What's happening ? 

May saw the launch of ‘Staffordshire Canals Campaign’, one of those attempts to integrate the canal network into the plethora of other tourism and leisure related activities and sites in the county, and indeed to provide links between such sites. Staffordshire is apparently the shire county with the most miles of canals in the country and it was close to the junction of two of the foremost, the Trent & Mersey and the Caldon that the launch was made, at Etruria Industrial Museum.

The actual ‘product’ is a folded A2-to-A5 leaflet entitled Staffordshire – the canal county, which on one side features a map showing the geographical relationship between the canals and other attractions, many of the latter featuring in small boxes opposite. On the other side of the leaflet are details of waterway-related activities (including walking). At the launch event, the County Council’s Economic & Tourism Officer Roger Bradshaw gave a summary of the non-waterway attractions in Staffordshire and the need to create a ‘sense of place’ with signage and interpretation encouraging visitors to stay longer in the area and explore.

The Somerset Canals’ Advisory Committee is commissioning an audit examining the feasibility of long distance walkway and cycle routes along the Chard Canal. Sustrans have already put a route close to the canal line between Chard and Ilminster and one assumes that Sustrans are involved in the Committee’s deliberations. Given that little of the canal route can be walked at the present time, even new multi-user routes must be welcomed. Such a route would doubtless be welcomed by the excellent Canal Inn at Wrantage, close to the abutments of a long-since demolished aqueduct.  A recent visit showed it to be an excellent establishment for both beer and fresh fish which it serves in abundance in both restaurant and bar

It is over a year since Longhorse Bridge across the River Trent at the bottom of the Trent & Mersey Canal was destroyed after BW claimed it was unsafe. There are still there are ‘temporary closure’ notices being put up, presumably on a rolling basis, implicitly promising a replacement in due course.  The footbridge, built in concrete in 1932 and bearing the Trent Navigation Company’s initials, carried a right of way over the river opposite the mouth of the Derwent, linking the T&M towpath with the river path on the Trent as it heads east below the M1 towards the Erewash and Soar. On the far side of the bridge from the canal (and therefore now inaccessible) another right of way followed the Trent upstream back to Shardlow, thereby offering opportunities for circular walks.

Now all you are faced with is a mile-plus long walk out of Shardlow, a view of ripped-up concrete, and a return trip the same way. 

The continued inactivity and almost insulting ‘temporary closure’ notices is an indication of British Waterways’ gradual regression (in some areas) to their bad ways of old.

September sees two other canal groups raising funds for their restoration scheme. On the 12^th, the Wendover Arm Trust hold their inaugural “Walk an Arm’s Length”, supported by their Vice-President David Suchet. The seven mile walk starts from Bulbourne any time after 10.00 though walkers are encouraged to ensure they finish by 5.30. 

On the 19^th, the Friends of the Cromford Canal are holding their third walk and hoping to improve on the hundred or so that have participated in the previous two events. There is a steam train ride alongside the closed-off Butterley tunnel and a coach back to the start. As usual there are options of the full 15 miles (starting Langley Mill at 9.30), 10 miles (starting Ironville at 11.30) or 5 miles (starting Ambergate at 1.30). 

Not a sponsored walk, but well worth plugging all the same is the inaugural walk along the Sussex Ouse Valley Way. Held over consecutive weekends of 30^th April/1^st May and 7^th/8^th May 2005, the 42 mile walk is being organised by Per-Rambulations of Larkshill, Cranston Road, East Grinstead RH19 3HL. The route starts at Lower Beeding in the High Weald and follows the course of the river valley through to Seaford Bay. The cost of the walk includes transport from and back to pre-arranged joining points (Lewes and possibly Horsham as well) each day, a certificate and badge on completion, a copy of the Sussex Ouse Valley Way Guide Book at a reduced price, and a celebratory reception with food and drink at the end. 

Work has started on a new promenade and cycleway along the River Dee, through the old port of Chester. Starting close to the point where the short Dee Branch of the Shroppie drops into the river (pictured left) the route will follow the river through the Old Port to the Roodee racecourse and The Groves.

Anyone interested in the development of the riverside walk to the Old Port in Chester might like to visit the website www.wihcc.nl (there is an English version on this Dutch site) which details the Chester end of the transnational Water in Historic City Centres initiative and notes that the Old Port promenade will be a minimum of 3.5 metres wide.

TAG have been invited to take part in a workshop that is looking to produce guidance to planners and landscape architects on making canals more accessible for horse-towing. This is ostensibly a joint initiative by the Horseboating Society, the Boat Museum Society (at Ellesmere Port) and the Shropshire Union Flyboat Restoration Society (who are restoring flyboat Saturn) but with input from various other organisations with relevant input to make. At the first meeting at Ellesmere Port at the beginning of November useful progress was made. While not of direct relevance to us as pedestrians, we clearly need to be aware of what aspirations other groups have for the towpaths, and it would be remiss of us not to show an interest on what was, after all, their primary purpose of towing and bow-hauling.

*****************************

At the end of September, the towpath of the Macclesfield Canal through the southern edge of the town was at long last re-opened after eight months of closure. In mid-January, part of a 25 foot high wall collapsed by Vernon’s Bridge 41, blocking the path completely and impeding navigation. 

In what seems like time-honoured fashion, the navigation was open, after a relatively short period of time, by early March, but the long-suffering pedestrian has had to see the best part of a year go by before a long section from Bridge 40 through to the Gurnett Aqueduct has been usable again.

*****************************

If anyone has any other snippets that may be of interest either for the Newsletter, or for this site, please get in touch with me at andyscreen @ towpath.org.uk

Home page