Life at 2.3 miles an hour is a RU-vid Channel centred on the UK's inland waterways. Why 2.3 mph? Well, according to my Satnav that is the average speed we maintain as we move around the country with our pair of narrowboats.
We spend the summer months living on the motor boat and the tow The Jam Butty from canal festival to canal festival making and selling preserves as we go. This channel takes a a look as we live our lives in the slow lane.
But my interest in the inland waterways dosn't stop there. I am fascinated by the history of these thin ribbons of water which were the nation's primary transportation network from the late 1700's till the coming of the railways 60 year later.
The Canal Hunter series takes a close look at the 100 miles of the current Birmingham Canal Navigations, where we are based, and in particular explores what remains of the other 60 miles of canals which the region has lost.
This is absolutely fabulous detective work Andy! Thank you so much for this. I’ve been looking for the aqueduct where my dad took me fishing as a boy, and I found where it was at Kinnersley, but I find it hard to understand where all the embankment has gone? Walking Kinnersley Drive to the end, at Donnington Drive, it’s hard to think that the lane was passable by car, and led under the canal. Extremely odd. You mentioned other photographs, I’d like to discover more about the area. You may know about the two sets of semi circular sections of cobbles, set into the road at Kinnersley and Preston. Are these where the canal crossed the road perhaps? In the meantime, my thanks for all you’ve done! Regards, Les Curtis
Bescot Freight Train Depot...Sewerage Works....now Saddlers FC...moved for Morrisons on Ring Road Bridge over Wallows Lane...Palfrey Park House....and Hillary Street to..Montford Road House..Pleck Park
Bentley Mill Cemetery Way....Bescot Railway Main Freight....Sewerage Works...New Saddlers FC...moved for... Morrisons on Ring Road Bridge over Wallows Lane...cut off Hillary Street....!!
The office blocks on Gt Charles St have car parks at the rear and in the first car park (Scottish Life House car park) you can find the remains of a canal bridge which still looks as if it supports the road above. There a few other traces if I remember correctly as you progress towards Livery Street. The video did not mention the breach that occurred at the end of the Newhall Branch. A narrow boat was carried down the hill of what is now Gr Charles St.
Fascinating video especially as I used to play all over there when I was a kid in 1970s!!!! Big mistake though is Bentley Bridge shopping centre was not built/opened till around 2000, so your 20 years out. My friends & I were still going over there when they started to build it around 1996/97.
Ah the benefit of local knowledge! I do have a plan to revisit the line in the winter to do a drone based video including lots of the extra photos that have emerged.
As a near neighbour from by The Gt Western Street Wednesbury,have happy memories of Ocker bonk. Because of my name ,a couple of my mates from Holyhead Rd school used to call me Ocker Bonk.lovely happy memories 😂
Excellent. I was given the same model around the same time. Unfortunately, I spilt the burning meths and set the carpet on fire and was frightened to use it again. Hence, mint condition! Just enjoying it fully all these years later!
The shropshire Arms pub got its nickname from the wrought iron ingots cast across the canal directly opposite the pub,as these ingots had a blue tint to them and were known as blue pig iron
It's only when you've given up' boating that you realise how much of the canal system that you've not cruised ! (I mean the still navigal parts. Suc is life. Andy, your flims - especially whe viewed in full screen soften the blow slightly... Thus very many thanks!
Good to see this great old toy working and not lost and forgotten! I love mine as does my young son. I remember my father enthusing me with this when I was a child too. An expensive toy but well worth the expense at the time I guess he thought. I fully agree. Here is one of mine in action! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7qFcEJfzQH0.html
As always a great video, this section is now in use and Schoolhouse Bridge is complete. Must be time for a return and a new video of the next section to Llanymynech nudge nudge! I still do get what is left to do beyond a lot of dredging as it appears to only be a mile or so to the in water section
It angers me that the hole is open for animals or children or anyone to possibly fall and end up starving or dehydration to death what health and safety fail. I watch Martin Zero and he jokes a if you believe that "I've got a jam Butty to sell you" like here with as in comparison using a bridge. I'm in USA. Can you explain to me what humor is going on with that saying?
I am not sure about the context martin is using but here in the UK a Jam Butty is usually a jam (jelly) samdwich or going back a bit a Police Car (on account of the red stripe which used to go down the side). Our Jam Butty refers to our unpowered boat which is called a butty and we sell jam.
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 I am very educated on everything canals and narrowboat in the UK and I have to thank you for your hard work for educational videos I don't think would be done if you don't. I hope to try to get over there after my elderly parents are gone and I want to buy a boat and live on the network as a constant explorer of canals as well as the areas surrounding the network. I hope to maybe even meet you as well as others that I have to thank for the inspiration and hopefully support I will be needing showing up with nothing in a transition of my life. Just me and it's going to be difficult.
Very interesting Andy as my parents lived in Telford for many years. Not nitpicking but when they moved into Wrockwardine Wood in the 1970s, their neighbours soon told them it was pronounced Rockadyne!
Sir you are a real trooper going through all that wet and rain and such to bring us really interesting information thank you so much from Bakersfield California USA
My childhood playground. Many hours spent making dens and catching stickleback in the shallow water of the filled in locks shown on here. I now have a very keen interest in the history of local canals so thank you for this video...I will now watch the whole series :)😊
Hi Andy. Been watching your videos for several years now. They are amazing and I imagine they are alot of work to create. I wonder if your videos are being archived in a safe place, I mean other than on RU-vid?
Super! Another great episode of Canal Hunter.. Built remains after 200 years, that's fantastic Andy.. you running into the land owner was quite a bit of luck.. the tunnel you dropped down into looked sketchy but very interesting! I love this stuff!!! Cheers from Missouri USA!
Nice video but full of bad practice. Mamods instructions required that excess meths was poored from the burner, you actually spilt some. The chimney is diecast and not appropriate to solder, well done for not melting it. The usual solution is epoxy. Its great to see you having such fun and even involving the grandkids too.
I found out about melting the chimney the hard way! I resorted to epoxy because I ran out of other options. Luckily the wrinkle i created was filed off and looked ok after repainting.
Another very enjoyable instalment of Telford's old tub boat canals, this has been a great series, the drone footage along the way has been great to watch and gives a modern understanding of the line of the canals, thank you for your efforts, highly appreciated!
Glad you enjoyed it - During lockdown I actually built a scale model of the incline to see how it worked. Possibly not my finest video but here it is: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-52G0Wb5wwY0.html
The kids & have I have literally just done this last few weeks finding last bits of our explore of entire Newport to Shrewsbury line. We have just branches to blists hill & Ketley canal. The line of canal along pitchcroft canal past 4 old locks actually doesn't follow hedge but along a bit then through fields by river. The pitchcroft lane Bridge in a garden is the real high light
As far as I'm aware "No public right of way" doesn't mean that you can't walk along a route, it means that it isn't a protected route from being built on or fenced off etc.
Excellent series. I live overlooking the Lilleshall branch near the farm and if you carry on down into the woods, the kilns have been partially restored. There is an old wharf by the side of the Lilleshall drive that was found a few years ago too. A fascinating area to investigate, thank you
Your drone footage fills in the sections I couldn't reach on foot as I didn't want to trespass. Oddly enough, on OS maps, there seems to be a footpath that follows the exact route of the canal from Pitchcroft. It curves around through the field, but then just ends. There is also a short section in water just to the north of Pitchcroft. I don't know if you missed it, but in the Lilleshall quarries there is a large stone built embankment, with a bridge built through it, and a number of arched kilns still there. Your videos are fantastic by the way.
The drone is a massive help, especially with the ground too wet to walk on. I should have spent more time at the lilleshall quarries but the light was failing.
