Take a trip through the Tunnel

[Horus]

You have often seen me mention the Harecastle Tunnel which is part of the Trent & Mersey canal system, it is one of the longest canal tunnels in the UK and was originally cut through the infamous 'Harecastle Hill' which had impeded the progress of this particular waterway by the engineer James Brindley. The earlier tunnel was added too by Thomas Telford who constructed this the only now usable one after the Brindley tunnel collapsed many years ago. Each video shows the approach from each end, the videos show the same tunnel and it has to be navigated as a one way convoy system. At the Kidsgrove end (the 2nd video) you can see that the approach is very acute to enter or exit the tunnel, this is because the usable (second) one had to be dug quite close to the original tunnel entrance which can still be seen directly ahead of the turning barge. I once had the hair raising experience of taking a barge through the tunnel after the driver collapsed after a heart attack, well someone had to do it

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[LovelyLadyLux]

Interesting journey. Definitely doesn't leave too much space to get through and the ceilings on those tunnels don't look like they're offering too much clearance.

Quite like all the bright colours that have been painted on the boats. Makes them look cheery even on a dull day.

[Horus]

You can just about stand up going through and it is a lot narrower in places than it looks. Also there are places where the brickwork is staggered so the sides are not smooth, you can see this in the first video as the barge is leaving the tunnel, note the step in the roof. There used to be a towpath for the horses to pull the barges through, but it has now all collapsed, again you can see where it would have been on the right hand side as the barge leaves the tunnel, it would have been incredibly narrow

[Kiya]

Super video's need to know what your doing to get through these narrow spaces.

And must have been a hair raising moment for you Horus to take over the barge, hope the man was ok.

I watched a docu ages ago of some barges where the folks would use their feet against the tunnel walls, very tiring I would think.

[Horus]

We got the man off prior to the tunnel Kiya, but sadly he died a few days later It was a chartered trip with a driver, so with lots of people on board, we contacted the owners and they said they would send someone to meet us at the other end of the tunnel. As it was me who gained control over the barge as it was literally crashing up the sides of the canal after he collapsed, I was elected as captain Pugwash It was incredibly hard to steer due to a rope becoming entangled in the tiller (unknown to us at the time) and this limited the movement, so I had to move the tiller well before I needed to actually turn as the reaction was so slow.

It was the original tunnel built by James Brindley that was referred to as the "legging tunnel" because the bargees had to lie on their backs on the barge roofs and use their legs to propel the barges through. You can still see the original tunnel entrance in the first video behind the man standing on the second barge being filmed leaving the tunnel, it also has a white painted surround.

[Kiya]

Awe! that is sad, hope he knew his barge was in good hands

[Grandad]

Utterly charming H Something so peaceful and enjoyable about narrow boats. As you said, the entrance at one end is a tight turn and I was waiting for somebody to go for'ard and fend off as the captain didn't quite get his approach wide enough. Still did better than I would though

I did enjoy watching those vids and particularly the background local accents

[Jayway]

I love tunnels, all sorts and that one is really nice, I would love to go thro there but NOT driving, not enough space for me. If you hire a holiday barge, are you allowed to drive thro there ???

[Horus]

@ Grandad, yes that particular captain was obviously unfamiliar and approached the entrance too tightly. Did you notice the blue rescue barge that appears to make the approach more difficult? In fact it actually helps the barges to get the best line when entering and exiting the tunnel and stops the ones coming out from hitting the far bank as they have about 80 feet of barge sticking out before they leave the darkness of the tunnel.

@ Jay, yes you have to drive through yourself although it is well regulated. They employ a one way system and at busy times they will allow (I think it's three) barges to convoy through. Everything is controlled by a man at each end who are in contact with each other, at the far end (South) there are also a set of metal doors which have to be closed to keep the air extraction working after the barges have entered. It is not as bad as it looks Jay at least you can't get lost

[LovelyLadyLux]

I was watching again and noticed the barges are pretty bumpered up which I'm assuming is just in case they do accidentally bump the front/back, sides or each other.

Am assuming that people live on these boats. Are they charged moorage fees and does it cost them to go through the tunnels?

I dunno that I could live on a boat. Nice to float about on one and it would be wonderful to cruise about from these boats as being on one definitely gives you a different perspective of the countryside that you just can't see from land.

My question of the day - Are these rivers deep? And why so brown? Does the water ever clear or is it always muddy looking?

[Horus]

That's what I like about you LLL always lots of questions

The 'bumpers' you are seeing are made from woven rope and it is a waterway craft going back to the beginning of canals and barges.
Although they do have a vital function to perform, you will have seen me post images of the 'locks' which are used to raise and lower the barges to different levels on the canal system. At each end of these 'locks' there is a set of heavy wooden gates and these gates have to close against a 'cill' below the water in order to seal. As the barges were often as long as the locks themselves (around 90 feet) they would have to 'drive' the barge hard up against the gates at one end in order to close the set of gates they had entered by, hence the knotted rope buffers to protect the gates and the barge.

Some people do live on them full time and yes they (and even holiday makers) have to pay fees to moor up the barges along permitted places along the canals.

Yes you do have to pay to pass through the tunnel and in high season it is very busy and causes delays. There is an off season when the tunnel is closed, although an advanced booking and additional fee can be made to pass through out of season.

They are not rivers as such, but rather channels that were cut by hand using Irish 'Navi' labourers. The word 'Navi comes from the tern 'Navigator' which was the job description at the time. To keep them watertight they used 'puddled' (pounded) clay to line the cuttings. Around this area the word 'cut' is a slang word for a canal and they are about 4 to 5 feet deep, but much deeper at the locks, maybe 20 feet or more. To save on costs wherever possible some suitable rivers or sections of them were incorporated into the canal network.

That horrible brown colour is not typical and most canals are clean and clear, this section below the Harecastle tunnel is that colour because of iron oxide that leaches out of the old tunnel and pollutes the water for quite some way into Cheshire, but is particularly bad around the Kidsgrove end where the two tunnels are located. Actually it does not really smell much as you might imagine and fish and wildfowl swim quite happily within a mile or so down stream, although it is several miles either side of the tunnel before it becomes fully clear again.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Never knew the boats would be that pressed into the lock nor did I realize the bumpers were made out of rope. (Most bumpers on boats here these days are made out of used tires which isn't terribly esthetically appealing)

[Horus]

LLL, I knew that somewhere or another that I had some images of the way that they make the rope bumper pad that you have noticed on the barges.
Unfortunately at the time I was being a bit 'artistic' so the images are all B&W, but you can see how they use a metal spike to drive the rope through in what is like a Crocheted (is that areal word?) knot pattern. The one on the bench was being made from a special black looking nylon rope and looked like hard work and very expensive to make. The two little 'horns' fit on either side of the bow of the barge and the chains keep it in place, you can see the rope on the ground that they are using to make them up. A more standard cheaper version can also be seen below the bench, I took these photos at a canal barge festival event a few years ago.

[Kiya]

Horus .....Hope you don't mind but I have taken a copy of your work bench............did you make it yourself

I ask because I've watched Roy while he is sawing wood using anything to lean on, I cringe at times thinking he is going to go right through & damage whatever he uses underneath

[Horus]

No Kiya that is not my bench, it belongs to the man making the rope bumper.
What you need is to treat Roy to a 'Workbench' similar to this:


I have had one like this for over 30 years and they are well worth the money, they are very sturdy, fold up almost flat and will grip just about anything.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Really interesting - the rope bumper that is and even more interesting how it was made. Equally interesting how tools are made to make things

[Kiya]

Thanks Horus for the link, that looks great for a b/day or Christmas present, mind you his b/day is in December also, in that case I might just surprise him

[Horus]

Kiya, they are so strong that they can easily support heavy weights on placed them. The legs can be closed or opened at the base so as to vary the working height, but best of all the two boards at the top can be spaced apart very quickly using slots that let you grip just about any width of timber or whatever you are working on. They also come with special pegs that push into a variety of holes in the top that allow you to put something flat down onto the top and then grip it from the sides, they are an amazingly versatile bit of kit and last for donkeys years.

[Kiya]

Thanks again Horus

[Grandad]

A bit late entering this discussion but I certainly endorse what Horus has said about the B & D Workmate. I recently gave mine to youngest son as I do little DIY nowadays. I still have two of the cheaper single height similar folding benches that are useful when dealing with long timbers.

I was taken back to my nautical days by Horus's pictures. I used to enjoy working with rope and can still tie a 'Monkeys Fist', that is the spliced ball on the end of a rope to give it weight when being thrown. To answer LLL's unasked question (you missed this one LLL ) The spike used in rope and wire splicing has a name, it is a Marlin Spike.

Aren't we all learning stuff from each other.