Onwards—ever onwards!
HAVING been thwarted by awful weather this week, I have had a few minutes to catch up on the activities amongst those southern stalwarts doing the ‘dirty' business on the southern canal restoration projects. What a heart-warming story it is too! Writes Orph Mable.
The Wey & Arun Canal Trust is quietly getting on with restoring the locks northwards from its showpiece at Loxwood up towards the summit and eventual junction with the Wey at Gunsmouth.
Latest challenge
The latest challenge, now nearing completion, is Southlands Lock 5 which now looks superb with its' newly hung lock gates and fine brickwork. The progress of the complete restoration project is very well documented and illustrated on its website www.weyandarun.co.uk which I greatly admire.
The prolonged and oft difficult restoration process of this canal has benefited from a totally focused management committee and volunteer workforce that can be used by others (in my opinion) as a model to take guidance from.
Wilts & Berks Canal
The long timescales and limited resources that beset these volunteer restoration projects can be highlighted by the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust branch in Westvale that is now reporting that the isolated bridge restoration at Steppingstone Lane Bridge is almost complete with the diverted bridleway now being removed, and the original track over the bridge returned to full use.
The ten years or so timescale of this project has seemed endless but it must now be very satisfying to the Trust, and Westvale Branch in particular, with what has been achieved. Details can be found at www.wbct.org.uk.
Basingstoke Canal
I am also very pleased to read that work has finally begun on the Brookwood Flight on the Basingstoke Canal. I have mentioned before that I am often disappointed when looking to read of visit reports to this reopened canal. I have not seen any, covering the whole length, for a very long time.
I must thank Kathryn Dodington for her kind permission to show one of her pictures with this article. More similar pictures can be found on her blog at www.leo-no-2.blogspot.co.uk.
The care and effort needed in bringing all these varied projects to completion is a testimony to the determination of those visionary and hard working members of the associated Trusts involved. For everyone's benefit, please don't stop!