1st time on boat my father hired from Bathursts at Tewkesbury 1959 /60 ? limit of Avon navigation Cropthorne watergate. Tankers working on the Severn Then onto the canals.in the years difference then and now . Towpath over Pontyscllte rather than missing gaps, The safety elves have removed the chains from the lift bridges. The BCN is green with trees and no .phosphorus from Albrights . .Without the leisure growth we would not have a system today but we have lost a lot., Privileged to have seen and met some of the boatmen and women of the last days of carrying. The absence of lock queues. As mentioned in a previous post we patched gates to get through locks .cut fallen trees.to get past . Aye Derek nostalgia is not like it udes to be