Exeter Canal Trip

[magpie patrick]

Certainly boating - whether its's general or not...

Yesterday I fulfilled an aspiration and sailed the entire length of the Exeter Canal - not sure you could call it an ambition as until a month ago I didn't know it was possible and so had no ambition to do it. We (the Songbird and I) set off at 11am on the Pride of Exmouth, from Exmouth bound for the canal basin in Exeter. The cruise was fascintating - first few pictures below - the course from Exmouth took us along the edge of the sandbar at the mouth of the Exe and close to the Starcross shore, passing between boats on swing moorings with remarkably little room to spare!  We also passed the Starcross Ferry, which had been a major feature of our holiday in Exmouth a month earlier (Exmouth is about 2 hours drive from home, so nice for a holiday but also doable in a day, which was what we did for the boat trip)

The blue cruiser and the dinghy were on our line of travel, they swung in over our wakes as we passed - glad it wasn't me steering!

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by magpie patrick

[magpie patrick]

Then came Turf Lock, the first of two, I've seen the Exeter canal many times but never seen a boat travel along it, so to see the lock work was a novelty. Turf Lock was opened as part of the extension in 1827 (there'll be a history post in due course. Despite their size the locks are basically hand operated - the gates at Turf electric but the paddles are not. The crane alongside os for lowering the masts of vessels going beyond the M5 bridge.

Roughly the same margin on the other side - Pride of Exmouth is "Exeter Max"

 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by magpie patrick

[magpie patrick]

Then a swing bridge, Topsham side lock (disused) the M5 Crossing and the combined lift and swing bridges at Exe Bridges near Countess Wear - above Topsham the canal follows the original 16th century route and whilst it was enlarged in the 19th century it wasn't straightened. The M5 restricts air draught to 33 feet

Edited July 3, 2021 by magpie patrick

[magpie patrick]

Then double locks - despite the name just one lock, but huge and manually operated, lift of about 6 feet - more on this lock later

[magpie patrick]

And finally, onto Exeter Basin - we met another boat here, a trip boat that goes as far as Double Locks, the canal looks wide from the towpath but isn't! I doubt the Pride of Exmouth could have passed itself coming the other way. Also, the van the followed us up with the bridge and lock crew. 

I think the tickets for one way cost £11 per person, we had lunch at the basin and caught the train back, the boat disgorged the one-way passengers such as us, took on a new complement going the other way whilst some (although not many) had booked return. We will go back and do the trip the other way sometime soon. They do this trip about six times each summer - the tide times need to be right at Turf to do the trip both ways on one day. Stuart Line run the trips, I really can recommend it, one of the best day's canal bashing for a long time   

[Nightwatch]

Excellent batch of photos.

[Idle Days]

Thanks for this post, very interesting, particularly as we lived in Countess Wear in the mid-70's. 

[GUMPY]

Just amazing, didnt know they did this, its now on my list of things to do.

 

[Stilllearning]

The Double Locks pub is still pretty good as well, though a sanitised version of what it was like 25 years ago.

[gatekrash]

We often (pre lockdown rubbish) used to do the walk up from Powderham in an afternoon, pint of Otter at the turf lock Inn then across the Topsham foot ferry, something to eat in Topsham and a bit of a walk, then home again later in the evening.

 

Must do it again soon !

[Great Plum]

Fantastic! I was at uni at Exeter from 99-03 and whilst I canoed from Exeter to the double locks once and frequently “enjoyed” the Double Locks pub, I had never seen a boat go up and down the canal! 
 

there used to be a pub by the canal basin in Exeter called the Welcome Inn that was still gaslit when I was at uni - run by an old woman who tolerated us students - it was ridiculously cheap!

[restlessnomad]

Thanks for sharing pics...