flood damage closes sheffield navigation …january 2020 canal boating times 3news on the waterways...

January 2020 Canal Boating Times 3

NEWS ON THEWATERWAYS

The Inland Waterways Association’s Silver Propeller Challenge has been completed for the first time since its launch. The honour goes to husband-and-wife team Michael and Jo Morehouse, who have been vlogging about their experiences on YouTube.

The Silver Propeller Challenge aims to encourage boaters to visit lesser-explored waterways across the UK, and those who tick 20 or more locations off the list receive a

commemorative plaque.Michael and Jo have been

continuously cruising around the network since May 2017 and found out about the IWA’s challenge soon after its launch in early 2018. Having already ticked off eight or nine of the destinations through their own explorations, they set themselves the goal of getting a Silver Propeller award.

“We appreciate the IWA’s cruise-it-or-lose-it ethos and wanted to

highlight some of the gems of these out-of-the-way places,” said Michael. “There were some canals where there was no love lost, but others were definitely worth the struggle, including the Ashby Canal and the end of the Montgomery.”

Follow Jo and Michael’s progress on YouTube at youtube.com/MinimalList, and find out more information about IWA’s Silver Propeller Challenge at waterways.org.uk/silverpropeller.

IWA AWARDS FIRST SILVER PROPELLER CHALLENGE

Jo and Michael outside their narrowboat Perseverance.

The Wey & Arun Canal Trust has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support its aim of restoring the waterway at Birtley, Surrey.

The volunteer-led project will create a 2.5km circular canalside walk, requiring the construction of two lift-bridges. WACT began creating an access track and towpath in 2018, and good progress was made on the first bridge in the summer of 2019 thanks to the help of visiting Waterway Recovery Group camps and weekend work parties.

The trust is hoping to raise £15,000 and is offering rewards in return for donations; those giving £15 or more will receive a year’s WACT membership, while those investing £500 or more will qualify for a private half-day charter on the restored section of canal at Loxwood for up to 48 people.

Crowdfunding for Wey & Arun Canal

WACT chair Sally Schupke said: “We hope the public gets behind our crowdfunding campaign and supports us in providing what will be a valuable

leisure amenity for Birtley, and an important wildlife corridor.”

Donate online at crowdfunder.co.uk/birtley-bridges.

WACT is raising funds to complete construction of

two bridges in Birtley. The Canal & River Trust is fond of claiming it is the owner of the third largest number of listed buildings and other structures in the UK, after the Church of England and the National Trust.

Now the trust has issued a Heritage Report, outlining the work done in the period 2017-19 on these responsibilities. Stretching to over 50 A4 pages, it’s quite detailed and highly readable. You

New heritage and boater reports from CRT

can download it free as a PDF.

In addition, CRT has s u m m a r i s e d the 2019 Annual Report s p e c i f i c a l l y for boaters. This specialist Boater Report is just as eye-catching, is short, at only eight pages, and is also downloadable.

Search ‘heritage report’ or ‘boater report’ on canalrivertrust.org.uk.

The floods of November, which caused difficulties in many areas of the UK, were especially disastrous for parts of Yorkshire. While the misery of the communities and local people was immediate and well publicised, the damaged sustained by the waterways is still to be assessed.

As we went to press we were waiting for a round-up from around the system, but it’s already clear that the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation is one of the hardest hit and will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

In several places the River Don rose to breach the canal, while the water reached 3ft over some locksides. Three of the locks on the navigation – Ickles, Holmes and Jordan’s – all

accumulated a large amount of debris within the lock chambers that prevented the gates from working, and the lockside electronic equipment was damaged.

At Rotherham, masonry from a lock quadrant was torn away, while at Aldwarke the downstream lock pontoon was damaged and the floating section ripped off, and is yet to be found. In places, the overflowing current scoured the lock approaches.

The river breached its bank and flooded canalised sections in five places, including Mexborough and Doncaster, something it had not done since the massive upgrade of the navigation in the 1980s to allow for barges of up to 700 tonnes.

FLOOD DAMAGE CLOSES SHEFFIELD NAVIGATION Debris in Ickles Lock chamber.

Photo: CRT

Attempts to stabilise the flood-damaged bank at Holmes Lock.

4 Canal Boating Times January 2020

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NEWS ON THEWATERWAYS

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Calder Navigation Society recently unveiled two commemorative plaques, in Brighouse and Mirfield. The plaques celebrate the launch of the society in April 1969, and honour those founding members who have continued its aims over the last half century.

The 19½-mile navigation runs from Sowerby Bridge to its junction with the Aire & Calder near Wakefield.

The society chose Brighouse and Mirfield for practical reasons – they are locations where everyone can see the plaques, even if only passing through half of the waterway via the Huddersfield Broad Canal. One plaque was unveiled in Brighouse on 30th September by Keith Noble, a long-standing member of the society, while the other in Mirfield was unveiled by current CNS chair Peter

Davies on 10th October. The society’s focus has shifted over

the years, from fighting threats of abandonment to acting as a voice and pressure group for all users, and attracting more visitors.

CNS said it was extremely grateful to the Procast foundry of Cleckheaton, Marshalls of Brookfoot and the Canal & River Trust for their help and generosity.

CNS members at the Mirfield plaque unveiling.

Canal & River Trust boat licence fees are to rise by 2.5% from 1st April 2020.

A number of other changes are also being phased in, as previously announced in March 2018 following the trust’s national boat licence consultation.

From April those who pay in full and on time will see their ‘prompt payment’ discount reduced from 5% to 2.5%, while a new 2.5% discount will apply for those who manage their payments online, including – for the first time – paying by direct debit. This means that even those who pay in instalments can now benefit from a small discount.

While all boat licences are based on length, from April 2020 wide-beam boats (wider than 7ft 1in or 2.16m) will face a surcharge of 5%, increasing to 10% in March 2021.

CRT boat licences to increase by 2.5% in 2020

GOLDEN CELEBRATION FOR CALDER NAVIGATION SOCIETY

Contractors made fast work in early November of demolishing one wall of Hurleston Lock 1, at the entrance of the Llangollen Canal. The wall is being rebuilt to ensure that full-width narrowboats of up to 7ft 2in can fit through easily.

The wall has been slowly bulging, to the extent that for some years the maximum beam was the now-conventional 6ft 10in, and even that was a very snug fit. An earlier attempt in 2018 to simply shave off some of the brickwork was unsatisfactory. Most

historic narrowboats, conventionally built to 7ft and subject (like most of us) to swelling in old age, have been unable to pass. Consequently, such boats have been a rare sight on the Llangollen for many years.

The lock is expected to be completed in March, and we look forward to any attempts to stage a historic boat rally further up the canal – subject, of course, to the old deep-draughted boats not finding any other pinch points or dredging issues.

LLANGOLLEN LOCK ENLARGEMENT BEGINS

Work started on Hurleston Lock in

November.

The Inland Waterways Association trustees have elected Paul Rodgers as the new national chair, with a strikingly different CV from previous postholders. He succeeds Ivor Caplan who, after two years, has decided to focus on other areas of interest including heritage, navigation and planning.

Paul Rodgers is an entrepreneur and founder of European payments community company Vendorcom. With a background in marketing, strategy development and community building, his first experience of the canals came quite late, only in 2012, when he and his wife decided to hire narrowboats for company team-building exercises. Learning the hard way (in their first outing they ended up stranded on a weir!) they quickly became captivated and began hiring frequently.

A taste for restoration projects followed when his wife Amanda persuaded him to join a week-long Waterway Recovery Group canal camp with her, and since then their involvement has grown exponentially. He was quickly appointed to the association’s

marketing committee. Neil Edwards, chief executive of

IWA, said Paul Rodgers brings “a new perspective”, having been not only an active WRG volunteer and a regular boater, but also an expert in marketing – something likely to be extremely useful as IWA gears up to celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021.

IWA announces new chairPaul Rodgers.


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Paediatrician Professor Rashid Gatrad’s initiative, WASUP, is responsible for cleaning Walsall’s canals.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, CRT and BCNS held a photography competition earlier in the year which asked people to capture the unique beauty of the historic waterways across Birmingham and the Black Country.

There were over 300 entries, with the top three prize winners announced at the event on 20th November.

Michael Smith-Keary, from BCNS, said: “All of the photos highlighted just how popular our canals are with local people and that nowadays they are being used for boating and so much more. Now they are very much about creating green spaces that are used for leisure and living – playing a vital role in our society for another 250 years.”

PHOTO COMPETITION WINNERS

canal brought coal in and took cargo out. Opportunity, not time, was of the essence, and the long and winding route (still evident in the original Oozell’s Street, Icknield Port and Soho

loops) only served to offer more places to deposit and collect cargoes. Indeed, it was almost a conveyor belt between factories, increasing efficiency a thousandfold.

First place: ‘Running under Snow Hill Station’, by Damien Walmsley

Second place: ‘Lazy Sunday afternoon’ by Michael Landelle

Third place: ‘Sunrise over Brindleyplace’ by Damien Walmsley

1st

2nd

3rd


to execute a complicated manoeuvre with two ascending boats swapping places with two descending in a short, intervening pound. But with plenty of experienced crew, we completed the flight in a respectable five hours and were well clear of the top lock by the CRT limit of 3pm.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the Black Horse, well earned since breakfast had been a hurried affair. Our next objective was to find somewhere to moor, which was easier said than done due to the large number of stationary boats and very high vegetation along the banks. We eventually found a really pretty spot close to Bridge 130. The joy of holidaying in early summer is that the schools have not yet broken up, but you have the benefit of long evenings. One of the pleasures of canal-boating is mooring up in a quiet spot, turning off the engine, banging in the mooring spikes and enjoying a glass of wine on the back deck. All of these we achieved that evening. In fact, we were blessed with beautiful weather the whole week, possibly because we had all packed waterproofs and wellies.

ON THE LONG POUNDSince Wootton Rivers locks would not be open until 10am on Tuesday, we had the whole of Monday to tootle along the 15-mile Long Pound. This was a change of pace for us, as we normally like a route with plenty of locks and a destination to reach. However, on this Monday it was no hardship to cruise gently through the serene Wiltshire countryside spotting herons, kingfishers, waterfowl and bankside flowers.

Lunch was spent moored by the

village with its thatched cottages was like being on the set of Midsomer Murders.

CROWDS AT CROFTONNext morning saw us all champing at the bit to be off and up the locks. CRT volunteers arrived around 9.30am to unlock padlocks and soon there was a procession of boats, two-by-two, working their way up to the summit. But there was no respite here as we had to be through Crofton Locks by 3pm, and so took turns to grab a quick sandwich in between lock working.

Though this is all part of the fun, we were tired and hungry and grateful to stop for a while after Lock 63. The K&A locks are wide and heavy to work. Most of the paddle gear is well

recently reopened Barge Inn at Honey Street. We sat outside and so close to our boat that we didn’t even need to lock up. This was also a convenient place to top up the water tank. The French Horn at Pewsey is sadly closed, but the wharf was a handy place to stop and stock up in the town a mile or so up the hill.

Our evening mooring found us at the foot of Wootton Rivers locks, or as close as we could behind the other five boats queueing. We chatted with the owners of the neighbouring craft and agreed to go up the locks together next morning. That evening, the lure of the Red Lion was too great to resist and we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary in fine style. Walking through this quintessential English

“With plenty of experienced crew, we completed the Caen Hill flight in a respectable five hours”

maintained but I was glad of my long-throw windlass for a few stiff paddles.

After several more locks we finally stopped just above Hungerford Marsh Lock 73. Figuring that there would be no one else coming along that evening as the locks were closed behind us, we were very daring and moored at the lock landing stage.

Serene cruising on the Long Pound.

Moorings at Pewsey Wharf are useful for shopping and filling

up with water.

Sure enough by the next morning no other boats had appeared so for the first time on this trip we worked a couple of locks on our own. We had hoped to reach Kintbury before turning round but decided it was a lot of hard work, and we had to be sure to make the bottom of Crofton in time for their next opening slot at 10am

The first boats in the queue for Crofton Locks.

The first boats in the queue for

Crofton locks.

Working through Devizes locks.

Passing Crofton Pumping Station.


ON THEWATERWAYS

on Thursday. So discretion was the better part of valour and we winded after Hungerford Town Lock 74 and joined the queue again at Crofton (Lock 63).

While queueing for locks is normally a bit of a nuisance it was actually quite sociable chatting with the other boaters and we had time to walk to Crofton Pumping Station. Although it was not in steam, it was a good chance to have our own private tour with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. We were able to get a bit closer to the machinery than we would if it had been in operation. We also had plenty of time to roam around the grounds without the crowds. Another meal on board that evening and a rowdy game of Cranium rounded off an energetic but satisfying day.

RELUCTANT RETURNNext morning there was the now-familiar procession of boats up through Crofton over the summit, through Bruce Tunnel and down Wootton Rivers Locks. CRT volunteers were on hand to help at some of the locks, which proved useful for the single-handed boaters. One of the boats ahead of us had two crew – a young man steering and a young lady who seem very reluctant to work the locks. As soon as we started to help, she returned to the boat to sunbathe, much to our disgust. Later she seemed to have got the message and was working the locks with a will – maybe one of the volunteers had ‘had a word’.

After all this lock working we still wanted to progress through the Long

Pound to be ready to enter Devizes locks at the appropriate time the next day. The pound was very shallow so it was slow going, and we ended up mooring at the same location as the previous Sunday.

Friday – the last full day of our holiday – was rather melancholy as we love our time on the canals so much. But we spent it in our favourite way – working 36 locks! We set off along the remaining 2 miles of Long Pound and through the first few Devizes locks arriving at the top of Caen Hill with ten minutes to spare before CRT’s 12noon cut-off. Pairing up with another boat and with CRT setting the locks for us, we made good progress down the flight and the locks were padlocked behind us at 2.30pm. We then carried on with only a very quick break for a picnic lunch through Seend and Semington locks. We squeezed into a mooring at Semington, and the Somerset Arms provided a fitting venue for our last evening meal of the holiday.

“Next morning saw us all champing at the bit to be off

and up the locks” Evening sunlight

catching the moored boats – and

nowhere to moor!

Good moorings at the Barge Inn, Honey Street.

HOMEWARD BOUNDNext morning we were up early to cruise the last couple of miles back to the boatyard. Handing back the boat was rather chaotic with craft arriving from both directions, mechanics refilling the tanks and home-bound hirers trying to offload their belongings all at the same time. By 10am it was all over and we watched new hirers cruising towards Bath on our very short drive home.

Overall we had a fantastic week. The only slight irritations were the number of moored boats and the overgrown towpaths meaning a leap into the unknown when we wanted to get onto the bank. But the positives outweighed the negatives – the scenery was delightful, the weather was perfect, the boat was well equipped and comfortable, the company was good, we found some excellent pubs for meals, and the reduced lock opening hours gave us an extra challenge to relish. We’re already looking forward to our next trip, wherever that may be.

Sharing the locks makes life easier.

Waiting for a boat to exit

Bruce Tunnel.

Awaiting our turn at

Crofton Locks.


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A TO Z OF WATERWAYS

Just 20 miles long, this Cheshire waterway is an intriguing mix of slow-flowing river and historic commerce. We explore upstream and downstream from the Anderton Boat Lift

4 5

UPSTREAM TO WINSFORD 6½ MILES, 2 LOCKS

RIVER WEAVER

Northwich is 1½ miles upstream, and pontoons outside the Barons Quay shopping centre give direct access to shops and restaurants. The swing-bridges all provide enough headroom for a narrowboat or small cruiser to pass underneath without opening. Hayhurst Bridge is especially ingenious, its weight supported by floating air-filled pontoons. Sanitary facilities, the only ones on the river, are available at Town Bridge.

Shaking off Northwich, the river passes through Vale Royal Lock to the beautiful Vale Royal Cut – rural and serene, with the peace only being disturbed by the occasional passing train.

2

3Hunts Lock is the first you will encounter on the river. All are keeper-operated and you can alert them of your approach by phone (or by VHF radio if you have it). Railway-style ‘signals’ take the place of traffic lights. All you have to do is throw up a rope, sit tight and relax. Each keeper will let the next one know you are coming, if needed. Passage is, of course, limited to the lock-keepers’ working hours.

Winsford is the head of navigation on the river, with the sizeable visitor moorings and facilities of Winsford Marina at Winsford Bottom Flash.

1 For most pleasure boaters, the entrance to the River Weaver is via the Anderton Boat Lift from the Trent & Mersey Canal. If the single mooring at the bottom of the lift is full, continue a short way upstream to the Anderton Nature Park, where there is more available space, and savour the remains of the region’s past industry.


WONDERS OF THE

WATERWAYS

The structure linking the Trent & Mersey and River Weaver was one of the original Seven Wonders of the Waterways selected by IWA founder Robert Aickman in 1955. We take a look at why it’s still as impressive today

T he Anderton Boat Lift is the iconic Victorian structure that links the Trent & Mersey Canal to the River Weaver some 50ft below. Opened in July 1875, it still serves its original purpose – although it has undergone a few alterations

over its 142-year history. The boat-lift was built to assist with the transportation of

cargo from inland industries, such as china from the potteries in Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire salt, to Liverpool for exportation around the world. The original route along the T&M and Bridgewater canals, or methods of transhipment between the canal and River Weaver, proved too costly in both time and money. So late 19th-century engineers put their skills to the test and came up with an ingenious boat-lift solution that cut days off the journey.

A series of faults saw it close in 1983, after more than 100 years of operation. As a Scheduled Ancient Monument, demolition was prevented but the cast iron structure was instead left to disintegrate. Unwilling to let such a historically important piece of waterways architecture decay

ANDERTON BOAT LIFT

any further, local people came together to raise funds for its restoration. Work began in 2000 and just two years later its hydraulic pumps were brought back to life and boats could once more hop between canal and river with ease.

Boat-liftSince reopening, the Anderton Boat Lift has developed into a well-serviced visitor attraction, with a free exhibition, café and shop. And while there’s plenty to entertain on solid ground, experiencing the lift itself is essential.

Boaters can take their own craft through, but for tourists there’s a large trip-boat, Edwin Clarke, named after the structure’s designer. A one-way transfer takes around 45 minutes (an extended trip along the Weaver to Northwich is also available). Once the boat has entered one of the two shadowy caissons and the engine is switched off, all you can do is wait while safety checks are carried out and the descent (or ascent) begins. But there’s no time to get bored – a comprehensive commentary on Edwin Clarke

Aerial shot of Cheshire’s

Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich.

Historic boats gather at the boat-lift. Photo: Bob Jervis


leaves you brimming with facts and historical titbits. Within the criss-crossed supports of the lift, your views

are limited to the second caisson opposite and just the occasional peep of the river or glimpse of factories on the other side. So forget about the beyond, and focus on the structure itself. Originally powered by steam-driven hydraulics, the lift was converted to electric operation in 1908 and is now back to hydraulics – although minus the steam and with the addition of computers.

New heightsWhile the visitor centre and landscaped surrounds of the lift make for good viewing points, the best vistas are reserved for the brave folk who leave all thoughts of vertigo bankside and take part in a ‘Top of the World’ tour.

The climb to the lift’s summit, along the metal grating of the service routes running past the 252-ton caissons, gives you a close-up view of the equipment used to power it. The immense ceramic-coated hydraulic rams, installed during restoration, are a highlight here. Further up, the VISITING NORTHWICH

Head to the free Anderton Boat Lift visitor centre and café (open every Saturday and Sunday throughout the winter)

Take a Top of the World Tour and explore the Anderton Boat Lift from above, or experience a passage through the lift on the Edwin Clarke trip-boat (selected dates only)

Discover the wildlife and willow sculptures in Anderton Nature Park

Explore the history of Northwich and the River Weaver at the Weaver Hall Museum & Workhouse (weaverhall.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk)

Cruise along the River Weaver on restored steam ship Daniel Adamson (thedanny.co.uk)

Have lunch and explore the stores at the Barons Quay shopping centre, which now has its own river moorings

The Daniel Adamson on the River Weaver.Photo: Dan Cross

1908 superstructure supports the control room and cast iron winding gear added when it was converted to electric power. Row after row of huge tyre-like cogs now serve as nothing more than decorative features.

Being out on the top deck is the Victorian-engineered equivalent of peering over the turrets of a medieval castle. From such a height, miles of landscape open up beyond the Weaver, which curls out of sight below.

Using the liftBoaters wanting to travel on the Anderton Boat Lift can pre-book passage online for a fee, or can turn up on spec and take the next available space for free. It’s open seven days a week between March and November.

The Canal & River Trust is closing the boat-lift for essential maintenance from 9th December to 13th March 2020; however, pre-bookable passages are available for boaters on 23rd-24th December 2019 and 2nd-3rd January 2020. Check details for all winter stoppages online at canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices.

Vintage amusement machines at the Anderton Boat Lift visitor centre.

Cogs at the top of the Anderton Boat Lift.

The Anderton Boat Lift has plenty to entertain the whole family.

Crusing the River Weaver.

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“In 1909, following a

collapse of part of the riverbank,

various old vessels were run aground or sunk

at high tide”

to access the Purton Hulks is to drive to Purton near Berkeley. The village can be accessed via country lanes that connect with the A38, close to the M5.

Opposite the village church of St John the Evangelist, you will find a small CRT car park. A swing-bridge near the entrance gives access to the towpath; turn left and walk in a westerly direction for about 800m. The canal gently curves to the left until it starts to run parallel to the River Severn. It is a grass towpath and is likely to be muddy when wet, so stout shoes are recommended. Keep your eyes peeled for a small path that goes off to the right and brings you to the northern end of the ships’ graveyard.

Once you have seen all you want to, it is another mile or so until you are opposite the entrance to Sharpness Docks. On the way you will pass under the remains of the ill-fated Severn Railway Bridge. It was struck by two vessels during thick fog in 1960, leading to a partial collapse. The bridge was subsequently demolished; however, the stone towers for the swing section over the canal remain.

Once you reach the entrance to the docks, if you follow the towpath around to the right and start walking through the marina, you can continue for another half mile. On the way you will pass a small marina shop where, if it is open, you will be able to find hot drinks and a small selection of snacks.

I’d recommend 2½ to 3½ hours for a thorough and fairly leisurely exploration of the Hulks and docks.

While you are in the area, you might

Cruising past the remains

of the Severn Railway Bridge.

The swing-bridge at Purton.

Edith, a 1901 trow once used to carry coal.

The unrestored Stroudwater Navigation.

Ada, a Bristol schooner built in 1869.

The 1890’s Stroudwater barge, Rockby.

want to take the opportunity to visit Slimbridge Wetland Centre, which boasts an extensive collection of rare and endangered wildfowl, accessible from the Gloucester & Sharpness at Shepherd’s Patch. Saul Junction, where the G&S crosses an in-water section of the partially restored Stroudwater Navigation, is also a pleasant place with walks aplenty and a visitor centre run by the Cotswold Canals Trust.

Entrance to Sharpness Docks.


BOOKS

We’ve rounded up the best waterways reads of the year – perfect as last-minute Christmas gifts, or for those long winter nights in front of the fire

BESTBOOKS OF 2019

Let’s all move to Great Wheaton, the fictional, chock-full-of-toffs town playing host to a brand-new series of gentle, art-inspired mystery books. So what if we kick off with a corpse in its river? Easily overlooked when you get the measure of the place’s tea shops, convivial waterside beer gardens and lulling church chimes. Extortion and theft too? Turn a blind eye – there’s a Frida Kahlo or Eric Ravilious behind every front

FICTION

Our inland waterways made it onto the 2018 Man Booker Prize shortlist with this, Daisy Johnson’s unsettling debut novel re-writing the Oedipus story. In her version the patricidal hero moves from Ancient Greece to a grubby houseboat in modern-day Oxfordshire, and she plays fast and loose with his sex too – reimagining ‘him’ as a ‘her’, Margot, who adopts a new gender (and name, Marcus) while on the run. But the reconfigured myth is peripheral to the main

Not so much set on the Thames as completely saturated by it, this masterful Gothic tale by Diane Setterfield has the river coursing through every aspect of the book. Plot, atmosphere and the meandering narrative all either driven or coloured by its capricious waters.

Set in the 19th century, the tale centres on a riverside inn at Radcot which, one winter solstice night, becomes a field hospital for two Thames casualties. The first is a photographer called Henry Daunt (based on the real-life Thames snapper Henry Taunt) whose face has been smashed in by a weir beam.

A serial killer, an organised crime syndicate and a media manhunt are not what most people associate our inland waterways with. But the canals of the West Midlands provide a suitably chilling backdrop for this debut thriller by former journalist Andy Griffee.

The plot was inspired by the ‘Manchester canal pusher’ – an urban legend of recent years and alleged cause of the high number of waterways-related deaths in the Greater Manchester region. Griffee’s murderer is a socially awkward bachelor with a desire for infamy. Yet it’s Jack Johnson, a recent divorcee looking for escapism on a narrowboat, and Nina, his volunteer crew, around whom the story centres.

Cadavers in the cut are nothing new in crime fiction, having bobbed up to baffle the finest brains in the genre, from Maigret to Morse, and even Martin Beck on Sweden’s Göta Canal (Roseanna, 1965). No surprise, then, that in his eighth outing with DI Nick Dixon, author Damien Boyd can’t resist melding a little waterways skulduggery to his case of double child abduction in the West Country. “Everything connects to the Kennet & Avon,” his crime-fighting hero

plot, which centres instead on the fractious relationship of the mother and daughter who temporarily accommodate Marcus on the river.

Confused? This seems to be the point. “The water has a way of making anything that was clear murky,” notes Johnson towards the end of the book. It often seems like you’re feeling your way, submerged, from paragraph to paragraph, rather than safely strapped in for a conventionally neater narrative ride. But bear with it. What lurks beneath is literary fiction at its troublesome best. And what a treat to see the waterways inspiring something so immersive, rather than relegated to banal backdrop.

EVERYTHING UNDER By Daisy JohnsonPublished by Jonathan CapePrice £14.99ISBN 978-1-9107-0234-5

CANAL PUSHERSBy Andy GriffeePublished by Orphans PublishingPrice £18.99ISBN 978-1-903360-31-6

Amateur sleuthing leads the pair down a dangerous towpath and sees them become targets in a story that’s full of twists, turns, red herrings and revelations.

Canal Pushers is the first in Griffee’s ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ series of narrowboat-based books, the second of which, River Rats, is due for publication in April 2020.

ONCE UPON A RIVERBy Diane SetterfieldPublished by DoubledayPrice £12.99ISBN 978-0-85752-565-9

The second is a four-year-old girl of uncertain identity and – more disconcerting still – vital signs. Initially presumed drowned, her miraculous resurrection, the mystery of who she actually is, and the multiple parties who lay claim to her are what subsequently impel the narrative.

DEAD LOCKBy Damien BoydPublished by Thomas & MercerPrice £8.99ISBN 978-1-542047-02-9

proclaims at one point, and it certainly seems to be quite the den of iniquity in this novel, with most of the ne’er-do-wells linked to the narrowboating community there.

PAINT A MURDERBy Lily AshtonPublished by Magenta Lily PublishingPrice £7.99ISBN 978-1-526752-95-6

door to feast your gaze on instead. Protagonist Alice Haydon has

just been made senior curator of the local gallery – and there’s a career-defining exhibition to put on. When her star painting gets pilfered, Alice enthusiastically takes on the mantle of one-woman local crime fighter, while still reserving time to indulge her sweet tooth in coffee shops and flirt outrageously with the buff DI assigned to the case. All this while she’s got an admirably well-stocked candy jar (and hot Irish ex-war photographer boyfriend) waiting for her at home – a houseboat inspired by an issue of Waterways World magazine.


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V FOR VICTORYRecent volunteer success stories...

If you enjoy spending time outside and are looking to do something different this festive season, why not take a look at the Waterway Recovery Group’s Christmas Canal Camp on the picturesque Cotswold Canals?

It’s running from 26th December 2019 to 1st January 2020 and costs just £70 per person. WRG is seeking volunteers to help restore the canal near Brimscombe Port, just outside Stroud, Gloucestershire. The camp is part of a wider £35m regeneration of the Cotswold Canals.

The cost includes three meals a day plus ready supplies of tea and cake. Accommodation is in an old office building, and transfers to and from the work site are

included. No experience is required; all you need is a pair of steel-toecap boots, warm clothes and waterproofs.

Volunteers coordinator for WRG, Alex Melson, says, “We all get a bit stir crazy in those days between Christmas and New Year. This camp offers the ideal opportunity to escape from all that sitting around, eating up the leftover turkey and watching endless reruns on the TV. You can get out in the fresh air and do something that is really worthwhile. It will also give you some great stories to share with your friends and work colleagues in the New Year.”

Find more information at waterways.org.uk/canalcamps.

PROGRESS ON THE MONTY

CHRISTMAS CANAL CAMP

VOLUNTEERSAre you involved in a waterways charity, restoration project or canal-based community group? We’d love to hear about volunteering initiatives, news and opportunities in your organisation. Email [email protected].

Got something for our Volunteer Gazetteer?

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LEADERSFollowing the successful completion of its final family canal camp of 2019 in October, the Waterway Recovery Group is appealing for volunteers to become camp leaders.

At the most recent event, four families with seven children between them helped make improvements to the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. Working with the Wendover Arm Trust, the volunteers made clay toppers for bamboo canes marking the areas where they’d planted 1,000 snowdrop bulbs, cut back vegetation and made bird boxes.

The family camps run from Friday to Sunday and cost just £15 per person, which includes accommodation and all meals. The activities involved over the weekends are chosen to help make practical improvements to the canal and enhance the waterways for wildlife.

Jenny Brice from WAT commented, “The site looks fantastic. We were initially unsure about how the family camp would work out, but the children were so enthusiastic and

committed to the jobs. We got so much done over the weekend.”

The popularity of the family camps has grown over the last two years but a lack of camp leaders means that WRG is currently only able to offer two such events in 2020. If you are interested in becoming involved with running the family camps, visit waterways.org.uk/canalcamps, or email [email protected]. Full training will be given and DBS checks will be processed by the Inland Waterways Association.

HONOUR FOR LICHFIELD VOLUNTEERSThe Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust was presented with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service at a ceremony in the city’s Guildhall in November.

The Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ian Dudson, presented a certificate, signed by Her Majesty the Queen, to LHCRT president Eric Wood. The event was attended by many

of the trust’s volunteers as well as civic dignitaries and representatives of groups that have played a part in the ongoing restoration of the canals.

The award was given to LHCRT for restoring a derelict canal to improve the environment and for the benefit of the local community, wildlife and tourism.

VOLUNTEER HERE

Excavating the canal bed to install

lining material and a land drain.

Work off your turkey dinner at WRG’s Christmas Canal Camp.

Planting bulbs for spring on the Wendover Arm.

(r-l) Ian Dudson, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire,

presents the award to LHCRT

president Eric Wood.Photo: Margaret

Beardsmore

In November, the Shropshire Union Canal Society volunteers were faced with a massive pumping operation to remove water from the Montgomery Canal bed near Crickheath following heavy rainfall. While the ultimate aim is to re-water the channel, it came a little too early in the proceedings, and drainage was required to allow the volunteers to finish lining the canal bed with a geotextile blanket and install a land drain.

Assisting the SUCS regulars at one of the sessions were seven new volunteers from Openreach and Arcadis. Working in small groups, they were responsible for removing redundant newt fencing, and replacing worn fabric fencing with proprietary rigid plastic sheet material.

Details of how to get involved with the Montgomery Canal restoration can be found at shropshireunion.org.uk.


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Winter cover from experts you can trust


WATERWAYS FICTION

A young girl’s winter canalside walk takes an exciting turn in this month’s short story submitted by Angela Dowling from Coventry

CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

Lori raised her foot and stamped down hard on a frozen puddle. The ice splintered, sending shards across the

towpath and muddy water over the top of her brand-new wellington boots. She pushed her heel onto a piece of ice and felt a satisfying crunch as it ground into powder.

It was one of those really cold days when the weak sun is barely visible over the trees and buildings, and the frost on the grass and trees doesn’t melt. Lori had run down the stairs screaming “it snowed, it snowed” first thing that morning, only to be told by her sleepy father that it had, in fact, not snowed. The white, glittery coating on the lawn and car was just frost, and it would most likely melt by lunchtime, he’d said. Well, he was wrong about that, thought Lori, whose tummy was still full with the sandwiches and cake she’d eaten at Granny’s house.

She took a huge breath and blew it out towards the sky. A great cloud of white ‘dragon smoke’ billowed around her, disappearing in the gentle breeze. Up ahead, plumes of real smoke, funnelled through tiny flues, swirled above the narrowboats lined up along the canal. Lori stopped for a second and pondered how Santa managed to fit himself and all the presents down those little chimneys. Were there even any Christmas trees on the boats?

She turned to look back at her little brother Josh walking clumsily between her mum and dad, each holding one of his mittened hands. Happy that her family was still close by, Lori darted ahead. She tested every iced-over puddle with a gentle tap of her boot before crushing them with a hard stamp. Outside a grubby-looking boat, Lori came to an abrupt halt.

The deck was thick with the last of autumn’s leaves, and the roof was covered with pieces of wood and boxes wrapped in plastic sheeting. It was all encrusted in undisturbed white frost. Lori

reached out and drew a line in the icy coating on the side of the boat revealing the dirty, dark blue paintwork below. She looked at the tip of her finger, which was now, unexpectedly, black. Undeterred by the grime, Lori continued adding lines to create a portrait of Santa standing next to a Christmas tree surrounded by presents. She stepped back to admire her artwork.

“Lori!” her dad shouted at her from down the towpath. “Get away from that boat right now – it’s someone’s home. And put your gloves back on.”

She hastily wrote ‘sorry’ underneath her picture and carried on walking, her feet now scuffing the ground. She looked over her shoulder to see her mum and dad laughing at her doodle and

the letters ‘SORI’ written wonkily below it. Lori couldn’t think why they would find it so funny.

The towpath began to get harder to walk along as it sloped gently at first, then much more steeply, upwards. When Lori had come here in the summer there were people pushing big planks of wood to open the doors in the canal to let a boat out. It was a called a lock, but Lori thought it would be better to call it a lift as the boats went in at the top and came out at the bottom. It reminded her of going in the elevator at the shopping centre with her mum, except this one was much bigger and full of water.

There was no one pushing open the gates for a boat today. The water in front of the lock doors was frozen solid and a duck was walking across it. As it waddled close to the

edge of the ice, the duck skidded, shrugged its wings and fell clumsily into the dark water before hastily paddling away. The frozen water looked thick and white in places, and Lori was tempted to test how strong it was herself; she stepped tentatively towards the edge.

“Lori, come back here,” said her mum. “Come and help Josh feed the ducks.”

Her little brother was attempting to throw bits of bread into the water but most of it landed right in front of him on the grass. Lori plunged her hand into the bag of duck food and pulled out cold peas covered in crumbs.

“Yuck. Gross. These peas are cold and squishy,” she said making a face.

“Don’t say gross, Lori. Ducks don’t mind it if their peas are cold.

Just throw them in the water.”Lori hurled the handful of peas

at the crowd of ducks quacking eagerly below. The vegetables scattered, the ducks jostled and within seconds all the food had been consumed. All except one pea, which had stuck itself to the feathers on the back of a white duck. Lori watched as a swan lowered its long neck gracefully and quickly snaffled the pea; the duck shot forward in surprise and flapped its wings in agitation. It made Lori chuckle.

They kept throwing the food until Lori’s mum shook the bag upside down so the last of the crumbs fell like snowflakes over the birds. Lori had tried to make sure that all of the ducks were given their fair share of the food. She’d walked along the edge of the

If you’d like to see your waterways-inspired tale in print, email [email protected] or send it to Waterways Fiction, Canal Boating Times, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent DE14 1BG. Stories should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words long.

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ACROSS1 List of all the equipment on board a boat (9)3 Aquatic mammal, also known as a sea cow (7)5 Rich woven fabric, often using gold or silver thread (7)6 Justifications (7)7 Structures for conveying water over a valley or gap (9)9 Generous or lenient (9)11 Domed shelters, traditionally made by Inuits (6) 12 _____ Cumming, star of BBC’s Canal Boat Diaries (6)15 Passable (9)18 Italian general and currant biscuit (9)19 Fourth-longest river in Africa, running from Zambia to the Indian Ocean (7)20 Praise or acclaim (7) 21 Brave or experienced fighter (7)22 Junction where Coventry and Oxford canals meet, also known as Sutton Stop (10)

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Post your answer to CBT Crossword, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1BG

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN a 12-month subscription to Waterways World magazine, solve the anagram of the highlighted squares to name the structure that takes the Huddersfield Narrow Canal underneath the Pennines (9,6). The winner will be drawn on the closing date of Friday 3rd January 2020.

The CBT Crossword

Postcode

N O G A R I B A L D I ID R V L SE Z A M B E Z I P L A U D I TE E E E

W A R R I O R H A W K E S B U R Y

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The CBT Crossword Solution: December 2019

The anagram solution was: GRANARY WHARF

K E L P I E S B Z O M B O A TI U D I U A NN E W F O U N D L A N D T CG F C G A I HF Y A E B F E N S OI P T A T RS N O O Z E G A S L O C K E RH R D H EE R E A C O R NR I S D O N

D O L L Y C V EG U P A OE P I D E R M I S E X O T I C

G I B C E LA L I L O L C O E AN S I H R M SG N A N T I O X I D A N T SE E G C N I I

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canal and threw the peas as far as she could to the shy ducks at the back of the group. It worked the first time, but the bolder birds soon clocked what she was doing and chased after the food the instant it hit the water.

Lori turned to walk back up to the top of the lock and almost stumbled straight into an enormous dog. It was so big that, sat upright, its head was taller than Lori. “It’s a bear!” exclaimed Lori, making the dog’s owner giggle.

“Her name’s Molly, and she’s a Newfoundland dog. You can stroke her, if you like,” the lady said to Lori.

“She’s so soft.”“Newfoundlands like to go in the water,

and it takes days for their fur to dry out. Molly’s a bit grumpy with me today because I won’t let her jump in the canal. It’s too icy.”

Lori squealed with delight as Molly growled as if in agreement with her owner, then raised herself onto all four legs and shook her thick, fluffy coat.

“Come on, slowcoach,” said Lori’s mum. “We’re going to be late.”

Late for what, thought Lori as she petted Molly one last time and said goodbye. “Can we get a Newfoundland dog?” she asked as her mum grabbed her hand and began marching her along the towpath. “It would be like having a bear living in the house with us.”

Lori and her family walked over a small, brick humpbacked bridge. There was a crowd of people on the other side, and a queue was forming in front of the café they’d been to in the summer. As they stood at the end of the line, Lori wished she could go back and see Molly again. She swung her leg impatiently and told her mum that she was bored.

After what seemed like three whole days of standing still, Lori felt her mum tugging on her hand and she was ushered forward, through the café and into a garden. The sun was fading fast but the whole place was glowing with thousands of tiny Christmas lights. As they followed the winding path, they saw illuminated figures in the shapes of penguins, polar bears, reindeer and Santa in his sleigh. Lori gasped in delight

when she looked towards the centre of the garden and saw the most gigantic Christmas tree covered in red, green, blue and yellow lights.

At the end of the path a lady dressed in red and green was selling paper bags full of duck food. They’d already partaken in that activity today, so Lori was surprised to see her dad buy two bagfuls and give one each to her and Josh.

As the people in front of her dispersed, Lori could see a fence, behind which the ground was covered in straw. As they edged closer, Lori felt herself being lifted off the ground and onto a step by her dad and she came face to face with the second animal of the day: a beautiful, real-life reindeer.

She looked around and counted eight of the creatures – two at the front and six standing further away where a man dressed like an elf was filling a trough with water. The reindeer had stumpy antlers and thick white fur hanging underneath their chins, and they were all wearing bright red reins with gold bells that jingled as they moved.

The reindeer in front of Lori sniffed loudly and blew a cloud of stinky air in her face. She held out the food in her hand and the reindeer stuck its fur-covered nose into the bag and took a mouthful. Lori reached out and stroked its head.

Another lady dressed in red and green came over. “This one’s called Dancer, and she’s a beauty. Very patient and always very hungry,” she said in a jolly-sounding voice. “If you make your way round the corner, there’s another surprise waiting for you in the grotto.”

Lori’s dad helped her down from the high step and they walked with her mum and Josh towards a barn where Santa was sat in a big chair in front of a flickering fireplace. Her parents waited outside as Lori led Josh into the barn and they perched themselves on the bench opposite. They whispered their Christmas wishes to Santa before running out each holding a present wrapped in red paper.

“That was the best day ever,” Lori beamed at her parents before giving them each an enormous hug.

DOWN1 Remote (8)

2 Final layer on top of paintwork (11)

3 Kiss under this at Christmas (9)

4 Safety bar around the back of a cruiser

stern deck (4,4)

5 Width of a boat (4)

8 Bar that acrobats swing from (7)

9 Frozen spikes (7)

10 Opposing opinion (11)

13 Entertainer (9)

14 Sleigh-puller for Santa (8)

16 Confuse or perplex (8)

17 Santa makes one and checks it twice (4)


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