142. Is this a ghostly encounter in Blisworth Tunnel in my canal narrowboat..? 

Thanks for not putting music over your cruising clips. I love a good piece of music but it's also very nice to feel like we are on the boat enjoying the scenery and journey along side you, x

Once again another masterpiece. Fifteen minutes of JOY.

The tunnel is haunted, I live a few miles away and I often walk my dog near the tunnel, but I keep hearing strange sounds like a girl screaming inside and loud bangs like it collapsed.

Your “Thousand mile stare “ when you said “Blisworth Tunnel I’m coming for you” was perfect.

I finally got to take a look at your website and a video of you as a reporter. No wonder you make such good videos. Glad to see you are living your dream.

Apparently Blisworth Tunnel has many ghosts in it - 14 Navvies constructing the tunnel in 1793 were killed by a landslide and the famous one was the steamer collision where many crew were burned. The light has also been spotted many times and is reported to be in the spot where the original tunnel was started but never finished.

WHEN 14 navvies died during the collapse of the Blisworth tunnel at the end of the 18th century, it was just another accident. However, while there may be no memorial dedicated to the men, it seems they are still, on rare occasions, making their ghostly presence felt. Just over a decade ago, a couple were steering their narrowboat through the dank tunnel in Stoke Bruerne, when they became confused about which fork to take. Seeing lights and hearing the voices of workmen down the left fork they decided to carry straight on and emerged into the light some 40 minutes later. Nothing unusual perhaps, except Blisworth tunnel has no left or right turn - there is only one way in and one way out. Article from the Northampton Chronicle 2002

Sometimes 'the light at the end of the tunnel' turns out to be a 'train coming'.

Btw the concrete rings were put in in the 1980s when the tunnel was renovated, I think the best way of putting it is. Apparently the tech used there served as a testbed for the construction methods used in the Channel Tunnel, which uses a similar set of concrete ring construction.

Hello and Good morning David it's good to make your acquaintance, let me introduce myself. I am Roy Patterson. I go by Pat. I have always wandered about the narrow boats and the channels in Britain and when I found yours, I became an addict to your blog. I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of it and what they say about Britain is true, it is beautiful. And let me say how much I enjoy your correct and proper pronunciation of the English Language, You know and they say how us across the pond abuse it. HA HA, A little bit about myself. I am a retired Police office and a retired Truck drive, and like they say with time brings age. So now I spend most of my time with Mom, and working with my little pick up truck and rebuilding a small camper van. I live in Southern California , in a small town by the name of Hemet , Ca. It"s about 15 miles off of if interstate 10 headed south, in the higher desert. Well guess I taken up enough of your time so i'll say by for now, stay safe and keep up the wonderful videos, Pat

I went on a narrowboat holiday with my parents when I was about 11 and we went through the Blisworth Tunnel. Moored near the entrance at Stoke Bruerne the next morning, I walked up to one of the ventilation shafts which can be seen on Google Maps in the middle of a field. It is reputed to be haunted due to some of the workers being killed during its construction. Great vid, thanks!

Noticed your Vegas hat. I had a boss who used to take his vacation at Las Vegas a lot when I worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. We would alway ask Jim when he returned if he did any good in Vegas and his answer was always the same. "I always do good down there. I went in a $3000 car and came back in a $150,000 bus."

The is an interesting bit of information regarding the construction and use of the Bilston tunnel on Wikipedia. I read that having no tow path, men used to lay upon the roofs of canal boats on their backs, and use their legs and feet to propel boats forward lol! “Legging” is was called. Great fun!

Outside tunnel: Not raining Enters Tunnel: Raining

I like how you don't over talk too much on these videos if you get what I mean, Its nice and relaxing.

David, usually when an activity keeps someone in close proximity to wildlife, a close bond forms between the person and that particular wildlife species. I can see how this happened between you and the Herons, but sadly, with the swans, things seem to have gone the other way. I now sense an alarming tone of entrenchment in how you relate to the swans! Have you considered mediation or even swan counselling? Mike

Yes, definitely the trip boat. I went on it couple of years ago and they enter the tunnel by a couple of hunded metres or so and then they turn the lights off just to demonstrate how dark it is.

Stumbled across your channel about a month ago and now you have replaced the morning news . . . much more enjoyable subject matter to watch with coffee! I'm in Indianapolis, Indiana US which has 2 canals but all bridges build in the last century only give about 4-6' clearance so no powered boats allowed. Our largest canal was smartly saved from being filled in in the early 1900's due to it's use as a water reservoir by the city - already built & full of water at no cost to them & is still used for that purpose today.

This is practically the plot of Enid Blytons "Five go of to camp" A secret tunnel. A ghost train (narrowboat) that goes in a tunnel but never comes out. Will you solve the mystery before the end of School holidays?

I have not the slightest interest in narrow boating but i have quite quickly become your biggest fan! Love your videos!

2015 we went from Leighton Buzzard up and through the Blissworth tunnel and then back. We were 2 couples from Michigan USA and it was our first canal boat trip. What a great time it was. Look forward to better days when we can do the narrow boats again. Thank you for the video it brings back such great memories.

So happy to see another video waiting for me this morning, thank you. England is such a beautiful place.

I find your vlogs so relaxing, wen I'm stressed out I just watch one and I feel so much better!!! I loved the going through the tunnel bit, how creepy!!

Regarding those sections of concrete from wikipedia: "Due to changes in the shape of the tunnel over time, the tunnel became unnavigable. There was major rebuilding of the tunnel in the 1980s, with sections lined with pre-cast concrete rings. It was also used to test out the materials that were later used on the Channel Tunnel. An unused ring is on display near the south portal."

Not sure if this says more about me or about you, but I am enjoying watching your old vlogs these days. I am enjoying them as much as ever. Thanks so much for all the care you put into them and for the humor. Makes these dark winter days a little brighter. (Well, the vlogs and nice yarn to knit with)

So peaceful and love to hear the birds chirping. Swans! One pecked my bottom once, hurt a lot and bruise lasted two weeks.

Love the UK canal system and your videos convey it's peace and tranquility perfectly. Thanks and respect to your channel.

Thanks David..you seem to be on a roll with putting out videos lately...we are all better off for it..thx

Glad you figured out it was a tour boat poking in and then backing up. Mystery solved, no ghost ship, but it was a fun little mystery for a bit.

I need like a 4 hour track of the diesel just running through its paces. Will put me right to sleep

Ghost boats in the tunne...what a story that makes. And I think you are right, swans do look like they are always annoyed.

So David if they had a spectral train in Ghost Busters 2 is the Bisworth tunnel going to be the location for the spectral narrow boat in the yet to be filmed Ghost Busters 4. If looks like the Swans are in league with the ducks and that was the local swan mafia. Your spot lights make quite the difference in the tunnel it is also interesting to see the roof shots.

What a great bit of manoevering at Gayton Junction. Very impressive Blisworth Mill. During WWII the mill became a warehouse and was used to store hundreds of tons of tinned food rations. Later owners used the warehouse as a bonded store and as a dry foods processing factory - The Pepper & Spice Company - until in 2000 it was converted to residential accommodation as 21 flats. Very spooky in the tunnel. I saw what you saw. Superb video and commentary. Thanks for a lovely journey David

The ghost boat was creepy but so was the blue orb that appeared briefly right before you entered the tunnel :O

Can I just say that I only found your channel today and I love it for the simple fact that you just have a very nice relaxed attitude and lifestyle that is a breath of fresh air here on RU-vid. Canal bots weren't an interest of mine until just now and you are entirely to thank for that :) tank you for providing great content. Please keep it up 😊👍🏻

Man I love your videos. And that boat incident was freaky.

excellent stuff. Thanks for this

You could alternate with the Jaws theme 🤭 I'm rewatching your vlogs from #1. Still loving it

Another wonderful canal trip! Thanks for taking us along!

I can't decide whether you should of been a weather presenter or a cricket commentator haha a rather slow but charming life you have there.

Good vlog David. Really like your hat from Las Vegas. In 2005, I lived there for 6 months. Enjoy your commentary as usual, and get enjoyment from viewing the towns etc.. Now reside in Scottsdale Arizona. Many Tah's. Richard M.

That tunnel is so long that I was sure you would emerge in South Africa nice and relaxing video as always Thank

We were Wales couple of years back and had a great time, but never knew about this type of journey. Awesome. narration,marvelous view. Now watching this i realized whai i missed.

The scenery (apart from the tunnel 😊) is so pretty. That was lovely and relaxing to watch. Thank you

A ghost boat, gangster swans and a near miss of Darth Vader music... your videos are getting so exciting!!! (hehe)

Pretty sure that is the Mountbatten Crusader moored up just where you were hoping to stop, and reversed up to. I took my family on that one time. Mum is 94 and it is set up for wheel chair access. Wonderful people and a delightful trip.

Your commentary never ceases to crack me up! Wildly cool video!

I love the Brits. humor no culture is funnier than Brits. Great video..

Perfect video for a lazy Sunday morning.

Another blissful video. superb stuff

That was me hanging a light down from the bridge lol. Fabulous video David I love it my friend. God bless you and your family.

looked up Blisworth tunnel on Google Earth...wow that is one heck of a tunnel!

I just love your calming narration and simple video. Perhaps your about to convert this train/rail network enthusiast into a Canal enthusiast too!!!

Very, very good video. Loved the heron shots. I think that Attenborough would be satisfied with them. Swans are assertive, not annoyed.

Your dry humor and sometimes snarky comments always gives me a laugh. (Which I appreciate and thank you for.) You handle your boat very well, nice reverse and docking! Every day is an adventure; sail on friend...

Another very pleasant vlog. I may pour myself a nice glass of wine in future to totally chill whilst watching as that would seem the right thing to do😀 Perhaps when you visit interesting locations you could take a camera with you to educate us further 🙏

David, without checking the schedule of the tour boat , it's still a plausible BOO !🐙

Lovely to have cruising videos again, after the batch of non-cruising ones. And particularly lovely to see a heron again - you used to film them regularly (a few even didn't fly off!) but seeing this one reminded me that they have been missing recently. Of course, by "recently" I mean in the videos I have been watching - I know I've still nearly two years' worth to watch before I catch up with you!

Maybe just a tour guide at the other hand with a flashlight pointing into the tunnel explaining things or.... ...the *LOST CRT WORKING BOAT* ! When the crops are brought in at the end of summer and when there is also new moon together with the first autumn mists, the black CRT working boat can be seen in the tunnel with the translucent boater singing Scarborough Fair. There is a saying that whoever heard the ghost boater singing is followed by sheer luck. No more rust with the boat, no more chimney leakages, always a pleasant mooring with a waterpoint in the evenings, no engine/horse failures anymore and always a creamy, not too hard, not too soft motion.

Another delightful video! Thanks for all of your hard work.

Lovely video as usual. The bridge you were taking about was a railway bridge. It was the Northampton and Peterborough branch coming off the mainline at Blissworth Junction all long gone now.

Always love your videos. As always, thanks for sharing.

"I should have been a weather presenter" and deprive us of the ghostly tales of cruising the cut? I think not young man.

I often wonder what would prompt a person to give these videos a 'thumbs-down.' Granted, there are relatively few dislikes but there are always some. It's as if there are angry little people out there who think, "Serene countrysides? Peaceful, sleepy villages? Beautiful wildlife? We won't be standing for any of that tomfoolery! No sir! Not on my watch! " Maybe there are those who don't take kindly to anyone speaking disparagingly about waterfowl. Personally, I love all of the videos and generally agree with your assessment of swans. Thanks once again for sharing.

Thanks again for sharing yur adventure.

If I enjoy your being back cruising, I can only imagine how you must feel so just a general thank you for bringing us along for the ride.

As always excellent video. Thank you

Herons are just Weird!

You really are very witty, the "not knowing what you are talking about" at Gayton Junction had us in stitches. Mooring, left, right, yes, no, under the bridge, etc. Not sure if intentional, but there is great ironic humour here. We love your videos so much! The more commentary the better!

The Flying Dutchman, canal boat version.

Enjoyable video, as always. Thank you.

I am enjoying your blog videos from Seattle-----very well done---thank you----I had no idea you could travel like that in the UK and other places----you do a great job---thanks again

Great vlog David, there must be an explanation regarding the ghost boat but the trip reason sounds right to me though... Cheers Pal

Marvelous stuff as always David :) lovely to see you out and about again.

So happy that you are back Cruising the Canals! Such nice viewing.

I blew up the image of the tunnel end to 1600%. Assuming that the video is "real time" without any cuts during that portion, as you are describing the disappearance of the light, there is clearly still the shadow of a shape in the tunnel mouth at the moment when the light vanishes. It is still there a few moments later, getting fainter, which supports the view it was a boat leaving (or backing out of) the far end. The only curious thing then would be why you saw the light getting bigger, but not smaller again before it winked out.

One of the best. Idyllic.

I was googling this tunnel because many years ago, when I was about 13 or 14, my family and I went on a canal holiday and the trip involved going through Blisworth Tunnel twice. Once there, once back. An hour and a half each way. The way back was the strange one. A few days after going thought it the first time, on the way back to the harbour, my mum was in the boat with one sister, while my dad, my other sister and I were stood up top steering the boat through the tunnel. These boats are bloody long and it's also bloody dark in those tunnels, but we saw something strange. About halfway along the boat, theres an extra set of doors on each side which flap open upwards and outwards. We were a good half mile into the tunnel and, just staring at the dot of light at the end, my eye was suddenly caught by the left door flapping open. I squinted through the darkness and saw a head slowly rise from inside the boat. I turned and saw my dad and sister next to me, then peered through the door into the kitchen and saw my mum and other sister in there. "Did you see that?" I asked. "Yeah, I was going to say…” said my sister. “A head just popped up through that door.” replied my dad. We each looked inside the kitchen and made certain it wasn’t my mum or my other sister, then all shared a worried look, and looked back up at this peculiar sillhouette. The door was still open and the head remained. We spoke through the kitchen door that my mum and sister should stay put where they were while the other three of us stayed up on the tiny back deck until we were out of the tunnel; all the way staring in confusion at this ever-present head. When we made it out, blinking our unaccustomed eyes in the light of the day, we looked up. The door was shut and the head was gone.

David, have you looked at the small RV "white LED lights" that can be mounted on just about anything? The lamp is like 3" x 4" with a cord and a toggle switch that you could mount one or two on each side of your boat and turn them on whenever you come to a tunnel. You could mount them so that they shine on the tunnel walls and they would help you light up the walls and then shut the lamps off as needed. I helped my neighbor install two sets on his conversion trailer; one at each corner of the trailer and pointed down at a 45 degree angle. They lamps lite up the general area but didn't get into our eyes until we were standing in front of a lamp. You could mount them on the solar panel frames so that they could swivel up or down when needed or just preset them to shine down at about a horizontal line to light up the tunnel walls or light up the shoeing after dark if needed.

Thanks for another quality vlog. I would love to explore the villages and landscape around the canals. It all looks so inviting. Happy Boating

Despite the dreariness of the day at first, this was a very enjoyable excursion. In fact more irony is the daylight breaking through before you enter into the darkness of the tunnel. Cheers, David. It was just one of those days like no other!

Glad I found your blog. I just did this canal cruising this aug when I went to visit my cousin near Banbury. I really loved it. Now I have a lot of videos to watch.

It does take some guts. I had a peek at the gloomy entrance of the Blisworth tunnel (Stoke Bruerne side) myself last June, but was too taken aback to venture in. Having no narrowboat was an additional obstacle.

Autumn seems the best time to travel the canals. So magical!

The ghost boat could be a fun episode of "Last of the Summer Wine." Campo might be testing a sub made out of an old narrow boat. Foggy might have been devising a way to make money with submarine tours.

Awesome hat, and awesome city too! Great vlog episode.

always look forward to watching your vlogs. As others have said they are tranquil to watch and your commentary is enjoyable. I think you singing Ghost Busters would be quite appropriate for future tunnel encounters.

Brilliant vlog yet again! I like your new hat. Glad to see your doing vlogs on your channel again. Can’t wait to get my boat 👍🏻 All the best

I'm impressed at the care taken of the locks system and the resources available. Someday I hope to come over and travel that way.

I think that phantom boat light was an 'optical conclusion'......lol

Thanks for brightening up what is a pretty dismal day on the Solent coast. AJ

Very interesting video. Thank you

Very nice interesting production. Thank you

Great vlog. Came across you via your meeting with Karen from NZ. Like what we see so have subscribed. Keep up the good work.

Liked the video...we have booked a trip leaving Gayton Marina and I'm glad I saw this video first...now we know...its gotta be the tunnel route. Mega blast sound system at the ready ..can't wait 😉

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, love your commentary, your life seems so stress free, if I were doing that I would be writing adventure on the canals stories, and canal cookbooks......flora and fauna along the waterways Good job!

Another lovely video watching this in my arm chair no stress is this better than the real thing

Loved this vLog. I know the area well as I used to cycle to Blisworth, Stoke Bruerne and Gayton when I was a teenager. I’ve taken my wife back there each time we visit the UK and it’s still in my bucket list to spend a few months on the cut. Cheers from Downunder.

Bit late in the day but still catching up with vlogs... I have experienced this sort of thing at Bilsworth. At the time I had no idea about haunted tunnels and the like and would never have believed it. After going through that one though,, and being followed by what we thought was a traditional coal powered canal boat, we could see it even the flicker of the lanterns on the prow, hear it and smell it, and it felt close behind us.we quickly moored up and waited to see what came out cameras at the ready. Nothing, nada, zilch. We waited over an hour just a few metres from the stoke end and the only thing to come out was a tourist day tripper boat 2 hours or so later (this was october so not high season)Next day we went down to stoke B museum and had a lovely look round and happened to ask about traditional boats and if there were any still working the cuts. It was a queer conversation to say the least esp when we related the event of the previous day and was told about the ghost boats in the tunnel. This actually freaked myself and my companion out somewhat when we realised the museum staff werent joking. As we had to go back through to be back at Gayton (home port for that trip) we didnt hang around sight seeing and got through it as quickly as we dared. This was all pre internet days (early 90s) and didnt hae anywhere to look it up or anything. Personally I never want to go through that tunnel again, thanks but no thanks, If I were to do the Northampton arm and Stoke B again id walk it. There must be a foot path there somewhere.

That was fun! Thanks!