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Canal Walks

Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Did anyone see Julia Bradbury's Canal Walks on BBC4 last night? She walked from Birmingham Gas Street to Worcester. Only half an hour...and should have been longer..but interesting. I'm sure it's repeated sometime this week, but can't remember when!
 
HI CHARLIE;
Never seen the film or documentry may be i should take a look at it before i comment on it ;
but on the subject of cannal walks i have done it many times from gas street to the black country most week ends on both sides of the cut ;
all different ways and channels but never walked to worc by cut ;from monument rd as well up to and beyound the galty bridge many times and beyond ;
it is very intresting taking in the sites and i used to love seeing the big grey horse named charlie and the old boat people on there bargees and when the man is walking the shire horse
and chatting with them ;i recommend the cannal walking to every body i love the cannals they are slowly breaking through the sludge of the droitwich cannal
so the droitwich bargees can get onto the grand union cannal and when they crack it i will be here on the tow paths
best wishes astonian
 
Hi Astonian

I am a lover of canal walks too (so is my dog): the Droitwich barge canal is open between Droitwich town and the River Severn, and is in fact a great walk.

I often park near to Droitwich station and walk to Worcester, then catch the train back.

Passing through the other day, I would imagine the link section to the Birmingham and Worcester canal is almost completed.
 
Hi morton;
many thanks for giving me the up date of the cannal at droitwhich i have been keeping an eye open on it since they got funding and slowly seen the progress being made i am just iching to get on along on that tow path now you have told me may be in the next two weeks i will get down there
and do that stretch i have always had the passion for the cannals and i would love to own a barge but its beyond my dreams at the moment
because they are one hell of a price as you know morton ; i will look out for you on my travels and i will wear my astonian badge so you can reconise me
and if you do please stop me and speak i tend to walk every where my self i have done so since i was a kid i really enjoy the walks
i am thinking of joining a ramblers club here in worcester ; thats how much i love my walking
morton ; thanks again for filling me in on he droitwich section i will not go this week end as i should be at the belfry car boot weather permitting
but i just cannot wait to start walkng that section ;
have a nice day mort ; best wishes astonian
 
I saw the programme, a friend rang me from London to tell me about it just as it was starting. I expect it will be repeated on BBC2 in about 3 or 4 weeks time. 30 miles in 30 minutes, you can't expect too much. I like Julia Bradbury's walks but I have found watching this and her previous series of Railway Walks that if you know the walk she is doing then the programme does look a little superficial. However full credit to her and crew.
 
Thought it was a great programme, have walked a fair bit around Brum when the girl were younger and do now but in Tamworth area - am trying to find a way off the canal closse to work, but short of through the farmers field, hanen't sused it yet!! Must take Owen and his mates they will find a way if there is one lol
Sue
 
Have spent many happy hours in the 80's sketching and painting the Bham canal system particularly in the vicinity of Cambrian wharf and my favourite Gas St Basin which I have painted at least a dozen times, attached is a painting of where Julia Bradbury started her long walk from (looking away from Broad St and painted from the bridge) about 1981 (incidently this was one of 2 paintings sold to an American visitor from Denver who says they have nothing like this in the USA) Eric
 
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Last week's episode was repeated on Saturday @ 11.50pm, so I assume it'll be the same this Saturday if anyone wants to see it (BBC4).
Nice pics, Ell. I love canal walking..nice and flat for a start!
 
Gongoozler

Someone who walks canals

"Gongoozler" may have been canal workers' slang for an observer standing apparently idle on the towpath. Though it was used derisively in the past, today the term is regularly used, perhaps with a little irony, by gongoozlers to describe themselves and their hobby.
The word may have arisen from words in Lincolnshire dialect: gawn and gooze, both meaning to stare or gape. It might be presumed that such an expression would date from the nineteenth century, when canals were at their peak, but the word is only recorded from the end of that century or the early twentieth. It was given wider use by the late L. T. C. Rolt, who used it in his book about canal life, Narrow Boat, in 1944.

(from Wikipedia)
 
I cycle the canals around my area and yes I do have a British Waterways permit to do so. There has been an interesting series on one of the satellite programmes, probably one of the Discovery Channels were they completed a circular journey around a route known as "the Stourport circle", including Birmingham and the black Country.

Quite an interesting series as they stop off at regular points and visit any interesting areas, this series have been repeated (now thats unusual) many times so just keep an eye our for it its well worth watching.
 
There's going to be another Canal related programme on BBC4 on Monday evening.

Also they have the odd canal related progammes on repeat on Quest. Such as Canal Boat Afloat.
 
watched it, and thought what a lovely way to spend two days traveling back to my childhood I really would love to walk that exact canal to worcester. was't gas street basin posh and all done up since the last time I was there, paul
 
thanks ell brown it certainly looks posh now, I rememberit from the late 50's when working boats still used it and everywhere was coated in soot and there were gas lamps on the walls and tunnel entrance.
regards paul
 
More Canal Walks tonight on BBC4, followed by a programme on the change in canals after the war.
 
Thank's Charlie I was unaware of this programe will watch it tonight now. x
 
I watched this and thoroughly enjoyed it. A friend worked with David Hutchings to assist in the restoration of the Upper Avon Navigation to complete the link between Stratford and Evesham and therebye to join up with the River Severn.
 
I watched both the one about the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the one about the Inland Waterways Association trying to get the whole network restored.

One canal in Huddersfield, they started to restore in the mid 1970s, didn't reopen until 2001. Was a differcult task to restore.

They mentioned the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

Also showed the beginning of tourism and the end of working life on the canals.
 
Carolina, it must be yet another repeat as it has been on before, but well worth watching again particularly has she starts from Gas Street basin my favourite part of the Bham canal network which I have painted many times (see post 8). I for one will watch it again. Eric
 
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Eric, Yes I thought it might be a repeat as the walk was mentioned earlier on this thread, but it doesnt say repeat on the programme, but like you I will watch it, but for me it will be the first time.
 
yes it is a repeat, it was shown on BBC3 or 4 afew weeks ago............... but it is still good telly
 
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