Saul Festival 2008

Last year’s Saul Festival was the victim of the floods and had to be completely cancelled just a few days before as the site was under water.

Everybody was hoping for better things this time.  It’s the major fund raising event of the year for the Cotswold Canals Trust and they were hoping to make up for last year’s disaster.

The weather forecast for this year was a little better but with strong winds and rain still forecast.  Just look at the person on the right checking the sky to see what’s coming.

We’ve only been once before, and that was two years ago when we filmed the event to include in the Cotswold Canals DVD.

We were there a few minutes after it opened at 10:00 this morning to beat the forecast rain.  I was disappointed to see that many of the traders did not open their stands until later in the morning.

It was a slow start and much smaller crowds than we remember from last time.  I hope their attendance improved during the day or their takings will be down on previous years.

I often have to wait for people to move out of the way so I can photograph something but this time I was trying to catch lots of people in the shots to make it look busy.  Unfortunately I couldn’t.

There seemed less stands than last time and with less people I’m worried their takings will be down and they need all the success they can after BW pulled out of the Cotswold Canals Restoration earlier this year.

Posted on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 22:07        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals , Stroudwater

British Waterways withdraws from the Cotswolds

It’s sad to read the news that British Waterways are withdrawing from the Cotswold Canals Partnership from April 2008.

With the government cuts to their funding and the need to find the money to repair the breach on the  Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal it was inevitable that something had to be cut.

It looks like the short arm of the Stroudwater Navigation at Saul Junction will be the only used section for a little longer than hoped.

Posted on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 07:16        Comments (1)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Trow Stuffers Anonymous

The Cotswold Canals Trust produce a quarterly magazine (The Trow) for over 5,000 members.  Four times a year they enlist volunteers to stuff the magazines into envelopes, usually in the evening at the Saul Heritage Centre.

This time they met in the morning.  The task was larger than normal as this issue was accompanied by a leaflet about the Santa Special cruises, and by an A4 letter (which had to be folded in half), and by three books of raffle tickets.

This time I took advantage of the daylight to capture a little video footage of everyone working hard.  I produced the Cotswold Canals DVD last year and I’m collecting additional material for a supplementary DVD showing recent activities.

Needless to say I spent the rest of the three hours folding, collating, stuffing etc.

It’s a shame that British Waterways charge us for parking in an almost empty car park at the Heritage Centre for activities like this.

Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 17:55        Comments (3)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Hot Cakes

The Cotswold Canals DVDs are going like hot cakes.  That’s a box of 100 DVD for the Cotswold Canals Trust ready to be delivered to Gloucester today.

Around five years ago the Trust started a scheme for life members to join and spread their payments over 5 years and this has raised considerable funds for the Trust.

Now the five years is up and the standing orders ending the Trust is looking after those members and offering them a choice of a free book or DVD if they continue with their donations.  Hopefully this will continue to raise funds for the restoration of the Cotswold Canals.

Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 19:26        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Santa at Saul

The weather forecast for today was good - at least as good as can be expected for December - so it was off to Saul Junction.

I’d heard that Santa might be visiting Saul Junction and I wanted to see if I could capture him on film for next year’s update to the Cotswold Canals DVD.

As soon as I arrived I was spotted by David Pagett from the Cotswold Canals Trust who kindly introduce me to all the volunteers working so hard at the Heritage Centre.

Many of them had already seen the DVD and they were all very complimentary.  Thank you everyone.

David was such a good salesman that I had to keep my guard up or he would have sold me one!

Perseverance, the CCT trip boat, had been decorated with Christmas decorations and Santa had borrowed the boat for his grotto.

He had just popped out when I took this photo but he was making regular trips along the the canal in Perseverance, accompanied by children of all ages.

Posted on Saturday, December 9, 2006 at 22:18        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

The Ultimate Stocking Filler

The Ultimate Stocking Filler.  That’s the heading for the Cotswold Canals Trust’s E-newsletter issued today and recommending our Cotswold Canals DVD.

The Cotswold Canals Trusts quarterly magazine has just been published with a review and the letters have started to arrive placing orders as well.

Thank you to the Cotswold Canals Trust.

Posted on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 16:31        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals , News

A second batch of DVDs already

The Cotswold Canals Trust has asked for a second batch of DVDs already, as the first batch have been selling well.  I’m pleased they wanted the second batch so soon.

And some good news on the building of our boat.  An email from the builders said it will be going into the dock tomorrow to start work on the hull again.

Now I’m holding my breath to see what Sue’s sensational news is on No Problem.

Posted on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 16:39        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Sale or Return DVDs for the CCT

I’m letting the Cotswold Canals Trust have 20 copies of the Cotswold Canals DVD on sale or return (and 4 copies of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal DVD).

Yesterday I took them up on the train to Gloucester where David and Julia Pagett from the Cotswold Canals Trust kindly invited me into their home and plied me with coffee and offers of biscuits etc.  We talked about the the work of the Trust and of their own canal experiences.

The Trust is planning to sell the DVDs at weekends at their road shows and at the Heritage Centre at Saul Junction where they will also be running their Santa Cruises in December.

We were all wondering how popular they would be.  This evening I got an email from David to say they had sold 3 already, before the weekend.  The score is 2 - 1 to Julia - well done to both of them.

Posted on Friday, November 17, 2006 at 16:37        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Cotswold Canals DVD is now released

It’s in the post. We promised on our website that the Cotswold Canals DVD would be ready for week commencing 13 November and we’ve kept that promise.

Advance orders are now in their jiffy bags and will be in the post tomorrow, right at the start of the week we promised.

Now I just need to get the 20 copies to the Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) for their Christmas sales at Saul Junction Heritage Centre and at their road shows.

A big thank you to everyone who helped in the production of the Cotswold Canals DVD.

After a short break we will start editing the Forth and Clyde & Union Canals DVD which we filmed during the summer.

Posted on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 16:43        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

We are mentioned in the CCT ENews

The editing of the Cotswold Canals DVD is now complete, except for tidying up the menus.

We are on target to have them copied for dispatch during week commencing 13 November as we have promised.

The Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) have mentioned the DVD in their latest electronic newsletter and it will be reviewed in the next edition of The Trow, their newsletter.  They will also be selling it at their Heritage Centre at Saul Junction and at their road shows.  Thank you to the CCT.

Posted on Sunday, November 5, 2006 at 16:46        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

The last of the feedback is arriving

The last of the feedback is arriving from the proof watchers of the draft Cotswold Canals DVD.  The watchers put in a lot of work and the feedback was good. They generally thought it was pitched about right for the intended audience - those with some interest in canals but not too full of details.

Between them, the proof watchers, picked up several details which were wrong and these will be corrected over the next few days.  There were also comments where we hadn’t quite got the pronunciation of local names right.

We will make the final edit of the video in the next few days and then the copies will be made.  Orders can already be placed on our website and we have promised to fulfil orders already placed during week commencing 13 November and we are on target to make that date.  We will be making a donation of £1 per copy sold during 2006 to the Cotswold Canals Trust.

Posted on Thursday, November 2, 2006 at 16:47        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

I’ve finished walking

I’ve finished.

I’ve walked all the accessible route of the Cotswold Canals since the spring this year.  Twice.  Out and back to the car in most cases.

Today I walked the section from Brimscombe Port to Ocean Basin which is the first section planned for restoration.  Advanced works are visible in some places and much more will be visible when work starts in earnest later this year.

I’ve also captured activities along the canals.  The opening of the Visitor Information Centre at Lechlade and the trip boat Inglesham.  At Saul Junction we have captured the festival and the trip boat Perseverance.

We were to have filmed the two work parties last weekend but they were cancelled after the tragic accident at Newtown Lock.  We’ll look out for when they are reinstated later in the year.

As soon as we have returned from filming over the next two weeks along the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals it will be time to start editing the Cotswold Canals DVD.

Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 at 14:41        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Cotswold Working Parties

An email arrived last with the latest Cotswold Canals Trust newsletter. You can subscribe to the email newsletter on their website.

The good news is that there are two volunteer working parties next weekend.  The even better news is that they are both on the section of route I was planning to walk next weekend anyway.  I’m sure they will welcome more volunteers if you can spare the time to help them.

The first working party runs from Sunday 30th July to Wednesday 2nd August.  It is on the Stroudwater Canal between Oil Mills Bridge at Ebley and Ryeford Double Lock.  You can find full details on their website or by contacting Ken Burgin by email (ken.burgin@pikelock.com) or phone (01453 827 414).

The second runs on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July.  It will be an archaeological dig at Dubridge Wharf.  Anyone interested is asked to contact Keith Lloyd by email (keith-lloyd@supanet.com) or phone (07758 004 250).

We will be visiting both sites briefly during the weekend so you might even see yourself working hard in the Cotswold Canals DVD (providing, or course, you volunteer and work hard).

Note - Monday 24 July:  I have just been advised that the second work party will now be Saturday only.

FURTHER NOTE:  Thursday 27 July:  I have just received Cotswold Canals Trust Newsletter number 7 which says:

"Due to a tragic accident at Newtown Lock on Wednesday, it is with regret that the Ryeford and Archaeological Trust working parties scheduled for this weekend and next week will have to be cancelled".

We are very sorry to hear about the accident.  There are brief reports on the BBC and Gloucestershire Constabulary websites.

Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 at 14:39        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Pike Bridge

Filming once again for the Cotswold Canals DVD.  Walking the towpath and the future route of the canal from near Stonehouse to Saul Junction.

Part of this section is restored, including Newtown and Blunder locks.  Navigation was recently restored at Pike Bridge when the new bridge was constructed which will allow the reconstruction of Pike Lock and an increase in the navigable length of this section.

A little further to the west the line of the canal is blocked by the M5 and A38.  It would be exceptionally difficult (and expensive) to reconstruct the canal along its original route with new bridges required under both of these.

Fortunately there may be an alternative solution by following the course of the adjacent River Frome which already passes under bridges under these roads.

The bridges do, however, look very low so I’ll have to check out the plans for this section before editing the DVD.

Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 at 14:38        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Daneway to Brimscombe

Filming again for the Cotswold Canals DVD.  This time walking the towpath westwards from the Daneway portal of Sapperton Tunnel.  I made it to Brimscombe Port, in several stages of walking from the car then back to the car and moving it a little further along.

The sign makes interesting reading for a towpath used by horses to tow barges;  "Footpath Only. No riding or leading of horses - No cycling."

It’s just as well there were no horses as this tree had blocked the towpath just round the corner.  I could scramble round with the camera and tripod but a horse wouldn’t have made it.

Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 at 14:37        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

10th Saul Festival

Off to the 10th Saul Festival Today.  Not only is it our local canal festival but a splendid opportunity to capture footage for the forthcoming Cotswolds Canals DVD planned for launch well before Christmas.

Run by the hard working volunteers of the Cotswold Canals Trust the festival has become an annual event attended by thousands of visitors.

The sun was shining brightly today and we arrived for the 10:00 opening before it got too hot. There were already plenty of people around and it got busier and hotter during the day.  Plenty of time to film some of the trade stands before there were too many people in the way to see them.  Then film the visitors having fun later in the day.

The festival was formally declared open by television celebrities and narrow boaters Timothy West and Prunella Scales.

Back home the video has been downloaded onto the computer ready to be backed up and edited.  There’s too much to use in the Cotswolds Canals DVD so some will be saved for the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal DVD, planned for a much later date.

Just time to make sure Saul Festival 2007 is in our diary for next year.

Posted on Saturday, July 1, 2006 at 14:29        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Sapperton Tunnel and Inglesham

A busy day today. First we went to film Sapperton Tunnel for the Cotswolds Canals DVD. Wendy Beaumont had kindly "volunteered" her husband David to accompany me a short distance into the tunnel to do the filming.

"Wendy promised there wouldn’t be much water in the summer", said David, as we waded in almost waist deep water.  There wasn’t much sunshine in the deep cutting to warm the water, but still enough to make the weeds grow thickly and make our progress difficult.

David was relieved that the key he had brought fitted the gates a short way into the tunnel and I was able to film with the gates open from a few paces inside.

The Cotswolds Canals Trust used to run trips into the tunnel but these were stopped after horseshoe bats were discovered in the tunnel.  They hope to restart them in the autumn once arrangements can be agreed to avoid disturbing the bats.

The afternoon was spent filming Inglesham, the Cotswold Canals Trust trip boat, providing trips on the River Thames at Lechlade to raise funds for the trust.

We filmed from the bank first, then from on the boat all the way to Inglesham.  We passed the entrance to the Thames and Severn Canal, one of the Cotswold Canals, to be restored.

Further walking along the bank to film Inglesham completed the day before driving back home.

Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 at 14:47        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Another fine day on the Cotswold Canals

Another fine day with more filming for the Cotswolds Canals DVD.  This time along the canal from Pike Lock towards Stonehouse.

Plenty of wildlife to film with youngsters bobbing along beside their attentive parents.

One coot family were busy building their nest attached to the arm of the Cotswold Canals Dredger.  One sat on the nest all the time I watched while the other rushed back and forth bringing nest making materials.

Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 14:45        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Canal Filming without a Canal

Canal filming with no canal in sight.  A roundhouse along the Thames and Severn Canal on the left.

And Thames Head.  Generally recognised as the source of the River Thames, although not a drop of water was visible today in the dry weather.

Posted on Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 14:43        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Lechlade Visitor Information Centre

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.

Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 at 15:10        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

A Little Sunchine at Easter

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.

Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 at 15:09        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals

Sunshine at Saul

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.

Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 at 15:02        Comments (0)
Category(s): Cotswold Canals