BCN Marathon Challenge

« Birmingham Canal Navigations DVDs are released

Tardebigge Locks – Summer & Winter »

For 10 years, up to 2002, there was an annual Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) Marathon Challenge.  Contestants cruised around the BCN collecting points for where they travelled with bonus points for rarely used sections of canal.

This fun event has been resurrected for 2009 by the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS) with details on their events page.

There’s more events too.

Including the BCN Explorer Cruise in August from Curdworth to Titford Pools via Anglesey Basin, Pelsall and Wolverhampton.

If you’re thinking about one of these trips then you’ll need to study one of our newly released BCN DVDs to plan your route and know what’s coming or – better still – both of them with the combined price reduction.

Buy the BCN DVDs here.

Posted on Saturday, 31 January 2009 at 22:33        Comments (0) 
Category(s): BCN

Birmingham Canal Navigations DVDs are released

« Where has the water gone at Hatton Locks

BCN Marathon Challenge »

We have just released the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) DVDs.

Just as for the Four Counties Ring and the  Llangollen Canal there are two DVDs – in Popular and Bowcam format.

The Popular format is a cross between a holiday programme and a documentary with a touch of history – all presented to entertain.

The Bowcam is filmed from a forward facing camera and is edited to provide a continuous high speed view covering all of the BCN.

Both travel around all of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) including the Old and New Main Lines, the Dudley Canals. the Walsall Canal, the Wyrley & Essington Canal, the Rushall Canal, the Tame Valley Canal and parts of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and the Grand Union Canal.

There are short extracts onto YouTube so you can see how they look yourself – but please be aware these are low resolution and quality compared to the originals.

Both versions are available Combined in one box.

Posted on Friday, 30 January 2009 at 20:13        Comments (1) 
Category(s): BCN

Where has the water gone at Hatton Locks

« Five Steps to Fame

Birmingham Canal Navigations DVDs are released »

I was travelling near the Hatton Locks of the Birmingham leg of the Grand Union Canal yesterday and paused to take some photographs.

One of the pounds had been drained while winter maintenance work was undertaken at the locks.  It shows the profile of the canal bed clearly when the water is missing.

The Hatton flight was built with narrow locks which were replaced by broad locks in a 1930s improvement scheme.

That allowed boats to use the locks faster, particularly when the unpowered butty could come into the lock alongside the motor boat and they could pass through each lock in one go.

The remains of the narrow locks can be seen alongside the broad locks in most cases.

If you look at the close up of the broad lock then you can see the paddle exposed, which is normally hidden well under water.  It’s only when the pounds are drained that you can see and photograph these.

Also visible is the vertical slot where stop planks can be inserted to allow just the lock to be drained.  Their use allows just the lock to be drained quickly but restricts the working area and might be done for emergency work in the summer.

In the winter its usually easier to drain the whole pound which gives a larger working area and, as the locks are closed anyway nobody is disadvantaged by draining the pound – and that can be checked for problems at the same time.

Posted on Thursday, 29 January 2009 at 12:40        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Grand Union

Five Steps to Fame

« Double Bloggers

Where has the water gone at Hatton Locks »

While editing the footage captured last summer for the next DVDs to be released (more details later) I came across a short sequence captured by our Bowcam.

That’s our forward facing camera which is continually recording as we cruise along the route we are filming to be speeded up and edited to become one of our Bowcam DVDs.

I took these stills from the Bowcam recording.

You may need to click on the pictures to see the larger version.

1.  The boat is approaching with the lady coiling the rope in the front cockpit.  There’s nothing special happening as the boats approach each other and she looks forward to see our boat.

2.  She is doing the classic double take as she spots the name Waterway Routes on our boat and recognises the name.

3.  She turns round to say something to the gentleman steering the boat.  We’ll just have to guess what she said but it must have been something good about us as he starts to look.

4.  He recognises us too and gives us a big friendly wave – I’m sure he’s not just waving because he’s been told to.

5.  The lady turn back to give us a big friendly wave of her own.

It’s nice when boaters give us a cheery wave but this suggested they knew us – or at least something about us.

I had the chance to speak to them a little later and discovered they were Jane and Raymond Cross.  They had purchased one of our Llangollen DVDs and they were happy to recommend it.

You can see more about the meeting on our previous blog post.

When we get a chance to say hello, however briefly, we often get a few gems of feedback from those who have seen our DVDs.  It’s feedback like that which makes our next DVDs even better.

So – if you see us around during this summer – do take a moment to say hello and stop for a short chat.  You might even have your moment of fame on our Blog.

Posted on Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 10:58        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Stratford upon Avon