The Towpath Controversy?

Monday, 03 January 2011 12:22

So who or what are they for really?

Our visitors yesterday set me thinking about the subject

We were visited by some welcome cyclists yesterday: John's cousin, Steve and his wife Ellen. So here are my musings on towpaths!

As usual - back to a bit of history! Of course they were built for horses to tow barges along the Cut. The name says it all! The Fly (or Packet Boat) passenger boats were often pulled by four horses, changed at regular intervals, so that they could speed between destinations. Imagine the state of the towpath in winter then!

Fly boat passenger and cargo terminal on the Montgomery Canal

Alongside would be inns for passengers to stay in and horses to be stabled. Some of these remain, as do the stables for horses of working boats.

The Packet Boat Inn on the Lancaster Canal

An old horse stable on the Shropshire Union Canal

As the canal trade declined, the towpaths, like the canals, became neglected and overgrown, only being explored by determined hikers, anglers and maybe the odd boat crew who still battled to cruise the waterway. There were no rules about where, and how long, boats were allowed to moor; no licences existed in those days!

How things have changed. There is a towpath free-for-all today! Well, almost "free for all"   Fibre optic cables have been laid under them, causing disruption for many a day a few years ago. Mooring sites have become "official" with varying time limits, some sensible, some frankly daft. Sustrans has become a partner in developing many of our towpaths. Anglers take over the towpath at weekends.

An angling match to negotiate on the Shroppie

Walkers and anglers are encouraged by car parks, picnic areas, cafés and (this is a secret only boaters seem to know) BOATS. We are asked about our lifestyle by passers-by and they are always interested in our narrowboat, many have said they come to the canals as they enjoy watching the narowboats.

We personally have no objection to sensible and safe use of towpaths - no one has a "right" of way, we all need to be considerate.

So fellow boaters, readers et al, let us continue to use, look after and appreciate our towpaths. They have been there a long time, have been variously cared for, have been a means to an end for many. Look at them now - muddy, littered, non-picking-up dog owners' walking tracks, abused by motor cyclists and speed tracks for cyclists and "hides" for anglers.

Motorcycle on the Erewash Canal

The other side to the story is - they can be a safe haven for iced-in narrowboats, a magnet for wildlife, an abundance of flora later in the year, a place for communities to grow and be enjoyed by others, a healthy place to walk and run, for dogs to be walked, somewhere for children to learn and never boring! Even in towns and cities they are a local resource not to be denied.