Feature Articles
Towpath Treasures: Braunston village
25 April 2013
BRITAIN’S canals link city to city, meandering through open green countryside in between. The roving networks create a linear floating village where people connect and nod hello. Canals are all about travel, and relationships (by necessity) are formed quickly with passing strangers. Sometimes canal hubs develop with static clusters of boats and buildings that spread out on the canalside. Braunston is a canal village huddled in the best countryside of Northamptonshire.
Making the books balance for waterways charities
27 March 2013.
WITH the end of the financial year, sorting out your taxes, although arduous and annoying, is a relatively straight-forward process.
For many, the annual interaction with HMRC, or its equally humourless website, has come to say more about who we are than the rhythms of the seasons, or how we are viewed by our neighbours, friends and family. After all, if HMRC sees us all as numbers (albeit individual ones) why shouldn’t we? In these austere times, we are used to talking about ourselves in financial language to the extent that the loss of Triple AAAs is understood to mean that our economy is not as robust as it could be, not the fact we have misplaced some very small batteries down the back of the sofa.
Towpath Treasures: National Waterways Museum
26 March 2013.
A MUSEUM, by definition, is meant to be a building where objects of interest are stored and exhibited, but the National Waterways Museum is a magnificent rebel. Its buildings are part of the whole show, and no matter where the eye spins, indoors or outdoors, there’s always something extraordinary to see.
A day out at Cadbury Bournville
28 February 2013.
BRITAIN’S chocolate canal launched our nation’s iconic indulgence. Birmingham’s canal network gave us the chocolate bar with the world famous label on it – Cadbury.
De-winterise your narrowboat
20 February 2013.
WITH spring and the start of the boating season soon upon us, it’s time to de-winterise your narrowboat. Nigel Mills from canal boat insurance provider, Towergate Insurance, offers the following advice:
Should you break the ice?
28 January 2013.
NEWS that cold snaps across the UK are to become more common and prolonged may result in a greater number of narrowboats encased in ice.
The general consensus is try to avoid ice-breaking if your boat is trapped as it can damage the bow plates and blacking. While it's widely recognised ice-breaking strips off the blacking, few owners realise that if they ice-break over a long period of time, their bow plates will become thinner (ice against the hull has a sandpaper effect).
Current Issue: June 2013
♦ Biggest ever edition
♦ Win Wi-Fi for your boat
♦ Mooring rules to change
♦ Olympian helps to open canal visitor centre
♦ Your M&S joins the clean-up
♦ Stillwater asks the questions that you want answers to
♦ 380 boats for sale
PLUS:
• Next issue on sale: June 27, 2013
