In this episode of The Water Road we visit a floating market on the Shropshire Union Canal, and hear from some of the people trading from their boats. Guests include Julie Tonkin of the Roving Canal Traders Association who tells us about her canal art; Helen Tidy of Wild Side Preserves; the artist, Emma Bradley; Kate Newman who makes glass items; and Paul Partridge from the Baked on Board pizza boat.The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.
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17:06
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17:06
Beeston's Canalside Heritage Centre
This episode of The Water Road comes from Beeston in Nottinghamshire, where the Beeston Cut leaves the River Trent. The main focus of the episode is the Canalside Heritage Centre, a buzzing community hub in a row of canal cottages. We hear from Stewart Craven, who masterminded the project to save the buildings from dereliction -- and he tells us about the latest attraction, which shows one of the cottages as it would have been in 1942.The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.
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8:36
Electrika -- the electric boat show
In this episode of The Water Road we investigate the world of electric propulsion boats, with a visit to the Electrika boat show. We hear how the show came about, learn about the different types of hybrid systems, drill down into the green credentials, and discuss some of the challenges for the future. Guests include Rob Howdle and Caroline Badger from the boat builders, Ortomarine; Ricky Lee from Finesse Boats; and Matthew Symonds from the Canal and River Trust. Plus we hear from the owners of electric boats about life on board, including the crew of Tethys, stars of Channel 4's Narrow Escapes.The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.
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18:20
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18:20
Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane
In this episode of The Water Road we reach Foxton Locks, where we have quite a wait to get down Britain's longest flight of staircase locks. A volunteer lock keeper tells us why it's so important to operate the paddles in the right order, and gongoozlers tell us why they decided to visit the site. Plus we hear about the history of the inclined plane boat lift, which replaced the locks for a while early last century -- and why it proved a failure.The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.
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11:23
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11:23
Richard Parry interview
In this special edition of The Water Road, we talk to Richard Parry, who's stepping down this summer as Chief Executive of the Canal and River Trust. He answers questions about the performance of the charity, and warns that funding cuts means there's potential jeopardy for the canals in the future.The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.
Join us as we travel the canals and rivers of England and Wales in our narrowboat. The podcast takes you to places and events around the canal network, meeting the people who live, work, or volunteer on the waterways.
The Financial Times said The Water Road "takes nerdy delight in the minutiae of canal life". The Guardian described it as "a soothing sound effects-packed listen ... (that) wouldn't sound out of place on Radio 4". James Marriott in The Times said "How do I join this world? We need more of this sort of thing".
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