Llangollen Canal on NB Chiltern with Chas Hardern - Late 1970's

A trip up the Llangollen canal with Chas Hardern and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas in the late 1970's (probably 1978), on Chas's 1946 all wooden narrowboat Chiltern. Chas operated Chiltern as a camping boat. However camping boats fell out of favour and Chiltern was sold to what is now The National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port in 1979 where the intention was to fully restore her. With grant funding, Chiltern had an extensive rebuild of her rear end and cabin in 1985.
However the rest of the intended restoration never happened and she lay there deteriorating, eventually sinking around 1995. She was craned out onto the bank in 2002 and due to extreme deterioration the front half of her was cut off and scrapped in 2009.
She was recently selected for disposal as the museum decided there was no realistic chance of having the resources to restore every boat in their possession. However, happily, the Saltisford Canal Trust in Warwick have acquired Chiltern to restore her as part of a canal educational display. Chiltern arrived at Saltisford in August 2022, video here • Marple and Chiltern
Chas still runs his holiday boat hire business at Beeston Wharf.

[@charleshardern7382]

Best wishes with Chiltern. This film was a wonderful experience with Wynford Vaughan Thomas. I got to travel to some very interesting and exciting places with this boat. I still have my other boat from this period 'Dorset', an Anderton Co/Mersey Weaver 'knobstick' boat.

[@jriddle6050]

Hello Chas, lovely to hear from you.
It must have been quite an experience filming this. Wynford Vaughan-Thomas is a very good presenter and having traveled this canal myself a number of times in more recent years (on your hire boats!), it's very interesting to see how it was back then, especially the lift bridges! Are you able to shed any light on when this was filmed.....Despite lots of research I wasn't able to establish the exact year!

[@teddyedward9970]

simply stunning love this

[@degsy2us]

Beautiful. Well written and well narrated. I wish the Saltisford Canal Trust success in their rebuild.

[@jriddle6050]

Yes, the presenter is a real class act.

[@robevans2659]

Llangollen my home town ❣️

[@dorothydotson7154]

I loved this!