IWA Waterways Magazine - Summer 2021

Issue 272 • Summer 2021

waterways www.waterways.org.uk

FUEL

WILD

FOR THOUGHT

SWIMMING

Could vegetable oil be the answer to greener boating?

Top tips for taking the plunge this summer

HERITAGE CRAFT

Restoring the last-surviving Chelmer & Blackwater lighter

PLUS

Anniversary pull-out

Looking back through the Association’s archives 001 Cover AH SH.indd 14

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Summer 2021 Contents Issue 272 • Summer 2021

waterways www.waterways.org.uk

FUEL

WILD

FOR THOUGHT

SWIMMING

Could vegetable oil be the answer to greener boating?

Top tips for taking the plunge this summer

HERITAGE CRAFT

Restoring the last-surviving Chelmer & Blackwater lighter

5. Welcome

Column of the National Chair

14

6. News

The latest from within IWA and beyond

12. Campaigns Update

Including the recent Government u-turn on the use of red diesel

14. Take the plunge

Top tips for wild swimming this summer

PLUS

Anniversary pull-out

Looking back through the Association’s archives 001 Cover AH SH.indd 14

17. Saving Susan

20/04/2021 11:21

COVER PICTURE: River Chelmer at Boreham by Mark Caldon.

Restoring the last-surviving Chelmer & Blackwater lighter

20. Getting oar-ganised

Interview with IWA’s new chief exec, Phil Hornsey

17

22. Love Your Waterways

The boater hoping to make waves with his new Anglian cruising guides

24. Silver Propeller Challenge WATERWAYS EDITOR: Amelia Hamson Tel: 01283 742962 E-mail: a.hamson@wwonline.co.uk FEATURES EDITOR: Sarah Henshaw E-mail: s.henshaw@wwonline.co.uk ART EDITOR: Claire Davis ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER: Laura Smith Tel: 01283 742956 E-mail: l.smith@wwonline.co.uk ADVERTISING DESIGN: Jo Ward ADVERTISING PRODUCTION: Samantha Furniss E-mail: s.furniss@wwonline.co.uk REPROGRAPHICS: Waterways World Ltd, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1BG. Printed in England by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne, Lincs Articles may be reproduced provided permission is obtained and acknowledgement made.

ISSN 0969-0654 A non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee (612245), Registered as a Charity (No. 212342) Founded: 1946, Incorporated 1958 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 E-mail: iwa@waterways.org.uk Web site: www.waterways.org.uk Company Secretary – Genevieve Wilson National Chair – Paul Rodgers For press inquiries please contact: pressoffice@waterways.org.uk All IWA national and branch committee volunteers can be contacted by email: firstname.lastname@waterways.org.uk Nothing printed in Waterways may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated, otherwise IWA accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. Although every care is taken with advertising matters no responsibility whatsoever can be accepted for any matter advertised. Where a photo credit includes a note such as CC-BY-SA, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence; full details at www.creativecommons.org

Winter 2018 003 contents AH SH.indd 3

Five new locations to visit in 2021

26. Fuel for thought

Why vegetable oil could be our best hope for greener boating

28. Walk with IWA

A 4-mile guided walk along Chirk Aqueduct and the Llangollen Canal

PLUS: celebrating 75 years of IWA

A 16-page pull-out featuring photographs from the Association’s archives Seven reasons why your membership contribution is vital

20

1. IWA Canal Clean-ups led by our branches keep many waterways clear of debris 2. Restoration is kept high priority through funding for the Waterway Recovery Group 3. Over 10,000 days of volunteering each year will be supported with the right training, tools and materials 4. IWA can campaign to defend the waterways from unwelcome development 5. We can pass on traditional skills and workbased experience for volunteering young people 6. We can lobby the Government and work with other organisations to repair, improve and protect our waterways heritage

24

7. Your voice is counted when IWA speaks up for all those who enjoy the country’s canals and rivers IWA ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATE £36 More details are available from IWA Head Office.

Join IWA at waterways.org.uk

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As featured in…

V 01785 813982 M mail@canalcruising.co.uk Canal Cruising Co Ltd, Crown Street, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8QN

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:58

Welcome

W

elcome to the Summer issue of Waterways.

I’m writing this as we reach the latest milestone in the easing of the pandemic lockdown – a day that has been marked in my diary for some time. I planned to go for breakfast at our local canalside café, which has ample outdoor space to safely celebrate both this stage of the country’s roadmap back to normal and also the resilience of our waterside businesses. I hadn’t reckoned on the snow falling overnight but, out of respect for the efforts that have gone into keeping businesses alive during the past 13 months, I’m certainly not going to let a little inclement weather put me off.

I’m delighted that so many waterways businesses, charities and restoration trusts have weathered the storm. Perhaps it is something to do with the long-term timeline that seems to pervade everything to do with the waterways. In the recent BBC Countryfile programme featuring the canals, the legacy of the UK’s canal network was recognised both in terms of the resilience of the infrastructure and heritage that the Industrial Revolution provided and the adaptability of the network in supporting the changes we’ve seen in the past 75 years. As we look to the future to ensure the continued regeneration and sustainability of the

Summer 2021 005 Welcome AH SS.indd 5

waterways network, I am proud, as every member of IWA should be, that we are continuing to underpin that legacy for generations to come.

I hope you will enjoy reading the IWA 75th anniversary pull-out feature in this issue of Waterways. It serves to emphasise the long-term nature of our work and that, while it might be difficult to make rapid progress across the whole network, as long as we are steadily progressing, even slowly, we will see significant results in time. I have only been involved with IWA for seven years – not one-tenth of the time that the Association has been active – but even in that short period I have seen the results that we can achieve when we work together as a well-organised, supportive and committed team.

The regeneration of the waterways has been a constant theme over the past 75 years and will continue to be well into the future. As we look ahead, that regeneration will be built on the principle of sustainability, both in terms of the environmental impact of our use of the waterways and the resilience of the organisations that are working to achieve that regeneration.

Your support as an IWA member over whatever period you have been part of the Association contributes to the legacy we are creating. Thank you for the part that you’re playing in the future of the waterways. Our members,

volunteers and supporters are the lifeblood of the Association but, more than that, you are helping to transform the waterways into what they need to be for the next 75 years.

And so, as we begin to emerge into the new normal, I hope that every member of IWA will be able to do their part in continuing the legacy that our canals and navigable waterways offer to the country as a whole. Please enjoy the waterways across the country over the coming months as ‘staycations’ remain the norm.

Thank you and stay safe!

Paul Rodgers, IWA National Chair

IWA Waterways |

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Waterways News

Canalway Cavalcade goes virtual Join us online on 1st-3rd May for the Virtual IWA Canalway Cavalcade.

While a physical event can’t take place this year, we wanted to capture the spirit of the London festival through a series of interactive digital activities. Over the bank holiday weekend we’ll be sharing pre-recorded

videos and picture highlights featuring our favourite moments from past Canalway Cavalcades.

For the best virtual Cavalcade experience, follow us on social media: search @canalcavalcade on Twitter and Instagram, or visit facebook.com/ groups/IWACanalwayCavalcade. You

can also share your favourite memories of previous festivals across social media using the hashtag #cavalcadememories.

IWA Canalway Cavalcade will return to London’s Little Venice on 30th April2nd May 2022.

For more information visit waterways.org.uk/cavalcade.

Little Venice will host IWA’s Canalway Cavalcade again in 2022.

Our Unique Heritage: shop our 75th anniversary range Our industrial heritage is what makes our waterways so special. From towering aqueducts, deep tunnels, sprawling lock flights and iconic bridges, to the 200-year-old signposts, they all have a story to tell about the way our canals and rivers came about and how they have continued to be used throughout the centuries. Our brand-new 75th anniversary range of products features IWA’s exclusive ‘Our Unique Heritage’ design that celebrates the rich history and enduring spirit of the inland waterways.

Choose from a thermal drinks bottle, travel coffee cup, durable canvas tote, tea towel, T-shirt and notelets – all ideal as gifts for friends and family, or simply as a treat for yourself. All proceeds go towards supporting our campaigns.

Visit waterways.org.uk/shop or phone 01494 783453 to purchase items from the range now.

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Date announced for AGM Notice is hereby given that the Inland Waterways Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 25th September 2021 at 11.30am. As there is continuing uncertainty around gatherings of over 30 people due to Covid-19, it is likely this will be a virtual event. Further details, including the meeting agenda, will be confirmed in due course and posted on the IWA website and Bulletin as soon as they are available.

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19/04/2021 16:00

Waterways News

IWA Guide to Greener Boating launches Last year saw the announcement of IWA’s vision for sustainable boating and since then we have been exploring ways to help the inland waterways meet the UK’s zero carbon commitments. We have been working with Government and navigation authorities to make greener boating a priority.

We have now launched the IWA Guide to Greener Boating, which explains how dieselpowered boats can be more than 90% carbon neutral, provides practical tips and sets out our predictions for the future of boating on the inland waterways.

Read the latest about our research on alternative fuels on p26, and download the guide from waterways.org.uk/greenboating.

New reporting tool for waterway access issues Our inland waterways are valuable green spaces enjoyed by millions. But there are places where waterways are difficult to access and use. We have launched the Waterways Watch initiative to help us get a good picture of the issues that affect our country’s canals and rivers. We want to know about problems experienced by you as you use them. This could include places where you find it tricky to access the towpath or move along it, or where paths don’t exist.

We also want to hear about places that need dredging – where boats are grounding in the middle of the channel, or experiencing difficulties entering or exiting a lock due to channel depth. In addition, we want you to tell us about areas with problematic vegetation – this could be on a towpath, waterway, sight line or winding hole.

Evidence gained from surveys such as this allow us to build up a better picture of issues we should be raising with navigation authorities, at a local and national level. It also enables us to gather evidence to lobby Government for better funding for the inland waterways.

The Waterways Watch initiative follows on from our 2018 Gaptracker survey, where we asked boaters to identify areas on the UK’s waterways where facilities were missing or in poor condition. Hundreds of comments were received and followed up with nine different navigation authorities.

Please tell us about any problems you come across by completing our Waterways Watch form at waterways.org.uk/waterwayswatch.

Urgent or emergency issues should be reported to the relevant navigation authority.

Help us to make our canals and rivers more accessible by reporting issues via our Waterways Watch form.

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| IWA Waterways

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20/04/2021 13:48

Waterways News

75th anniversary auction proceeds to benefit waterways heritage

Star lot: this painting fetched £580 at IWA’s 75th anniversary online auction in February.

We were overwhelmed by the support we received for IWA’s first live online auction on Monday 15th February. The event took place to celebrate the 75th anniversary of IWA’s inaugural meeting in 1946.

More than 50 lots went under the hammer of celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson, and raised more than £6,000. The funds will help support our work to protect waterways heritage up and down the country. We are working to provide more skilled volunteers in planning and heritage roles, and for more local authority and national Government officers to be aware of the unique value delivered by the rich history of our canals and rivers. The proceeds of the auction will help towards funding these and other ambitious plans.

A popular lot was the behind-the-scenes tour and blacksmithing experience at Tooley’s Boatyard, raising £200. Tooley’s is particularly significant as it was the place where IWA co-founder Tom Rolt converted his working craft Cressy into a pleasure-boat prior to writing Narrow Boat, the book that inspired the formation of our charity.

Further star lots included a Harley Crossley signed painting of a traditional narrowboat, which went for £580, and original artwork of a kingfisher by Steve Owen, fetching £360.

Thank you to our generous supporters and partners for donating lots and taking part in the event.

IWA Trustee Appointments in 2021 In 2020, IWA moved to a new process for selecting trustees to sit on its Board, in line with Charity Commission guidelines. These require charities to consider “the skills and experience the current trustees have, and whether there are any gaps”. This prompted trustees to conclude that a more diverse Board with a wider range of identified skills, experience and perspectives was needed to ensure the most effective delivery of the charity’s objectives.

In 2021, IWA intends to continue with a similar approach, taking into consideration comments from members regarding last year’s process, and will shortly be seeking applications from candidates who demonstrate the experience and skill sets that will be needed over the next three years to complement the existing trustees on the Board.

With four trustees’ terms ending this year, there are four trustee positions available to be filled.

Further details regarding the trustee application and selection process will be available from the start of May. Applications will need to be returned by 5pm on Friday 11th June. The selection panel will meet in mid- to late-June with applicants being notified of their proposed appointment by Friday 2nd July. The panel’s proposed appointees will be presented to members at the AGM, and members’ confirmation of the appointments will be sought.

New appointees will commence their formal, legal role as trustees after the IWA AGM at the end of September 2021.

We welcome applications from people from all walks of life as we look to enhance the diversity of the Board and will be further promoting these trustee positions on our website, our Bulletin email newsletter, as well as through wider advertising.

Next steps: information on the application process, which will detail the skill sets needed and final details of the process to be followed, will be available on the IWA website from Saturday 1st May. It can also be obtained from IWA’s Chesham Office – email iwa@waterways.org.uk or write to Trustee Applications, IWA, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA.

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GET OUT ON THE WATER, SAYS APPGW Getting more people out on the water can save Government money in the long term, MPs were told at the latest meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways (APPGW). Swimming, sailing and canoeing were among the recreational uses of the waterways discussed by members at their latest meeting with waterway stakeholders, held on 2nd March 2021.

Michael Fabricant MP, chair of the APPGW, led the online meeting, which was attended by MPs and peers, officials from Defra and representatives of many waterway organisations and navigation authorities.

The three speakers – Ben Seal from British Canoeing, Howard Pridding from RYA and Simon Griffiths from Outdoor Swimming – each gave a ten-minute presentation with common themes arising out of all of them. All three had observed a significant increase in people using unpowered craft and swimming in rivers during 2020 as a result of the lockdown and restrictions on other activities.

During the lively discussion that followed, a number of key issues were identified, including the potential savings to Government in healthcare costs if more people were encouraged to take up active participation in watersports.

For this to be realised, increased access to the waterways for a wider and more diverse audience is essential, along with better water quality and safety advice.

The meeting concluded with the APPGW members present agreeing to follow up these key issues with the relevant Government departments.

The APPGW, whose secretariat is provided by IWA, also held its AGM by video meeting earlier on the same day, with 14 MPs and Lords being appointed as officers of the Group.

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:23

Waterways News

IWA Festival of Water to go ahead in August Join us at the IWA Festival of Water at Perdiswell Park in Worcester over the August bank holiday weekend, 28th30th August 2021.

Originally planned for last year to coincide with the anniversary of the very first meeting of our co-founders at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, this will be a highlight of our 75th anniversary celebrations.

The free-to-attend festival will feature craft stalls, food outlets, a real ale bar, an entertainment marquee with live music and dance performances. Family-friendly activities will include children’s rides, a chance to have a go at driving a digger with our Waterway Recovery Group, and fishing sessions. On the water will be coracle demonstrations, an electric punt, and a huge display of lovely model boats from Little Radford Model Boat Club, which will form this year’s flotilla of illuminated craft.

Entry to the festival and car parking are free, and you can book a mooring or campsite pitch for just £35 for the whole weekend, including evening entertainment. More information is available online at waterways.org.uk/ festivalofwater.

The spirit of restoration Own this exclusive ten-yearold, private cask, Islay singlemalt Waterway Recovery Group Restoration Whisky, and help to bring derelict waterways back to life.

The barrel was generously donated by WRG stalwart Harry Watts. The whisky comes from the Bruichladdich Distillery and has been maturing in a Rivesaltes Hogshead Cask. It has been bottled at ten years old at a strength of 62.7%.

Bruichladdich is a self-styled progressive Hebridean distiller dedicated to producing worldclass whisky in the most sustainable way it can.

There are only 278 bottles of this lovingly crafted whisky available. All funds raised from the sale of the drink will be invested in the work of WRG, making sure that it can continue to support canal and river restorations in the future.

The whisky is available to buy for £95 per bottle from waterways.org.uk/shop (price includes delivery).

Sales of this limitededition whisky will support the work of WRG.

Join us at Perdiswell Park on 28th-30th August for the IWA Festival of Water.

Summer 2021 006 News AH SS.indd 11

IWA Waterways |

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20/04/2021 11:23

Spotlight on...

RED DIESEL

Tracey Dagley

Alison Smedley, IWA campaigns & public affairs manager, takes a look at the recent Government announcement about the use of red diesel on boats, and unpacks the Association’s campaigning activities on the subject since 2008 The announcement in the Chancellor’s Budget of 3rd March that Government will retain the use of red diesel for both private and commercial boats is fantastic news for the inland waterways. IWA has lobbied Government about this issue for over ten years and the decision will have been widely welcomed by boat-owners, freight operators, boatyards and boat-based fuel suppliers.

The announcement coincided with the publication of the conclusion of last year’s Treasury consultation. This confirmed that the current arrangement for private boat-owners will continue, where they are able to use red diesel and pay their fuel supplier the difference between the red diesel rate and the white diesel rate on the proportion they intend to use for propulsion.

It was also confirmed that all commercial boat-operating industries will be able to continue to use red diesel, which is great news for increasing inland waterways freight and getting more traffic off the roads.

U-TURN The decision overturns the announcement from HMRC last July, which stated that privately owned pleasure-craft would not be able to use red diesel from April 2022. A consultation launched at the same time asked for any exceptional reasons why certain sectors should be allowed to continue using it. IWA’s response to that consultation put a compelling case for inland waterways freight and pleasure-craft to continue to use red diesel until such a time as there was widespread distribution and use of biofuels.

Among IWA’s concerns was the impact such a change would have on boatyards, most of which currently only sell red diesel. Faced with the cost of having to install an additional tank to supply white diesel as well as red, it is likely that most boatyards and marinas would have continued to sell only red diesel, particularly those that operate hire-boat fleets or have residential moorings. Consequently, owners of privately owned pleasure-craft needing to refuel their boats with white diesel would have struggled to find a boatyard that sold it. Other

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concerns were around safety and environmental risks due to the likely use of portable fuel cans and generators.

Boat-owners will welcome this change of plan, along with boatyards and boat-based fuel suppliers who now won’t need to invest in new equipment. IWA is slightly disappointed that Government hasn’t gone further by addressing the tax anomalies that make alternative fuels, such as HVO, more expensive to buy. It does, however, pave the way for IWA to campaign for parity over sustainable fuel taxation in the future without all the unnecessary expense of moving over to white diesel in the meantime.

Background to IWA's campaign about the taxation and use of red diesel Here is a round-up of some of the key moments during IWA’s successful campaign, which extended more than a decade: ■ Pre 2008 – Boat-owners were able to purchase and use lowertaxed diesel marked with a red dye, otherwise used by the agricultural and construction industries, for pleasure-boating.

■ 2008 – A UK derogation from the Energy Products Directive (which permitted the UK to continue to levy a reduced rate of duty on motor fuel to be used for propulsion in private pleasurecraft) ended. At that time, IWA, RYA and British Marine worked closely with HM Revenue & Customs to achieve a sensible arrangement of self-declaration, whereby boaters were able to decide at the point of purchase what proportion of their diesel consumption would be used solely for propulsion, and what proportion would be used for heating and lighting.

■ 2011 – The European Commission first threatened to open infringement proceedings against the UK Government for not adhering to EU directives on fiscal marking, designed to prevent the improper use of certain petroleum products. HM Treasury agreed with IWA’s view that the agreement reached in 2008 complied with Directives and responded to the Commission accordingly.

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:34

Campaigning With You

■ April 2012 – Advice was issued by HMRC concerning the use of red diesel on the Continent and possible action by other countries against any visiting vessels found with marked red diesel in their fuel tanks. At that time HMRC stated that there would be no change to the arrangements for the use of red diesel on inland waters in the UK provided the correct amount of duty had been paid.

■ May 2013 – The UK Government was formally requested by the EU to amend its legislation to ensure that private pleasure-boats could no longer buy lower-taxed fuel intended for commercial boats. By July HMRC indicated that the UK Government intended to challenge this, a decision welcomed by IWA. ■ July 2014 – The European Commission referred the matter to the European Court of Justice, stating that the UK was “not properly applying European excise rules”.

■ September 2017 – There was confirmation that the European Commission still intended to take the UK Government to court over current UK laws that allowed leisure boaters to purchase red diesel.

■ October 2018 – The European Court of Justice announced that it had found against the UK Government over the matter of the continued use of red diesel by leisure boaters in the UK. In March a statement was made in the Spring 2019 Budget that HMRC would seek evidence on the impact of the Government’s proposal to comply with this judgment.

■ July 2019 – HMRC announced that private pleasure-craft in the UK would be prohibited from using red diesel at some date in the future and launched a consultation about the likely timescales required for implementing the change. IWA responded emphasising the impracticalities of the change by highlighting the key concerns around how the change would impact boatyards, fuel suppliers, boat-owners and the environment, and requested the longest possible period for transition.

■ August 2019 – IWA met with HMRC, along with RYA and other key coastal and inland waterways interests, to reiterate concerns that the ban on the sale of red diesel for propulsion of private pleasure-craft would bring, especially if it were to be rushed through.

■ November 2019 – HMRC announced that it had lost its defence against the EU Court of Justice. Representatives from the boating community and boating industry, including IWA, met with HMRC officials to discuss the implications of the Court’s decision and to help evaluate the UK’s response.

■ February 2020 – Following reports in the press, at IWA’s request the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways raised concerns with HM Treasury welcoming Government’s aim to reduce carbon emissions but noting that removing all access to red diesel could achieve the opposite of its desired effect and negatively impact on the environment and the economy.

■ March 2020 – The Chancellor announced in the Spring Budget that Government would remove “the entitlement to use red diesel except for agriculture, fish farming, rail and non-commercial heating” from April 2022. IWA again raised its concerns that the change could result in adverse environmental and economic impacts through a loss of tourism, employment and trade. Discussions were held with HMT on why the inland waterways should be included in the sectors still allowed to use red diesel.

■ July 2020 – HMRC published the outcome of its 2019 consultation, which confirmed that privately owned pleasurecraft would not be able to use red diesel from April 2022. At the same time a new HMT consultation was launched. IWA and other waterway organisations continued to liaise with HMT and Summer 2021 012 Campaign focus_red diesel AH SS.indd 13

HMRC to make the case for the inland waterways being included in the sectors which would still be allowed to use red diesel.

■ September 2020 – IWA submitted its response to HMT’s consultation on removing access to red diesel for propulsion on the inland waterways from April 2022. In line with its work on sustainable propulsion, IWA’s view was that increased use of biofuels would be more effective in the longer term in reducing emissions, and that red diesel should therefore be retained until there was wider distribution and use of biofuels.

■ March 2021 – The Chancellor’s Budget of 3rd March announced that Government will retain the use of red diesel for both private and commercial boats. This marks the successful conclusion of more than ten years’ work by IWA, and the start of a new campaign to lobby Government about tax breaks to ensure that biofuels are widely available at a competitive price to secure a more sustainable future for the inland waterways.

Branch campaigning Uttoxeter Canal restoration threatened by planning application IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch have been mobilising supporters to help Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust in fighting the proposals for houses next to the current terminus of the Caldon Canal. A planning application for 49 homes at Froghall would scupper any chances of the Uttoxeter Canal ever being restored.

If the development goes ahead with the proposed layout, an access road and houses would be built on the line of the canal and all possible alignments for its future restoration would be blocked. The proposal contravenes both the Churnet Valley Masterplan and the recently adopted Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan. Both policies support restoration of the canal as a long-term opportunity, with a pedestrian route from the canal basin to the A52, along the original towpath, as a short-term goal.

Branch volunteers sought the advice of IWA’s Planning Advisory Panel and Restoration Hub to assist with drawing up a detailed objection to the planning application, which is due to be considered by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning committee in April. Other objectors to the planning application include many Waterway Recovery Group volunteers who have worked on the Uttoxeter Canal in recent years, as well as boaters who have enjoyed the Caldon Canal and wish to see the possibility of the Uttoxeter Canal being restored in the future.

The proposed development would border the south portal of Froghall Tunnel (bottom) and sit on top of the three locks below Froghall Basin (top left). Overlay by the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust.

IWA Waterways |

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20/04/2021 11:23

TAKE THE

PLUNGE More than half of Outdoor Swimmer’s survey participants said they enjoyed it more than they expected.

(C) BASIL ARDEN

Swimming in Britain’s navigable rivers is free, fun and good for you, says Simon Griffiths

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egular users of Britain’s waterways may have noticed an upsurge in wild swimmers since the start of the first lockdown in 2020. Data collected by Outdoor Swimmer magazine shows the number of people swimming outside increased by between one-anda-half and three times last summer, compared to 2019. Many of these people will continue swimming in rivers, lakes and the sea when pools reopen because they had such a positive experience. More than half (52%) said they enjoyed it more than they expected, 47% liked it as much as they expected and only 1% liked it less than they thought they would.

The main reasons people say they swim outdoors is because it does them good and they enjoy it. In Outdoor Swimmer’s survey, three-quarters of respondents said it is essential or very important for their general wellbeing. Other reasons people swim outdoors include connecting with nature, supporting their mental health, and simply having fun.

Does that tempt you to join them?

Speaking from personal experience, boating can offer plenty of wild swimming opportunities. Moreover, it’s free, and you don’t need to be a great swimmer. All that’s required is that you’re comfortable in water, can float, and are able to propel yourself gently forwards or backwards.

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Getting started Assuming you’re in good health and have no underlying conditions that might be a risk factor when swimming, you first need to find a safe and legal place to swim. In general, swimming is permitted in navigable rivers. However, there are restrictions around locks (you wouldn’t want to swim near locks or weirs for safety reasons anyway) and there may be local by-laws prohibiting swimming in certain spots. You also need to ensure you’re not trespassing on private land to reach the

water, so access the water using public paths or from a boat. Swimming in canals is usually not allowed.

Make your first swim short. Call it a dip rather than a swim. Keep your feet on the riverbed if you like and just immerse yourself up to your shoulders. Try a few easy strokes if you feel like it. Head-up breaststroke is perfect.

Once you’ve done a couple of dips, and depending how confident you feel, you can extend your swim but still keep it short while you develop a feel for wild

Canal swimming is generally not allowed – the Red Bull Neptune Steps race at Maryhill Locks on the Forth & Clyde is an exception.

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:24

Wild Swimming

Responsible swimmers know it can be hard to see them in the water. They will therefore use high-visibility tow floats and wear brightly coloured swimming caps. They also appreciate that boats take time to stop and manoeuvre, and will therefore stay clear. However, as outdoor swimming becomes increasingly popular, you may encounter swimmers who lack this awareness, so please be extra vigilant.

Henley Swim Festival on the River Thames offers an element of competition for outdoor swimmers on our inland waterways.

swimming. Try five, ten or 15 minutes.

Relax, let the water support you, be aware how your skin tingles and look around.

You see things differently from the water.

Birds often allow you to approach much more closely than they do when you’re a lumbering giant on land. See how gently and silently you can move through the water. Tune in to what you can hear; notice how the air smells close to the water.

Reflect on how lucky you are to enjoy that amazing moment and how you’ve become a wild swimmer, as easily as that.

Birds often allow you to approach much more closely than they do when you’re a lumbering giant on land What about the cold?

Cold water is dangerous. It can cause cold water shock, swim failure and hypothermia. However, it’s also easy to manage these risks. Among regular swimmers, less than 10% say cold is a big barrier and more than a third of male swimmers and nearly half of female swimmers say cold water is no barrier at all to outdoor swimming.

Cold water shock is the body’s initial and automatic response to rapid change in skin temperature. It causes, among other things, a sharp intake of breath, an increase in breathing rate and an increase in blood pressure. It typically lasts up to a couple of minutes. Five or six short dips in cool water is enough to reduce the cold water shock response significantly. Swim failure and hypothermia can be avoided by leaving the water and warming up before they set in. Many swimmers, once they’ve acclimatised, look forward to the winter and the opportunity to swim in cooler water, insisting it gives the biggest boost to their wellbeing.

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Kit faff A wetsuit is optional but a tow float is recommended to improve visibility in the water.

You may have noticed that some wild swimmers have an awful lot of kit.

You don’t need any of this to enjoy a wild swim. Even a costume is optional, although you should wear one if you’re swimming anywhere public!

However, certain items of kit can make your swim safer and more enjoyable.

Here are a few things that might be useful...

A wetsuit You don’t need a wetsuit for wild swimming. If you stick to swims of less than 10 minutes, you won’t get hypothermia, even in the winter. A wetsuit also deprives you of some of the sensory experience you get from immersing yourself in cool water and the buoyancy can put your legs in an awkward position for swimming breaststroke. On the other hand, a wetsuit will increase your comfort in cool water and allow you to swim for longer without risking hypothermia. It will also keep you afloat,

which is a useful safety feature, and help you to swim faster front crawl if you ever want to race. A swimming-specific wetsuit is best for flexibility.

in the water, so is worth wearing as a safety device. It also keeps your head warmer.

Tow float

Although they make swimming feel unnatural, neoprene socks help protect your feet from sharp objects, which is particularly useful if you’re swimming somewhere unfamiliar.

Some swimmers like them for swimming in cooler water as your extremities feel the cold first.

These brightly coloured floats are a brilliant safety device and make a huge difference to whether other water users can see you. If you’re swimming anywhere with boat traffic, they’re essential. Although not life-saving devices, you can also rest on them if you want a breather.

There are lots of designs on the market. Many have built-in dry bags so you can carry kit with you and keep valuables safe.

Goggles

Changing robe

If you want to put your face in the water, goggles are great. They protect your eyes and, if the water is clear enough (which isn’t often in UK rivers), allow you to see underwater.

If you want to be identified as an outdoor swimmer, get a changing robe. They are perfect for warming up after a cold swim and double up as an extra coat – useful for chilly evenings on a boat.

Neoprene socks or similar

Swimming hat A brightly coloured cap makes you more visible

DANIELLE CC BY-SA 3.0

TONY WALLBANK, MARATHON PHOTO.

Considerate boating

Towel Always useful.

IWA Waterways |

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Wild Swimming

Keeping safe The most important principle for safe swimming is to think first. Use your judgement to carry out a personal risk assessment based on your experience and swimming capability. For comprehensive safety advice please refer to Outdoor Swimmer’s website: outdoorswimmer. com/open-water-safety.

The key points are: • Ensure you can easily enter and exit the water.

• Look out for anything that indicates pollution or toxic algae blooms. Don’t swim if in doubt.

• Enter the water carefully in case there are hidden obstacles.

• Check the current. If it is faster than you can swim, you’ll need to find an exit point downstream of where you get in.

• Make sure your breathing is calm before moving out of your depth and swimming.

• If you are sharing the water with others, use a brightly coloured tow float, and look around frequently.

• Always swim with someone else, or with somebody keeping an eye on you.

• Keep away from boats.

• Don’t drink and swim.

• When swimming in tidal waters, pay particular attention to the currents and the depth of water, and how and when they change.

Additional considerations if you’re swimming from a boat: • Ensure the boat is securely moored or anchored and the engine is switched off.

• Make sure you can get back into the boat from the water. This can be surprisingly difficult if your boat doesn’t have a ladder.

Simon Griffiths

Simon Griffiths is the founder and publisher of Outdoor Swimmer magazine. He has taken boating and wild swimming holidays with his family on the Upper Thames, the Norfolk Broads, the Caledonian Canal and Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in Germany.

Simon combines a boating holiday with a quick dip in the Thames.

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Recommended swim spots Clockwise from left: River Thames, River Hamble, River Avon.

River Thames near Teddington Moor at Teddington Lock and walk upstream about 400m until there is a wide field on your left. This is a beautiful stretch of the Thames only a few miles from central London. There are a couple of easy entry and exit points here, where you can stand waist-deep before launching into deeper water. Watch out for rowers, scullers and kayakers, and powered boats heading into or out of the lock cut. A brightly coloured tow float is strongly recommended. Water quality decreases after heavy rain but is generally good. The current is usually gentle, especially in summer, but can be fast.

Check before swimming.

Postcode: TW10 7YE

River Avon at Eckington Bridge picnic site Park in the Eckington Bridge picnic site car park. Face the river with the bridge on your left and the entry point is on the far right-hand side of the car park, next to the fence. Water is waist-deep at the entry point and the riverbed consists of soft mud.

This is a well-used stretch of river, so look out for kayakers, paddleboarders and canal boats. A tow float is advisable for visibility. The current is gentle as long as the river level isn’t too high. Check before swimming.

Postcode: WR10 3DD

River Hamble near Burridge There are lots of places to access the Hamble, such as Botley Canoe Club slipway, the River Hamble Country Park pontoon or the car park behind the Old Ship at Swanwick. Highly recommended is the section best accessed by parking at Burridge Village Hall. From the car park head north-east across the playing fields, where you will find a public footpath to the river. The distance from the car park is less than 600m. There’s a small beach and grass area that is sheltered, and it’s a popular place to swim from. The river is tidal. The best time for a dip is up to 20 minutes after high tide for Bursledon. That said, you could swim 45 minutes either side of high tide but please be aware that the tidal flow increases. Watch out for kayakers, paddleboarders and, on busy days, powered boats. A brightly coloured tow float is strongly recommended. Water quality decreases after heavy rain but is generally good. If you’re very lucky, you might spot a seal.

Postcode: SO31 1BL

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:24

Celebrating

75 years of iwa

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1 welcome

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This year, is a very special year for the Inland Waterways Association, marking 75 years of campaigns to save, restore and protect our canals and rivers. It is through the vision and determination of our early volunteers that we have this wonderful network of blue-green spaces to explore and enjoy.

Our Association was formed in 1946 at a time when many waterways were neglected, closed, built over and filled in, and a new waterway revolution was born. Since then, over 500 miles of waterways have been restored to navigation and many more have been saved.

Paul Rodgers, IWA National Chair

As we look forward to the next 75 years, we are reminded of how easily our heritage can be lost, and the importance of keeping the waterways front of mind for local and national decision makers.

Cyril Socie comm 2

This photographic journey is a celebration of the work of volunteers and campaigners across the country who saved the waterways and helped to make them what they are today. In achieving this great milestone, our members can look back with pride having supported IWA over the past 75 years.

Sourcing images and researching the stories for this project has been a fascinating experience for me. I’ve learned more about the ways in which the Association has helped to save and restore our waterways. Where possible, images have been chosen that haven’t been published before.

Chris Clegg, IWA Volunteer Archivist

I am fortunate to have had my first boating experience on the Staffs & Worcester Canal in 1958 on a holiday with my parents and my love of the waterways grew from there. I went on my first canal working party in 1963 on the Stratford Canal – one of the earliest canals to have restoration work carried out by volunteers. I have also worked with IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group on several restoration projects.

Robe 3

I have seen IWA reach many of these milestones and am proud to have supported our campaigns over the years as a member. So, I was delighted to have been involved with this project to recognise what has been achieved to date. I’d like to thank Neil Edwards, Audrey Smith OBE and Alison Smedley MBE for their help with writing copy, fact-checking, and sourcing images.

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1940s © John Gagg

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Cyril Smith, President of Worcester & Birmingham Canal Society, speaking at the unveiling ceremony of a plaque to commemorate the occasion in 1982 2

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1945 - It all began at Tardebigge

It all began at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in August 1945. After reading Tom Rolt’s book Narrow Boat, Robert Aickman, a London literary agent, wrote to Rolt, and a meeting between them took place on Cressy, Rolt’s boat. During the visit, the seed of an idea to campaign for preserving and improving the country’s waterways was firmly planted. After much correspondence between the two men, an inaugural meeting for a waterways association was arranged for early in 1946.

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1946 - First official meeting

IWA’s first official meeting was held at Robert Aickman’s flat in Gower Street, London, in February 1946.

Six people attended, and key roles were assigned to Robert Aickman, Chairman; Charles Hadfield, ViceChairman; Tom Rolt, Hon Secretary; and Frank Eyre, Treasurer. A few particularly at-risk waterways were identified; Robert Aickman took on the Kennet & Avon Canal, and Tom Rolt the Stratford Canal and Warwickshire Avon. Saving these waterways, was a big focus of IWA’s campaigns over the ensuing decades.

3 Robert Aickman © John Gagg

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1948 - Fact-finding tour of the northern waterways

When Robert Aickman planned a fact-finding tour of the northern waterways in the summer of 1948, the route included Standedge Tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Permission was given to traverse the canal despite it having been officially closed in 1944. It was to be more than 50 years before the canal reopened, and the through trip became possible again. The boat for the trip, Ailsa Craig, had been hired from The Canal Cruising Company at Stone.

Similar fact-finding tours became a feature in IWA’s calendar for many subsequent years.

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1950s © C P Weaver, with thanks to Historic Narrow Boat Club

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Early arrivals at Market Harborough rally in 1950 Robert Aickman Collection, the Waterways Archive, Canal & River Trust

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Regent’s Canal boat trip in 1950 © Mrs Hilda Weekes ©

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Boats attending the 1955 Banbury Rally

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Boat trip in 1957. Aickman is 3

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sittin

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1950 - Exploring new waterways

With a growing membership, IWA started organising boat trips so that members could discover new waterways. At this time, the Regent’s Canal was a commercial waterway with the public discouraged from using towpaths and access limited. Trips like this provided a glimpse into an otherwise hidden world.

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1955 - Countering the threat from the Board of Survey report

The 1955 Board of Survey report recommended that canals carrying no commercial traffic should be ‘for disposal’. This threatened closure of, among others, the Southern Oxford, Llangollen, Macclesfield and Lancaster canals, which were becoming popular for pleasure boating, as well as the Kennet & Avon, Ashton and Peak Forest canals, which were deteriorating fast. Following IWA campaigning, the 800 miles originally recommended for closure were reduced to just 90 miles (mostly the Kennet & Avon Canal) in the subsequent Parliamentary Bill.

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1957 - Members' boat trip on the Chelmer & Blackwater

Later boat trips were organised by the IWA branches, including one in 1957 to the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation by the then London & Home Counties Branch. As pleasure craft were not permitted to use locks on the waterway, the trip was organised using one of the timber barges working on the navigation.

This was not without precedent, as the directors of the Company of Proprietors undertook an inspection from end to end each year in a similar fashion.

The poster advertises the public meeting and rally at Banbury in 1955

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1950 - First Boat Rally at Market Harborough

Having previously organised car rallies, Tom Rolt suggested a boat rally would be good publicity and involve IWA’s members. The first Boat Rally at Market Harborough, which included an arts festival, was a great success with 120 boats and large numbers of the public. It coincided with the end of Tom Rolt’s involvement in IWA, as the split that had been developing with Robert Aickman proved unbridgeable.

Robert Aickman Collection, the Waterways Archive, Canal & River Trust

© C P Weaver, with thanks to Historic Narrow Boat Club

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1960s © George Andrews

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© Supplied by Robin Higgs

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© Tony Kozary

IWA National Rally at Stourbridge in 1962

Tame Valley Canal near Salford Junction in 1971, one of the canals classified as ‘Remainder’ in the 1968 Act

The approach to Strensham Lock, an early restoration project on the river, in 1990 © John Gagg

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National Trust notice on the Stratford Canal

Flyer used to advertise Operation Ashton 5

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© John Gagg

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In 1958, Warwickshire County Council sought closure of the Southern Stratford Canal on lack of use grounds so that a rebuilt bridge at Wilmcote could be replaced by a pipe to save £6,000. With much publicity, IWA held a public meeting in Stratford which unanimously condemned closure. The canal was leased to the National Trust, who at the time were interested in at-risk waterways, for 5 years and they provided most of the funding. Work started in the summer of 1960 using volunteers under the management of David Hutchings. Army and Air Force personnel, along with prisoners from Winson Green Prison, helped speed up the work. Despite the hard winter of 1962/63 and last-minute problems with Wilmcote Locks, it reopened in 1964 with a spectacular ceremony graced by the Queen Mother.

ction as

© Supplied by Robin Higgs

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1968 - The Transport Act that promised a new future

The future of the nationalised canals for pleasure boats was secured with the 1968 Transport Act classifying usable canals without commercial traffic as ‘Cruiseways’. ‘Remainder’ unnavigable waterways were guaranteed to not be allowed to deteriorate further over the next 3 years, allowing time for restoration proposals to be made. The Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC), which included IWA activists, was set up to investigate these and give advice on use of the network for recreation. It wasn’t quite the National Waterways Conservancy that IWA had long campaigned for, as it only covered those waterways nationalised in 1948, but it was a big step towards it.

The sting in the tail, however, was the removal of the historic right of navigation, which IWA and others had relied on to get reluctant waterway authorities to do maintenance work.

1962 - Rallying to save the Stourbridge Canal

When in 1961 the British Transport Commission announced that the Stourbridge Canal was to be proposed for closure in a forthcoming Bill, IWA was already intending to hold its 1962 National Rally at the end of the Stourbridge Arm. BTC refused to clear the canal themselves or allow volunteers to. IWA Midlands Branch started clearance work anyway and, after national publicity, BTC withdrew its threat of legal action and allowed work to continue.

The 118-boat rally was a great success and not long afterwards, the newly formed British Waterways allowed volunteers to work on the main line of the canal, resulting in its re-opening in 1967.

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1964 - Reopening of the Southern Stratford Canal

1962 - Reopening of the Lower Avon

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The river Avon between Tewkesbury and Evesham became unnavigable during the Second World War above Pershore. In 1949, IWA Midlands Branch organised a conference to discuss the future of the river that led to the formation of the Lower Avon Navigation Trust in 1950. The Trust’s aims were to purchase the semi-derelict navigation, restore it and then manage it. Most of the restoration work was done using a large pool of volunteers working at weekends and holidays, with some assistance from the Army. Reopening progressed up the river, with Evesham being re-connected to the UK waterway network in 1962. It was the first reopening to be completed using largely volunteer labour, paving the way for many subsequent restorations.

1968 - Operation Ashton

When the Ashton Canal became unnavigable in 1961, IWA organised a protest meeting and a campaign cruise that same year. The Peak Forest Canal Society was formed in 1964 to campaign for restoration of both canals. Following pressure, British Waterways allowed working parties to do clearance work. On 21st and 22nd September 1968, over 600 volunteers removed large quantities of rubbish from the canal in Operation Ashton, coordinated by Graham Palmer. The considerable publicity that resulted demonstrated that volunteer effort could be effective on a large scale. This, along with the 1968 Transport Act, eventually led to an agreement in 1971 between British Waterways, IWA and local authorities to fund the restoration of both canals.

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‘Closed’ notice at Etruria Junction in June 1969

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© Robin Higgs

Working party in Welshpool, October 1969

© Rhodes Thomas

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© John Gagg

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© Robin Higgs

1970s

Moorings at Peterborough on the River Nene in 1973

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© Chris Clegg

Some of the 1,000+ volunteers on Ashtac in 1972

Opening ceremony at Bidford Bridge, July 1971, a stage on the way to full reopening of the Upper Avon in 1974

New lock and weir at Great Barford 7

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© Rhodes Thomas © John Gagg

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1971 - Welshpool Bypass Enquiry

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The separate lengths of canal owned by the Shropshire Union Canal Company between Welsh Frankton and Newtown (later known as the Montgomery Canal) were closed in 1944. Shropshire Union Canal Society, formed in 1966, produced a proposal in 1969 for restoration. An immediate problem was a proposed bypass at Welshpool along the line of the canal. A Welshpool Bypass Action Committee was formed to defeat the proposal, and they encouraged IWA and SUCS to organise a large working party in the town in October 1969 to demonstrate support. At a Public Enquiry held in July 1971, the Society and IWA presented the case for retaining the canal. The proposal for the bypass route along the canal was rejected by the Secretary of State for Wales in 1972, paving the way for restoration through the town and from the Welsh Frankton end (where the locks reopened in 1987).

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IWA members had managed to navigate the full length of the canal in 1960, but in 1961 a notice appeared at Etruria stating that the canal was ‘closed’ beyond Hazlehurst Junction. Attempts to improve the condition of the canal had been made by the Inland Waterways Protection Society and Stoke-onTrent Boat Club, along with IWA’s 1960 National Rally in Stoke aiming to draw attention to it. The Caldon Canal Society was formed from an attempt to get the National Trust to become involved. However, it was Staffordshire County Council’s financial commitment in 1969 that finally allowed restoration to start in 1972, with the Caldon Canal Society providing voluntary assistance to British Waterways. The canal reopened in September 1974.

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1972 - Ashtac

The restoration of the Ashton Canal, agreed to in 1971, was started in March 1972 with Ashtac, another mass work party. Restoration continued over the next two years and the canal was reopened in May 1974. As far back as 1961, Robert Aickman had regarded the Ashton Canal as a bellweather for the canal system as a whole, arguing that if the campaign to restore the Ashton was lost then IWA’s fight to protect the whole network would have been effectively lost too.

Unlike Operation Ashton, Ashtac was a collaborative event, reflecting the change in the political atmosphere on the waterways.

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1974 - Reopening of the Caldon Canal

1974 - Reopening of the Upper Avon

Discussions about restoring the Avon between Evesham and Stratford had started within IWA in 1963, and in 1965 the Upper Avon Navigation Trust was formed to carry out the task. The upper section of the river had been abandoned as a navigation for over 100 years, and the locks had become completely derelict. Robert Aickman was actively involved in the Upper Avon in his role as chairman of the Trust, despite no longer being a part of IWA. It took five years of negotiating by the navigation manager, David Hutchings, with landowners and the Severn River Authority, who were responsible for drainage.

Dredging and construction of new locks and weirs took a similar amount of time using a small full-time staff, volunteers, Army personnel and prisoners from Gloucester Prison. Funding came from an anonymous donor, IWA’s national restoration fund, public appeals, and central government. The river was reopened on 1 June 1974 by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother; David Hutchings was subsequently awarded an MBE.

1977 - Anglian Water Act

Another parliamentary battle in which IWA played a leading role was a private Act promoted by the then Anglian Water Authority, which eventually became the 1977 Anglian Water Act. IWA brokered several agreements from petitioners to improve the Bill for navigation interests during its passage through Parliament, including revised bylaws for mooring.

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1978 - Reopening of the River Great Ouse

At the start of the Second World War the Great Ouse was navigable up to Tempsford, improvement works having been made by the Great Ouse Catchment Board but with no further work proposed after the war. The Bedford Boat Club was set up in 1950 to campaign for completion of works up to Bedford, a cause taken on by the Great Ouse Restoration Society when it was formed by Robert Aickman, Peter Scott and others in 1951. The first success was the opening of Bedford Lock in 1954. By 1960, restoration had largely faltered but was rejuvenated

by Alan Faulkner, Teddy Edwards and the East Anglian Waterways Association. Navigation works were gradually completed along with land drainage works, partly owing to the IWA 1973 National Rally at Ely, which promoted restoration of the top end of the river. The upper river was fully reopened to Bedford with the rebuilding of Castle Mills lock in 1978.

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© Derek Pratt

© Roy Squire

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The early days of IWA Canalway Cavalcade

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1983 - First IWA Canalway Cavalcade

IWA has been organising this annual event since 1983.

Held at Little Venice over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, it combines a boating rally with stalls and activities. It continues to attract large crowds to London’s premier waterway location.

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1988 - Norfolk & Suffolk Broads Act

The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act was passed in 1988 after IWA and other waterway interests had fought a lengthy parliamentary battle to protect the interests of navigation in addition to conserving the natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage of the Broads.

Previously, for all earlier National Parks, conservation took precedence over recreation interests under the Sandford Principle.

Conservation and navigation at Horsey Mere, Norfolk Broads

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1990 - Reopening of the Kennet & Avon Canal

Even from IWA’s formation in 1946, the Kennet & Avon Canal was recognised as under threat and an IWA Branch was formed in 1949 following a public meeting in Newbury. The British Transport Commission Bill of 1955 proposed its closure yet a strong IWA-influenced parliamentary lobby resulted in the defeat of the proposal in 1956. The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust was formed in 1962 and restoration started in 1963. The huge task of restoring the canal, by British Waterways, the Trust and local authorities, culminated in HM the Queen reopening the canal at Devizes on 8th August 1990.

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Steam dredger Perseverance at work on the Basingstoke Canal in Hampshire

A well-crewed narrow boat BEN approaching Windmill End Junction on the Dudley No. 2 Canal on the Marathon Challenge in 1999

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1991 - Reopening of the Basingstoke Canal

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Still privately owned and in poor condition, the Basingstoke Canal was put up for sale in 1948. IWA organised a public meeting in Woking in 1949, at which a Basingstoke Canal Committee was formed.

IWA had inadequate funds to bid for the canal and was pleased when a member of the Committee, Mrs. Marshall, said she was intending to bid, and would restore the canal if she was successful. She purchased the canal, but not on behalf of IWA. Little work was done on the canal and it deteriorated further, prompting IWA to produce a report on its condition and future in 1964. In 1966 a Brookwood resident, Jim Woolgar, organised a public meeting to force some action on the canal, and the Surrey & Hants Canal Society was formed. Campaigning for restoration included a protest cruise, publication of a restoration plan and IWA’s 1970 National Rally at Guildford. As a result, the canal was purchased by the county councils and volunteers played a significant part in the restoration, boosted by a 1977 working party at Deepcut of the Society and Waterway Recovery Group. It finally reopened in 1991.

© Alison Smedley

© Derek Pratt

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1960s to 1990s - Birmingham Canal Navigations revival

IWA campaigned for the retention of the BCN system, much of which was threatened with ‘Remainder’ status in 1967. This included a 24-hour protest cruise in March 1968 and a conference at Birmingham University in July 1968, both organised by the Midlands Branch. The IWA National Rally was held in Birmingham in August 1969. Also in 1969, IWA co-operated with the Staffs & Worcester Canal Society to produce a cruising guide to the BCN, followed by IWA Birmingham Branch’s very detailed ‘Cruising and Walking Guide to the BCN’ in 1984. The competitive 24-hour Marathon Challenge was run by IWA annually from 1993 to 2002 (more recently run by the BCN Canal Society). These, along with annual BCN Clean Up weekends, all raised the profile of the BCN and ensured the survival of many less well-used sections.

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Lock 39E at Marsden at the start of restoration

Piling for the 3-rise staircase at the top end of the Ribble Link © Roy Chandler

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Sailing barge Thalata leaving Heybridge Sea Lock in 2015

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Refurbished control cabin travelling back to Anderton by boat through Northwich

Campaign cruise past the Houses of Parliament 2007

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Job Creation Scheme workers on the Rochdale Canal

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2001 - Reopening of the Huddersfield narrow canal

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The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was an early IWA campaign target with the voyage of Ailsa Craig in 1948. Following the re-opening of the Ashton and Peak Forest canals in 1974, active volunteers from the Peak Forest Canal Society and IWA’s West Riding Branch sought a new outlet for their campaigning enthusiasm. The mobile work party of PFCS evolved into WRG North West and also in 1974 the Huddersfield Canal Society was formed. Enthusiasm from British Waterways was muted and the Society was told that re-opening was quite impossible, and so as restoration progressed it became known as ‘the impossible restoration’. Aided by sympathetic local authorities, WRG, government job creation schemes and enthusiastic supporters, the restoration blossomed until Millennium Commission lottery funding enabled full re-opening in May 2001.

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The Rochdale Canal was not nationalised in 1948 and was closed in 1952 except for the short length through Manchester connecting the Ashton Canal to the Bridgewater Canal. When the Rochdale Canal Company sought an Act of Parliament in 1965 to close this last section, IWA and others managed to get a clause inserted that the canal had to remain navigable until the Ashton Canal was also abandoned. Boat rallies were held to campaign for both canals to stay open. In 1974, when the Ashton Canal was reopened, the Rochdale Canal Society was set up with the objective of getting the rest of its canal restored. The canal was reopened throughout in 2002 funded by the Millennium Lottery Fund, derelict land grants, the European Community, English Partnerships, various job creation schemes and local authorities.

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2002 - Reopening of the Rochdale Canal

2002 - Opening of the Ribble Link

IWA organised several protest meetings after an Act of Parliament in 1955 authorised closure of the Lancaster Canal, one of which led to the formation of Lancaster Canal Boat Club. However, the Canal was closed above Tewitfield owing to leakage and when the M6 was built, the Canal here was culverted in three places. Leisure boating continued below this section, but it was isolated from the main UK waterway network as the intended canal connection between Walton Summit and Preston was built instead as a ‘temporary’ tramway that fell into disuse in 1879. In 1979, the Club suggested a link to the Rufford Arm of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, via the Douglas and Ribble rivers and a Ribble Link Trust was established in 1984. IWA supported the restoration with work by WRG and some funding, but a break-through Millennium Commission grant enabled reopening in 2002, along with local and regional government grants and funding from British Waterways towards project overspend.

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2005 - Saving the Chelmer & Blackwater

IWA Chelmsford Branch had taken a close interest in the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation since the branch was formed, just before commercial trading on the waterway ceased in 1972, and it was instrumental in the navigation becoming popular for leisure cruising. The Branch led the restoration and reopening of Springfield Basin and Lock in 1993. In 2003, the navigation company that had operated the waterway since its opening in 1793, went into administration and IWA took over management from November 2005 through Essex Waterways Ltd, a subsidiary company formed for the purpose.

This has been a huge success with the waterway’s operation highly regarded both locally and nationally.

2002 - Reopening of the Anderton BOAT Lift

Anderton Boat Lift was closed in 1983 after extensive corrosion was found in the supporting structure.

IWA and Trent & Mersey Canal Society first held a rally at Anderton in May 1985 to campaign for the lift to reopen. Restoration options explored were either to revert it to its original 1875 design of two connected hydraulic pistons working the caissons together, or to its revised 1908 design of two independent counterweighted caissons. The final decision was to go for the hydraulic option but using hydraulic oil instead of water to avoid corrosion problems. A partnership of The Waterways Trust, IWA, the Anderton Boat Lift Trust, the Friends of Anderton Boat Lift, the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs, British Waterways and the Trent & Mersey Canal Society was formed. Costs were around £7 million, half of which came from Heritage Lottery Funding with individual donations providing a contribution. Restoration commenced in 2000 and the lift was re-opened to boat traffic in March 2002.

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2006 onwards - 'Save our Waterways' campaign

From 2006 to 2010, IWA ran strong parliamentary lobbying campaigns to highlight the plight of funding cuts to British Waterways and the Environment Agency. The campaign was initially prompted by a cut to BW’s budget in 2006 following overspend

by Defra’s Rural Payments Agency. The campaign culminated with protest blockades across the inland network later that year and a campaign cruise past the Houses of Parliament in 2007, supported by the boating trade and many other waterways organisations. The funding situation was eventually resolved for BW with the formation of Canal & River Trust, but the Environment Agency’s navigations continue to suffer from inadequate maintenance and capital budgets.

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2010 to date - Mitigating the impact of HS2

IWA has campaigned for over a decade to mitigate the worst effects of HS2 on the waterways. IWA has given evidence to parliamentary select committees, met HS2 engineers, and liaised with construction contractors. Successes have been to change the route at Woodend Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal avoiding two damaging crossings; a canal diversion and replacement moorings basin at Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal; improvements to crossings at Kings Bromley (Trent & Mersey Canal) and Curdworth (Birmingham & Fazeley Canal); improved noise fencing at Fradley and Great Haywood and environmental enhancement works at Great Haywood (all Trent & Mersey Canal). IWA still has concerns about several locations, including canal restorations, and will continue to lobby as the design process unfolds for the route further north.

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2010 to date - Restoration of Inglesham Lock

Inglesham lock, with its iconic roundhouse, is the gateway from the Thames to the Thames and Severn Canal. IWA launched a fundraising appeal in 2010 raising over £100,000 to help the Cotswold Canals Trust purchase the lock and restore the chamber.

The restoration of the lock was led by IWA/WRG volunteers, drawing on experience from across the Association. Initial preparation works were carried out by IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group volunteers and its skilled forestry team. With planning and environmental permissions obtained, restoration of the structure began using IWA volunteer engineering and project management expertise. Works were carried out to protect the delicate ecosystem of the Thames during restoration. Through a series of Canal Camps, volunteers created a temporary dam and cleared the chamber of tonnes of mud and debris, before rebuilding the lock with the help of KESCRG Canal Restoration Group. Work on the lock structure is now virtually complete and awaiting plaques from the project’s donors to be installed.

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2012 - FORMATION OF CANAL & RIVER TRUST

In 1955, IWA established a policy to promote a Waterways Conservancy that would run the nation’s waterways on a non-profit making basis, semiindependent of Government. The original policy was written by Robert Aickman. IWA maintained this policy over the years, with variations from time to time. In 1965, jointly with the National Trust and Parliamentary Inland Waterways Group, IWA published proposals for a Waterways Trust. Aickman’s original Conservancy proposals were republished in the early 1990s and in 2010 IWA published a briefing to MPs promoting a Conservancy as part of intense Parliamentary lobbying to establish Canal & River Trust. Years of campaigning were rewarded in 2011, when the formation of the Trust was announced, and which took on most of BW’s responsibilities in July 2012.

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2019 - SCOTTISH CANALS REOPENING

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IWA fought against closure of the Forth & Clyde Canal in 1963 and then lobbied for its reopening, supporting the formation of the Forth & Clyde Canal Society in 1980. A separate Scottish IWA (now closed) had formed in 1971, but IWA continued its support, including occasional visits from WRG. Millennium Lottery funding enabled both lowland canals to reopen in 2002. When Canal & River Trust was formed, the Scottish Government decided to maintain its waterways and ‘Scottish Canals’ was formed. In 2017, IWA became concerned at some of Scottish Canals’ policies, which resulted in a lack of maintenance and boating restrictions. Bridges needing maintenance were simply closed, blocking the coast-to-coast route.

Lobbying by IWA and local groups has been rewarded in recent years with significant additional funding from the Scottish government, which has enabled the bridges to be reopened.

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2011 - Reopening of the Droitwich Canals

The Droitwich Barge and Junction canals had closed in 1939. In 1959, IWA member Max Sinclair started correspondence in the local press about the canals’ poor state. Worcester & Birmingham Canal Society volunteers started working parties in 1971 and a Droitwich Canals Trust was formed in 1973, with over 1,000 volunteers attending a weekend work camp (the “Droitwich Dig”) on the Barge Canal. A section of the canal in Droitwich was restored with assistance from a job creation scheme. Work on the Junction Canal started too, largely funded by an IWA grant from a legacy. In 2005 work to complete the restoration was funded by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Advantage West Midlands, Wychavon District Council, Worcestershire County Council, IWA and others. The canals fully reopened in 2011.

Volunteers at work on the Droitwich Dig in 1973 13

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Inglesham Lock, virtually complete

The iconic Caen Hill Lock Flight on the Kennet & Avon Canal, managed by Canal & River Trust © Jonathan Mosse

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It’s possible to walk or boat along many waterways now because of our early volunteers and enthusiasts across the country, whose campaigning and determination transformed derelict navigations into the places we all enjoy so much today.

This spirit and vision led to over 500 miles of canals being saved since the 1950s, and this work continues today so that future generations can appreciate our waterways as much as we do.

To our members, volunteers and everyone who works to protect and restore our wonderful waterways. Thank you.

Photo courtesy of Robert Aickman Collection, the Waterways Archive, Canal & River Trust

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Restoration of Susan

SAVING SUSAN

As the last-surviving Chelmer & Blackwater wooden lighter nears the end of its decadelong restoration, Roy Chandler shares the boat’s history and plans for its future use

Susan’s large scale will make it a dramatic sight on the navigation once restored.

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CHELMSFORD MUSEUMS SERVICE

S Springfield Basin in 1997. You can see the two rudders at the rear of the craft and the house over the original Thorneycraft engine.

KEY DATES

ABOVE: Susan carrying timber during its working days. CHELMER CANAL TRUST

ABOVE:Susan at the Coal Wharf in Little Baddow in 1976.

BELOW: Sandford Mill Open Day in 2001.

CHELMSFORD MUSEUMS SERVICE

1953 Susan was built to carry timber on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation 1972 All commercial traffic on the navigation ceased and Susan was repurposed as a maintenance vessel 1976 IWA Chelmsford Branch purchased Susan 1979 Susan was bought by the Chelmer Lighter Preservation Society, which acquired and reinstalled the original Thorneycraft engine 1984 Ownership of Susan passed to Passmore Edwards Museum in West Ham 1991 Susan was donated to Chelmsford Museums and was based at Sandford Mill, where it gave demonstration trips 2002 Operation of Susan was suspended.

The engine was removed and displayed in a museum 2003 Susan was placed on the National Historic Ships register 2005 The Susan Trust was formed 2006 Susan was acquired by the trust 2010 Restoration work began at St Osyth Boatyard

Susan was towed to St Osyth Boatyard where major restoration work began in 2010.

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usan is a 59ft by 14½ft wooden lighter, purpose built for the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation in the 1950s.

As the only surviving craft of its kind, it’s now an important reminder of the waterway’s industrial heritage. Out of commercial use since the mid-70s, it was passed between a number of owners until the Susan Trust was formed to safeguard the vessel and undertake major restoration work. A £220,000 project to rebuild the lighter and return it to the navigation for use as a trip-boat has been underway since 2010. Now close to completion, the trust is raising money to fund the final stages of the rebuild.

Early history Susan was constructed by R&J Prior of Burnham-on-Crouch in 1953 for Brown & Son Ltd, timber merchants of Chelmsford. The design is based on that of earlier horse-drawn lighters, which from 1797 carried a variety of commercial cargoes between Chelmsford and Heybridge Basin on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex. Unique to the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, these lighters had a shallow draft and a flat bottom with the main keelson inside the hull. Susan was the first and only Chelmer & Blackwater lighter to be fitted with an inboard engine. The propeller was housed in a tunnel, and the boat had two rudders.

In 1972 all commercial traffic on the Chelmer & Blackwater ceased and Susan was acquired by the navigation company for use as a maintenance boat. IWA first became involved in the fate of the vessel in 1976 when the Chelmsford Branch stepped in and saved it from being broken up once the navigation company no longer had a use for it. In the years that followed, Susan was owned by the Chelmer Lighter Preservation Society, Passmore Edwards Museum and Chelmsford Borough Council Museums Service.

Urgent action In 2002 it was discovered that the main keelson was rotting and this, along with many other timbers, needed urgently replacing. The operation of Susan in the freshwater of the navigation had resulted in gribble attack (a woodboring marine crustacean) to the underwater timbers. This eroded their thickness to an extent where they were considered unsafe. Chelmsford Borough Council was unable to fund the repairs and decided to lift the vessel out of the river and place it on a concrete base in the grounds of Sandford Mill Museum in Chelmsford.

Many people opposed this plan as the lighter would likely fall into disrepair and there would be no incentive or money to maintain it. Much of Susan’s relevance would also be lost if it was removed as an operational vessel from the navigation indefinitely.

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Restoration of Susan

The trust The Susan Trust was formed in 2005 as a partnership of interested and experienced organisations, many of which had previously owned Susan. Trustees are from the Chelmer Lighter Preservation Society, Chelmsford City Council, Chelmer Canal Trust, and IWA Chelmsford Branch.

The aim of the trust was to acquire Susan and restore it to working condition for use as a trip-boat. Chelmsford Borough Council donated Susan to the Susan Trust in 2006, along with a dowry of £25,000 towards the cost of repairs and the use of moorings at Sandford Mill Museum.

Essex Waterways Ltd, a subsidiary of IWA, took on the management of the Chelmer & Blackwater in 2005, giving additional meaning to the Association’s support of the project.

Restoration St Osyth Boatyard was chosen to carry out the work, which was initially estimated to cost £120,000. Raising funds for the entire restoration was difficult so the project was divided into seven stages (see right), allowing grants and donations to be allocated to specific tasks. Urgent conservation work was undertaken immediately, as well as further investigations to establish the true condition of the hidden parts of the vessel.

Recently a young boat-builder has taken responsibility for restoring Susan, having trained with more experienced craftspeople for many years. This fits in with the trust’s aims of encouraging people to take up new skills and introducing more youngsters to boat-building as a profession.

Over the years repairs had been carried out on Susan with varying levels of success.

During this major rebuild, the quality of the materials has been improved to ensure the longevity of the vessel. Sustainably sourced hardwoods, such as iroko, have been used for the planking; the new fixings are made from stainless steel to prevent them rusting and causing the wood around them to rot; and the planking has been properly rabbeted.

Once Susan is back on the water, a regular maintenance schedule, to include tasks such as tarring the hull, will be drawn up so as to avoid the need for another complete overhaul in the future.

Final stages Having reached the end of Stage 5, Susan is now looking like a lighter once again, but there is still work to complete before it can be refloated and the original Thorneycroft engine reinstalled. These jobs include fitting the weed hatch, fairing, Summer 2021 017 saving susan AH SS RC.indd 19

SEVEN STAGES OF RESTORING SUSAN Stage 1 Replacement of the main keel (keelson) – completed July 2010 Stage 2 Repairs/replacement to ribs and upstands as necessary – completed October 2014 Stage 3 Chine planks and propeller tunnel frame – completed October 2014 Stage 4a Shear strakes and replanking of hullsides – completed April 2017 Stage 4b Replanking of bottom – completed February 2019 Stage 5 Restoration of gunwales and superstructure – completed 2020 Stage 6 Reinstallation of engine and stern gear – stern gear commenced Stage 7 Design and construction of a cover to protect Susan when not in use, and heritage interpretation

caulking, plugging and tarring the hull, and repairing the twin rudder assembly.

The final tasks will be to design and construct a cover to protect the vessel, and to provide the heritage interpretation for Susan, including details of the restoration project and the history of the navigation on which it will again run.

Once fully restored, Susan will be operated and maintained by the Susan Trust with additional volunteers recruited from the partner organisations, including IWA. A safe mooring at Sandford Mill is being provided free by Chelmsford City Council and will be an ideal base for passenger trips.

The council has plans to regenerate that part of Chelmsford with a new country park, and Susan will be a fantastic heritage attraction for the area. It’s hoped that income from public boat trips will cover the ongoing maintenance costs of keeping Susan in good working order.

In the dry dock in 2014.

Gribble attack on the hull meant it needed to be rebottomed.

Damaged timbers before...

...and after.

Donations Over the last ten years there have been periods of time when work on Susan had to stop due to lack of funds. Changes in VAT legislation, inflation and dry dock charges have also meant that the total cost of the project is now close to £220,000, for which grants totalling £140,500 have been received, along with around £70,000 of donations from local supporters.

The Susan Trust needs to raise a further £10,000 to £12,000 in order to complete the final stages of the restoration in the dry dock and return Susan to the Chelmer & Blackwater. To find out more about the Susan Trust and to make a donation, visit susantrust.btck.co.uk.

In the dry dock. Here you can see Susan’s shallow draft and dual rudder system.

Investigations into the condition of the boat revealed most of the timber needed replacing.

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GETTING OAR-GANISED

Just six weeks into the job, IWA’s new CEO PHIL HORNSEY explains why he’s looking forward to bringing British Rowing experience and a long-time passion for the waterways into play It's very early days still – and such unusual circumstances to start a new job. How are you settling in?

It’s been great, but certainly a challenging time to step into a new role. The entire interview process was online, and I’ve still not met anyone in the organisation in person. You can get to know someone over Zoom – but only to a certain point. Being in the office and having five minutes here and there while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil can be really valuable. That’s the bit I miss. And little, odd things still catch me out. Silly things, like the fact I have no idea how tall anyone I work with is!

You've certainly been thrown in at the deep end. And the pandemic has had massive implications for the charity sector, which must make your new role even more challenging...

It certainly will, and it may be a while before we fully appreciate how. Looking at the positives, we’ve been less exposed than other charities that rely on big, regular income streams from, say, people running the London Marathon or charity shops on high streets. And while we may not have been able to run our events, which our community really miss, it’s made us explore other ways to keep in touch.

The pandemic, more usefully, seems to have given us a chance to take stock. From what I’ve heard, we’ve had a bit more time to think about our strategy and how we can achieve it.

But like everyone, we’re just trying to make the best of it really.

I’m impressed by how the organisation has gone about that, especially how quickly we’ve moved things online, and embraced Zoom and webinars. I’m hearing from volunteers it’s potentially a

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better way of doing things, with increased attendance at meetings because there’s no travel involved, for example. Once you get past the barrier of setting up the technology and using it comfortably, people start to see the advantages.

When you saw the CEO role advertised at IWA, what excited you about the position?

I thought it was something that would allow me to use my skills, knowledge and background. It was also in an area I was passionate about – the waterways. I’ve spent a lot of time on canals and rivers, and a lot of my professional life working towards getting people to enjoy them more. That was the key for me. But I also think that IWA is a really exciting organisation.

It hides its light under a bushel fairly well at the moment, but once I’d really looked into the organisation, found out a bit more about its strategy, that’s when I started to get really excited.

There’s so much potential. With more and more people using our canals and rivers, in all sorts of different ways, IWA is well placed to capitalise on this interest. The waterways are a natural asset that most people can see the value of. So an organisation like IWA, which is independent of the Government and has a proud history of getting stuff done, is a very supportable charity.

Tell us about your own interest in the waterways...

Well, I grew up in Yorkshire, and the Driffield Navigation was on my doorstep. My parents still live there so it’s been a fixture in my life for 40-plus years. During lockdown I’ve been visiting it regularly to walk the dogs, but it would never have occurred to me 20, 30 years ago that this would be part of my professional life!

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Phil (centre) racing for Reading Rowing Club at Eton Dorney in 2014.

IWA CEO Phil Hornsey

Encouraging an interest in rowing at the Team GB fanzone at Olympic Park in 2016.

“I’m not going to be agitating to swing IWA in a completely new direction.

I just want to make it better” Later I moved into rowing, almost by accident. After living in London for about ten years, I moved to Reading for work. It was a new place, I didn’t know anybody, I didn’t even know how you were supposed to get to know new people in towns. One day I was exploring the area and walked over Caversham Bridge just as a rowing eight passed underneath. I thought rowing might tick all the boxes: get to know people, get fitter. I naively assumed I’d just be giving up an hour or so on Saturdays, but Reading Rowing Club almost immediately sucked me into their men’s squad and it took over my whole life! It was half a day on Saturday and Sunday. It was getting up at 5am every weekday apart from Friday. Once I got my head around the early starts I really enjoyed it. Being out on the water at that time of day is just the best thing. You see the world from a completely new perspective – nature all around you, water underneath you. It was different to anything I’d experienced before. I was hooked and carried on doing it for as long as I could.

You ended up working for British Rowing!

Yes, as director of membership and community. And there are some striking similarities between British Rowing and IWA, not least the fact they’re both membership organisations run mainly by volunteers. So I’m aware of what that dynamic means, and how important it is to support the people who not only sustain the organisation financially, but keep it alive at a grassroots level.

When I joined British Rowing five years ago, it was at a real turning point for the organisation. A new CEO had come in with a remit to modernise, and we went through a lot of strategic and governance change in a short space of time. There are certainly lessons I learned there that I’m keen to use at IWA. I’m an innovator and am used to leading change, but I’m also mindful of what it is that’s made IWA the success it is today.

I’m not going to be agitating to swing IWA in a completely new direction. I just want to make it better. And the key to that, I think, is volunteers, staff and members working together. We all share the same objectives and passions, so I see my role as trying to make that happen more effectively.

heritage and restoration in quite the same way, certainly not on our waterways.

So the question is how can we continue this innovation, which is a hallmark of our organisation and underpins it to this day?

And how do we respond to the different landscape and users on our waterways in 2021?

In the past our core membership has mainly been boaters, and we don’t want to move away from that group because they’re really important. But what we need to do is position ourselves so we can attract paddleboarders, swimmers, environmentalists, anglers, dog walkers, cyclists and all those groups which, in the past, we might have considered to be more peripheral but are actually as vital to the future of the waterways as boaters have been in the past.

In the short-term, what task are you most keen to get stuck into?

It’s a bit of a nerdy answer but, given the strategic transition IWA is going through at the moment, what I’m really looking forward to doing is putting some structure around that. To take a step back, identify what needs to be done and when, prioritise its importance, plan its delivery, put in the framework to report on its progress. Those kind of things.

My role as CEO is less about the vision itself, and more about translating how we deliver it. We have limited resources in terms of our staff and members and volunteers, so we really want to maximise what we have.

On paper, the idea of diversifying our membership is more exciting. But while that might take five years to deliver, the planning and prioritisation and reporting can and should be completed within six months, and that will give us a key foundation on which to move everything else forward for IWA. Taking questions on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours show in 2017.

You've joined IWA in its 75th anniversary year. Where do you see the next 75 years taking it?

That’s a good question. It’s important to remember that when IWA was set up 75 years ago it was an incredibly innovative organisation, being run by young people, people in their 30s.

They were doing something with an asset that was considered really extraordinary at the time. No one else was thinking about Summer 2021 020 phil hornsey interview SH SS PH AH.indd 21

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Chris moors on the Great Ouse in Ely, so already knew these waterways well.

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mray has long been the leading publisher of boating guides for the Anglian Region, with titles covering the River Nene, Fenland Waterways (the Middle Level) and the River Great Ouse. I’ve tended to use the maps as I was cruising, and only really concentrated on the text in the evening, when I was moored up. Both Fenland waters and the Great Ouse were both written by a historian, and it was sometimes difficult to distill the boating information from among the interesting historical commentary. If, for instance, you wanted to know if there was a water point in Huntingdon, you’d struggle to find the information between an account of how the town had fared during the 14th century Black Death and the 17th century plague.

So ahead of the 2018 IWA Festival of Water in St Neots I wrote some online cruising guides for visitors to the festival. In these I focused on ‘hard’ boating information – where is the next Elsan emptying, pump-out, supermarket with moorings nearby, and (that perennial favourite) where can I next get a value-for-money pub meal?

At the festival, one of Imray’s directors grabbed me and explained that they had seen these guides and wondered if IWA, as the leading boaters’ organisation, would like to help in the production of new, more ‘boater-centric’ guides. We readily agreed, and Roger Green worked with them on a major update of the River Nene, while I completely rewrote the Fenland waterways and the Great Ouse and its tributaries.

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Chris Howes was so frustrated with existing Anglian cruising guides that he wrote his own.

He tells Waterways why he hopes they set a new standard in the genre...

LEFT: All three guides have IWA branding on the front covers.

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Passage onto the River Nene requires a relevant Environment Agency registration or CRT Gold licence. Boaters will also need an EA ‘Abloy’ navigation key to access locks and facilities.

South Bridge A508

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All maps in the cruising guides are paired, on the facng page, with as much ‘hard’ information for boaters as possible.

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Love Your Waterways

Chris used to be a keen rower before moving onto narrowboats.

There are some beautifully remote stretches of Anglian waterways, but there is something “so special” about Cambridge, says Chris – and this from a man who grew up and went to school in Oxford!

A waterway of life I’ve been boating seemingly all my life. As a child I played in inflatable dinghies and on lilos, twice we hired a cabin cruiser for a week on the Thames when I was six and seven years old, and I’ve been on, and sometimes unintentionally in, water ever since. I’ve canoed, punted, propelled fine rowing boats and sailed.

But it was only a few years ago that I graduated from self-propelled craft to a narrowboat. It was an epiphany to me to realise that my love affair with water could be full time, not just a weekend or holiday dalliance.

I’m now the proud owner of a narrowboat, which I live on. At night I’m rocked to sleep by the gentle lullaby of water lapping against the boat’s hull. I wake at dawn to witness the sunrise (mind you, I do normally go back to sleep again). I revel in gently distorted reflections on the water, the dappled light of the sun reflected on the underside of a bridge.

I delight in the mist at dawn wreathing the river or canal, with the outlines of other boats emerging like ghosts. I love the wildlife: the swans tapping at the weed on my hull, the electric blue flash of a kingfisher, the ungainly flapping of a heron as it takes flight, red kites soaring high above me, ducks demanding food, and cows staring at the reflective glass in my windows. These are some of my favourite things.

Research As research for the books, I boated every bit of the waters. For the Great Ouse guide there were something like 250 miles of navigable water and I went down every last one of them. I needed to. The Cambridgeshire Lodes, for example, are beautifully remote waterways and it was unclear to me from a number of different guides what the turning space at the bottom was. You don’t want to go 5 miles down a lode in the middle of nowhere and then find that you can’t turn around! So I put the boat everywhere.

And this included waterways that weren’t covered in the last guide. I even hired a pilot and went down the tidal Great Ouse to King’s Lynn.

In doing so, I learnt a lot about the history of the area – we’re particularly rich in it over here. It’s also had the bizarre consequence that I now have a better grasp of how the River Great Ouse and its tributaries function than some of the ‘experts’.

Summer 2021 022 LYW Chris Howes Fens SH SS CH AH.indd 23

“I truly believe they are some of the most beautiful places to boat in the country”

Although written from a boater’s point of view, Chris says the guides are of great use to people on unpowered craft like canoes and rowing boats, as well as to walkers and cyclists.

'Hard' information I’m really pleased with the finished guides. We have endeavoured to place as much ‘hard’ information as possible on pages facing each of the maps.

This allows you to fold the guide open, place it in a see-through A5 sleeve (not provided) and extract as much information as possible while travelling.

We’ve included comprehensive navigation notes, more detailed maps, helpful mileage tables and likely timings between locks. There is also new information on moorings, facilities and services, many of which have been much improved in recent years – all to help with journey planning.

Imray’s brilliant designer has set out these new guides in a much clearer and user-friendly manner. The books are full of local interest and historical curiosities, and these are clearly set out separately from navigation information. And all three are also stuffed with illustrative photos.

In producing the guides we have been mindful that we now live in the information age and anything is just a click away in a search engine – but only if you know what to search for! We’ve included lots of ‘tasters’, so where we’ve introduced you to a piece of local history, your appetite may be whetted to start out on your own journey of discovery.

Home I’m so proud of all three guides and truly believe they set a new standard in the genre. We’ve taken a fresh approach and I hope it encourages more boaters to visit these fascinating navigations. Of course, I’m slightly biased – these waters are ‘home’. I moor in Ely and when I stand on the bows of my boat I can see the cathedral through the trees. It’s gorgeous. And with the University Boat Race taking place just 2 miles from here this year, the spotlight really is on these waterways.

I truly believe they are some of the most beautiful places to boat in the country. I don’t wish to be rude about the muddy canals, but you’ll experience delightful, clear-flowing waters, and there are some fantastic market towns.

The great university city of Cambridge, alone, is of unparalleled loveliness. Plus there are one or two remote moorings which, apart from certain stretches over the Pennines, I’ve yet to see a match in beauty. There’s one particular place that I go to quite often, in a nature reserve. The sun sets in one window, rises in the other, there are birds, wildlife, and, oh, it’s gorgeous. I guess I have a natural enthusiasm for these waterways and I hope this comes through in the guides.

IWA Waterways |

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SILVER PROPELLER CHALLENGE

TAKE FIVE

Exploring the far-flung reaches of the network is now even more rewarding

Bishop Street Basin on the Coventry Canal.

New locations to explore in 2021 for IWA’s Silver Propeller Challenge

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ive new locations have been added to IWA’s Silver Propeller Challenge for 2021 – two in Scotland, two in the North West and one in the Midlands. As with the rest of the Silver Propeller locations, these are stunning, yet quieter parts of the network that we would like to encourage more people to visit by water.

Let’s take a look at what has been added…

Midlands

Bishop Street Basin, Coventry Canal The terminus of the Coventry Canal at Bishop Street Basin has been chosen to celebrate Coventry as the 2021 City of Culture. We’d also like to encourage more boaters to take a detour down this underused cul-desac route – many people miss out this section by turning onto the Oxford Canal at Hawkesbury Junction. The Canal Art Trail, which comprises 15 pieces by local artists, extends along the last 5½ miles of the Coventry Canal, including a statue of famous 18th-century engineer, James Brindley, at the basin (pictured above).

North West

Ashton Basin, Lancaster Canal Ashton Basin is at the southern terminus of the Lancaster Canal but few boats venture down this 1½-mile stretch into Preston. The Ribble Link to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal joins the Lancaster near to Bridge 16, which is where many boaters choose to turn off or around. Ashton Basin has been added to the Silver Propeller Challenge to encourage more people to use this section of the Lancaster Canal, which gives easy access for exploring Preston city centre.

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The bridge over the entrance to Ashton Basin at the end of the Lancaster Canal was painted in rainbow colours to celebrate keyworkers during the pandemic.

JON NOTT

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:28

Silver Propeller Challenge

Runcorn, Bridgewater Canal The Runcorn Branch of the Bridgewater Canal used to link to the Mersey, and later to the Manchester Ship Canal, via two sets of locks. This location has been chosen to highlight the Runcorn Locks Restoration Society’s plans to reopen the link to the Manchester Ship Canal, which would create two new cruising rings.

Scotland

The Kelpies, Forth & Clyde Canal

The Runcorn Branch of the Bridgewater Canal.

Bowling Basin – the western terminus of the Forth & Clyde Canal.

Jonathan Mosse

The Kelpies are located in Helix Park, where the Forth & Clyde Canal meets the Firth of Forth near Grangemouth. This is one of two new Silver Propeller locations in Scotland situated at opposite ends of the Forth & Clyde Canal.

The Kelpies and the Forth & Clyde Extension (also known as the Queen Elizabeth II Canal) were officially opened by HRH the Queen on 5th July 2017. The Kelpies are a pair of 100ft-high horses’ heads representing the heavy horses that pulled boats and cargo along the towpaths of the Forth & Clyde and Union canals in their heyday.

Bowling Basin, Forth & Clyde Canal Bowling Basin, at the western end of the Forth & Clyde Canal where it meets the Firth of Clyde, offers staggering views ‘doon the watter’. Located in the west of Scotland, Bowling Basin has become a popular tourist destination following regeneration work, with the iconic swing-bridge over the railway line and abandoned tracks now transformed into a linear park.

The full list of Silver Propeller Challenge locations is available at waterways.org.uk/silverpropeller.

The magnificent Kelpies on Scotland’s Forth & Clyde Canal.

Jonathan Mosse

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IWA Waterways |

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20/04/2021 11:28

FUEL FOR THOUGHT Fuel-boat Barnet is now selling HVO on London’s waterways.

Jonathan Mosse on why Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil might be our best hope for greener boating

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ybrid electric drives and, ultimately, hydrogen-powered fuel cells will undoubtedly become the standard specification for new boats in the years ahead. In the meantime, however, IWA has been puzzling over how to green the 80,000 diesel-driven boats currently on our inland waterways. These engines may well have a useful life of up to 40 years, making their replacement with a brandnew hybrid drive both unnecessary and uneconomic for the average boater.

for converting animal fats and waste vegetable oil into diesel fuel, employing hydrogen. Today this alternative, known as second generation biofuel, is becoming readily available and is already in regular commercial marine use. More than 90% carbon neutral, and with none of the shortcomings displayed by its first generation cousin, it looks like being the drop-in replacement fuel for those keen to run their existing diesel engines into a carbon-neutral future.

Dino-diesel replacement

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (or HVO, as it’s more popularly known) carries a wide range of endorsements from Vetus to Volvo, Kubota to Yanmar. It is completely stable when stored (up to ten years), remains free-flowing down to at least -25°C and is not hygroscopic (attracts water). In other words, unlike first generation biodiesel, it does not promote the development and growth of diesel bug. What’s more, it is 100% miscible, meaning that it happily mixes with all other diesel fuels.

Strict tracing of the feedstock ensures that it is made from waste oils and not directly produced on land otherwise reserved for growing food. It also boasts up to 30% lower nitrogen oxide outputs – and the potential to reduce particulate

The solution IWA has identified, in tandem with other organisations and commercial operators, is to replace fossil fuel diesel (often referred to as dinodiesel) with a carbon-neutral alternative.

Initially this was biodiesel produced by a process known as transesterification, using methanol and sodium hydroxide (or similar) as a catalyst. But these two components mean that the fuel is, in fact, only about 87% carbon neutral.

This product has become known as first generation biodiesel and, for a number of reasons, is generally considered totally unsuitable for marine use.

Fortunately, early this century the Finns starting developing a process

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HVO perks

emissions by nearly 90%. Combined with a higher cetane value, it’s superior in every way to dino-diesel.

“It’s superior in every way to dino-diesel” IWA has started a conversation with the Canal & River Trust (soon to be cascaded down through other Association of Inland Navigation Authorities members) to explore the place that HVO will occupy in their Position Paper on Sustainable Boating. As with all these things, price and availability are everything and currently outlets for the fuel are fairly limited.

'Time bomb' At the moment boatyards, in common with all other fuel suppliers on the inland waterways, are no longer able to supply FAME-free diesel. Instead, refineries now add first generation biodiesel to their dino-diesel output: currently at 7% (as with road diesel) and identified as B7.

The Government aims to increase this to 12% (B12) before the end of the decade, so rather than having ‘a tiger in your tank’ (as the memorable Esso slogan boasted), boaters now have a time bomb. That’s Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:28

Sustainable Boating Right: Bunker-barge Dispenser is operated by GPS Marine to supply its own tideway fleet of tugs and workboats.

The company has been using HVO across the board without problems in a wide range of propulsion units and ancillary engines, including Listerpowered generator sets. CEO John Spencer is a member of the IWA HVO subgroup.

above: HVO-fuelled GPS Arcadia with a loaded barge on the Thames tideway.

Left: With HVO, biocides used against diesel bug are a thing of the past. far left: A narrowboat’s Bolinder engine ready for a taste of HVO.

because, as already mentioned, first generation biodiesel is hygroscopic. At only 7% it is likely to exacerbate stored fuel’s tendency to attract a layer of water at the bottom of the tank, forming a water/ diesel interface: the ideal environment for the development of diesel bug. Once established, it can block your entire fuel system resulting in expensive remediation.

Saponification is another nasty attribute of first generation biodiesel – this being the tendency for the glycerides (or ‘soaps’) to separate, especially in cold weather, and form a thick, sticky substance with a propensity to block components of diesel fuel systems. It is also known to cause problems in some of the diesel heating devices commonly found on inland boats.

Additives However, all is not lost. While the current fuel regime persists (and where HVO is not available), the solution is to use one of a number of proprietary additives on the market. These work in one of two ways: either ensuring the water is absorbed into the fuel and expelled as a product of combustion, or completely separating and removing it via the engine’s waterseparator filter where fitted.

For those who want to find out more, Practical Boat Owner has run some interesting fuel additive tests (pbo. co.uk/gear/12-diesel-bug-treatmentstested-43353). Personally, I favour the Marine 16 treatment, largely on the basis Summer 2021 026 biofuel SH SS JM AH.indd 27

that if it’s good enough for the RNLI, then it’s good enough for me! It goes down the water separating route, which received wisdom suggests is the best approach.

HVO campaigning Going forward, IWA will be pressing for greater use of HVO on our waterways.

You can read more about our vision for sustainable propulsion in our report on the subject (below right), which has already gained considerable respect and traction across the inland waterways. Shared with the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways last November, it prompted the chair, Michael Fabricant MP, to write to the Chancellor asking (among other things) for a tax break on the price of HVO to give parity with dino-diesel.

Availability of the fuel is still limited in the UK, and IWA has been at the forefront of its promotion on the inland waterways, working with fuel companies, existing users and potential outlets to raise its overall profile. This follows IWA trials with HVO on boats, encompassing propulsion through to heating and cooking. So far absolutely no problems have been encountered and users often report a cleaner burn with lower visible emissions.

Fuel-boat One of the most exciting initiatives on the HVO front is the fuel-boat Barnet, which has just started trading on London waterways following an extensive refit.

With the exception of the Thames tideway, Barnet is the first fuel-boat to sell HVO and the London Waterbus Company will be among its new customers.

The initiative is the brainchild of Lee Wilshire, director of Waterway Projects Ltd, who also operates a boatyard just north of Stonebridge Lock on the Lee & Stort. For those keen to support a sustainable future it’s worth noting that the fuel will have seen zero road miles since leaving the refinery, probably in Finland.

Instead, it travels by ship to the Thameside Stolthaven Terminal and thence by bunkerbarge Dispenser up Bow Creek, before being pumped into Barnet.

Find out more IWA’s Vision for Sustainable Boating is available online at waterways.org.uk/ sustainableboating.

Together with the Commercial Boat Owners Association, IWA will be campaigning to level the price playing field between mineral diesel and HVO, and encouraging the general uptake of this fuel on the inland waterways.

To this end, a group of experts and current users of the fuel has been established. Among other ‘duties’, its members are available to answer general queries about biofuels in a boating context. Contact jonathan. mosse@waterways.org.uk.

IWA Waterways |

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Walk with IWA Discover new ways to enjoy the waterways with our self-guided walks. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this guide or online using your smartphone, and find out about history and heritage features along the way. More walks are available at waterways.org.uk/walks. We are still adding to this area and would love to hear from anyone who has a waterway walk to contribute. Please get in touch with us at walks@waterways.org.uk.

CHIRK AQUEDUCT & LLANGOLLEN CANAL WALK

Chirk Aqueduct.

ANNE STAIT IWA LICHFIELD BRANCH

BELOW: Chirk Bridge plaque.

Step it out on this attractive 4-mile route on the English-Welsh border by Peter Brown This ‘figure-of-eight’ walk starts at Glyn Wylfa in Chirk and passes through fields, along the Llangollen Canal and crosses the English-Welsh border at Chirk Aqueduct. Pleasantly rural and rich with heritage, this is a fascinating area of industrial and transport history, with collieries, a corn mill, tramroads, the canal and the railway.

1 The walk starts outside Glyn Wylfa on Castle Road in Chirk. Glyn Wylfa, now a community hub, was built in 1899 for the owner of Chirk Mill, Mr Steele Roberts. Head east along Castle Road to the junction.

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2 Cross the main road. The site of the church ahead is originally thought to be a llan (a Welsh word describing a walled enclosure containing a chapel, hermits’ huts and burials) dedicated to Saint Tysilio. On the right, overlooking the valley, is the site of the early 12th-century motte and bailey castle. Walk a few yards down the hill then take the footpath on the left. Be careful with your footing as you descend the steep hill. The path rejoins the main road at the bottom of the hill.

3 At the bottom of the hill, you will pass Chirk Mill on your left. Rejoin the road and walk to the bridge. The bridge

over the Ceiriog was rebuilt by Thomas Telford in the early 1790s, one of his earliest strutures designed as County Surveyor for Shropshire; it was widened in the 1920s. From here there is a good view of the canal aqueduct and railway viaduct. In the early 19th century, there was a coal mine in the field between the bridge and the aqueduct. Continue across the bridge and take the road rising to the right past the Bridge Inn. 4 At the top of the hill walk over the bridge that crosses the Llangollen Canal.

Continue to the crossroads and turn left into Oaklands Road.

Summer 2021 20/04/2021 11:29

Walk with IWA

Planning your walk

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DISTANCE: 6.4km (4 miles) EASE: Moderate surface: some of it is on field footpaths, including one steep section and stiles, so suitable footwear is essential.

LOCATION: Walk starts at Glyn Wylfa, Chirk, Wrexham, LL14 5BS (SJ287375).

PARKING: Glyn Wylfa has a car park for customers. Alternatively, there is a large car park off Colliery Road (Pwll Y Waun, LL14 5PL) near the centre of Chirk village. This is about half a mile from the walk start.

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3 11

10

4 5

9

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Find the route at waterways.org.uk/ chirkaqueductwalk.

5 The footpath to Rhoswiel starts almost immediately on the right. Follow the footpath across several fields. Partway along, the original line of the Glyn Valley Tramway is crossed. This opened in 1873 as a horse-drawn narrow-gauge railway from Glyn Ceiriog, down the valley as far as Pontfaen, then climbed steeply to cross the ridge on its way to Gledrid Wharf (which is seen later in the walk).

6 Cross the final stile, enter a yard, and leave by the lane in the far right-hand corner. There was a small colliery partway along the lane on the left. At the end of the lane, turn left, cross the canal bridge and descend to the towpath.

7 Walk north along the towpath with the canal on your left. The original terminus of the Glyn Valley Tramway can be seen on the opposite side of the canal. The route of some of the tracks can still be made out by the ridges in the field. Some of the stones visible at the water’s edge have holes; these were originally stone sleepers.

ABOVE: Stone sleepers at Gledrid Wharf.

RIGHT: Chirk Bank Bridge.

Summer 2021 028 chirk walk AH SS.indd 29

6 7

8 Continue along the towpath and you will reach a pub by a bridge. The Poachers was originally called the New Inn. UNESCO made 11 miles of canal from the bridge by The Poachers to Horseshoe Falls a World Heritage Site in 2009.

9 Carry on along the canal. After it bends round to the left, you will see where the canal narrows. The narrows was where Quinta Bridge stood until 1903 when it was demolished to provide material to fill in a nearby breach. It has grooves for stop planks. Follow the towpath and shortly before Chirk Bank Bridge, on the other side of the canal, is the site of a chute at the end of a tramway from Quinta Quarry. This was short-lived as the drop was found to break up the coal. The bridge (which you crossed earlier) shows a very early use of cast iron beams to support a deck, enabling the road gradient to be less than it would have been.

10 Continue your walk along the towpath. Just after Chirk Bank Bridge is the

site of a former wharf. The warehouse was demolished in 1933. Further along the canal, there was once a quarry on the offside, which provided stone to build the aqueduct.

11 Soon you will reach a series of cottages on your right. The five Aqueduct Cottages were built by the Shropshire Union in the early 1870s for employees working on the Glyn Valley Tramway. Between numbers 3 and 4 is an earthwork platform believed to have been used as the construction yard for the aqueduct.

12 Chirk Aqueduct, completed in 1801, has ten masonry arches and rises 68ft above the River Ceiriog. The aqueduct crosses the England-Wales border. The railway viaduct was built in 1846-8; Henry Robertson was the engineer and Thomas Brassey the contractor. Chirk Basin Wharf originally had a weighbridge and a wharfinger’s hut. ‘Telford Lodge’, on the other side of the railway, was probably the resident engineer’s house when the aqueduct was being built.

13 As you finish crossing the aqueduct, you will see Chirk Tunnel in front of you. The tunnel, which is 460 yards long, was completed in 1801. It was mainly built by ‘cut and cover’ – in other words, a trench was dug then roofed over.

It was one of the earliest tunnels to have a towpath. To the right of you is a path – walk up it and take a right turn at the top.

Glyn Wylfa is about 100 yards along on the left.

IWA Waterways |

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