What’s happening on the canals this winter?

6^th December 2020

As we enter the winter season the days shorten and there is much less boat activity allowing maintenance and repair work to be undertaken. Our fleet have been checked over, maintenance planned in and made ready to survive the challenges that winter can bring.

As well as ourselves the Canal and River Trust who are the custodians of 2000 miles of canals in England and Wales are also busy maintaining the 200 year old canal network ready for our customers to enjoy next summer. 

This picture show some work currently going on at our local Long Buckby lock flight. When the chamber at Lock 10 was drained, the cill and surrounding concrete on the lower gate were in much worse condition so full replacement is underway.

In addition to the canal channel itself the canal infrastructure is made up of many different structures including locks, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, culverts, weirs and reservoirs. These are all subject to regular inspections, repairs and maintenance which the Canal and River Trust carry out in the winter season, between November and March when fewer boats are cruising the waterways.

Check back again soon for future updates as we move into getting Knotweed and the rest of the fleet ready for action in 2021.

Which boat will you choose for your 2021 adventures?