- 17 hours ago
Canal Boat Diaries - Season 7 Episode 1 - Llangollen to Crickheath
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00:10My name's Robbie Cumming. That's me crossing a wonder of the waterways.
00:16It's a sheer drop. This is incredible. I'm almost speechless. It's a good job I've got a head for heights.
00:22And this is my old narrowboat, the Naughty Lass. For over a decade I've been exploring Britain's rivers and canals.
00:31Camera in hand, filming every bump, scrape and tricky situation. And there's been a fair few over the years.
00:45Yeah, nothing I could do but just watch my camera just go straight into the canal.
00:51This time I've headed west to discover the waterways of Wales and the Welsh marches.
00:59I start in the town of Llangollen. I'll cross the historic Ponticathfty Aqueduct before travelling through Chirk Tunnel.
01:08At Frankton Junction I join the Montgomery Canal and make my way to Journey's End, the village of Crick Heath
01:16in Shropshire.
01:17It's around 23 miles in all. There'll be plenty to see. So jump on board for my canal boat diaries.
01:50I'm just about to set off on another epic adventure all the way across the waterways of Britain.
01:56And this time I am in a different part of the UK. I'm in Wales.
02:01I normally start my adventures off in England and I normally start them by simply pressing the engine on button
02:08and just getting cranking.
02:10But this time I just need a few supplies and maybe something special for lunch.
02:17But yeah, follow me and we'll have a little look around.
02:23It's funny, I've been putting off exploring this canal for about ten years because I know how popular it can
02:29be and it's looking busy already.
02:33That'll be me later. I'll just know it.
02:36Llangollen is a tourist town.
02:42And I'm after some local grub to take on my travels.
02:48I've heard about Oggies, which are like Cornish pasties and were once eaten around here by Welsh miners.
02:56Mine is filled with lamb, leek and potato.
02:59OK, thank you.
03:01Right, I've got what I need for my lunch.
03:03Let's get the show on the road.
03:06Or canal. Yeah, canal.
03:22This journey is going to have it all.
03:25Aqueducts, tunnels, lift bridges, locks, the lot.
03:29And I also get to explore canals I've never been on before, which is always a plus considering how long
03:35I've been doing this.
03:35Over ten years, moving around the system.
03:39I've got a rough plan.
03:40I've got the route.
03:42But if it's actually going to work out the way I planned it to, I don't know.
03:48Right, my first job is to reverse out into the middle of this basin.
03:53Turn around so I'm facing the right way, which is that way.
04:01I know I might oversell the drama sometimes on this programme, but we are about to head into part of
04:07the canal where it's single file, so if I don't time this right, I will have to reverse back a
04:12long way against the flow of the water.
04:21That's not something I want to do, so I might actually call in some help.
04:24There's a local chap who's actually got a really interesting take on the construction of this canal.
04:28So I'm hoping to get some info from him, but also, at the same time, get him to run ahead
04:35and see if anything's coming, basically.
04:41When this canal was built in the late 18th century, working narrowboats didn't need to reach the town of Lancochlen.
04:51Instead, this section was designed as a feeder canal to carry river water to supply distant locks.
05:00To keep construction costs down, it was built very narrow.
05:10This guy, Tom, he is a local geologist, so I can't wait to hear what he's got to say about
05:16this local area, specifically about fossils, which I love.
05:20So, yeah, once he's done his first job of walking ahead to find out if any boats are coming, I
05:26can get a chat with him.
05:30Right, I think we're all right to take a small break here so you can tell me about these rocks.
05:35Why is it so special, this area?
05:37Yeah, it's incredible, the story you can tell here. So, obviously, we're next to the canal now. Fresh water running
05:42through here, right?
05:44420 million years ago, we were the bottom of an ocean.
05:46Well, what I really want to know is, what fossils have you got? Let's have a look.
05:51So, this is one of my favourites. It's a 350 million year old brachiopod.
05:56I found this one not too far from the canal, just up the road here.
05:59It's pretty special stuff. These are the ancient cousins of things like mussels and bivalves that live in the ocean
06:05today.
06:05Do you think the canal engineers who are digging this out, do they have any idea about fossils or what
06:11they were finding?
06:12You know what? Probably not, right? Because they would have found these things, oh, it's quite cool.
06:16But they wouldn't have the understanding that we do today because geology is a new science, right?
06:20So, they wouldn't know how old these things were and the story that they could tell us.
06:25Wow.
06:26Right, I think I've been lucky so far anyway. With your help, Tom, thank you.
06:30I'm going to press on ahead and I'll, yeah, see you around. I hope you enjoy fossil hunting.
06:34Thanks, Robbie. Cheers.
06:36Bye-bye.
06:42Well, that was great, that. I've been fascinated by fossils ever since I saw a little boy.
06:47So, to have a part of the canal where you can actually find some, I've been told I can't just
06:51tunnel into this bit and get fresh ones.
06:55I'm going to wait for them to fall down and then it's fair game, apparently.
07:00But, yeah, absolutely brilliant.
07:04Now, though, I'm hoping I'm going to scrape through this narrow bit without meeting any of the boats.
07:15With steep sections running along the edge of a valley, the Klangoklen Canal has a history of leaks and breaches.
07:25Back in the 1940s, disaster struck when the canal collapsed after heavy rainfall, sweeping away a railway track below.
07:38A locomotive operated by the Great Western Railway literally flew across the gap and buried itself into the bank.
07:47Sadly, the driver was killed and others were injured and it took over a week to clear the wreckage.
07:55But just ahead lies a remarkable aqueduct.
08:00A must-see for a narrowboater like me.
08:07The thing I'm about to tackle in a minute is something that I have been looking forward to for years.
08:12It's one of the seven wonders of the waterways.
08:16There's Anderton boat lift, the Cain Hill flight in Devizes.
08:20There's a Bingley Five rise.
08:23But this one, well, yes.
08:25I'm just thinking, do I do it now or do I save it for tomorrow morning?
08:30Well, I've done quite well so far avoiding other boats.
08:34So this might be a really good time as the sun's going down maybe.
08:38We'll see.
08:58Now, thankfully, I do like heights. I've done bungee jumps before.
09:03I've done it all day.
09:06I've never been on my boat.
09:09I've been on my boat over an aqueduct that's this high with very little in the way of health and
09:15safety on this side.
09:16Check this out.
09:19It's a sheer drop.
09:26I could see exactly why this is one of the most popular canals in the world.
09:31It's the views, the valleys that you're crossing through, the unique engineering structures that just blow your mind just looking
09:40at them.
09:44What can I say about it? At the moment, I'm just looking down at the River Dee that's flowing, glistening
09:50underneath.
09:53I'm almost speechless. This is incredible.
10:01Opening after a decade of planning, construction and testing, this aqueduct spanning the River Dee Valley was originally built to
10:11transport minerals and materials from local quarries and mines to fuel Britain's heavy industry.
10:21I was going to go through another lift bridge, but I'm just going to moor up. I haven't had my
10:26oggy yet. I'm hungry. And yeah, that aqueduct, just about enough excitement for me today. I need to come down.
11:06I've got the unique sensation of feeling absolutely exhausted, but still wired, possibly from yesterday's exhilarating adventures.
11:20I've also got a vent in my roof that if I don't cover it up, it lets the sunlight in
11:24at about half past four in the morning.
11:26So that's been sort of waking my eyes up. I can't shut them again. And yeah, I've just been lying
11:33here trying to get back to sleep.
11:35So I'm just going to have to get up.
11:55It's going to be slightly different today. It is a Saturday. So I've got a lot more activity going on
12:00here. I've got the first corner before I tackle a lift bridge.
12:05I've got another obstacle, and that is these little kayakers, possibly on their way to cross over the aqueducts.
12:21I get asked a lot by other boaters, where are you going to next? Where are you headed to? Well,
12:25this time...
12:26Thank you. Cheers.
12:27I'm headed across the northwest from Wales, Manchester area, and into Yorkshire again.
12:34But from these boaters, all I'm hearing is, oh, no, you're not going to get there, because that's broken, and
12:39this is shut.
12:40But this canal's not got enough water in it. So yeah, you never know. Last year, I wanted to go
12:46to Bristol.
12:47I wanted to go on the Kennet and Avon Canal, but that was sadly closed when I got there.
12:51So you just never know what's going to happen. I've got a rough plan. I've got the route.
12:56But if it's actually going to work out the way I planned it to, I don't know.
13:07Right, that's the lift bridge back in place.
13:10Now it's off on my travels. I've got loads to show you today.
13:19It's a rainy morning in Wales, but I'm continuing on my way.
13:24And it's here the canal engineers cut through an ancient man-made earthwork.
13:37I'm just about to pass something that was created in the 8th century by an Anglo-Saxon king called Offa.
13:44This is Offa's Dyke. It's a pathway now, but there are many theories of how it was made and what
13:51it was made for.
13:52Was it a border between Offa's kingdom and the Welsh princes?
13:58Was it a trade barrier? Or was it just a display of power? We don't know.
14:20It's about to go into the first tunnel on my trip. Normally very, very exciting.
14:25However, I've just spotted on the sign an ominous warning against spiders.
14:32As far as I know, there aren't too many venomous spiders in the UK.
14:38But I have heard some people are too scared to go through this tunnel because of spiders.
14:43I'm absolutely fine. I can do this.
14:47It's just the unpredictable nature when they sort of suddenly drop down.
14:53In fact, the other night, in bed, I had a big house spider just jump on my back in the
14:58middle of the night.
14:59It did wake me up.
15:00But, yeah, oh, yeah, I'm seeing a few spiders already.
15:04It's impossible to see on my camera tiny little specks.
15:10During the golden age of canal building,
15:14civil engineer Thomas Telford travelled across Britain
15:17overseeing numerous projects like this one.
15:23But his skills weren't limited to waterways.
15:27Years later, he also surveyed the route of the A5,
15:32the London to Hollyhead Trunk Road,
15:35which now runs above his canal tunnel.
15:48Where I'm going next is fairly remote.
15:50No shops and certainly nowhere to empty my toilet,
15:55which is getting a little bit full.
15:57So what I'm going to try and do is pop into the marina
16:01that's right alongside me here
16:04and see if they can squeeze me in for a pump out.
16:09They do look incredibly busy.
16:11I think it's changeover day for their hire boat fleet.
16:20When I called in on Chirk Marina,
16:23I was fully aware that their main business,
16:25especially in summer, seems to be hire boats.
16:28And sure enough, as soon as I arrived, they were all lined up.
16:32It was changeover day.
16:34I arrived at the worst possible time.
16:40Yeah, let's do it.
16:44Now, if you've seen this before, certainly me doing this job before,
16:49you'll know that there is a slight risk of certain liquids spilling out
16:54or exploding all over the place because of all the suction and everything.
16:59Yeah, I always keep a little safe distance.
17:06I must be the only person in the world
17:08filming themselves emptying their toilet and TV.
17:18Right, thanks so much, mate. That's brilliant.
17:20You're welcome. Thank you.
17:22That was like a military operation.
17:25Pit stop.
17:27Pit stop, pump out.
17:35It's time to crack on with my journey
17:37as I've got two more miles to cover
17:40to get to tonight's mooring.
17:44Right, with the marina behind me now,
17:46I've got a couple more sites to show you.
17:48I've actually saved the best till last on this one.
17:51I've got a tunnel and an aqueduct coming up,
17:55which I think you'll like.
18:03I've seen some pretty bizarre things on boats over the years.
18:07Especially on higher boats.
18:08I've seen people have barbecues,
18:10obviously, at the side of the canal.
18:12Lovely, very, very nice.
18:14But not on top of your boat
18:16whilst you're between two tunnels.
18:20I've just seen a boat literally just come out of one
18:22and they're about to go into another.
18:25I'm glad I'm not following them.
18:27That's all I'm saying.
18:39I'm about to enter Chirk Tunnel,
18:41one of the first canal tunnels,
18:43and possibly the first to include a towpath
18:46so that horses could pull boats through.
18:51Earlier tunnels were smaller and cheaper to build,
18:54but without towpaths, horses had to be led over the top.
18:59While crews used a tough method called legging,
19:03lying on the boat's roof
19:04and pushing along the walls with their legs.
19:08In fact, this physically demanding process
19:12is thought to be the origin of the term legging it.
19:18Right, I've just left the tunnel behind me
19:20and immediately I'm onto this aqueduct,
19:23running side by side.
19:25Chirk Viaduct is there.
19:26Yeah, that was built 15 years afterwards.
19:29But I tell you what,
19:31as border crossings go,
19:33we're going from Wales into England,
19:35it doesn't get better than this.
19:48The train had just gone over the viaduct.
19:51It's all happening.
19:52Lots of people watching me crash into the side.
19:57It's hard to say which is more impressive,
20:00the landscape where I am on the England-Wales border
20:04or the engineering that's been put in place
20:06to help me traverse it.
20:10The aqueducts particularly,
20:12but also the tunnels,
20:14just allows the canal to meander through these valleys.
20:18It's just mind-blowing if you really think about it.
20:35Right, after all that excitement, I am going to find a mooring now.
20:46There we go, that's a mooring spot there for me.
20:50On Chirk Bank, right on the border of England and Wales.
20:55It also happens to be next to a pub.
21:10It's quite an impressive sounding storm that's kicking off today.
21:14I think I will probably be spending most of it inside.
21:18And maybe peeking out the windows to have a look.
21:21But yeah, it's just started raining.
21:22So today is going to be a rain day.
21:26But I've got a few jobs to get on with.
21:28So I won't be bored.
21:34Now when I first bought my boat,
21:36it did come with a load of old brass plaques.
21:39And I thought,
21:41that is sad.
21:43I just couldn't envisage myself ever being interested in
21:47showing how many canals I've been on.
21:50Fast forward 10 years and I've become a collector.
21:54And if I see an old one specifically,
21:57especially one that I've been along,
21:58I will nab that.
22:01They seem to be really rare nowadays,
22:02the old style ones.
22:04You can buy them new,
22:05but they do cost a fair bit.
22:07So it is quite an expensive hobby.
22:11Quite an old one that.
22:13It's got a price tag on the back that says £5, 5p.
22:17Be at least double that now.
22:21It's an antique.
22:28Got one side that's all canals.
22:34And then just started a new panel
22:37that's just going to be things like lock flights
22:40and other notable engineering feats
22:43that I pass through along the way.
22:46Yeah, looking good.
23:06Right, the weather's looking a little bit better today.
23:09And I have got to move because tomorrow
23:11I am booked in on a certain flight of locks
23:15where I've got to be there at a certain time as well.
23:19But yeah, that looks much better.
23:23Perfect weather for moving the boat.
23:32I'm travelling along the Clangochland Canal,
23:35a 46-mile waterway
23:37that winds its way between Wales and England.
23:41Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
23:44It's one of the most popular canals
23:47for both boaters and tourists.
23:50In fact, it's busier now than it ever was when it carried cargo.
23:58Today's journey is about seven miles and a couple of locks.
24:02So not too many in the way of...
24:04No.
24:06You're telling me to go that way, I'll go that way.
24:09I think there's going to be a crash here.
24:14No, we're professionals.
24:15We've avoided it.
24:19Look at that.
24:21We've been doing this a while, haven't we?
24:22We know what we're doing.
24:27Oh, we have had a bit of a crash.
24:29Sorry about that.
24:30That's because you were reversing there.
24:35Yeah, there are a few obstacles on this canal.
24:40This is a slightly low bridge.
24:44We've got a slightly narrow canal
24:47and some slightly unpredictable boats
24:50that I keep coming across.
24:58I do wonder how much longer can the Nautilus
25:02keep cranking it round the system.
25:05And in terms of the hull, it was quite interesting.
25:08Ten years ago, I had it over-plated as part of the buying process
25:12and they said,
25:14oh, you've got another 20 years at least on that
25:16when they were putting the extra layer of steel on the bottom.
25:19So, yeah, I've got another ten years from now
25:22before any serious problems in that regard.
25:27Right, I'm just approaching my first lock of this trip.
25:31I've been on the canal four days and this is the first one.
25:35Always exciting for me because I just love going through the locks.
25:39But we're also approaching a lock house, a really quite remote one.
25:56Back in the 18th century, there were a lot of jobs associated with the canal,
26:00whether you were a maintenance person or a wharf manager or a lock keeper.
26:07And although the job didn't really pay that much, the main perk, which would be a massive one today,
26:14is that you got your own house.
26:17You didn't own it, but you're allowed to live in it.
26:20You might have noticed that the lock was already open for me and that's down to you, isn't it?
26:24Yeah.
26:24What's your name? Arwell.
26:26I think you're the first Welsh person I've spoken to on this trip.
26:29Well, I'm surprised because there's plenty of us bobbing up and down.
26:32And we're in England on this part here.
26:34Only just, yeah, yeah.
26:35So, are you heading home or...?
26:37Yes, we picked up the boat the other day, headed down to Ellesmere and now we're heading back into North
26:42Wales.
26:43Nice, and that's where you live?
26:44Yeah, yeah.
26:45Well, I've got to tell you, I had a bit of trouble pronouncing the aqueduct at the end.
26:50Come on, you can do it. Say it.
26:53Fron Cysyllte.
26:55Fron Cysyllte.
26:57Fron Cysyllte.
26:58Fron Cysyllte.
26:58That's pretty good, to be fair.
26:59Yeah, yeah.
27:00You got your in quite well.
27:02Yeah, I need a bit more practice.
27:03Yeah, yeah.
27:04Llangollen.
27:05That's all right.
27:06That's pretty good as well, yeah.
27:07But yeah, the other one, yeah, I need work on.
27:10I'm going to leave you to get back to your hire boat.
27:12It's just me doing the lock, so if you want to help me fancy that.
27:15Yeah, I'll give you a hand now, yeah, no problem at all.
27:16That'd be brilliant.
27:17Let's see if we can get it through without sinking your boat.
27:19Yeah.
27:20Loving this shirt, by the way.
27:26It's not just the pronunciation of the aqueduct at the start of my journey that confused me.
27:32It's the name itself.
27:37While Arwell and some locals call it Vron Cysyllte, it's more generally known as Pod Cysyllte,
27:45as the name you use sometimes depends on which side of the valley you're from.
27:55All right, Arwell.
27:56Cheers for that mate.
27:58Nice to have a bit of help.
28:01Help, not just with the lock, but with my pronunciation.
28:06I'll get it one day.
28:13From here at New Martin Locks, I've got about 11 miles to go.
28:18At Frankton Junction, I'll leave the Llangollen Canal and join the Montgomery and make my way to Crickheath.
28:36Right, I'm just pulling in now because I'm well over halfway on the journey I've got to do today before
28:42my lock booking tomorrow morning.
28:45And I thought I just might get my guitar out and just basically have a break.
28:59I love my music. Playing my guitar is one of the things that I do when I've got a little
29:03bit of spare time.
29:05Yeah, if I'm on a journey on the boat and I'm just going to stop for a little while, especially
29:12if it's hot, I want to get in the shade and just sit there for a bit.
29:15And if I'm inspired, I'll pick up my guitar and play all my little tunes.
29:24Since my engine has cooled after working hard, I figured I'd give the naughty lass a quick drink, top her
29:30up with oil before I carry on.
29:44Right, I'm on my way again now. That was just nice to have a little stop and relax and play
29:50a little guitar.
29:52But I do have to make Frankton Junction for the Montgomery Canal by tomorrow morning.
29:58So, let's crank it.
30:10Nestled beside the canal stands a closed country pub once called the Jack Mitten Inn.
30:18It was named after a Shropshire squire known locally as Mad Jack.
30:26He lived a pretty extravagant lifestyle.
30:29He actually fritted away a fortune of what would be in today's money about 8 million pounds.
30:35Apparently, he loved gambling and he loved pets.
30:40He had lots of dogs, some of which he would feed steak and champagne.
30:44And he had a horse called Baronet who just wandered around his manor, apparently.
30:50So, yeah, pretty rock and roll.
30:59Right, I'm actually coming to the point at which I need to moor up now.
31:03Ready for the locks I've got to go through tomorrow at 9am in the morning.
31:08Sounds very strict, doesn't it?
31:09Well, they only let, apparently, 12 boats through these locks every day.
31:16So, I have had to book ahead and it is just around the corner.
31:21So, I'm going to moor in the shade here.
31:24And just spend the night getting ready for tomorrow.
31:44Just looking in my fridge to see what I'm going to have for dinner tonight.
31:48Lamb steaks and broccoli.
31:51I did go shopping over the border into Wales just yesterday.
31:57I managed to get some local produce.
32:00I got some Welsh cheeses.
32:02I got some Welsh butter.
32:04And I picked up some Welsh beer as well.
32:06So, sorted.
32:29Right, here we go.
32:31I'm on a brand new canal for me.
32:33The Montgomery.
32:34I'm about to go down for some locks.
32:37Some lock keepers waiting.
32:39I'm thinking this is going to be a slightly different vibe to the Klangoklen
32:43because they only allow 12 boats to go through these locks per day.
32:48So, it should be a lot quieter is what I'm thinking.
33:00I just got off my boat here at the staircase locks.
33:03It's right at the top.
33:05Hello, good morning Rob.
33:06Good morning.
33:06Good morning.
33:07What's your name?
33:08I'm Chris, the lock keeper here.
33:09Chris, thanks for getting me through here.
33:11Why is it only 12 boats per day?
33:13Well, it's simply about capacity really.
33:16We have to manage it because of water levels.
33:19The canal can't really deal with more than 12 boats in a day.
33:21It's about this balance between man and nature.
33:25More importantly...
33:25Go on.
33:26You can see a glint in my eye.
33:28Yeah.
33:28I know this boat from about 40 years ago.
33:31Probably more than that.
33:32There's a guy called John South who's a good pal of mine.
33:34He's still a pal of mine.
33:35He's in his early 90s.
33:36And he came to me when I was down at Wixell Marina.
33:39This is now 1972, 1973.
33:41He said, Chris, I want to get into building boats.
33:44There's obviously a market to be had there.
33:45So we went up and down the country all over looking at designs of boats.
33:50And I came up with a design for a bow and a stern and stuff.
33:53And John started to build boats.
33:54And I'm 100% certain this is one of those very early boats.
33:58So, Chris, essentially you designed the Naughty Lass, my boat,
34:02which was known as Northern Star.
34:03Yes.
34:04I designed the bow, the shape and the stern.
34:07So, you know, well done.
34:08I'm glad you're keeping it going.
34:09Whatever you did to design it, I'm really glad of the style and everything.
34:13Because every time I do look at the little lines,
34:16the way that the weld sort of curves over and everything,
34:19it's just quality.
34:20And Chris, I'm absolutely thrilled to meet you as the designer of my boat.
34:24This is just so random.
34:26Well, let's just get you down the locks.
34:27Yeah, let's do it.
34:28It's nice to have the old boat going through the old locks
34:29and to put it all back together again.
34:32Fantastic.
34:32OK.
34:42I wasn't expecting my chat with the lock keeper to go the way it did.
34:47He had a part in the building of my boat.
34:50He helped design it with John South,
34:53who is the name I've got on the plaque.
34:56But he was saying the way that they built it
34:58was based on traditional techniques.
35:00And I've always believed that the boat was built on the River Severn somewhere.
35:05But to hear it was actually built in Shrewsbury,
35:08that is a completely new one on me.
35:10So, yeah.
35:12Invaluable talking to Chris there.
35:15Cheers, guys.
35:16Thanks.
35:30I'm just taking a turning off the canal now, so I can use the facilities here.
35:35It's few and far between on this canal.
35:39This arm of the canal looks very short.
35:41It's only about 150 yards long.
35:44It used to go halfway to Shrewsbury, but yeah, this is all that's left of it.
35:48And you know me, I can't resist.
35:51I can see an arm of the canal unexplored.
35:55I've got to go down there.
36:02The western branch of the Montgomery Canal was abandoned back in the 1920s,
36:08after a breach which was deemed too costly to repair.
36:13Today, little remains of this historic waterway.
36:17I think that's pretty cool.
36:19And if I had time, I would love to explore that on foot.
36:23But I've got to get my rubbish away.
36:25Carry on the journey.
36:33Right, so obviously this is a dead end.
36:35The only way out is the reverse.
36:49At this point in my canal boat career, I think I must have done about 80% of the connected
36:55canals in England and in Wales now.
36:59And it's getting rarer and rarer.
37:01And that feeling of exploring a different waterway that I haven't been on before.
37:06So I'm definitely going to cherish this, this little journey, however far I might get along it.
37:19Originally constructed to transport limestone, timber and slate,
37:25narrowboats on the Montgomery also carried passengers.
37:29And this building was once a bustling passenger terminal.
37:37And it seems today, it's still a busy spot.
37:45I'm getting stuck here.
37:46I'm just going to have to wait for this boat to pass me.
37:49Are you stuck yourselves?
37:52We're all right, Pear.
37:53We're both stuck on this narrow, shallow canal.
37:57But there is a little problem here.
38:01I might have to reverse all the way back.
38:02They're not going to be able to pass me there either.
38:06This is a situation.
38:07Right, I need to work this out.
38:09Well, I can go backwards, at least.
38:15That's it, they're away.
38:18Got to stick to the middle on this canal.
38:20That's the advice I've been given.
38:25Pretty soon I'll be mooring up anyway for tonight.
38:29It's close to a pub, so that's the best news I've heard all day.
38:39Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
38:42Oh.
38:44There is another one.
38:45I've got another option.
38:47But, it's a shame.
38:49Because that one was just basically two minutes from where I moored.
38:52I've got about a mile to walk now.
39:17I've got about a mile to walk now.
39:24It's the last day of my little trip here.
39:27I will reach the end of the Montgomery Canal today.
39:30Or at least the end of what is currently navigable.
39:34And I'm going to hopefully find out more later on.
39:37See what state the restoration is in.
39:40But also, I'll have to turn around at the end and then come all the way back again.
39:44I'm ready for the next part of my adventure.
39:51Right, first luck of the day for me.
39:53And this time, I get to do it myself, which I'm very happy about.
40:07The Montgomery Canal is a dead end.
40:11It once ran for about 35 miles.
40:16But today, my journey ends at Crigheath Basin in Shropshire.
40:24I'm exploring about eight navigable miles.
40:26However, restoration work continues on the sections that have been lost.
40:43My final obstacle, I think, on this little journey, is this lift bridge ahead of me.
40:49But there's a guy wearing a high-vis standing next to it,
40:51so I don't know if that's a good or bad sign yet.
40:55Let's find out.
40:57Hello.
40:58Robbie, nice to meet you.
40:59Oh, are you expecting me?
41:00Well, yeah, I'm Tom, the restoration project manager for the Shropshune and Canal Society.
41:05Word was out you were coming down the Monte.
41:07Oh, blimey.
41:08Well, do you know what?
41:09I'm just glad that you're not here to tell me this bridge is closed, or are you?
41:13No, no, no. The bridge is still working fine.
41:15No, I'm out today. We've got a work party next week, so I'm doing some prep work for that.
41:21Tom, am I right in thinking that I've just got one mile to go now and that's the end of
41:25my journey?
41:25That's right. Another mile, that'll get you to Crigheath where you can turn the boat around.
41:30Beyond that, that's where the volunteers are working to restore the channel.
41:34Got you. So there is work to be done and a longer journey the next time I come, hopefully.
41:38Oh, definitely. Yeah.
41:40Right. Okay, cool.
41:42Over the years, Tom and local volunteers have restored about two miles of the Montgomery Canal in Shropshire.
41:51And their work continues.
41:53I've just spied that this lift bridge is going to give me a little bit of a problem because I
41:58can't operate it on that side and get my boat in.
42:00Would you be able to do the honours?
42:01Of course I can.
42:02Yeah, yeah, yeah. No problem.
42:04Give me your windlass.
42:05There we are. There's the windlass.
42:06I'll see you in a bit. Brilliant.
42:17Tell you what, Tom turned up at the best time here.
42:21I don't know how I would get through this bridge without him.
42:24It would be a bit tripping.
42:35Thank you, Robbie.
42:36Have a great trip.
42:38Cheers.
42:49Right.
42:50This is it for me. I have to turn round at the end of this canal. The plans are to
42:55extend it, but for me, this is it. It's been an incredible journey. So much has happened in such a
43:03short space of time. 23 miles, 10 locks. And we've been able to do it.
43:08We've had amazing aqueducts, tunnels. I've even met the guy that helped design my boat. That was really unexpected. But
43:19here I am. I've explored yet another canal that was new to me. And I've got a mooring right here.
43:25Ready for the next journey.
43:28See you then.
43:29See you then.
43:56You
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