 John Beaney talks about the protests over the canal closures...
We join the canal at bridge 60 at Snarestone and walk north. A short distance after bridge 61 we will reach the current canal terminus. A short distance from there along the dry, filled in canal, we will reach the Gilwiskaw Brook and the boundary of The National Forest.
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 Brian Waring talks about Moira & the canal...
Brian Waring from the Ashby Canal Association explains:
‘Many people remember the death of the canal in the mid 1960s and were noticeably sceptical to proposals to re-instate the canal at Moira. In 2005 sceptics are now canal users, enjoying its tranquil surrounds and many pleasure boats navigate the canal network’.
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Peaceful and tranquil: the Ashby Canal at Snarestone.
The Ashby Canal is not expected to operate commercially on a large scale again. Increases in leisure time, which could not have been foreseen when the canals died, have opened up new industries regarding the canal networks.
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The boats most commonly seen on the Ashby in the early 1800s would have been horse drawn narrow boats, sometimes known as ‘Butties’; 7ft wide and 70ft long. A boat this size could carry about 25 tons of coal. After the motor engine came into being butties were often towed by narrow boats. Wide-beam boats could ply the Ashby, though few did. Experiments with steam in the 1800s did take boats up to Moira.
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The canal backdrop from Snarestone is rural and agricultural. At one time the area would also have been dotted with spoil heaps and mine workings, but today several major regeneration schemes are under way, including The National Forest. |
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Image by Di Kitto |
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At bridge 61 John Beaney Chairman of Ashby Canal Association explains that in 2006 the canal is taking more traffic through leisure than it ever did in commercial days and water quality is at the best standard it has ever been. Each year the canal accomodates about 3000 boat movements up to Snarestone. The Ashby is known to be a shallow canal of varying depths which at their deepest reach 4’6” and only 3ft at their shallowest.
The canal is managed by British Waterways, from whom boaters must obtain a licence, according to their boat’s length, to ply the canal. The license also allows for mooring on the tow side for up to 14 days. |
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In 2006 the canal provides many opportunities for relaxation and pursuing hobbies such as angling. Holiday maker Lesley Crowson welcomes the potential re-opening of the canal. The canal is a haven for wildlife as well as for people, providing a green corridor into the Forest. |
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Historically the canal follows the land’s 300ft contours and consequently it is lock free. This system worked well to Moira, but from there the land falls and rises significantly. Had the canal been pursued to Swadlincote and Woodville, as originally intended, an expensive lock-system would have undoubtedly been necessary.
The lock free contour system was advantageous in many ways, but it did mean that the route from Griff where it joins the Coventry Canal to Moira is over 30 miles, whereas a railway could take a 14 mile (approx.) direct line.
Will the ‘new’ canal remain lock-free? Mining activity has caused subsidence which has significantly affected ground levels along the route. Consequently locks will be needed to re-instate the canal.
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