The amazing power of canals in Britain – today and yesterday!

Having been brought up in Britain I always knew about Canals, but have never quite realised their significance in the industrial history of the country.

Along with most tourists we tend to think of canals in Britain as a feature of today and a great way to take a holiday, which they are, but do we realise that the British canal system played a vital role in the UK’s Industrial Revolution, when still very basic and undeveloped?  Without canals the UK would not have become the industrial power it did!

[Pictured: a narrow boat negotiating under a bridge near Chester]

Before roads and trains, except for coastal trading sailing ships, the only way to move large quantities of goods, either raw materials or finished products, was by pack horse materials, which was very slow and unreliable, until along came canals!

It is particularly interesting that the first canals built or dug in the UK, for moving goods and materials were not far from Cheshire in Staffordshire, where the pottery manufacturers wanted to bring in clay and ship out china, which ultimately went all over the world. 

The canal system developed an extremely extensive network across the country, across the South, the Midlands and parts of the North of England and even into Wales.  

Road-haulage though brought serious competition to the canal system a with only a few of the better ones surviving after the 2^nd World War, but traffic continued to decline across the canal system.

[Pictured left: many canals have lock side pubs, where you will meet locals and have a great pint of British beer.]

It was really in the 60’s that the leisure use of canals started to develop, too late for some canals, but in time to save others, with from the 70’s onwards an increasing number of closed canals restored by enthusiast volunteers, creating a resurrection of interest in canals.  Sadly though many had been filled in for roads or cut off from the network. 

With a large number of canals having been built in Cheshire, with fortunately many were rescued, then now form what is today one of the best canal networks in the UK, now very popular with tourists……boositng the county’s toruism industry. 

The Cheshire Ring

The Cheshire Ring is a very popular canal cruise and i saw that when I was in Britian with several narrow baots waiting to get through some of the busier locks, with the Cheshire Ring including six of the canals in Cheshire and because it takes approximately a week to complete, it is ideally suited to narrowboat holidays which start and return to the same location.

The route has 92 locks and is 97 miles (156 km) long and is very popular because it offers a contrast between the city centre of Manchester, views of the Peak District, and the Cheshire Plain and even allowing boats to get right into the city of Chester.  You can even take a diversion off the Ring into Wales to Llangollen, with the Shropshire Union Canal winding around hills and crosing aqueducts to gain height.

[Pictured: A narrow boat enters a lock on the Cheshire Ring]

So, as Aussies, should you or your clients consider a canal holiday in Britain? 

I think the answer is yes, not only because it is a great holiday, but you will meet great people and turn back the clock of time to a bygone era……but on your own terms, because these boats are very comfortable and well equipped.

You will also discover a very different way to enter visit some amazing towns and villages……forget those boring roads……..in Cheshire including Chester, where you can moor your canal boat right in the middle of the city.

For more information on canal boat holidays in Britain visit: www.visitbritain.com.au; and

http://www.visitbritain.com.au/search-results.aspx?searchparam=canals  

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