e.g., most of the Basingstoke canal is shut for several months for maintenance and just glancing on the internet shows loads of other places similarly closed. Is this normal? Getting worse or better? It would appear to kill the idea of a leisurely cruise round the canals without lots of checking ahead and risking getting stuck somewhere.
their full of stolen cars and motorbikes. oh and shopping trolleys
SHARKS – it’s global warming don’t you know! my local boating lake is out of action because of Giant squid!
because since the advent of lorries and trains they are not used for commerce anymore and therefore(here’s those words again)it is not cost effective to repair them..
but when the petrol runs out they will be thinking,,,why didnt we repair the canals
You need to appreciate that a canal, unlike a river, was originally a man made highway for the transportation of cargo from place to place. When road and rail overtook the canals traffic dropped off and many fell into disuse and gradually got clogged with weeds and fly tippers old bikes, cookers etc.
The boatyard you hire your narrow boat from will advise you – and quite likely provide an appropriate map – of the waterways available for your cruise.
It is, indeed, a very pleasant and relaxing holiday.
no more commercial traffic like barges,no point in dredging.
a lot of this is routine, planned maintenance by British Waterways, but they do give plenty of advance notice of these works so you can avoid the area and make a detour. Some is caused by flooding or other event that causes the canal banks to break. This has even happened with animals burrowing into the canal bank side, which then leaks out all the water. Then there is the Bow Backs river system in East London which is out of bounds until after the Olympics, because of all the construction work taking place there.
Its still possible to do plenty of cruising round the overall system though with a bit of forward planning. What you don’t want to do is turn up at a blocked area because you can’t turn round in a narrow boat except in designated areas.