Canoeing on England’s canals and rivers

Ti invito ad accettare il fatto che non capirai tutto subito con un solo ascolto, cerca di intuire il significato con un approccio positivo e curioso ascoltando i ritmi ei suoni. Dopo utilizza la trascrizione e il language focus sul mio sito – il link è nella descrizione – per arrivare ad una comprensione completa. A questo punto ti invito a praticare il tuo parlato ad alta voce insieme a me ‘shadowing my speech’. Se trovi utile e interessante il tema scrivi le frasi più belle e prova ad utilizzarle nelle tue giornate, così aggiungi writing and thinking in English. OK let’s begin.

In this podcast I remember my Dad and the canoeing adventures we had together in England. But, before you start imagining white water rapids, it was quite the opposite. I remember exploring England’s peaceful inland waterways, drifting calmly through the beautiful countryside.

My Dad was always around water and messing about in boats. He was a member of a sailing club for most of his life, owned various small sailing boats and went on many watery adventures.

One of his beloved projects was ‘Hulot’ an old two man Canadian canoe, which he spent many hours renovating and titivating to near perfection. Some of my fondest memories of my Dad are of our canoeing adventures. By the way, Hulot was my Dad’s favourite film character created by the comedian and filmmaker Jacques Tati.

One particular adventure I remember very well was in 2011 when my Dad and I spent three days paddling Hulot along part of the Trent and Mersey Canal, part of the Caldon Canal, a section of the River Trent and a section of the River Sow, all situated in the area around Stoke-on-Trent where I come from.

But now for some history …  

The construction of the canals in England began well over 200 years ago. These ‘water highways’ made the Industrial Revolution possible by allowing materials and goods, like cotton and pottery, to be transported smoothly between factories, cities and shipping ports. The barges or boats were called ‘narrow’ boats, because they were designed to be slim and long to fit into the narrow canals. These water channels were literally cut into the landscape by hand which is why an old English word for canal is ‘the cut’.

Later, around 150 years ago, England entered the age of the train and the canals and rivers fell into disuse. Today, tourism has replaced the industrial activity on the canals and the narrow boats have been converted into homes, holiday boats or occasionally restaurants. The boats are a source of English pride and still have beautifully hand painted exteriors in traditional colours with floral designs.

The pathways that run alongside the canals are called towpaths, because they were created to be used by horses that ‘towed’ the narrow boats along. Later however, the horses were replaced by steam and then diesel engines. Now these towpaths are used by walkers and nature lovers.

Ancient canal locks … 

If you’re lucky enough to walk along a towpath in England, or better still to take a boat trip on a canal, one of the most beautiful and interesting features you will see are the numerous ‘canal locks’ that are still maintained today and painted in traditional black and white. This old and ingenious system of locking in a section of water to carry boats up or down a hill is a delightful reminder of the incredible engineering of the industrial revolution that is still in use today!

Next to some of these locks there is the original lock-keeper’s house, where the lock-keeper lived. This person was responsible for maintaining and operating the lock. Some of these old houses are now private homes or occasionally pubs, where people meet up for a drink and a walk along the canal.

Today it’s the pleasure boaters who have the fascinating job of operating these locks by hand. Winding mechanical systems of cogs and opening and closing gates, you can contain and fill up or empty a lock, enabling the safe passage of a boat from one level to the next. It’s a spectacle which is enjoyed by many people alongside the canal. 

It’s not permitted for a small canoe to use the canal locks as it would be a big waste of water, so you simply take the canoe out before the lock, walk it around and get back in the canal on the other side – if you don’t stop at the pub first!

In the canoe … 

The canoe is one of the best ways to explore the canals. With two people paddling it’s surprising how little effort is needed to move through the water at a good speed. The other beauty is that gently paddling is silent so you really can enjoy the sounds and sights of nature as you quietly drift past ancient trees, hedges and fields, and encounter many birds and animals.

I remember my Dad and I transferring the canoe from canal to river sections. Unlike the man-made and maintained canals the rivers are natural and unpredictable. The parts we navigated were sometimes quite narrow and twisty, often shallow and sometimes partly obstructed by trees. The absence of other boats and a footpath means you don’t meet other people for long periods of time as you pass through woods and open fields. The water doesn’t usually flow that fast, but the sense of not knowing exactly what is around the next bend is exciting. I remember that after stretches of faster water with turns and sunken trees we had a great sense of achievement that we had conquered another section of river without getting wet! Here I run the risk of exaggerating the danger level for greater effect, but I will point out that we were wearing life jackets and we had our belongings in a waterproof bag, just in case we capsized!

As you relax into a canoe trip you begin to see life and nature from a completely new perspective, time seems to slow down, you’re low in the water, almost at one with the water as you simply go with the flow.

I’d love to hear your boat stories!
Do you like being on water?
Have you ever been to an English canal?
What experiences have you had?