he was putting his back gloves on, 1 mile along the road he's behind me, as the roads were swimming with water and covered with cow dung and the said rear tyre somewhat worn I was taking it steady anyway, he followed me for 20 flaming miles until we got to the Shropshire boarder (out of Wales) at the first Island he turned back! how's that for intimidation and deciept!
Sussed him as he didn't offer to overtake me 'just got that feeling'

Yep, do plenty of miles 16000 in 1 year, so the Gixa's just run in and having the 4th rear tyre fitted next Saturday.

ps Police are using Fireblades with miniture cameras fitted along cat and fiddle plus the cops are even mingling in with bikers unknown to them riding off with groups until a speeding fine drops on the mat.

ND4SPD

Are their bikes fitted with flashers & sirens or are they otherwise stock? Do they just point for people to pull over?

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proto

Last one I saw, couple of years back, plain dark blue Hyabusa. Only thing to identify it it was the blue light on a short stalk on the passenger seat unit. It would have had additional blue lights and siren tucked away in the fairing somewhere, but I couldn't see them easily.

Not just bikes. I was trundling up the M40 motorway (think Interstate) last week. Heavy traffic. Doing about 85 I guess along with most of all the others. Limit is 70. Drifted past a very nice, newish black Subaru Imprezza. Never gave it much of a thought.
Few miles up the road a big van goes past at 95 ish with the Subaru sitting behind, lit up like a Christmas tree. Blue lights under the front and rear bumpers. Stop sign flipped up inside the back window. Ruined the van driver's day. There but for the grace of God.

GixaJane

The police are getting very sneaky as I say using standard road bikes unmarked, now catching real criminals that involves a bit more work so raking in plenty of money from speeding fines, small number plate fines is productive and makes the goverment lots of ££££.

The bikes have small cameras mounted on them so you don't even know youv'e been 'nicked' until the fine drops on your door mat in the morning.