Tonic required. Send in your photos of what is nice on the waterways now.

[ditchcrawler]

On this day 2021

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2006

 

 

shallow at the edges on the K&A

[John Liley]

The Canal de Berry agin, the nearest thing to narrow boating in France:at Montlucon, the southernmost point of its southern arm; and at Marseilles-les-Aubigny, where it joined the Lateral Canal to the upper Loire. When I first went through M-les-A half a century ago, the Canal de Berry had been closed for several years, and filled in at this point, though several of its vessels remained moored in the basin there.

 

 

[Athy]

What amazing photos - showing just how busy the Berry was in its prime. Early 20th century>

Eight or nine years ago we travelled on the two unconnected stretches restored by the preservation association, one around Vierzon, the other I think around Marseilles-les-Aubigny. On the latter you could hire a forty-footish Springer narrowboat for the day; I think they had three of them.

 

I'm not sure that the preservationists (ARECABE) have made much more progress in reopening the canal since then.

[Pluto]

10 hours ago, John Liley said:

The Canal de Berry agin, the nearest thing to narrow boating in France:at Montlucon, the southernmost point of its southern arm; and at Marseilles-les-Aubigny, where it joined the Lateral Canal to the upper Loire. When I first went through M-les-A half a century ago, the Canal de Berry had been closed for several years, and filled in at this point, though several of its vessels remained moored in the basin there.

 

 

There is also the Canal de la Sauldre, though it was more used as a water supply for agriculture than transport. Several water supply channels in France were navigable for 'narrow' boats such as the Rigole de Torcy. Belgium also had at least a couple of 'narrow' canals, with the Charleroi Canal using deep narrow boats, capable of carrying 70 tons, into the 20th century. The other was the Meuse-Moselle link, which was never completed, though there are some remains, including the summit level tunnel. Other European narrow waterways can be found in Austria and Bavaria, while at least nine were built in America. Almost all of those mentioned above were for boats about 9 feet in width. After the Napoleonic Wars, France had a waterways development plan which included over 100km of such narrow canals.

[PeterScott]

Yesterday in 2007

 

Bollington Macclesfield Canal More elevenths of May

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2002

 

Marple Junction 

Macclesfield Canal 

 

Compare

#3778 (2000, 2012)

#455 (2001)

#6275 (2007)

#2817 (2012)

#4323 (2014)#3625 (2016)

 

This day posting 2020

 

[Dav and Pen]

In 2012 we were in the French Ardennes at a small town called Haybes Since our last visit they had put in a smart new quay although like all the towns in this part it is pretty run down. One of the main industries was iron working and lots of the cast iron ranges etc were made in the valley. Annoyingly the bell tower has a carillon which goes every 15 minutes all through the night. Photo not very sharp I’m afraid

[Athy]

1 hour ago, Dav and Pen said:

In 2012 we were in the French Ardennes at a small town called Haybes Since our last visit they had put in a smart new quay although like all the towns in this part it is pretty run down. One of the main industries was iron working and lots of the cast iron ranges etc were made in the valley. Annoyingly the bell tower has a carillon which goes every 15 minutes all through the night. Photo not very sharp I’m afraid

 

"Carillon Ringing" sounds like one of those British comedy films with Sid James etc.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2001

 

Harecastle Tunnel

T&M 

 

Compare 

21Apr1972 

15Sep1978 

8May2004 

19May2007 

25Sep2012 

26Sep2012 

26Oct2014 

13Oct2015 

26May2018 

9May2019 

8Sep2020 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2001

 

 

Pool Lock Aqueduct  T&M

 

Compare

15Sep1978

26Apr1980

31Oct1993

19May2002

 

 

 

 

Hall Green Stop Lock T&M/MacclesfieldC Compare 26Apr1980  21`Aug2013

 

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

"Carillon Ringing" sounds like one of those British comedy films with Sid James etc.

How come you remember Sid James first, when the rest of us remember Barbara Windsor??

 

(Canal connection - Mike Lucas, founder of Mikron Theatre Company, had a small part in Carry On Camping).

Edited May 12, 2021 by David Mack

[jake_crew]

I see Mike is not credited on the film itself, but is on IMDB as a "lusty youth".

 

Perhaps he was part of the hippy rave at the end.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

 

Junction with Wey and Arun Junction Canal

Edited May 12, 2021 by PeterScott
extra pic

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

 

 

Bramley - Wey and Arun

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

 

Woodham Junction

RWey/BasingstokeC 

 

Compare

15Mar1981

13Mar1982

26Apr1986

6May2006

 

and the bottom lock awaiting restoration

 

and boat above

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by PeterScott
extra pic

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, jake_crew said:

I see Mike is not credited on the film itself, but is on IMDB as a "lusty youth".

 

Perhaps he was part of the hippy rave at the end.

He claims to have snogged Barbara Windsor, but I've never watched the film closely enough to see if it made it to the final cut.

[PeterScott]

Yesterday in 2018

 

 

River Dove Aqueduct T&M

 

and looking disgruntled, probably neither about the aqueduct nor the contraption by offside moorings (Br21/22 T&M)

 

More twelfths of May

 

 

[Victor Vectis]

1 hour ago, PeterScott said:

and looking disgruntled, probably neither about the aqueduct nor the contraption by offside moorings (Br21/22 T&M)

 

 

Gruntled. An adjective meaning 'satisfied' or 'contented', coined by Wodehouse as the antonym to 'disgruntled' in The Code of the Woosters (1938): 'He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled. '

[Dav and Pen]

In 2019 After selling the barge in March today we were on the Royal Clipper off Sorrento . The cruise was from the port of Rome to Sicily and back.

[John Liley]

Stoke Bruerne, 1971. Busy, even then.

[Dav and Pen]

2 hours ago, John Liley said:

Stoke Bruerne, 1971. Busy, even then.

The days before everything was a steel narrowboat.

[Tam & Di]

Di and I have a hovel at La Truchère where the little river Seille joins the Saône, and there is a current post on the DBA site about flooding there - where we are is used as a floodplain to avoid floods downstream in Lyon. Here are a couple of views from previous years about the same time, with the éclusier opening the lock gates to allow a péniche up off the main river, and of the Seille frontage. Luckily we are just behind this and even the high levels of 2002 didn't quite come into the house.

 

Re John's mention of Berrichons, the locks on the Seille are too short for a standard 38m x 5.05m péniche as after the bottom one off the Saône the rest are only 30m long.

 

Tam 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Tam & Di
Locks on the Seille

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2017

 

 

B+F.

 

Canada Goose..

 

Watching

 

Two

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2001

 

Macclesfield   Compare   15Apr2007 10May2007 16Oct2012