Creating A Canal - Hereford & Gloucester

[@25mileswest86]

Thanks Steve - lovely project here. That Newent Station idea looks brilliant; not seen anything like that before..!

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I can’t wait to cover it next year, it’s so unique!

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Great project. Thanks for a very informative update. The line through Newent should provide a real shot in the arm, with I guess regular canal trips as at Over.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I’m going to do a video on the station next year, I’m just waiting for a few things to fall in place for the trust. I think it could be a real tourist attraction when it’s done, it’s so unique

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thank you for the tour today, Steve. A great explanation as the tour evolves. Enjoy the weekend, and see you on the next! Cheers Steve! 🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Thank you, have a great one yourself

[@grahamgresty8383]

I'd like to see an extention to this canal, once completed, from Hereford to Abergaveny: linking the Monmouthshire with the rest of the canal system. The extention would only be 25 miles long

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I love your thinking but with the way funding is being cut I can’t ever see it happening. It’s something that’s surprising that it didn’t happen years ago when the networks were built

[@grahamgresty8383]

...but a change in government may improve funding. There are advantages in expanding the network if large marinas and electric points are added. as water 'sinks' in drought and deluge conditions, offering housing relief as a cheaper alternative, keeping village shops and pubs, served by the canal open, offering more tourist routes. Keep up the good work.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@grahamgresty8383 it’s a shame I haven’t released my next Lichfield video, I rant a lot about it on that!, we are definitely singing from the same hymn sheet.

[@flightimage845]

Excellent video and such a good project; let’s hope funding can be found to complete it.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@flightimage845 being rural it is all based on land owners being involved, sometimes that’s harder than running through a town where you usually just need to get a council on board

[@1234j]

Oooh, interesting. Great video. Thank you for this. Cheers from Hereford.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@leswallace2426]

Another superb video. Brilliant to see things starting to roll with the H & G canal - Hereford is a beautiful city, but it'll be even better with a canal - where wouldn't? Hope they can sort out the issues with the Newent Station will be magic if they can, great to see them taking an interest in nature conservation too, it seems to be the standard attitude with canal restoration groups rather than the exception. Thanks for this Steve.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

The days of cutting everything out and leaving a bare canal are gone, let’s face it though we all want a beautiful canal full of nature to walk, ride, run and cruise down so it’s a win win for everyone

[@leswallace2426]

@@CourtAboveTheCut I've been amazed and delighted at how much conservation has been built into canal restoration schemes down South and I'm planning to write a guest blog about it for a nature site later in the year. The fact that you also point out the wildlife value of the canals and how that's appreciated by restoration groups reiterates the point - you clearly like it too. Sadly the situation up here with Scottish Canals couldn't be different, but what's happening down south helps provide ammo for change.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@leswallace2426 I’m filming tomorrow on a section of ancient woodland that’s being managed and planted by a local charity, they’ve planted 10K trees now to take it back to its original boundaries in the 1800s when the canal first ran through it, it’s The wilts and berks canal branch to calne that goes through it. Although not on the cards for restoration as it stands as the main line will need to be done first it will one day be a case of where they work together to restore the canal. I can’t wait for it as it’s the perfect example of how things can go hand in hand.

[@leswallace2426]

@@CourtAboveTheCut You're doing a really great job emphasising that in your videos and I'm so glad your subscriber numbers are on the up and up. The conservation organisations really need to come together and fly the flag for what the restoration groups have achieved and how much more they could do for wildlife and people with more support.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@leswallace2426 working together they could do so much, most canal trusts have some sort of environmental group now, my local the wilts and berks has Howard Yardy and his team who are doing the bee route along the length of the canal as well as various other woodlands, canal parks, meadows etc. I just wish the average person on the street didn’t still believe that trusts destroy habitat with no gain, it’s such a shame.

[@timduthie6399]

How much does it cost to build a lock?

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

That’s a good question, most of it is done by volunteers, gates themselves cost about £200K a set and brings are a couple of quid a brick, although many trusts clean and reuse what they can

[@timduthie6399]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Two hundred thousand Pounds!! ??? Man I didn't think it would be that much!

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@timduthie6399 I may have added an extra zero! 😂 I think the Cotswold is 20K per gate (4 per lock) they are bloody big gates though, I think a pair for a narrow canal is closer to 25-30 for the pair. I’ve obviously never got a quote myself but this is just info I’ve heard when I’ve been speaking to those in the know

[@andrewhotston983]

They didn't have to build the Oxenhall tunnel - they could have followed the River Leadon. The effort being put into this canal restoration would be better used to get the railway back into Newent, which needs a better transport link to Gloucester.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

You are talking two completely different things, the canal trust are a charity with volunteers doing all of the work, the railway would be a government thing with civil service running the plans, neither will ever effect each other. The only thing that might is the line and a reinstated railway would take a new course, the old ones are always too difficult due to land ownership and development

[@MsVanorak]

6.17 so in between the woodland and the water filled canal the two green strips are the banks of the proper course of the canal. they aren't restoring it then - because it's too small an area to get machinery into and instead are making a new cut into prime agricultural land? 😑

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

They aren’t cutting into where it originally ran as it’s railway embankment and peoples gardens. They’ve created a nature corridor on land, nobody said it was prime agricultural land, I’ve no idea on the soil condition but not all fields are prime agricultural land, a large chunk isn’t good enough for growing anything decent.