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This post is a bit unusual as it covers a long canal, but contains mainly spotlights rather than a continuous account. I have done the Grand Union several times and am not getting as excited about it as many of …
This is quite a long post for a relatively short section, but it was quite eventful. Going south from Leicester the navigation becomes the Grand Union Leicester Line. It divides into three parts: History of the Leicester line As ever …
The great escape from the Grand Union Leicester line Read more »
Now it was time to transition from a big river (Trent) onto a much smaller river (Soar). The Soar will be my connection back to the Grand Union canal to get down to London. I had already travelled down the …
Tidal Trent once more After leaving the Chesterfield canal, the only way for me to go was back up the Trent, retracing my steps as I started making my way back to London. So first of all, I had to …
Second tidal Trent passage Leaving Torksey – the lock to the tidal Trent – again I went further down the mighty river to West Stockwith, where the Chesterfield Canal meets the Trent. This time I did this trip on my …
Lush, beautiful, and remote – Chesterfield canal Read more »
Apologies, this is a long one as I wanted to cover the whole length of this navigation in one post and it has taken me a while to navigate it (it’s 43 miles!) and write it up. The Fossdyke & …
An ancient canal and very flat lands – Fossdyke & Witham navigations Read more »
Finally it was time for the big river! My only experience of a river this size is the Thames and I was curious how the Trent is different. Turns out – very! It’s a long post, as it is covering …
While eagerly awaiting my jump onto the Trent, another spanner has been thrown into the works. A critical lock (Keadby) that connects the tidal Trent to the Yorkshire navigations is currently out of action. There is no clear time line …
To the end of the Trent & Mersey canal – Barton to Shardlow Read more »
The Trent & Mersey canal As I am still on the Trent & Mersey, let me tell you a little bit about its history. This is one of the oldest canals, built (once again) by canal pioneer James Brindley, completed …
Water, water everywhere – Down the Trent & Mersey canal Read more »
It is again a while since I last posted as I am still moving very slowly, biding my time until I dare go on the river Trent. I am signed up to all the flood warnings in the area and …
A marina and a new canal – Coventry to Trent & Mersey canal Read more »
Hello! I am back. Have you missed me? I have been mostly stationary in Tamworth since August as the water has been very low and for the most part locks around have been closed. The water has now recovered sufficiently …
A pause and an excursion – Tamworth and Birmingham & Fazeley canal Read more »
I was going to write a nice post describing my cruise along the whole length of the Coventry canal, but the weather gods had other plans. There has still been no significant rain and the water situation has only deteriorated …
After I left Coventry I didn’t go straight North on the Coventry canal, but rather branched off to the Ashby canal which is the first one on this journey that is completely new to me. I will cover the Ashby …
I think my last few posts got a bit long. I will try and divide the posts up more, so they may become a bit more frequent. I am also grateful for any feedback on what you like or dislike …
From the wiggly to the straight – North Oxford canal Braunston to Hawkesbury Junction Read more »
The journey continued on the Southern Oxford canal from Banbury to the North across the summit of this canal (more on this later), down the other side and on to a major centre of the waterways – Braunston. Leaving Banbury …
Please send some water – Southern Oxford canal Banbury to Braunston Read more »
The distance covered in this post is shorter as the going is much slower on the shallow and narrow Oxford canal. But it’s not less eventful. This post covers the southern section of the South Oxford canal up to Banbury. …
An obstacle course – the Southern Oxford canal from Thrupp to Banbury Read more »
This post covers the rest of the Thames up to Oxford and the first part of the Southern Oxford canal. The two parts couldn’t be more different. My journey continued from Wallingford in the pouring rain. My five allowed nights …
From the big river to the tiny canal – Wallingford to Thrupp Read more »
This post covers a long stretch of the Upper Thames from Windsor to Wallingford, a stretch characterised by varied countryside and picturesque towns. Shortly after Windsor I arrived at a great mooring near the Olympic rowing lake at Dorney. There …
The beautiful Upper Thames – from Windsor to Wallingford Read more »
First of all: can we start a petition please to build just a few miles of canal from Slough to the Thames? Slough is about 8 miles and 2 locks from my mooring in Uxbridge. In Windsor on the Thames …
The long way out of London – From Uxbridge to Windsor Read more »
My old boating blog is on an outdated platform, so I thought I’ll start a new one for a big adventure in 2025/2026. I have been wanting to do this trip for years and this year I can finally make …