The Amateur Traveler talks to Richard Graw about his experiences cruising the canals of England and Wales in a canal boat (or narrow boat).
“It is a very English past time. It is a wonderful way to see England. The English Canal system was built during the height of England’s industrial revolution. They realized it was easier to move large amounts of raw materials by water than by road. The canals are 20-30 feet wide at the widest spot and 3 feet deep at the deepest. A movement to use the canals again picked up in the 60s and 70s and now they have started to dig out canals that had been filled in.”
The canals traverse through tunnels, up staircases of locks and even up over aqueducts.
right click here to download (mp3)
right click here to download (iTunes version with pictures)
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Show Notes
Canals of the United Kingdom
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
Llangollen Canal
Grand Union Canal
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Regent’s Canal
William Shakespeare
Anonymous (film)
Waterscape
Community
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Travel to Wiltshire in England – Episode 284
Canal Cruising in France – Episode 655
Travel to Wales – Episode 726
by Chris Christensen
Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook
2 Responses to “Cruising Barge Canals in England and Wales – Episode 315”
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Tags: audio travel podcast, cruise travel, england, podcast, united kingdom, wales
Sam
Says:February 13th, 2012 at 9:29 am
Another very enjoyable episode, but as a native of London, I was somewhat disappointed by the unfortunate misnaming of this episode. It did not only cover locations in England, but also two in Wales: the Llangollen Canal links North Wales to Cheshire, in England and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is located entirely in Wales. While I know many people (including many English people) often mistakenly refer to England and Wales (or perhaps, even more frustratingly, the entire United Kingdom) as simply “England”, I have come to expect more of the factual accuracy of this podcast. Otherwise, a great episode, with some especially helpful and incisive questions asked by you, Chris, that made me want to explore this side of my own country some more!
Si @thedepartureboard.com
Says:February 17th, 2012 at 4:59 am
Hi Chris and Richard,
I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t been narrow boating in England even though I live five minutes walk from a charming canal in rural Essex. Having become a dad in the last couple of months this may be something to think about in 2012.
I have added the link to show at The Travel Bloggers Guide to England I’m developing. http://www.thedepartureboard.com/the-travel-bloggers-guide/europe/england
As always looking forward to the next show.
Kind regards, Simon