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Britain's oldest horse-drawn barge 'sunk' by Snowflakes


ChrisJBrady

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I suppose COVID 19 also is a good reason for not operating the horse boat.

 

The Goldaming Packet has the following on their website:

 

Attention:  

We have received a lot of inquiries regarding the re-opening of the Godalming Packetboat Company following the Covid 19 lockdown.

We have reluctantly decided that The Godalming Packetboat Company will remain closed for the rest of 2020.

This is due to the particular nature of the attraction, the lockdown, social distancing, on the overcrowded towpath, and the effect that the pandemic has had on the coach industry, all this has hit us particularly hard, and after consultation with other similar attractions.

Sadly we feel this is the only solution at this time.

We do thank everyone that has been with us

 

The Horse Boating Society is equally inactive. Their website mentions their 2018 AGM but nothing since.

 

It is getting harder to do horse boating these days, which is a pity as it is part of waterways heritage.

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everyone

 

I'm coming late to this, and wasn't going to reply, but I have been giving it some thought!

 

I'll avoid the unhelpful language, but I did notice one phrase on the Godalming website - the "overcrowded towpath". I think that this is the key.

 

I'm afraid that there are always capacity issues on any space for any purpose - the IWA talked for years about "multifunctional" use of waterways, but the truth is that a canal or river towpath is almost always a narrow strip of land with a path, and that can't be used on a large scale for ALL of the following: walking, cycling, mooring (temporary and permanent), barbecues, standing and staring, angling and, sadly, horse drawn boats as well. Similarly, the water - canal or river - has limitations, especially moving horse drawn boats past boats moored to towpaths (I've helped out with this a few times, not easy), powered pleasure craft of various sizes, canoes, rowing boats, rubber dinghies, and now paddle boards. All fine on a small scale, but once these get more extensive, there may well be conflicts.

 

I'm not sure what can be done about all this - very careful management sounds good in principle, but it might have to involve prohibitions in some cases, like the Cambridge Backs....I'm not sure where else.

 

I enjoyed horse-boating, and would be very sorry if it disappeared, but it may well have to be confined to specific sections on which some other towpath and waterborne activities are not permitted. I wouldn't like to be the person who introduced prohibitions!!!!

 

Incidentally, I began boating in the 1960, with narrow boat traffic still passing on the Shropshire Union, and we were told not to moor on the towpath side, certainly on the Shropshire Union main line. I'm not sure if others were told this, and when it was that towpath mooring became acceptable to pleasure users. Another memory is one Bank holiday queuing and queuing at the locks on the Middlewich Branch, in the late 1960s or early 1970s, and wondering whether most boating would be like this in the future, and, if so, if much of the pleasure would go out of leisure boating. In the event, the increased traffic and accompanying traffic jams did not seem to come about. Just wondering if others found the same features around the same period.

 

Stay safe everyone!

 

Joseph        

 

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1 hour ago, Joseph said:

 

I enjoyed horse-boating, and would be very sorry if it disappeared, but it may well have to be confined to specific sections on which some other towpath and waterborne activities are not permitted. I wouldn't like to be the person who introduced prohibitions!!!!

 

 

I think that's what happens at the top of the Llangollen.  There's a notice prohibiting all craft on the final bit where the horse boat runs.

 

 

 

 

IMG_20190812_203220.jpg

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Indeed, quite so. 

 

I can feel another thread coming on - bits of waterway where powered boats are prohibited or inhibited......

 

I have met people who have navigated through to the end at Llantysilio, by the Valve House - 1960s, I think? Does anyone know when the last such voyage took place?

 

Best wishes

 

Joseph

  

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8 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I think that's what happens at the top of the Llangollen.  There's a notice prohibiting all craft on the final bit where the horse boat runs.

 

 

 

 

IMG_20190812_203220.jpg

That's there because theres no winding hole at the top, I appreciate that wouldn't stop everyone  :)

I think there is also an intentional shallows at the start to stop navigation 

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9 hours ago, Joseph said:

I have met people who have navigated through to the end at Llantysilio, by the Valve House - 1960s, I think? Does anyone know when the last such voyage took place?

 

I seem to recall a photo in Waterways World of the Fuller twins modern butty Phoebe right up at Llantysilio, some years ago. 

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35 minutes ago, Loddon said:

@TNC might have some idea I seem to remember he has been there

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That would be 1972 in a Dawncraft Dandy, hardly any draught. I have tried a few times in our own boats and always failed at the gravel bar. This years tour included a trip up the Golley. We watched from the basin as an AngloWelsh hire boat made a bold (unintentional) attempt at getting further. After much trashing a private boat came out of the basin and snatched them off.

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Fascinating, many thanks. 

 

I suppose keeping other boats out provides one way of ensuring that the horse-drawn boats can continue unobstructed, although it does seem a shame that the odd (shallow-draught) boat could not be allowed up to Llantysilio on special occasions. I'm not sure if the horse-drawn boats ever go to the Valve House - they did in the twentieth century.

 

Joseph   

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14 minutes ago, Joseph said:

Fascinating, many thanks. 

 

I suppose keeping other boats out provides one way of ensuring that the horse-drawn boats can continue unobstructed, although it does seem a shame that the odd (shallow-draught) boat could not be allowed up to Llantysilio on special occasions. I'm not sure if the horse-drawn boats ever go to the Valve House - they did in the twentieth century.

 

Joseph   

 

The horse drawn boat is specially designed to be pulled from either end, so they don't need to turn, considering the sheer number of hire boats on the Llan I suspect CRT consider that it's best a blanket no entry due to the potential chaos that would ensue by the narrow channel and interesting reverse.

 

I think I also remember some issues with unseen rockfall and possible damage to stern gear by hidden hazards, I don't think the navigation restrictions were put into place to favour the horse boat

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8 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

I don't think the navigation restrictions were put into place to favour the horse boat

 

I'll happily accept your word for it. 

 

I just noticed all the "no mooring except horseboat" signs immediately before the "no boat traffic" sign and added two and two.  It seems I came up with five!

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10 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

 

The horse drawn boat is specially designed to be pulled from either end, so they don't need to turn, considering the sheer number of hire boats on the Llan I suspect CRT consider that it's best a blanket no entry due to the potential chaos that would ensue by the narrow channel and interesting reverse.

 

I think I also remember some issues with unseen rockfall and possible damage to stern gear by hidden hazards, I don't think the navigation restrictions were put into place to favour the horse boat

Pity they dont have nice boats and not a skip with a roof on it

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Hi tree monkey (and everyone)

 

I wasn't thinking that the restrictions were placed specially to favour the horse-boats, but they do mean that there is less conflict over that section over which they operate. It would be drastic to take a section which is generally available for boating, and to then ban all but horse boats, but at least this length is one in which the horse-boats can operate unobstructed. It's an inadvertent solution, although some might dispute the nature of the problem!  

 

Just wondering if people are aware of any other sections (besides Llangollen, Cambridge Backs, isolated bits of the Yorkshire Derwent...?) over which powered navigation is banned?

 

I've found, by coincidence, notes on an oral history interview in which the late Martin Grundy informed me that the Heron went up to the end of the canal when there were just sandbags there (1946), as the Valve house had not been built. It would be very interesting to know when the last boat went up - and when this gravel bank was put in.

 

Stay safe everyone!

 

Joseph 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Joseph said:

Just wondering if people are aware of any other sections (besides Llangollen, Cambridge Backs, isolated bits of the Yorkshire Derwent...?) over which powered navigation is banned?

 

The Cambridge Backs can be navigated by powered craft during the winter months.

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Thanks David

 

i thought as much about the Backs - never seen anything but punts and rowing bats there. I do wonder if this provides a model over very limited stretches - so that the horse-drawn boats would have possession of the section to Llantysilio, but small powered boats allowed up on special occasions? I do think that, while all this could be very difficult, a free-for-all would not work here (or Cambridge) - it would just drive out the horse-drawn boats and punts respectively. Similarly, with great sensitivity, it might be necessary to limit some towpath uses in some places, in the same way as mooring is not permitted in various places. However, I wouldn't like to be the person who organises change in this sort of direction........!  

 

Regards

 

Joseph

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