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The Marais Poitevin is well worth a visit, and is seen here this day in 2005. It comprises a series of canals at various levels for draining these wetlands near La Rochelle. There is an aqueduct carrying one waterway over another. They reach inland as far as Niort, where the Henri-Georges Clouzot lock is located. This was built in the 19th century, but the river Sevre-Noirtois was first made navigable in the 12th century, with locks in use from the 15th century. 

2005 Marais Poitevin.jpg

2005 Niort.jpg

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20 minutes ago, Pluto said:

The Marais Poitevin is well worth a visit, and is seen here this day in 2005. It comprises a series of canals at various levels for draining these wetlands near La Rochelle. There is an aqueduct carrying one waterway over another. They reach inland as far as Niort, where the Henri-Georges Clouzot lock is located. This was built in the 19th century, but the river Sevre-Noirtois was first made navigable in the 12th century, with locks in use from the 15th century. 

 

 

Very pretty waterways. I took a couple of school parties for boat trips on there when we were staying at the youth hostel in Poitiers. The photo is a stock one, not my own, though I think we did pass this delightful house.

Marais.jpg

Edited by Athy
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9 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

Methinks you are trying to confuse matters. The photo does indeed show an arm off the T&M, as Peter says. It is more or less opposite the Wardle Canal, another branch of the T&M, claimed to be Britain's shortest canal, which has one lock and an end-on junction with the Shropshire Union Canal's Middlewich Branch.

I'm not sure what you think I am confusing. What you say is undoubtedly true but is on the opposite side and is quite different. This arm is clearly part of the T&M and my comment about the salt woks is based on the 1897 OS map. (However it does say alkali works, not salt works - but the 1938 map labels the site, it seems, as Murgatroyd's Salt Works)

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  On this day in 2003

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On 13/09/2020 at 23:00, PeterScott said:

[There were modern canal diversions on the] Rochdale in a number of places for the restoration.  See Pennine Waterways here  ...

On 13/09/2020 at 23:13, David Mack said:

M60.png.d553d1ad60024d5130209bae79c842e2.pngRochdale Canal: M60 Crossing

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M60 crossing

 

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Edited by PeterScott
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spacer.pngOn this day in 1995

 

GU/Oxford Napton to Braunston

 

Just past NaptonJ we pased Jason tugging Gertrude from the towingpath, with a sign at the back inviting the offer of a tow. So we offered.

 

Odyssey is a good boat to tow a wooden butty with some decent oomph and the same length. We decided on about 20' of rope, and initially decided to go to Braunston.

 

Gertrude had been sunk for six months at Cropredy. Originally a butty (as in always towed) its additional outboard engine had been nicked. Has retained originalbutty 'elum and back cabin. The rest is an elderly but once internally smart wooden conversion. Jason had collected it a week ago at Cropredy, had one tow over the Oxford summit, and is headed for home in Macclesfield.

 

(From the Odyssey boatlog that day)

 

There are a number of references to Gertrude on the forum. Example here and here

 

 

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On this day 2005

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After a fire (on a co-owner's trip to the Middle Level) which destroyed the engine room and back cabin, Odyssey had been recovered to Stockton Top Marina (GU Braunston-Birmingham) for rebuilding the affected parts, installing a new engine and other work. Compare #2181 (30June2005)

 

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Edited by PeterScott
mistyped decade
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In 2017 near Vandenesse and with the regular lock keeper who we know. She zooms along on a moped between locks and no matter what the weather is always cheerful. The wonderful village of Chateauneuf en Auxois looks down on the canal.

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Edited by Dav and Pen
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On this day 2012

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Stoke T&M towards railway footbridge looking south, from which there are lots of other pictures with boats usually just visible on this stretch of canal:

Compare #2584 (1997) #2881 (1998) #1725 (2000) #506 (2001) #3376 (2009)  #2776 (2012) #1459 (2013) #3346 (2020)

 

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On this day in 1995spacer.png

 

Rugby, Old Leicester Road Aqueduct  Northern Oxford. Compare #1154  and #3512

 

Continuing to tow Jason and Gertrude beyond Braunston to Hawkesbury, from where we were headed for Coventry and Jason for Macclesfield. From the Odyssey log that day: Gertrude is fragile with no brakes and needs to avoid banging things. Oncoming boats doing silly things caused a few problems, and we had crew on the towingpath ahead to warn and negotiate: seeing a towrope through a bridge doesn't seem necessarily to cause an oncoming boat to give way. Having the issue explained from the towingpath caused one to just stop and flounder: scale 5 thump "glasses severely rattled in cupboard". Another, already approaching at vast speed went into full reverse towards the towingpath, clumping innocently moored craft. The rest of the day was OK for unnecessary collisions and a gongoozler at Hillmorton saw Odyssey at four or five boat-lengths away: "Is that a Barlow butty behind?" and having that confirmed, "Not still Gertrude, is it?" Small world, the cut.

 

 

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On this day 2012, and a fortnight ago 2020

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Caldon Canal. Bedford Street Staircase

Quote

Before entering the bottom lock please check the staircase is free of craft and proceeed as below

1. Ensure bottom lock is empty and top lock is full, then close all paddles.

2. Enter bottom lock and close gates.

3. Empty top lock into bottom chamber until water level is equal (please note, the top chamber is larger than the bottom and surplus water will go over the side-weir in the bottom chamber).

4. Open middle gates and enter top lock.

5. Close middle gates and paddles.

6. Fill top lock and exit through top gate following normal procedure, ensuring all gates and paddles are closed.

During peak periods and to avoid delays please operate the lock 2 boats up followed by 2 boats down.

With the old BW diagram, the water let out of the top lock will raise the level in the bottom lock. With the new C&RT diagram, it will overflow the chopped-off reduced-height lockgate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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