lowest bridge/tunnel on the system

[johnmck]

Broadford bridge on the Wey was a little tight for us. Just got under after filling the water tank to its brim and with Ali sitting on the bow locker! Luckily, the river was low when we did it last summer.

 

Some pictures here. http://nb-triskaideka.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wey-downfrom-godalming.html

Edited May 23, 2014 by johnmck

[dave moore]

The bridge at the end of the Bumblehole Arm at Windmill End is, I think, the lowest on the BCN. The only time I see boats on the other side of it is at the Black Country Boating Festival in September. Harris brothers had their yard at the other end, it's where my boating career started.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Mac of Cygnet]

As no-one seems to have mentioned it, and it's the only one the front of the boat has actually hit (with chimney removed), then one of the bridges in Slaithwaite town centre (HNC) is the lowest I've (eventually) managed to get under, after letting water out of the pound. And that includes all of those mentioned in this thread except Froghall and the Birmingham canals.

[matty40s]

Broadford bridge on the Wey was a little tight for us. Just got under after filling the water tank to its brim and with Ali sitting on the bow locker! Luckily, the river was low when we did it last summer.

 

Some pictures here. http://nb-triskaideka.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wey-downfrom-godalming.html

you mean the pram cover had to come down????

 

 

 

 

This was the lowest one on the Stort, about an inch lower than the rail bridge which cleared the solar lights from the planters!!

The last one in Hertford is also very low.

[pearley]

The tunnel in the Ashted flight can be very low if you've just emptied the lock above and haven't waited for the water go drop by filling the lock below.

[Athy]

Are there any candidates for the highest overbridge?

[b0atman]

Highest tunnel Bruce tunnel K&A (still with a top on)

[matty40s]

Are there any candidates for the highest overbridge?

 

 

courtesy of Keeping Up..

 

 

 

Highest tunnel Bruce tunnel K&A (still with a top on)

standedge....

[bizzard]

you mean the pram cover had to come down????

 

 

 

 

This was the lowest one on the Stort, about an inch lower than the rail bridge which cleared the solar lights from the planters!!

The last one in Hertford is also very low.

That is Spelbrook lock road bridge.

[Top cat]

The bridges at Outwell and Upwell on the middle levels are pretty low I think they are about 6' depending on water levels. The bridge at Salters lode lock ain't much higher but you are stationary in the lock and rise to meet it, again depending on water levels.

 

TC

[homer2911]

There is one lock footbridge on the Stratford on Avon flight where our plant pots had to come down - just the one lock.

[RLWP]

The footbridge at Rose Narrowboats is quite low

 

Richard

[Athy]

Highest tunnel.

 

 

 

standedge....

Very neat! Yes, highest and tallest are not the same thing. There's a Peak District pub which used to claim that it was the highest inn in England (Cat & Fiddle?) but the building is not tall at all, at all.

 

TC, I think there's one at Nordelph which is a bit lower. But the church bridge at Upwell can catch boaters out, as it is lower at the church end than at the other end.

 

RLWP, very clever!

[bizzard]

Our home made scaffold bridge is sensibly high enough. RLWP should remember the springyness.

[RLWP]

I remember the cat-hole very well

 

Richard

[bizzard]

I remember the cat-hole very well

 

Richard

Yes my cat does sentry duty next to it and attacks any strange cat that tries to enter if they don't know the pass word. The only way I could get on and off Lady O around Christmas time without getting wet was to climb off my roof onto that bridge as the island became flooded.

[WJM]

River Wey, upstream of Guildford - it is a squeeze even when the river is low.

[wreckferret]

Very neat! Yes, highest and tallest are not the same thing. There's a Peak District pub which used to claim that it was the highest inn in England (Cat & Fiddle?) but the building is not tall at all, at all.

 

TC, I think there's one at Nordelph which is a bit lower. But the church bridge at Upwell can catch boaters out, as it is lower at the church end than at the other end.

 

RLWP, very clever!

OT, but the highest pub in England is the "Tan Hill Inn" and it's in the Yorkshire Dales not the Peak District

[Athy]

OT, but the highest pub in England is the "Tan Hill Inn" and it's in the Yorkshire Dales not the Peak District

A bit of research shows that our wrecked rodent friend is correct - the Cat & Fiddle is the second highest.

I am sure that they used to claim to be the highest, but that was when I was a boy, I'm not sure that Yorkshire was yet part of the United Kingdom in those days.

[Quinafloat]

This is the Upwell church bridge which my map tells me has an air draught of 220cm.

 

http://www.ccer.org.uk/cn/cn1211/cn1211._html_m4798e01f.jpg

 

The bridge between Outwell and Nordelph which was originally 210cm was lowered, I heard, by a cement lorry sitting on it, and then raised again, I think a bit higher.

 

Even the lowest bits of the Harecastle have more headroom than Upwell church bridge, I once went through there with the chimney still in position, and another time with 40 bags of coal on the roof.

[Leo No2]

River Wey, upstream of Guildford - it is a squeeze even when the river is low.

 

There are air draft marker posts both above and below the bridge now but it is very deceptive.

 

The other one to watch on the Basingstoke is Farnborough Road which slopes from north to south and from west to east (the lowest point being the non towpath side on the 'downstream' side - it is OK going up the canal but can catch you unawares on the way down as it gets lower and lower as you go and you have to move to the lower side to give yourself room to turn coming out from under the bridge. As others have said Reading Road South (Fleet) is very low and Pondtail Old and New bridges are low and have a kink between the old and new bridges.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Brentford High Street Bridge - at high tide.

[dave moore]

Hi all

 

I mentioned the bridge at the end of the Bumblehole Arm as a lowest contender. I visited yesterday before meeting up with Crane for the BCN challenge. It's Dunns Bridge, I estimate not more than 5' 9" from waterline to bridge.

 

Dave

[magpie patrick]

Perhaps it's just me, but I regard anything over 2 metres (6 foot 6) as luxurious, and don't worry until a bridge is lower than about 5 feet 9, which would have required me to take the tiller pin off Ripple. Even though Lutine has a chimney like vent for her gas boiler, it is nowhere near causing a problem under bridges in Stoke on Trent or Birmingham, although I couldn't have gone through Harecastle with that and the chimney on as they are on opposite sides.

 

Admittedly Lutine's cabin is lower than modern narrowboats and I never tried to take Juno under any low bridges, but as a general rule on most boats the highest bit is the steerer's head, and there aren't many bridges you have to duck for

[Timleech]

New Bridge on the Weaver is not one of the lowest, but is less than 2m at normal river levels, and below that if the river level is up.

It is a swing bridge, but operation has to be booked in advance.

 

Tim