I need your help

[Dave_P]

My first interaction with this forum was when I was studying for a Master's Degree and was writing my thesis on a canal related topic. I came here to ask forumites to fill in a questionnaire which many of you did.

 

Three years on and I'm (stupidly) doing another postgrad degree. I'll be doing another thesis on a canal theme which you may here more about later. For now I need some information.

 

Could you let me know which specific areas of towpath have been 'upgraded' in the last two years. In my home patch of Birmingham I'm aware of significant upgrades which have occured on many towpaths within the Birmingham City Council area. These have replaced bumpy, muddy towpaths which high quality tarmacced surfaces. I know this has happened elsewhere but I would love to have a list of specific sites.

 

Thanks on advance.

[RLWP]

Have you asked CRT? It's the sort of thing they are likely to have a record of, if only for publicity purposes

 

Richard

[Dave_P]

Have you asked CRT? It's the sort of thing they are likely to have a record of, if only for publicity purposes

 

Richard

I will be asking CRT, sustrans and LAs but I was interested in tapping into the knowledge of forum members initially. There have been many threads on here where people have argued the rights and wrongs of towpath improvements but I suspect some people have given those views without having experienced the relevant areas. Armchair commentators, if you will.

[Idunhoe]

Virtually the whole of the Caldon Canal, Trent and Mersey through Stoke on Trent

[RLWP]

Lapworth flight

 

Richard

[Poster girl]

We stayed at the Froghall end of the Caldon earlier on this year, we walked some of the towpath which indeed was being upgraded at the time.

[Lysander]

Grand Union between Rickmansworth and Watford - https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/towpath-improvements-completed-in-watford

[Dave_P]

Thanks for the replies. Do you know, I went up Lapworth flight last month and didn't realise it was any different to how it had ever been. Has Hatton Flight been tarmacced for a long time?

[RLWP]

It's been done since we started mooring there in 2003 - is that a long time?

 

Richard

[Dave_P]

It's been done since we started mooring there in 2003 - is that a long time?

 

Richard

For my purposes, yes.

[dave moore]

The Stourbridge Arm from the visitor moorings to Wordsley Junction at the bottom of the Stourbridge 16. I understand that further work is planned along the towpath adjacent to the flight. The gravelled paths that pre-dated them were a source of plenty of umpnwanted footprints!

 

Dave

[Rob-M]

All along the Caen Hill flight, it certainly wasn't the current surface when I walked along there in the 80's. No idea though when it was upgraded to race track condition.

Most of the canals around Birmingham now seem to have a hard surface, last sections I've seen being worked on were the Worcester Birmingham and along through Bordesley Junction to Salford Junction.

[keble]

Cotswold canals (phase 1a of the restoration, between Stonehouse and Brimscombe)

[BruceinSanity]

Meaford to Barlaston on the T&M has been upgraded without being tarmacked.

[junior]

Caldon is still being done. They were on the section next to Hazelhurst Locks when i was there last week.

[David Mack]

Not the clearest of images, but here is a plan of the upgrading of the L&L towpath between Shipley and Kirkstall.

 

 

From the City Connect Blog (post dated 17 September).

[Ally]

Junction lock to watermead on the wreake/soar. It's officially a national cycle path now I believe.

[NickF]

Portland basin on the Ashton as far as I think at least the top of ashton Locks

[steven wilkinson]

Not the clearest of images, but here is a plan of the upgrading of the L&L towpath between Shipley and Kirkstall.

 

 

From the City Connect Blog (post dated 17 September).

I would expect that this sort of drawing be available for every section, if you can find them!

[Rob-M]

This is a link to the Sustrans map (http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map?lat=56.54737192673878&lng=-3.142090281250036&zoom=5&route-type=all-routes&filters=) which if you zoom in you can see the paths that run along canal routes so are probably upgraded tow paths.

[Mac of Cygnet]

You can get your kicks on Route 66!

[Dave_P]

Thanks for all your input everyone.