Do horses use your towpaths

[seaandland]

Ive not seen any on the Caldon for years, just wandering what the public think about having horses on the towpaths, also a major problem for fishing matches i suspect.

[Supermalc]

Not exactly the towpath John, but the old railwayline that runs alongside the Witham has now been opened for the majority of the distance from Lincoln to Boston. This is for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. So it wouldn't be inconceivable to tow a boat from there. Trees along the bank would be a major obstacle however, which would involve quite a lot of manpower and tying, untying etc.

 

But it would be possible for some of it, and a great photo opportunity.

 

In fact you've given me a great idea for a short video next year

Edited January 3, 2008 by Supermalc

[DHutch]

I would (infact, actually do) actively encourage and support horse boating, and maintaining tow paths in a way that allows and supports this. However i think it would be a mistake to open the towpath to any public horse riding, with possible exceptions to very rural and lightly used sections.

 

 

Daniel

[Tim Lewis]

Ive not seen any on the Caldon for years, just wandering what the public think about having horses on the towpaths, also a major problem for fishing matches i suspect.

 

I was under the impression that horses were banned on towpaths (Except where they are not!) but having had a quick look through the BW by-laws I can see no reference to this.

 

Tim

[MartinClark]

I was under the impression that horses were banned on towpaths (Except where they are not!) but having had a quick look through the BW by-laws I can see no reference to this.

This question seems to keep popping up here, so I'd better clarify it!

 

Horse-riding is banned on towpaths. The only exception is on those sections of towpath which are also classified as bridle ways.

 

Horses are allowed on towpaths, but only for the purposes of horsedrawn boating. Horsedrawn journeys take place only with the approval of the local waterways area management. (So, when Sue Day took a horsedrawn boat from Manchester to London in 2000, she had to obtain consent from each BW area she passed through.

 

Most horse-drawn operations are trip boats operating up and down the same stretch, so they have long-term permission for that.

[AMModels]

I was asked along with my grandad to do a horse drawn journey from Birmingham to London back in 94, my daughter was just about to be born so I couldnt do it. Was supposed to be a video/tv programme recorded about it but I never saw anything come of it with another person boating.

[Tim Lewis]

This question seems to keep popping up here, so I'd better clarify it!

 

Horse-riding is banned on towpaths. The only exception is on those sections of towpath which are also classified as bridle ways.

 

Horses are allowed on towpaths, but only for the purposes of horsedrawn boating. Horsedrawn journeys take place only with the approval of the local waterways area management. (So, when Sue Day took a horsedrawn boat from Manchester to London in 2000, she had to obtain consent from each BW area she passed through.

 

Most horse-drawn operations are trip boats operating up and down the same stretch, so they have long-term permission for that.

 

Thanks for the claification which is as I understood it but am still intruiged as to where this is written down, I looked at the BW by-laws (which took some finding, eventully found a copy at http://www.hnboc.org.uk - downloads page) and can find no reference to a ban on horse riding on the towpath - only scanned them though.

 

Tim

[howardang]

The horse boating society is still going strong so you may get more information on their web site at:

 

http://www.horseboating.org.uk/

 

Howard Anguish

[Janet S]

I'd much rather have a competent horse rider on the canal bank when I'm fishing than some of the inconsiderate and and rather dangerous cyclists I see, who come hurtling along with no thought for anyone or anything...and don't get me started on those muppets with the mini motorbikes!

 

I'm in favour of the canal banks being open to all, provided everyone uses them with care and consideration for other users.

 

Janet

[owen]

I'd much rather have a competent horse rider on the canal bank when I'm fishing than some of the inconsiderate and and rather dangerous cyclists I see, who come hurtling along with no thought for anyone or anything...and don't get me started on those muppets with the mini motorbikes!

 

I'm in favour of the canal banks being open to all, provided everyone uses them with care and consideration for other users.

 

Janet

hear hear

[Keeping Up]

[magpie patrick]

Horse riding, cycling and even walking don't need to be specifically banned as, with a few exceptions, towpaths are not public rights of way and everyone on them is there with the permission of the owner (BW) rather than as of right. Most canals included a clause in their enabling legislation that prevented the towpath from becoming a right of way. In this way closure for maintenance is easier and "undesirables" can be excluded by simply advising them they are not welcome. Curiosuly, when a canal was abandoned, the enabling legislation was repealed and with it the clause protecting the towpath: for that reason the towpath on many abandoned canals has become a right of way.

 

One problem with bridleways is that no class of horserider can be excluded: some local authorities preferred to make their old railway lines into permissive horse routes for this reason, as they didn't want the local hunt using them as shortcuts.

[magnetman]

So when a new tarmac surface is laid, with the help of Sustrans, along the towpath between Leighton Buzzard and MK is that still a route where BW could disallow cyclists? I can't see how they could do that if the funding for the road (it is a road, effectively) was from other organisations as it appears to be a partnership.

[magpie patrick]

So when a new tarmac surface is laid, with the help of Sustrans, along the towpath between Leighton Buzzard and MK is that still a route where BW could disallow cyclists? I can't see how they could do that if the funding for the road (it is a road, effectively) was from other organisations as it appears to be a partnership.

 

No: they couldn't generally ban cycling in those circumstances, and this is where the "few exceptions" comes in. For example, the towpath of much of the peak forest canal is a public footpath because Cheshire County Council insisted on it when funding repairs to Marple Aqueduct in the 1960's.

 

Where the towpath becomes part of, say, a SUSTRANS cycle route then BW will agree a level of service: it's still likely to take the form a of a general permission rather than a right of way but BW will agree to allow general use. This actually applies on most disused railway routes as well. BW have to be "reasonable" in any closure but the advantages of making these rutes permissive rather than a right of way is that, should temporary closure be necessary, they don't need all the legal stuff to do it and, should maintenance funding not be forthcoming in future (these agreements will have a lifespan of between five and fifty years) BW can just close the towpath again.

[MartinClark]

Thanks for the claification which is as I understood it but am still intruiged as to where this is written down, I looked at the BW by-laws (which took some finding, eventully found a copy at http://www.hnboc.org.uk - downloads page) and can find no reference to a ban on horse riding on the towpath - only scanned them though.

One good reason for not allowing horse riding on canal towpaths is that most bridges over canals were not built high enough for riders mounted on horses to pass beneath.

 

They were, after all, only built to be high enough for horses to walk under without a rider.