< March 2006

April 2006

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Saturday 29 April

A short drive to Bristol Temple Meads station this morning and then by train via Leeds to "Skipton by the Sea".  No, that's not a typing error but the theme of this year's Skipton Canal Festival.  The sun tried to shine all afternoon and there were plenty of visitors without being too crowded.

The boats were decorated with anything which matched the theme; from flags and banners to deckchairs and models of Blackpool Tower.

Several boats were moored diagonally across the end of the Springs Branch to fit them all in, with the rest moored along the towpath in both directions from the junction.

Also moored along the towpath were a pair of hotel boats with the motor called "Me and My" and the butty called "Shadow" (Me and My Shadow).  They are based at Skipton on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for their 2006 cruising season.

After a short walk around the town it was time to head back to the station for our trains to Leeds and Bristol.

Saturday 22 April

I was up early today to drive to Lechlade. The grand opening of the new Cotswold Canal Trust (CCT) visitor information centre was at 11:00 this morning and I wanted to capture that for the forthcoming Cotswold Canals DVD.

The visitor information centre is positioned at St John's Lock which is the last lock on the Thames heading upstream (or the first going downstream), just a mile or so from Lechlade.

In the summer the lock keeper hardly has time to look after the lock and spends much of his time answering questions from the many visitors. Now the visitors will be able find answers to their questions in the centre.

And look at the cowslips at the other side of the lock.

Now I'm waiting for a quiet moment to start editing the material. It will probably feature near the start of the DVD as we trace the route along the Cotswolds Canals.

Friday 14 April

The first day off work for the Easter weekend and a little sunshine. A day out in the Stroud area having a look at the Cotswold Canals and the surrounding area. It seemed we walked for miles.

Friday 7 April

Sunshine. Just what I needed to start the filming for the Cotswold Canals DVD. The morning was spent checking out the maps and preparing the camera before an early lunch. Then off to Saul Junction.

After a little filming around the junction I walked the route of the disused canal to the River Severn, filming along the way. Some of it has almost disappeared while other sections are still in water and still recognisable as a canal, complete with swans.

Finally, after completing a circular walk including Saul village I drove through Gloucester to the west bank of the Severn to look back across the river at the remains of the exit lock which is almost invisible in private land on the eastern bank.

Now back home with the video footage ready for editing. This will be used near the end of the Cotswold Canals DVD to complete the route which we will show starting from Lechlade. Despite considerable efforts to shield the camera and microphones the strong wind is still audible on parts of the sound track so some careful editing will be required to hide that.

I also saw the Cotswold Canals Trust tip boat Perseverance moored a little south of Saul Junction on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. I'm sure that will appear working in the video when we film again later in the year.

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