Welcome to Boaters’ Update. This edition comes from the four corners of the network (sort of!).
We invite you to join us to celebrate Bingley Five Rise’s 250th birthday and, at the opposite end of the network, we’re letting you know about an expansion of pre-bookable moorings in London.
After that, you’ll head west into Wales to read about new recycling laws that will affect boaters. Finally, over on the eastern reaches of the network, you can learn more about the diverse range of entertainment you’ll find at this year’s Crick Boat Show.
As ever, you’ll also find the list of current stoppages.
Happy boating,
Damian
P.S. We’re launching our boater survey, where a randomised third of boat licence holders receive a survey on all things boating. If you’re one of the lucky third you’ll receive an email from a third party research agency (to ensure complete objectivity and unbiased data collection and analysis), not from a Canal & River Trust email address. The survey will run for three weeks so please do fill it in as soon as you can – your views help shape our priorities.
In this edition:
Bewitching Bingley celebrates its 250th anniversary
Boost for boats visiting busy capital as more pre-bookable moorings added
Recycling in Wales – changes to legislation affects boaters
Maintenance, repair and restoration work affecting cruising this weekend
Young Elton tribute act to headline entertainment at Crick Boat Show
Bits & bobs
Bewitching Bingley celebrates its 250th anniversary
As you may have read in previous editions, there’s a big birthday this weekend and, if you’re in the area, we’d love you to join in the celebrations. Situated on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the Bingley Five Rise opened on 21 March 1774 due to demand from the industrial hubs in the region. At the time it was a major feat of engineering. The Grade I-listed locks are the steepest flight of locks in the UK, with a gradient of about 1:5 (a rise of 18.03m (59ft 2in) over a distance of 98m (320ft)).
When the locks, and hence the canal from Gargrave to Thackley, were opened a crowd of 30,000 people turned out to celebrate and the local militia fired their field guns in salute. The first boat to use the locks took just 28 minutes.
Unlike the competing, and earlier, trans-Pennine waterways (Huddersfield Narrow and Rochdale canals), the Leeds & Liverpool has broad locks. This, combined with the heavy industry along its route, ensured that, unlike the other two trans-Pennine canals, it competed successfully with the railways throughout the 19th century and remained open through the 20th century. Ultimately, this means that Bingley Five Rise has continued to serve countless numbers of boats over two and a half centuries and we think that deserves a celebration!
Celebrate with us
Tomorrow, Saturday 23 March, we’ll be celebrating the 250 years (almost to the day) with a family-friendly day out.
If you’ve not cruised through, or visited, them before you’ll be able to discover what makes Bingley Five Rise Locks one of the seven ‘wonders of the waterways’ with a range of activities running throughout the day, from town to towpath.
We’ll share some of the modern-day challenges of preserving and maintaining these remarkable feats of engineering and our experts, who care for the locks and the canal, will be on hand to talk to.
This is a drop-in event running from 10am to 3pm, with activities running throughout the day.
Highlights include:
Lock keeper demonstrations and talks by volunteers
Boat trips along the canal
Guided heritage walks & talks
Ecology and environment talks, plus fish tank display
Bird watching and nature spotting trail at Bingley Bog
Paddle sports sessions. To book, please visit our Eventbrite page.
Floating market
Canal art & craft activities
Bushcraft
Sketch walks
Demonstrations, handling sessions and talks from partner organisations
#TopOfTheLocks selfie opportunity
Please note: The only activity that requires pre-booking is Let’s Fish – please book a specific timeslot online via the Eventbrite link above. The paddle sports sessions will run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis with a sign-up sheet on the day.
Boost for boats visiting busy capital as more pre-bookable moorings added
If you’re planning a visit to London this year, you’ll have more options to guarantee a mooring. This is because we’re introducing around 800m of pre-bookable moorings across the capital from 1 April 2024.
The capital has seen boat numbers grow dramatically and, in central areas, demand for mooring space is at a premium. A recent consultation showed that boaters were put off visiting because of the perception that they would not be able to find somewhere to moor. The additions to the existing pre-bookable moorings will give boaters the security of a spot before they embark on a cruise into central London.
The 800m of pre-bookable moorings are at Camden, King’s Cross, Broadway Market and Victoria Park on the Regent’s Canal, and Cowley North and Kensal Green on the Grand Union Canal. They bring the total length of pre-bookable moorings in central London to around 1,500m with existing sites at Little Venice and Paddington on the Grand Union, and eco-moorings* at King’s Cross and Islington on the Regent’s.
The new sites at Camden and King’s Cross are available from 1 April, with the sites at Broadway Market, Victoria Park, Cowley North and Kensal Green to be phased in throughout the year. The moorings are priced between £25 and £35 per night and can be booked for one to seven days, with a maximum of seven days in a single visit. Moorings can be booked online or by calling the Trust’s customer service team on 0303 040 4040.
The capital’s waterways are shared by many different types of boaters, and the available space must be shared fairly. Over 90% of London’s moorings remain available to moor on for free for up to 14 days. We have also created 1,200m of free towpath moorings in central London over the past few years to meet the needs of cruising boats.
The additional income raised from the pre-bookable moorings will allow us to employ rangers to make sure that boats are not staying too long and blocking spaces for other boaters.
Matthew Symonds, head of customer service support, said: “London’s canals cut through some of the tourist hotspots of the city and it’s no surprise that, for many boaters, mooring up in the heart of the capital is on their ‘bucket list’ of cruises. The waters are vibrant spaces, busy with liveaboard boats, visiting cruisers, trip boats and roving traders, not to mention waterside businesses, and the many thousands of people who use the towpaths every day. With London’s canals at peak capacity, it’s more important than ever that we manage the space fairly for all.
“We hope that these pre-bookable moorings will provide surety to boaters planning a visit to London. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to see our fantastic capital city, and what better way to do it than from the water?”
*We are introducing a charge for the pre-bookable eco mooring sites at King’s Cross and Angel Islington. Boaters have the option to connect to electric hook up at these locations using their Meter Macs account.
Recycling in Wales – changes to legislation affects boaters
Welsh canals are hugely popular with boaters. Perhaps you’ve cruised them? Whether it’s their dramatic backdrops or Scheduled Ancient Monuments such as Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the allure of them is easy to see.
It may be that you’re looking to cross one or more of these Welsh canals off your list in the coming months. If so, you need to know about a new recycling law that comes into effect on 6 April 2024. It means all workplaces such as businesses, public sector and charities will need to separate their recyclable materials in the same way most households already do.
While, as a private boater, you’re not considered a business, it does mean that waste collected from our customer service facilities and buildings falls into this category.
Why is the law being introduced?
Wales is currently third in the world when it comes to recycling waste from households. The recycling rate of waste material collected by local authorities is currently at just over 65% and helps save around 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The aim is to build on the success of household recycling and ensure high recycling rates across workplaces too.
What is the new law?
It’s compulsory for us, in Wales, to arrange a separate collection of the following materials, so they can be recycled efficiently:
Cardboard and paper
Glass bottles and jars
Metal, plastic, and cartons - and other similar packaging (for example coffee cups)
Food waste – only for premises that produce more than 5kg of food waste a week.
How will the law be enforced?
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is responsible for making sure that materials are being separated and collected correctly. They will impose a fixed monetary penalty for all offences committed, although there will be an initial emphasis on providing support and guidance to bring businesses and workplaces into compliance.
What will change?
In the coming weeks you should expect to see additional bins being delivered to the current Welsh refuse locations in readiness for April.
We need boaters in Wales to support us in complying with the new recycling law. Please ensure that recyclable materials are separated and put into the recycling bins provided. Putting all your waste into a single bin bag will not be allowed if any of the recyclable materials are in there.
Each group of materials must be kept separate from the others. For example, glass must be collected on its own, and metal, plastic, and cartons must be in the same container. Of course, boaters are renowned for their upcycling so, before putting items in the recycling bins, think about whether you can reuse them for something else.
In England?
We will continue our existing rubbish/recycling regime where waste is sorted at the depot from our boaters bins where we do not have room to provide separate recycling bins. More information can be found here.
Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend
As someone who’s out on, or by, the water more often than most, you’ll know that there are times when we need to fix things that unexpectedly break. So, below, you’ll find a list of navigations that have ongoing restrictions that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend:
When restrictions to navigation happen, we get them up on to our website as soon as we can – always best to have a scan before you set off. Have a read of the article below to find out how to get stoppage notification alerts on your smartphone.
If you have any questions about a specific closure, or spot an error in our system, please get in touch.
Young Elton tribute act to headline entertainment at Crick Boat Show
Young Elton The Tribute show will take to the stage at Crick Boat Show on Saturday 25 May, part of the event’s Crick Music Festival, sponsored by Aquavista. Now Britain’s biggest inland waterways event, the show will be held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire across the late May Bank Holiday Weekend 25-27 May 2023.
Organised by Waterways World in association with the Trust and Crick Waterside and Marina, is expected to attract over 26,000 visitors. The event will also feature an extra Trade & Preview Day on Friday 24 May, sponsored by Haven Knox-Johnston and for advance ticket holders only.
As well as being the canal world’s biggest marketplace, showcasing the inland waterways industry with over 200 exhibitors, Crick Boat Show offers a great day out with dozens of boats to view, free boat trips, free advice seminars on boat ownership, live music, a beer festival sponsored by LeeSan, and a range of food and drink stalls.
On Saturday 25 May, singer and musician Tom Weston will headline the Crick Music Festival, taking audiences on a trip down the Yellow Brick Road to Sir Elton John’s electric and extravagant youth with his ‘Young Elton – The Tribute Show’.
On Sunday 26 May, the headline act will be ‘Fleetwood Bac’, the Fleetwood Mac Tribute show. Endorsed by Mick Fleetwood himself, the band will be performing hits including ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’.
Peter Johns, publisher of Waterways World and Show Director, says: “We’re looking forward to welcoming people to our 2024 Crick Boat Show, the UK’s largest inland waterways festival.
“Live music is an important part of the Show’s atmosphere, and we’ve got some fantastic headlining acts booked for this year’s Crick Music Festival, sponsored by Aquavista. ‘Young Elton’ will rock the stage on the Saturday night and on the Sunday night we are delighted to welcome back to the Crick stage the world’s first and widely regarded leading Fleetwood Mac tribute band, ‘Fleetwood Bac’, after they entertained audiences at the 2017 show.”
Across the four show days, Crick Boat Show will host a total of 15 acts, performing a wide selection of music live in the Real Ale Bar from 1pm each day. Evening entertainment will run from 7.30pm to 11.30pm on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May.
Matthew Symonds, national boating manager for the Canal & River Trust, adds: “Every year Crick Boat Show, the UK’s biggest inland waterways festival, celebrates Britain’s fantastic network of canals and rivers.
“We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to Crick for a fantastic day out by the Grand Union Canal Leicester Line in the Northamptonshire countryside. Visitors to the Canal & River Trust Marquee can discover more about the boating, recreation, health and wellbeing opportunities our waterways offer people today, and the work of the Trust to maintain the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in its care.”
The Show will open from 10am until 6pm, but with evening entertainment running later until 11.30pm, on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May. And until 5pm on Monday 27 May. On Trade & Preview Day, Friday 24 May, the Show will be open from 12 noon until 6pm for Preview Day Visitor ticket holders, and from 10am to 6pm for pre-registered Trade visitors.
For more information and to book tickets, camping pitches and moorings, visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742970, Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
Bits & bobs
In the last edition we shared some waterway events that were taking place in the coming months. One that was not on that list was the annual St. Richard's Canal Festival in Vines Park, Droitwich.
Scheduled for 4 to 6 May with the marquee, bar and live music starting on Friday evening, 3 May. Further details may be found on the Worcester-Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society website from which you can also make bookings for boat entry, stalls etc.
In the same article mentioned above, we also shared a link to a great map tool that displayed waterway events around the country. It doesn’t stop there though: there are other maps such as one for Scottish Canals, one for boating essentials and one for moorings (among others) – a great resource for planning a cruise!
Finally, please note that all of the new ‘pay at the pump’ bollards have now been installed so pump out cards are no longer available to purchase in our online shop. The final date for refunds for unused pump out cards is 31 March. You can find more information, including how to request a refund, at the bottom of this edition from last November.
Happy boating,
Damian
Last Edited: 22 March 2024
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