British Canals...

[16PMark]

Interesting looking program on SBS @ 19:30 tonight about British Canals and the making/history thereof.....

I've seen something similar in the past, and thought this may be a repeat, however upon seeing the ads for it during the week, I don't recognise the host.....so here's hoping it's something new/different..

[Homestar]

Will have to watch it. I follow a few canal Vloggers on YouTube. The history and the network is fascinating.

[gromit]

I spent a week on a narrow boat on the Grand Union Canal some 35 years ago.

Collected the narrow boat at Stoke Bruerne and headed off through a tunnel of just over 3,000 yards. Managed to moor up near a pub every night.....

I'll be watching.


Colin

[Tins]

I follow a few canal Vloggers on YouTube.

You continue to surprise me, Gav.

I've been following this bloke for some time:

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6SNxiLzSlh8e0yjndE9o_A) It looks like a life far from what we are used to, but a life to enjoy.

[Pickles2]

I have an "affinity" with canals!
Living in Manchester, we were very close to a canal, in the late fifties it was still there but unused for years & full of reeds, rubbish & other debris.
We used to drop milk bottles with a "penny banger" inside, off a bridge & see them explode in the water.
Anyway, one day I was riding a three wheeler bike & was riding along the track alongside the canal, swerved, & rode straight into the canal,..the water was just about over my head, but I managed to pull myself out through the reeds etc.
When I got home & told my mum what had happened, she took all my clothes off & then gave me a beating with a prickly hairbrush,...I think it was more from worry than anything else,..it was the only time she ever laid a hand on me. The hairbrush was followed by a salt bath.
The bridge I spoke of is still there, but the canal was filled in long ago, it is now a walking/bike track.
And yes, I did find the SBS program interesting.
Pickles.

[Homestar]

You continue to surprise me, Gav.

I've been following this bloke for some time:

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6SNxiLzSlh8e0yjndE9o_A) It looks like a life far from what we are used to, but a life to enjoy.

Yep, I follow him and Foxes Afloat mainly (There are a really funny Gay couple that show the entire build of their brand new narrow boat and post weekly about their travels). There are a couple of others I occasionally check in with, but their videos can be a bit long winded sometimes.

[16PMark]

I have to say, I wasn't a fan of the host of this program. He seemed to be nonplussed about what he was doing, and when he got dripped on, (by water) whilst travelling through "the" tunnel, he seemed more concerned about his bloody hair!!! Had a little nervy, coz he got "dripped on". Pedantic little so and so...

For programs like this they need the older blokes.
Example; how the Victorians built Britain.(Monday nights, same ch.) He actually seems to give a hoot about what he's looking at, and appreciates where he is at the time.

This young bloke just seemed to be ticking boxes off along the way, for some sort of uni course certificate/module...

Having said all that, I will be watching next time, as the Canals and their history are much more interesting to me than the princess hosting the program.

Pickles, I love your tale of fun/woe with your experiences of Canals. Gold! [emoji106]

[Pickles2]

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ashton/stp029.jpgThis is the bridge that we used to drop the bottles from, and about halfway along on the left would be where I "rode" into the canal. It was the "Stockport" Canal, and this is as it is today, over 60 yrs after my "adventure"! Pickles.

[16PMark]

It's a shame these things get filled in, or, in more modern cases, built over.
I totally love all the historic things Britain and it's countryside has.

At least, in the case of your pic, they had the nouse to put a bike trail/walking track there, and leave the bridge.

Here in Melbourne, that would have been a high rise apartment by now. [emoji15][emoji849][emoji849]

There was another program, that your pic reminds me of, which was to do with walking
Britain's old railway tracks.

Old railway lines that are now just walking or cycling paths, but all the old brick bridges and, in some cases, old timber bridges/stations are still there! In some cases, old wooden crossings that are completely overgrown in the bush, and one could easily walk by without even knowing what is/was there.

[Tins]

I have to say, I wasn't a fan of the host of this program. He seemed to be nonplussed about what he was doing, and when he got dripped on, (by water) whilst travelling through "the" tunnel, he seemed more concerned about his bloody hair!!! Had a little nervy, coz he got "dripped on". Pedantic little so and so...

[emoji106]

Hmm... Maybe try again. He was embarking on a fraught journey, selling his house and giving up his career as a radio journalist. It's interesting to watch him mature into his new life.

On his website he clearly states how he is a social introvert. Maybe he's using his vlog as a form of therapy. Whatever, he presents interesting views on canal life, and does so without any hype. Life at 3MPH would mean that water in your hair might be the high point of that particular day, and it was really tongue in cheek, in a mild mannered Midlands sort of way.

Of course, there is always 4WD Action if you want shouting and big revs.

[Tins]

It's a shame these things get filled in, or, in more modern cases, built over.
I totally love all the historic things Britain and it's countryside has.



In the UK there is a massive push to restore the canals, almost always through volunteers and donations. If you had watched more of David's vids you would be aware of this. He links to sites where you can donate if you really want to see the historic things Britain and its countryside has.

David isn't everyone's cup of tea, sure, but I find him to be restful, and I love how he explains the journey from a mortgage and reasonably high pressure job to the put-put world he now lives in. He has zero practical skills, but will have a go.

I'd suggest that you find a vid about 100 in and re-evaluate. If you still don't like him, fine, but IMO he epitomises what canal life could be like.

[Tins]

Yep, I follow him and Foxes Afloat mainly (There are a really funny Gay couple that show the entire build of their brand new narrow boat and post weekly about their travels). There are a couple of others I occasionally check in with, but their videos can be a bit long winded sometimes.

I drop in on Foxes Afloat, but I don't sub. Same with NarrowboatGirl. David appeals because all he is doing is showing the canals and the life associated. I can't watch him trying to do practical stuff, 'cos he's hopeless, but I dig that he'll have a go.

After a life of 100Km/h on the highways here, 4MPH on the water has a 'calling' effect on me. I'l never buy one, but renting a narrowboat is a definite possibility for me one day, if I live that long.

[Pickles2]

It's a shame these things get filled in, or, in more modern cases, built over.
I totally love all the historic things Britain and it's countryside has.

At least, in the case of your pic, they had the nouse to put a bike trail/walking track there, and leave the bridge.

Here in Melbourne, that would have been a high rise apartment by now. [emoji15][emoji849][emoji849]

There was another program, that your pic reminds me of, which was to do with walking
Britain's old railway tracks.

Old railway lines that are now just walking or cycling paths, but all the old brick bridges and, in some cases, old timber bridges/stations are still there! In some cases, old wooden crossings that are completely overgrown in the bush, and one could easily walk by without even knowing what is/was there.
Re your last para,.....I just LOVE that stuff, particularly old railway lines & buildings. Travelling around Country Vic, I've got a 1946 map of Victorian Railways as they were then, so in an area I can look for track beds, old buildings etc. Sometimes I find stuff, but unfortunately in the case of the smaller branch lines, not much remains, as most of the buildings were wooden, & they just didn't survive, whereas in the UK, they were brick or stone, and most have survived.
If I do find an old remains, I like to stand there, take in the atmosphere, & imagine a steam engine being on the spot, as it would've been all those years ago, particularly at night, with fire reflection lighting up the cab/footplate etc!!
Pickles.

[16PMark]

Hmm... Maybe try again. He was embarking on a fraught journey, selling his house and giving up his career as a radio journalist. It's interesting to watch him mature into his new life.

On his website he clearly states how he is a social introvert. Maybe he's using his vlog as a form of therapy. Whatever, he presents interesting views on canal life, and does so without any hype. Life at 3MPH would mean that water in your hair might be the high point of that particular day, and it was really tongue in cheek, in a mild mannered Midlands sort of way.

Of course, there is always 4WD Action if you want shouting and big revs.Think ya missed the point of my comments.
But all good. As ya were. [emoji6]
PS..have absolutely no interest in "4wd action" or whatever. [emoji1783] Didn't even remember it was a thing till ya mentioned it. [emoji848]

[16PMark]

Re your last para,.....I just LOVE that stuff, particularly old railway lines & buildings. Travelling around Country Vic, I've got a 1946 map of Victorian Railways as they were then, so in an area I can look for track beds, old buildings etc. Sometimes I find stuff, but unfortunately in the case of the smaller branch lines, not much remains, as most of the buildings were wooden, & they just didn't survive, whereas in the UK, they were brick or stone, and most have survived.
If I do find an old remains, I like to stand there, take in the atmosphere, & imagine a steam engine being on the spot, as it would've been all those years ago, particularly at night, with fire reflection lighting up the cab/footplate etc!!
Pickles.I want your maps! [emoji41]
...and would it be weird if I wanted to follow you while you do what you do....[emoji848][emoji6]
You've got me on a project now. I'm off to see what I can find about Old Vic railways...

Coincidentally, I heard something during the week that actual proper detailed maps are no longer going to be printed/published/produced.....
That's a real shame, but sadly a sign of the times.....

[Tins]

Think ya missed the point of my comments.


Not the first time I've read that... but what did I miss? Serious question.

I saw the vid you referred to, and I also cringed a little at how 'precious' he seemed, but persevered, as I was fascinated by the whole thing.

[Tins]

I want your maps! [emoji41]
...and would it be weird if I wanted to follow you while you do what you do....[emoji848][emoji6]
You've got me on a project now. I'm off to see what I can find about Old Vic railways...



One simple one is to start at Seymour and follow the old line to Yea and then Mansfield. Near Yea there is the Cheviot Tunnel. I've driven through it, but I'm not sure it's still allowed... bloody wowsers. It's not that long, but still of interest. The line is easy to spot north of Molesworth. I remember a trip I did to Buller with a school group ( I drove coaches ), and one kid was miserable. I kept him going by getting him to spot the signs of the railway all the way to Mansfield. They aren't hard to spot, but he found things I'd missed.... well, he wasn't driving. Better still, from my point of view, he wasn't sick.

[16PMark]

Not the first time I've read that... but what did I miss? Serious question.

I saw the vid you referred to, and I also cringed a little at how 'precious' he seemed, but persevered, as I was fascinated by the whole thing.Ok johntins,
All good.
I'm not up for an in depth and Sky News channel type discussion of the program and it's host.
I was merely expressing my viewpoint on the host of the program I highlighted, and the way he conducted it....

I didn't like him, it seems you do, and have researched him.
Whatevs, shall we move on.....

Cheers,
Mark.

[Tins]

Ok johntins,
All good.
I'm not up for an in depth and Sky News channel type discussion of the program and it's host.
I was merely expressing my viewpoint on the host of the program I highlighted, and the way he conducted it....

I didn't like him, it seems you do, and have researched him.
Whatevs, shall we move on.....

Cheers,
Mark.

Hmm. Seems you can't answer a simple question. Which was "What did I miss?".

Fine. If you don't want to, just say so. Not interested in all this "Sky News" stuff. When did I mention that?

If you don't want to answer questions then here's a tip: Don't.

Now, I'm moving on. You do whatever you like.

[loanrangie]

Interesting show, when I was living in London we had a canal near our house that frozen over in winter.

[Pickles2]

I want your maps! [emoji41]
...and would it be weird if I wanted to follow you while you do what you do....[emoji848][emoji6]
You've got me on a project now. I'm off to see what I can find about Old Vic railways...

Coincidentally, I heard something during the week that actual proper detailed maps are no longer going to be printed/published/produced.....
That's a real shame, but sadly a sign of the times.....
I only have the one map, I got it from the "The Railfan Shop" ph 98998604, it's titled "Railway Map of Victoria" cost me $2.95, but there's also the Railway Museum at Williamstown.
There's some pretty special sites out there in Country Vic, we found the site of the old Station at Kotta, nothing there at all except the very small, overgrown, remains of a platform, BUT on top of the platform, all on its own was a WW1 memorial to the local boys who lost their lives in WW1, & explaining that certain trees had been planted in their memory..the trees are still there.
Pickles.

[gromit]

Back on canals....

Fred Dibnah did an episode on canals in his 'Building of Britain' series
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYf0V54YIVw)

If you haven't heard of him it's worth looking at some of his shows. A steeplejack who brought chimneys down the old fashioned way, restored a couple of steam engines, had a workshop powered by steam. I think he was first on UK TV back in the 70's before video recorders so you made sure you were in front of the TV when his show started, now you can watch the shows on YouTube !


Colin