We in the USA do not have the appreciation of the canal system built in Great Britain hundreds of years ago and the civil engineering involved. Today this would be a great way to see the country and learn about a lot of history at the same time.
@@TheEarthHistorysConfusingthe US has an amazing network of intracoastal canals. There are over 3,000 miles of man made navigable waterways in the US. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracoastal_Waterway
@@TheEarthHistorysConfusing I wasn't limited to New York state. There was also a an extensive network of canals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland that, along with the river system and inclined planes to handle ridgelines, connected the PA coal fields and NY farmland with the cities and the cities with one-another. Before the railroads took over all three (canal, river, rail) were often used for a given journey, often with many transfers between modes.
The overspill was a very clever design. Very often older engineering solutions just work. They are designed to be simple and effective. Some research I did in the past revealed something very similar local to me. It was a "cut" delivering water to power machinery. If the water got too high it fed into a pipe. The pipe took the water over a large bucket and the weight of the water acted on a lever to open a sluice. The bucket had several holes so when the pipe stopped flowing the bucket would drain and the counterweight closed the sluice. Today engineers make things way too complicated. 🙂
What things do engineers make too complicated today? I certainly appreciate this old engineering, but such appreciation doesn't require the denigration of the skill of modern engineers.
@@Milamberinx Patent-right and legally mandated industry standards arising from lobbying by commercial interests makes a financial virtue of complexity.
I want to be as fit and healthy as Basil at 85! There's the benefit of looking after your health right there. What an amazing guy he is. Brilliant video Paul but I would have thought the circular overflow you were looking at wasn't the horseshoe one you were after! It did become obvious though. Other RUclipsrs might have edited that out so thanks for leaving it in.
Ahh, a rare moment when the RUclips algo' recognises one of my more eclectic tastes in channels. Fascinating project, and delightfully presented. All that reclaimed brickwork is beautiful. Instant subscription 🙂
Thank you, P+R it actually made me think that as a retired person a volunteer job might be just what I need. I love the little slices of what it takes to put our history back together
If you have the means, time and physical ability, I heartily suggest volunteering. Imagine the satisfaction and even the fellowship to be had from sharing your particular life-skills for a cause! I’m exhausted after doing my bit, but it encourages me to exercise in between to stay ready for the next session. Win win!
I spent some time between jobs volunteering for the Cotswolds Wardens - they are active in restoring and clearing footpaths in the area. It was hard work, but when I'm out and about nowadays I remember working on things and always appreciate the work the volunteers do. Go for it, Bryan!
Totally ran into this channel by accident, but I love old industrial engineering, trains and canals both! Bumping into Basil couldn't have been a more fortuitous happening, lots of lovely info, and a look at how they do the repair. Splendid!
Fascinating. The waste weirs I've seen at our canal in Maryland are likewise adjacent to streams or other culverts under the canal. The beauty of the engineering and construction of these early canals, even of things that will never be seen, amazes me. Our National Park Service restores the structures as they were originally built so dry laid masonry for the lock structures.
It’s really great to see our heritage being restored back to it’s former glory, so that we can show our grandchildren how we used to live! Thanks for sharing another great video with us Paul and Rebecca 👍🏼👍🏼 look forward to seeing next week’s video!
Wow - what a great episode. That volunteer was one of the most interesting and inspiring people you have ever featured. I had no idea that the Wilts & Berks was so actively being restored. Back in the day when I was a member of IWA and WRG (circa 1977 - 1992) the focus was all on the Kennett & Avon, and the view on the Wilts & Berks was that it was effectively B.E.R (beyond ecconomic repair) to use an old engineering phrase. So it is fantastic to realise that whilst I have been busy quietly getting older, the whole restoration bandwagon has marched on so very effectively. Really positive news - more like this please!
Interesting to see this being rebuilt. This area was my stamping ground as a child and teenager. I remember my dad telling me about the old canal and looked at where it crossed the road between Pewsham and Derry Hill. The Lysley Arms, just up the road, famous for a murder in the 60s. Also when I went to Swindon there were far more signs of the canal although they may now have gone because of Swindon redevelopment in the 1970s. This section of canal was important and was the reason why Swindon became the central engineering works at Swindon. It meant that they could get bulk raw materials to Swindon relatively easily and cheaply.
Stuff like this, the off path things most people will never even know about, is always so interesting to learn about. The amount of time, resources, and knowledge put into things like this without much recognition is crazy! I hope it can be fully repaired to it’s full potential soon!
Can I just say what an excellent production this is. Interesting subject with good interviewing and editing and nicely balanced sound. Keep up the good work!
Interesting video and enjoyed Basil’s knowledge which clearly demonstrated just how hand to mouth in cash terms many of these vital volunteer organisations are.
Brilliant! My locks! I was born and bred in Chippenham and for a while lived close to Pewsham locks. When I found the locks in the 80s it was massively overgrown. The towpath was impenetrable and although you could get to Top Lock, you had to scramble through branches, trees and brambles to get to the start of the Middle Lock. That was as far as it was possible to get. Top Lock was relatively well preserved, although almost hidden in trees, but I read somewhere that Middle and Bottom locks were part destroyed by army demolition practice during WW2. Trouble is, they were far too overgrown to get near enough to check it out. There was a branch from Pewsham to Chippenham and while bits remain today (if you know where to look) most is now gone. Back in the 70s there was a lot still to see and I still have some (poor quality) B&W photos of bits of it. My first ever attempt at taking photos! Now I live “Up North” it’s not so easy to get back to visit, but I need to!
I'm in the USA and it's different to hear you talk about the King. I knew you had a King but I'm just so accustomed to hearing about the Queen my entire life that it was almost shocking to hear citizens refer to having a King. It's probably become normal over there since the Queen passed but I had to pause and remember that their has been a change.
It's still very odd to hear it, but believe me the royal family aren't talked about by people as much as the media like to. They have no bearing on our lives at all really.
As a Dutchie i cannot comment on limey feelings, but i’m still not used to having a king after more then 100 years of queens & he’s been that since 2013! Koningsdag(kingsday) simply doesn’t sound as good as Koninginnedag(queensday). I’m a republican(NOT the yankee kind tyvm!) anyway so my feelings on this subject get ignored by the general public... Liefs leafs(^.^)
Gave me the feeling of Smarter Every Day the way you prompted the knowledge from that amazing man! Learning from those who dedicated their life to a passion is truly something special.
Your canal videos are always fascinating, especially when we see some restoration work going on. You have to take your hat off to the volunteers who do such important and valuable work with such limited funding.
Fascinating - thanks for sharing. Lovely engineering, I was lucky enough to work on the railways with some wonderful engineers. We should be more proud of our country and its achievements, it's helped civilise and feed the world ✌️👍😊 Basil, is a similar age, to my spritely, father, still active, so much knowledge 👍😊
Tow paths make great walking paths. They had to be fairly level for the horses or mules to walk on while towing the boats and barges. Nowadays, people use watercraft with powered motors, so towing livestock aren't used anymore. Another benefit of using a tow path as a walking trail is that they are already an official right of way. There is yet another benefit of using a tow path as a walking trail. Because they are so level, they are accessible to wheelchairs and rolling walkers, except when climbing over a fence or gate for access is required. I get around with a rolling walker myself, so I noticed that benefit right away.😊 I'm sure that some access points don't require climbing skills. Thanks for posting this interesting video. I don't get out much anymore, except for doctor visits, but thanks to videos like yours, I at least get to be an armchair traveler and learn something while I'm at it, too.😊
What a real nice genuine person that Basil is. And at 85 he looks well. I do hope you go back again soon and see how he is getting on. Great video, I'm going to subscribe 😁👍
Great spot, I went down there last year, met the guys working on it and had a great chat. I've got some great photos from there too. Yes, that's camilas house with the elephants.
I knew that many canals had been left to rot, but I hadn't heard before that anyone was working on restoring any. That's great--it's a bit of history that shouldn't be left as ruins, I think. Where I live, historic constructions keep getting destroyed, and it seems about like no one cares.
My local walk! Been watching the restoration for years. It used to be a real challenge to get to Lacock without sinking into the mud of the canal! Still intrigued how they're going to cross the A4 at Pewsham 🤔. Lovely video as always.
Congratulations to Paul remembering that there is a current King and even who his spouse is! And also congratulations to another incredibly interesting and yet also relaxing video that makes me forget about time for a while!
It takes a special sort of person to commit to a job that you will never see completed. Respect to all involved. I've always thought the the canal system should be extended nationwide as originally intended. That would be a massive shot in the arm for the leisure industry, the local and national economy as well as providing a means to move water from one end of the country to the other in a national grid during droughts, thus ending the water companies illegal local monopolies.
I loved the video. I found it intriguing that the overspill is such a simple but effective means of preventing damage to the towpaths and surrounding property. The autogenerated captions are an absolute hoot. "Wheelchair and Boxer", "Camilla Parker balls", "Kennel engineers", etc.
Great video, it's actually quite and elegant structure for something they didn't want to build 😉. It's always good when you bump into a volunteer, they usually have so much knowledge.
Thanks to the cost of living crisis; When you referred to the pound (The basin between the locks) the first thing I thought of was _„How many of those buy a loaf of bread now?“_ ⛵💷🤣 Many thanks for the great video, and especially for showing off the Horseshoe Overspill! It's great to see the canal network being restored and made navigable again, especially as dwindling resources mean these will probably be bought into use again for carrying heavier, bulkier freights in the near future! 😇
I used to take that route to walk between Chippenham and lackham college, always wondered what they where doing with all that equipment, they been working on that for quite some time will have to visit again when its finished.
Thank you both for a pleasant, well paced, informative post. Liked everything about it. I sispect it took some work to make it look this effortless. From Alaska.
I'm not sure why I watch these videos. I understand almost nothing of what they are talking about. Paul and Rebecca just put out good vibes, maybe that's why I watch.
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" - It's just up ahead... good video, thank you. I love learning this sort of thing.
Just a hint of regional accent there from Basil…delightful. I’m from Wiltshire also, and have a little of that ‘farmer’ sound. However, I just got back from a holiday in Cornwall and was disappointed to find they all just sounded like me!!! So..as for one person telling me Wilts wasn’t West country…well we sound as west country as anyone!
When you get to the Wantage section there was a wharf, now covered in flats at the bottom of Mill street. Also at the far end of the Rugby club in Grove near the link road from the A338 to Denchworth road, there is a small restored section there too.
I am fascinated by you canals, that fact there are so many and you are restoring them! That is amazing work! I live in Ottawa Canada, home of the Rideau Canal, we didn't have any where near the building of canals . Enjoying your channel! Cheers!
Fascinating. I live only a couple of hundred feed from the Delaware Raritan canal in New Jersey. Fortunately it was designated a protected waterway about 80 years ago so it is still largely intact, you can walk for miles along the towpath, full of wildlife. I spend hours along that trail Nice to see that one being restored. It's a year round place to get away.
SO glad to see this video here. I found ithe Cana in Aug 220 and then joined. I sent your Hereford and Gloucester canal reference and link to wilts and Berks soon after and encouraged them to get in touch with you. Wether they did, had already I don't know but delighted to you are now progressing it to hopefully the Thames. I have following you for a year, with my guy, you seem to exactly like the things we like in the way and humour we do.
When you come back try to have a look at the aqueduct over the River Marden at Stanley, which collapsed in 1906 and was the cause of the closure of the Wilts & Berks Canal to all traffic and resulted in it being finally abandoned. The short branch to Calne starts nearby.
What a lovely thing to get this learned Gentleman to speak on the building of this feat of hydrology and engineering much like how the builders of the Pyramids transported the blocks that delivered them to the site. lol....😂
There is enough work going on in that lock restoration for a whole mini-series. It would be very interesting to see some time-lapse footage of the works, and a further documentary when everything is completed and it is open for boats again.
I live quite close to the rebuilt section of the canal at Royal Wootton Bassett. This section is fed by springs that come out of the hill the town is built on. At one end they have rebuilt a lock, but also have overflows for the springs to carry on it's natural path.
I am so glad that our canals and locks are being refurbished and renavigated again. I'm pretty lucky, where I live in Lancashire, we've got some amazing canals here. Leeds Liverpool being the main one. I've always been fascinated by canals. I grew up in Lincolnshire, and the local canal was the Grantham - Nottingham canal. So pleased I've lived in St Helens, Lancashire (Merseyside) where the Sankey Brook Navigation later known as the St Helens Canal was the first canal opened in 1757, way before the Bridgwater canal.
That overflow was certainly impressive, and thank you for going "off script" to include Basil and his wonderful enthusiasm.
Glad you ran into Basil, what a gem he is. Very interesting video this week. The horse shoe overflow looks like a work of art in itself.
No, it's a work of engineering.
Artistic engineering.
@@gordanmilne7034 no such thing. If it's beautiful, it's through form following function, not art.
@@mgutkowski Codswallop.
@@gordanmilne7034 go look up the definition of art and tell me how it applies.
We in the USA do not have the appreciation of the canal system built in Great Britain hundreds of years ago and the civil engineering involved. Today this would be a great way to see the country and learn about a lot of history at the same time.
You have the Erie canal & thats bigger then uk canals!.
@@TheEarthHistorysConfusingthe US has an amazing network of intracoastal canals. There are over 3,000 miles of man made navigable waterways in the US. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracoastal_Waterway
@@TheEarthHistorysConfusingplus the intracoastal waterway, the great dismal swamp canal, the Mississippi and Ohio river systems.
We don't appreciate the canals we once had here!
@@TheEarthHistorysConfusing I wasn't limited to New York state. There was also a an extensive network of canals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland that, along with the river system and inclined planes to handle ridgelines, connected the PA coal fields and NY farmland with the cities and the cities with one-another. Before the railroads took over all three (canal, river, rail) were often used for a given journey, often with many transfers between modes.
Basil is a legend and still kicking at 85! What a rock star!
The overspill was a very clever design. Very often older engineering solutions just work. They are designed to be simple and effective. Some research I did in the past revealed something very similar local to me. It was a "cut" delivering water to power machinery. If the water got too high it fed into a pipe. The pipe took the water over a large bucket and the weight of the water acted on a lever to open a sluice. The bucket had several holes so when the pipe stopped flowing the bucket would drain and the counterweight closed the sluice. Today engineers make things way too complicated. 🙂
Engineering should only be as complex as is absolutely necessary.
Simplicity is the hallmark of good design, not complexity.
What things do engineers make too complicated today? I certainly appreciate this old engineering, but such appreciation doesn't require the denigration of the skill of modern engineers.
@@Milamberinx Patent-right and legally mandated industry standards arising from lobbying by commercial interests makes a financial virtue of complexity.
Occams Razer : The simplest explanation/solution is usually right
You know, what also works? A weir. No need for a bucket to open a sluise. Far to many moving parts, that could fail.
Fascinating to see the canal beong rebuilt and thank heavens for enthusiasm volunteers! Lovely to see you both. Thank you as allways .
* being *
@@ThatCoalSoul
* boooonnnnngggg *
The joy you all get from talking about the canals is contagious! Now I have to watch more about them!
I want to be as fit and healthy as Basil at 85! There's the benefit of looking after your health right there. What an amazing guy he is. Brilliant video Paul but I would have thought the circular overflow you were looking at wasn't the horseshoe one you were after! It did become obvious though. Other RUclipsrs might have edited that out so thanks for leaving it in.
Ahh, a rare moment when the RUclips algo' recognises one of my more eclectic tastes in channels.
Fascinating project, and delightfully presented. All that reclaimed brickwork is beautiful. Instant subscription 🙂
Welcome. Now get binging on the other 250 videos!! 😊
Basil was a gem in his own right!
Great episode
David basil what gent and dont get better them that ever
Thank you so much basil for what you and others do ,from a gratefull noverner
Basil's knowledge is amazing. People like him should always be listened to and respected. Great episode!
Thank you, P+R it actually made me think that as a retired person a volunteer job might be just what I need. I love the little slices of what it takes to put our history back together
If you have the means, time and physical ability, I heartily suggest volunteering. Imagine the satisfaction and even the fellowship to be had from sharing your particular life-skills for a cause!
I’m exhausted after doing my bit, but it encourages me to exercise in between to stay ready for the next session. Win win!
This country would fall apart without volunteers the majority of whom get little recognition or seek it.
I spent some time between jobs volunteering for the Cotswolds Wardens - they are active in restoring and clearing footpaths in the area. It was hard work, but when I'm out and about nowadays I remember working on things and always appreciate the work the volunteers do.
Go for it, Bryan!
Obviously, you're going to have to video and upload your work.
See my separate post: it's not all sweetness & light...
That gentleman has this well in hand. What an awesome guy. Love it.
Kudos to Basil and the volunteers!
Totally ran into this channel by accident, but I love old industrial engineering, trains and canals both! Bumping into Basil couldn't have been a more fortuitous happening, lots of lovely info, and a look at how they do the repair. Splendid!
You were lucky to stumble upon this wonderful gentleman.
Absolutely
Fascinating. The waste weirs I've seen at our canal in Maryland are likewise adjacent to streams or other culverts under the canal. The beauty of the engineering and construction of these early canals, even of things that will never be seen, amazes me. Our National Park Service restores the structures as they were originally built so dry laid masonry for the lock structures.
Liked and subscribed. When I watched this I teared up a bit because it reminded me of the things me and my wife used to do together. Good stuff.
Welcome to the channel Sir. I hope we can continue to bring you a little joy and maybe some memories
Of all the things I envy about the UK, the canal system is the most marvelous. Also, you may hate your trains, but at least you have them!
It’s really great to see our heritage being restored back to it’s former glory, so that we can show our grandchildren how we used to live! Thanks for sharing another great video with us Paul and Rebecca 👍🏼👍🏼 look forward to seeing next week’s video!
Wow - what a great episode. That volunteer was one of the most interesting and inspiring people you have ever featured. I had no idea that the Wilts & Berks was so actively being restored. Back in the day when I was a member of IWA and WRG (circa 1977 - 1992) the focus was all on the Kennett & Avon, and the view on the Wilts & Berks was that it was effectively B.E.R (beyond ecconomic repair) to use an old engineering phrase. So it is fantastic to realise that whilst I have been busy quietly getting older, the whole restoration bandwagon has marched on so very effectively. Really positive news - more like this please!
Do you really think that 12-1/2 minutes is too long for such interesting content? Finding a knowledgeable guide was a godsend! Hats off to him!
This could easily have been a 20 minute segment. 20-30 minutes seems to be the standard for many other youtubers.
Your vids are top drawer miles better than the plurile crap on tv keep up the good work👍👍👍
Fascinating. I was not aware of that type overflow. And great input from your impromptu interviewee as well.
Interesting to see this being rebuilt. This area was my stamping ground as a child and teenager. I remember my dad telling me about the old canal and looked at where it crossed the road between Pewsham and Derry Hill. The Lysley Arms, just up the road, famous for a murder in the 60s. Also when I went to Swindon there were far more signs of the canal although they may now have gone because of Swindon redevelopment in the 1970s. This section of canal was important and was the reason why Swindon became the central engineering works at Swindon. It meant that they could get bulk raw materials to Swindon relatively easily and cheaply.
I love this! An enthusiast with a lot of knowledge about canals hands over to an older enthusiast with even more!
Impressed to see restoration happening, it's always good to see a canal reopening. Thanks.
Thank you Paul & Rebecca for taking me along on your walk. Also a big thanks to Basil and his team for volunteering and sharing their knowledge.
Stuff like this, the off path things most people will never even know about, is always so interesting to learn about. The amount of time, resources, and knowledge put into things like this without much recognition is crazy! I hope it can be fully repaired to it’s full potential soon!
Can I just say what an excellent production this is. Interesting subject with good interviewing and editing and nicely balanced sound. Keep up the good work!
Interesting video and enjoyed Basil’s knowledge which clearly demonstrated just how hand to mouth in cash terms many of these vital volunteer organisations are.
Brilliant! My locks!
I was born and bred in Chippenham and for a while lived close to Pewsham locks. When I found the locks in the 80s it was massively overgrown. The towpath was impenetrable and although you could get to Top Lock, you had to scramble through branches, trees and brambles to get to the start of the Middle Lock. That was as far as it was possible to get.
Top Lock was relatively well preserved, although almost hidden in trees, but I read somewhere that Middle and Bottom locks were part destroyed by army demolition practice during WW2. Trouble is, they were far too overgrown to get near enough to check it out.
There was a branch from Pewsham to Chippenham and while bits remain today (if you know where to look) most is now gone. Back in the 70s there was a lot still to see and I still have some (poor quality) B&W photos of bits of it. My first ever attempt at taking photos!
Now I live “Up North” it’s not so easy to get back to visit, but I need to!
I'm in the USA and it's different to hear you talk about the King. I knew you had a King but I'm just so accustomed to hearing about the Queen my entire life that it was almost shocking to hear citizens refer to having a King. It's probably become normal over there since the Queen passed but I had to pause and remember that their has been a change.
It's still very odd to hear it, but believe me the royal family aren't talked about by people as much as the media like to. They have no bearing on our lives at all really.
As a Dutchie i cannot comment on limey feelings, but i’m still not used to having a king after more then 100 years of queens & he’s been that since 2013!
Koningsdag(kingsday) simply doesn’t sound as good as Koninginnedag(queensday).
I’m a republican(NOT the yankee kind tyvm!) anyway so my feelings on this subject get ignored by the general public...
Liefs leafs(^.^)
French here. We shorten those 20 cm in height 😂
A nice tours and explanations. Thank you for the tour today. Enjoy the week ahead. Cheers mates! 😊❤
Gave me the feeling of Smarter Every Day the way you prompted the knowledge from that amazing man! Learning from those who dedicated their life to a passion is truly something special.
Your canal videos are always fascinating, especially when we see some restoration work going on. You have to take your hat off to the volunteers who do such important and valuable work with such limited funding.
Another excellent and interesting video.
Basil looks amazing for 85!
nice one,basil sure knows his stuff
Basil has to be the most coherent and understandable old Brit I've ever seen.
That old boy certainly knows his stuff!
Boop!!
Great video!! Big thanks to Basil for explaining the restauration.
Good luck from Spain!!
Fascinating - thanks for sharing. Lovely engineering, I was lucky enough to work on the railways with some wonderful engineers. We should be more proud of our country and its achievements, it's helped civilise and feed the world ✌️👍😊
Basil, is a similar age, to my spritely, father, still active, so much knowledge 👍😊
Thank you P+R, & also to Basil! 🙏🙏
Grew up in Lacock (a bit, then moved to Corsham...), know the area well. Lovely to see it again, it's been a while 😊
Most enjoyable as always. Very enthusiastic. Thank you.
Tow paths make great walking paths. They had to be fairly level for the horses or mules to walk on while towing the boats and barges. Nowadays, people use watercraft with powered motors, so towing livestock aren't used anymore. Another benefit of using a tow path as a walking trail is that they are already an official right of way. There is yet another benefit of using a tow path as a walking trail. Because they are so level, they are accessible to wheelchairs and rolling walkers, except when climbing over a fence or gate for access is required. I get around with a rolling walker myself, so I noticed that benefit right away.😊 I'm sure that some access points don't require climbing skills. Thanks for posting this interesting video. I don't get out much anymore, except for doctor visits, but thanks to videos like yours, I at least get to be an armchair traveler and learn something while I'm at it, too.😊
I live near the canal, and is a overflow, one of many. Impressive engineering.
Well done, guys. I applaud the way you did this. Unexpected real time encounters are definitely worth it. Kudos to the restorees too.
What a real nice genuine person that Basil is. And at 85 he looks well. I do hope you go back again soon and see how he is getting on.
Great video, I'm going to subscribe 😁👍
Great spot, I went down there last year, met the guys working on it and had a great chat. I've got some great photos from there too. Yes, that's camilas house with the elephants.
I knew that many canals had been left to rot, but I hadn't heard before that anyone was working on restoring any. That's great--it's a bit of history that shouldn't be left as ruins, I think. Where I live, historic constructions keep getting destroyed, and it seems about like no one cares.
My local walk! Been watching the restoration for years. It used to be a real challenge to get to Lacock without sinking into the mud of the canal! Still intrigued how they're going to cross the A4 at Pewsham 🤔. Lovely video as always.
Love the overspills. They remind me of the water sculpture they have at the lock in Newbury.
HT I was thinking exactly that. I have never been there when it was working.
I hope I'm as active as Basil when I'm 85. Very interesting video.
Likewise!!
Congratulations to Paul remembering that there is a current King and even who his spouse is! And also congratulations to another incredibly interesting and yet also relaxing video that makes me forget about time for a while!
So great to see these volunteers rebuilding history -- and the flow of public and private funds.
Great vid. I am American. Love all kinds of engineering, construction, and history. Thank you.
Lovely video. Basil is a treat.
He was wasn't he!
Great vid guys thanx and all our love from the snowy City of Hamburg Germany.
hello again Paul and Rebecca , another good very interesting video , hello basil , really well done and thank you 😊
It takes a special sort of person to commit to a job that you will never see completed. Respect to all involved. I've always thought the the canal system should be extended nationwide as originally intended. That would be a massive shot in the arm for the leisure industry, the local and national economy as well as providing a means to move water from one end of the country to the other in a national grid during droughts, thus ending the water companies illegal local monopolies.
Basil is amazing for his age a gaffer who gets things done never mind his age remarkable fellow well played talking to him
Indeed, had I had to guess, I would have said he was in his mid-seventies. Hopefully I'll still be as fit on my feet and in my head at his age.
I love Rebecca’s face pulling in the background!
Another wonderful video. Basil rocks!
I really enjoy your adventures. I find them very interesting. Thank you both very much.
Bravo for Basil! People like him will keep the world afloat when others give up.
Wonderful explanation from Basil.
I loved the video. I found it intriguing that the overspill is such a simple but effective means of preventing damage to the towpaths and surrounding property.
The autogenerated captions are an absolute hoot.
"Wheelchair and Boxer", "Camilla Parker balls",
"Kennel engineers", etc.
Great video, it's actually quite and elegant structure for something they didn't want to build 😉. It's always good when you bump into a volunteer, they usually have so much knowledge.
Thanks to the cost of living crisis; When you referred to the pound (The basin between the locks) the first thing I thought of was _„How many of those buy a loaf of bread now?“_ ⛵💷🤣
Many thanks for the great video, and especially for showing off the Horseshoe Overspill! It's great to see the canal network being restored and made navigable again, especially as dwindling resources mean these will probably be bought into use again for carrying heavier, bulkier freights in the near future! 😇
Lovely episode
I used to take that route to walk between Chippenham and lackham college, always wondered what they where doing with all that equipment, they been working on that for quite some time will have to visit again when its finished.
Thank you both for a pleasant, well paced, informative post. Liked everything about it. I sispect it took some work to make it look this effortless. From Alaska.
Oh how nice to harken back to the days this channel was still the way it was that attracted all the viewers. Both folks.
Yeaah, we get very few views now. In fact only 88,000 subscribers since this video.
Like so many of these marvelous engineered devices you show us, the horseshoe-overflow is a work of art-
Cheers for you both and Mr Basil.
I love you both 😘 Rebbeca knows how much I do 🙏 And love learning the history.
I'm not sure why I watch these videos. I understand almost nothing of what they are talking about. Paul and Rebecca just put out good vibes, maybe that's why I watch.
Keep watching!!!
Love the idea of canal restoration. Thanks.
Love the double entendres Rebecca getting her leg over😍
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" - It's just up ahead... good video, thank you. I love learning this sort of thing.
Just a hint of regional accent there from Basil…delightful. I’m from Wiltshire also, and have a little of that ‘farmer’ sound. However, I just got back from a holiday in Cornwall and was disappointed to find they all just sounded like me!!! So..as for one person telling me Wilts wasn’t West country…well we sound as west country as anyone!
Haha.... Basil was great wasn't he. I feel you accent pain. I am on the wilts hants border and sound like a Londoner!
When you get to the Wantage section there was a wharf, now covered in flats at the bottom of Mill street. Also at the far end of the Rugby club in Grove near the link road from the A338 to Denchworth road, there is a small restored section there too.
That Old Get looks fitter than me and he has almost 20yrs on me..!!
Great Video, Boop on..!
😎 Cheers all, Kim in Oz.
Great vlog as always. Very interesting. Thank you 😊 🙏👍
Fascinating video. Thank you for sharing
I booped it. Learnt something new tonight! About the canal I mean, not the new word for my vocabulary. 😂
I am fascinated by you canals, that fact there are so many and you are restoring them!
That is amazing work!
I live in Ottawa Canada, home of the Rideau Canal, we didn't have any where near the building of canals .
Enjoying your channel!
Cheers!
Fascinating. I live only a couple of hundred feed from the Delaware Raritan canal in New Jersey. Fortunately it was designated a protected waterway about 80 years ago so it is still largely intact, you can walk for miles along the towpath, full of wildlife. I spend hours along that trail
Nice to see that one being restored. It's a year round place to get away.
SO glad to see this video here. I found ithe Cana in Aug 220 and then joined. I sent your Hereford and Gloucester canal reference and link to wilts and Berks soon after and encouraged them to get in touch with you. Wether they did, had already I don't know but delighted to you are now progressing it to hopefully the Thames. I have following you for a year, with my guy, you seem to exactly like the things we like in the way and humour we do.
When you come back try to have a look at the aqueduct over the River Marden at Stanley, which collapsed in 1906 and was the cause of the closure of the Wilts & Berks Canal to all traffic and resulted in it being finally abandoned. The short branch to Calne starts nearby.
Great vid I'm fascinated by canals. Horseshoe sluce is great design/architecture.
I love that you left-in the footage of the incorrect overflow. hahaha
Gotta be honest!!
What a lovely thing to get this learned Gentleman to speak on the building of this feat of hydrology and engineering much like how the builders of the Pyramids transported the blocks that delivered them to the site. lol....😂
There is enough work going on in that lock restoration for a whole mini-series.
It would be very interesting to see some time-lapse footage of the works, and a further documentary when everything is completed and it is open for boats again.
I'm alllll over that
Excellent to see another canel being restored
More to come!
I live quite close to the rebuilt section of the canal at Royal Wootton Bassett. This section is fed by springs that come out of the hill the town is built on. At one end they have rebuilt a lock, but also have overflows for the springs to carry on it's natural path.
A neat walk through this abandoned canal, and neat unexpected interview with the volunteers.
I am so glad that our canals and locks are being refurbished and renavigated again.
I'm pretty lucky, where I live in Lancashire, we've got some amazing canals here. Leeds Liverpool being the main one.
I've always been fascinated by canals. I grew up in Lincolnshire, and the local canal was the Grantham - Nottingham canal.
So pleased I've lived in St Helens, Lancashire (Merseyside) where the Sankey Brook Navigation later known as the St Helens Canal was the first canal opened in 1757, way before the Bridgwater canal.
Interesting video, randomly got here and found something I will enjoy watching more of!
Welcome