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BBC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Drought leaves boat dwellers stranded on Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Boat owners and businesses stranded on a 17-mile (27km) stretch of drought-affected canal say they could be trapped for locks at Gargrave, near Skipton, and the Bingley Five Rise Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, are closed due to a lack of water, leaving boat-dwellers stranded between those Burton, who was on his way to Wigan but is now living on his boat in Skipton indefinitely, said: "We were passing through on our way to Leeds but I think it might be September, could even be October."The Canal and River Trust, which operates the network, said the water level was much lower than normal but the routes were unlikely to run dry. Boat hire companies have seen holidays cancelled and a drop in passing trade in their Boats, which has 21 hire boats, has seen most of its holiday bookings cancelled or relocated to other parts of the former family-run boatyard was recently bought by Anglo Welsh, a large narrow boat company. Adrian Sirr, lead engineer at Anglo Welsh (Silsden), said it was only because the company is country-wide that it has managed to weather this said: "Customers are disappointed."A lot wish to go down the Bingley Five and Three Rise and a lot of people come from all over the world."We are still offering three-day bookings, customers have been going up to Skipton, every customer has come back saying they have loved it."If we had still been a private company we would not have survived this summer, there is no way."Anglo Welsh have saved us by being able to transfer bookings to elsewhere in the country."He added, laughing: "We are hoping for eight weeks minimum of continual rain." The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is 127 miles (204km) long and was built more than 200 years up in the Pennines supply it with water, but at the end of June the Canal and River Trust suspended lock use between Wigan and Leeds because operating a lock uses a lot of bridges can still be operated as normal and the towpaths are fully open so boats can move freely between sets of means anyone on a boat between Gargrave and Bingley is stuck on the 17-mile stretch for now. Pennine Cruisers in Skipton is a small family-run year bosses decided to make the business more sold off their fleet of weekly hire boats and now the company concentrates on day hire, skippered boat trips and a dry dock where boat maintenance is carried means that, despite the lock closure, two thirds of their business can still Venn, one of the directors, said: "In hindsight it was definitely the right decision."If we hadn't made that decision we would have lots of boats just sitting here unable to go anywhere that we had massive overheads for, and staff that were paid to run them."So we would be in not a very good position at all." Pendle Witch Sweets is a floating sweet shop that usually operates on the Leeds and Liverpool Patrick Creaven made the decision eight weeks ago to relocate and run his business from the Aire and Calder Navigation to avoid becoming said: "Unfortunately lots of our friends are now stuck in various parts of the Leeds-Liverpool, grounded, not going anywhere."Our home mooring is the highest point on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, so it's all got to fill from the top down, so we could be one of the last to get back." Steve Desadeleer in Skipton has lived on his boat for nine years and was on his way to said: "I could actually move between here and Bingley but I don't want to be too long in Bingley, it's too hilly."Meanwhile Tim Hooper, stuck at the top of the Bingley Five Rise Locks, said he had been there for five weeks so far."It's a nice spot to be stuck, if you're going to be stuck," he said."It's a little bit frustrating, we like to be moving, we don't normally stop in one spot for more than a few days but there is nothing we can do about it."It's our home so we are making the best of it." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Scotsman
02-07-2025
- Scotsman
The perfect canal boat getaway
The Chirk Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal A short break on the Llangollen Canal manages to be both sedate and exciting, finds Cat Thomson. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... If you are looking for a high-octane adventure, can I suggest a narrow boat holiday? I am not kidding, it might be a pastime beloved of pensioners, but it is not for the faint-hearted as I discovered on a short break with my partner and sister-in-law. I blame the wholesome TV show, Great Canal Journeys, and more recently, Wallace and Gromit's animation Vengeance Most Fowl, which features a slow-motion canal boat chase with Gromit teetering on board a narrowboat dangling over an aqueduct, for luring us in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To discover more, we embark on a short voyage aboard Blore, a 67ft narrowboat hired from Drifters Canal Boat Hire run by Anglo Welsh. When we arrive at Trevor Basin near Wrexham Max, who has spent his career at sea before switching to the canals, gives us our instructions. There is a lot to take in, and more that can go wrong. Unfortunately we could not persuade Max to accompany us on our voyage along just a small part of the Llangollen Canal. But thankfully he does help us steer over the impressive Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, designed by Scottish engineering legend Thomas Telford. The narrow cast iron channel is suspended 38m above the river. My advice is don't look down if you don't have a head for heights. Safely on the other side Max cheerfully waves us off, and Graham, my partner, nervously takes the tiller. We are on our own. Thank goodness there are three of us aboard, as I feel divorce would beckon. As we make our way at a snail's pace to the picturesque village of Chirk, walkers on the towpath overtake us. On the way, we navigate several bridges, another aqueduct and two tunnels. Watching the bucolic countryside rolling by is mesmerising. We soon discover boaters are made up of two kinds of folk: those who wave cheerfully to each other and those who remain stony-faced and never crack a smile. There's lots to see, cows cooling down with their heads over the water. On the tow path, a cyclist with an owl nonchalantly perched on his handlebar whizzes past, and a Jack Russell stands guard at the prow of a narrow boat, while on another vessel a chunky Corgi wears his life jacket with pride. As we cautiously approach the entrance to the Whitehouse tunnel, we toot our horn to warn others that we are about to enter. The boat's headlight illuminates the interior, which is narrow and scary. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We are all in good spirits, despite moments of high drama, such as almost hitting other boats and running aground in shallow water. Our six-berther may be spacious, but it means the boat is enormously long and tricky to manoeuvre. Graham describes it like, 'Driving an extra-long pencil through a slalom course.' When we reach Chirk we moor up safely. Even if we wanted we can't go any further as a narrow boat has slipped its mooring and is blocking the way. We met the Australian family earlier who are like us, canal newbies. The boat is safely recaptured with no damage done. At the end of our adrenaline-fuelled first day, we head to the nearby Bridge Inn, on the Wales and English border, for a well-earned drink. Previously the boundary sat in the middle of the historic inn, which meant the enterprising landlord could capitalise on different countries' licensing laws. We fill up with tasty pub grub and retire to our snug cabins for the night. The next morning, after breakfast, we decide to scale back our epic voyage, forgoing a full day of boating. Instead, we make for the nearby National Trust-run Chirk Castle. We enjoy strolling through the award-winning gardens with their perfectly manicured lawns, immaculately clipped yews, and extensive herbaceous borders. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We return to our boat, reinvigorated to face our biggest fear – navigating locks safely. As we approach the first set, there's not a single person in sight. As panic starts to set in, our lock saviour, in the form of Les, a Canal and River Trust maintenance worker, appears out of nowhere. He carefully and patiently explains how to open and close the lock gates, and how to lower or raise the water level using a lock handle or windlass. It is quite physically demanding, pushing, or pulling at the sluice gates, and three terrified individuals have started to pull together and have become a tight crew. Buoyed by this success, we head off to face the next set of locks, completely solo. But once again, fortune is on our side, as this time we recruit a full-time boat resident and some passersby to ensure we don't bungle the whole operation. That evening, when we catch up with our new Australian canal pals, we entertain them with our comedic tales of the misadventures. We make a pact with them to travel back to our starting point in convoy, so we are never alone. As we enjoy a well-earned cold beer at The Narrowboat Inn, the sun sets over the canal, bathing everything in a majestic rosy glow. We all admit that although not the most relaxing holiday ever, we have all thoroughly enjoyed messing about on the canal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Drifters Waterway Holidays offers over 500 canal boats for hire from 40 bases across England, Scotland and Wales. There are over 3,000 miles of waterways for you to discover, all at your own pace and you don't need to be an expert. Tuition is included as part of Drifters' holiday packages.
Irish Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland face 2026 Six Nations opener in France in midweek fixture for first time
Ireland will play their opening 2026 Six Nations game on a THURSDAY night against France on February 5th at a venue yet to be is the first time a Six Nations game had been played on a Thursday and this is in part due to the competition having been reduced from seven to six are also down for a Friday night game, against England in Round Three on March 6th in will have three home fixtures in 2026, including the 'first and last' games in the competition, hosting Italy in Round Three and England in Round Five. Round One also includes one of rugby's greatest rivalries when England host Wales for the Anglo Welsh clash that will conclude the opening weekend of the ChampionshipThe Scotland-England Calcutta Cup game is the feature of Round Two, the match returning to Murrayfield. Last season, the Scots lost their grip on the Cup when they attempted to make it five years in a row of winning rugby's oldest piece of international Three sees Italy travel to France. The Azzurri have claimed famous wins, dramatic draws and suffered losses at the hands of ruthless France teams during their 25 years in the Championship, but it is its unpredictability that makes it one of the most anticipated fixtures in the Six Nations, each Round Four, Ireland reopen the action following the Championship's fallow weekend by playing Wales. Scotland host France, a repeat of the final fixture of the 2025 Championship, which ultimately sealed the title for France last time around. Round Five's 'Super Saturday' serves up three back-to-back fixtures. Proceedings get underway in Dublin, with Scotland travelling to face Ireland. Wales host Italy in Cardiff before France meet England in 'Le Crunch'.Said a Six Nations release: "The Guinness Men's Six Nations gets more competitive and unpredictable each year, inviting more and more fans to tune in and enjoy the drama. "In 2025, nearly 130 million fans were watching coverage of the Guinness Men's Six Nations in home markets; a +6.30% increase compared to the previous year, and the set of fixtures for 2026 promises to keep fans hooked for five rounds of sporting entertainment."2026 sees the introduction of first ever dedicated men's and women's rugby calendars, aligning the international and domestic game. "The new calendars have been shaped by the players, unions, regional associations, international and domestic competitions and leagues. "Within the changes to the calendar, the number of fallow weeks in the Guinness Men's Six Nations will reduce from two to one. "The venues for each of the France home fixtures in the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations will be confirmed in due course."The 2026 U20 Six Nations will mirror the Guinness Men's Six Nations format of fixtures. Final fixture dates, kick off times and venues will be confirmed in due course."The Guinness Women's Six Nations will start three weeks later than previous year's, following the conclusion of the Men's Championship. Confirmation of the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations fixtures will be announced soon."Irish coverage will continue to be shared by RTE and Virgin the UK, ITV and BBC Sport will bring live free-to-air coverage of the Six Nations across TV, radio and digital platforms. ITV will broadcast ten matches in 2026, including all England matches. BBC Sport will feature live TV coverage, TV highlights and digital clips, including five live matches involving Scotland and NATIONS FIXTURES 2026Round One: France vs Ireland, Thur Feb 5, 20:10; Italy vs Scotland, Sat Feb 7, 14:10; England v Wales, Sat Feb 7, 16:40Round Two: Ireland vs Italy Sat, Feb 14, 14:10; Scotland vs England Sat, Feb 14, 16:40; Wales vs France, Sun, Feb 15, 13:10Round Three: England vs Ireland, Sat, Feb 21, 14:10; Wales vs Scotland, Sat Feb 21, 16:40; France vs Italy, Sun, Feb 22, 15:10Round Four: Ireland vs Wales, Fri, March 6, 20:10; Scotland vs France, Sat, March 7, 14:10; Italy v England, Sat, March 7, 16:40Round Five: Ireland vs Scotland, Sat, March 14, 14:10; Wales vs Italy, Sat, March 14, 16:40; France vs England, Sat, March 14, 20:10 Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
