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Canals 1997

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On a Mersey Ferry cruising the Manchester Ship Canal

09 August 1997



On a Mersey Ferry cruising the Manchester Ship Canal

09 August 1997



Vessel passing down the Ship Canal

09 August 1997



Richard Weaver photographs the River Weaver

09 August 1997



The derelict bottom lock of the Bridgewater Locks at Runcorn

09 August 1997



Floating crane at Runcorn

09 August 1997



Runcorn bridges

09 August 1997



Denise

09 August 1997



MSC cruise

09 August 1997



Warrington

09 August 1997



No comment -

09 August 1997



Tanker loading on the MSC

09 August 1997



Anthony, Gripper & the late Alan Mingay

09 August 1997



New lifting bridge at Salford

09 August 1997



Anthony & me

09 August 1997



Oak & Sycamore at Red Bull Wharf. Sycamore has failed and Ian McFaddon (clutching his brow) has announced that he must attend hospital for a chronic condition he suffered from. It was at this time I learnt that Ian and not only shared the same birthday (28th September) but also the same birth date, Ian being older by 23 hours!

28 September 1997



Adrian' tug "Splendid" which was accompanying us. As Sycamore could not be repaired immediately, the boatyard arranged for Splendid to tow us through Harecastle tunnel and they came out to finish the repair the following morning.

28 September 1997



"Splendid" backs up to "Sycamore" to tow us out of Red Bull Lock

28 September 1997



Hooked-up and ready to go

28 September 1997



Towing up the Red Bull locks

28 September 1997



Paired locks made the towing much quicker

28 September 1997



Sunrise near Nuneaton

02 October 1997



On the Coventry Canal near Nuneaton

02 October 1997



Marston Jn, the entry to the Ashby Canal

02 October 1997



Paul steers along the Ashby Canal

02 October 1997



Hotel boats on the Ashby Canal, "Mallard" is the motor

02 October 1997



Hotel boats on the Ashby Canal

02 October 1997



Snarestone Tunnel

02 October 1997



Ivor steers into Snarestone Tunnel

02 October 1997



Exit from Snarestone Tunnel

02 October 1997



Approaching the terminus

02 October 1997



Snarestone Terminus

02 October 1997



Winding "Splendid"

02 October 1997



Winding "Splendid"

02 October 1997



Winding "Oak"

02 October 1997



"Sycamore" and "Splendid" backed up to the terminus

02 October 1997



"Oak" reversing up to the terminus

02 October 1997



All three boats (plus a private boat) lined-up at Snarestone terminus

02 October 1997



The occasion is recorded

02 October 1997



Full group-shot at Snarestone, very kindly taken for me by the skipper of the 4th boat.

02 October 1997



Snarestone

02 October 1997



Lunch-time at the "Lime Kilns", by the A5 at Hinckley

03 October 1997



Moored outside the "Lime Kilns"

03 October 1997



The Rev Mike Kneen shows a keen interest in Slog's copy of the "Daily Sport"

03 October 1997



Lunch at the "Lime Kilns"

03 October 1997



Peter and a cheese sandwich

03 October 1997



2 days later and "Sycamore" has failed again. Here "Sick-again" is buttied-up along the Hatton flight.

05 October 1997



Hatton Locks

05 October 1997



Hatton Locks

05 October 1997



Hatton Locks

05 October 1997



It took another day to repair "Sycamore", so "Oak" went away on their own. Here we are following "Splendid" through James Bridge on the Walsall canal.

07 October 1997



The infant River Tame with Wednesbury in the distance.

07 October 1997



James Bridge copper works

07 October 1997



The junction of the Walsall Town arm with "Sycamore" entering Walsall bottom lock on the left.

07 October 1997



Swans in Walsall

07 October 1997



Walsall, waiting for the locks

07 October 1997



Walsall locks, with the Wolverhampton Road in the background

07 October 1997



FUT has a laugh

07 October 1997



Coming up Walsall locks

07 October 1997



Birchills with a lot of weed

07 October 1997



Passing the site of Birchills power station, now a big Sainsbury's

07 October 1997



Slog waits for his bus back home from Market Drayton

09 October 1997



Anthony, Slog & FUT at the bus stop

09 October 1997



The bus approaches -

09 October 1997



- and the bus goes on!

09 October 1997



And we have a laugh.

09 October 1997



Moored outside the "Barbridge Inn"

10 October 1997



Moored outside the "Barbridge Inn"

10 October 1997

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I was born in 1953 and educated at Tonbridge and Bristol University. Since then I have been employed on the Railways, most of the time in the West Midlands. From 1980 I lived in Wolverhampton, and for the last 20 years in Bridgnorth