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| Walking the canals has been one of my favourite pastimes. The fabulous trails alongside the water are so picturesque and park like but they are all mostly natural having grown the way they are over the decades. The canals were originally created from small rivers for barging coal and supplies from town to town but today are used largely for recreation. The narrow Barge Boats are all the same width and height designed to just slip through the many locks and under bridges along the way. | |
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| Here is an example of the English version of a boat marina on the canals. Most of these craft on the left are permanently moored with liveaboards enjoying the beauty around them. Many cruisers on their way up or down the myriad of canals are renting for the day or a couple of weeks for holidays. The boats come in every colour and lots of personal touches with trim design differences and length but all are basically the same because of the width and height restrictions. | |
Foxton Locks |
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| England is riddled with roads and hence thousands of bridges crossing the many canals. Each bridge is a little different and all are numbered and with there own unique style. Locks are everywhere along the canal system and in some places like the Foxton Locks many are needed because of the large change in land elevation. | |
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| The locks are an interesting attraction on a sunny day to watch the many canal boats transiting. Each boat captain has his own large special wrench that he uses to wind open a valve to let water surge into the lock and raise or lower him and hit boat to the next level. The gates themselves are hand operated by pushing them open of closed once the water pressure has equalized. It's amazing to watch this whole process take place without any pumps or electrical help just the pressure of the water flowing down the canals. | |
