HS2 and Darnford Moors Opening! Lichfield Canal

[@BrynBuck]

Brilliant to see more progress on this project. Thanks for recording this.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Great update. The restored section looks 'as good as new'. Hopefully, restoration work can continue without too much delay - as there's many challenges to be overcome, not least in raising the finance. The LHCRT website is really superb and a reflection of the skill and hard work put into this project.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I first visited here a year ago after watching their fantastic KZbin channel and the constant updates on Facebook. They are by far the best trust in the country for selling themselves online. I see this canal being much longer within 10 years!

[@LHCRT]

Thank you!

[@martinmarsola6477]

A usual walking tour of the video. Appreciate your labours in these tours. It almost like walking with you! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and week ahead. Cheers Steve! 🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

As always thanks for watching! It’s been a glorious day in the UK today, so hopefully some sunny tours soon!

[@paulcgburrows7267]

A very impressive short with wonderful conent please return with the usual fascinating information you hold on the project ive got a few images from last month

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Thank you, don’t worry I will be back but it’ll be more part of a broader update, fingers crossed something else will start, the Lichfield canal doesn’t seem to hang around!

[@Razer68]

Great video Steve. Very well put together. Always look forward to seeing new ones. Great work. (and no wasps!)

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Haha funny you mention the wasps I’ve just been speaking about them to my boy! 28 stings I think it was!

[@Razer68]

@@CourtAboveTheCut 😂 I only managed 16. I’d rather not attempt to beat your record. 😂🐝

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@Razer68 I think I’ll try to keep that as a personal best and never try to beat it 😂 I went a bit funny in the evening 😂😂

[@Razer68]

@@CourtAboveTheCutI was throbbing for a few days after! 28 stings is about borderline danger numbers. No wonder you felt a bit funny! I too have no intention of beating my personal best. 😂

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@Razer68 I didn’t realise there was a danger level, it was weird I was a little dizzy, really tired and just felt a little peculiar

[@HighWealder]

Great to see the canal being restored. Shame many old abandoned rail lines can't at least be reopened as walking/cycle routes due to obstructive landowners.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I think that will change, with linear parks becoming more important in the climate emergency

[@boldford]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Or better still reopen them as railways where practical.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@boldford I agree completely but the issue is when the government closed them all down they made sure all the lines were built on in difficult areas so they couldn’t come back, the government ministers has a vested interest in road building!

[@mikehindson-evans159]

You have heard of SUSTRANS, right? They have now delivered in excess of ten thousand miles of pedestrian/cycle friendly routes, many of which use abandoned railway alignments.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@mikehindson-evans159 yes of course I have. I’d much rather have another working railway than a cycling track, well I’d love both tbh

[@25mileswest86]

Lovely stuff Steve, what a fab day for everyone. Will be frustrating waiting on those future HS2 efforts to roll along (3 years + )...

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Hopefully they start to release some land before that, I believe they own everything now between the end of this section and the end of the cruising club

[@dummysbrother]

Backin the 1960's my parents used to like going on regular canal walks and try different canals each time. Around about 1965 mom took me up to Lichfield on the train from Erdington and we intended joining this canal at Birmingham Road and walking from there in a westerly direction. When we got there we were horrified at the state of it. Partially filled in, rubbish everywhere and the lock gates broken and rotting, a very sad sight indeed, and one that has stayed with me all these years. It's wonderful to see the progress that's been made and that the canal will be back in use once again

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@dummysbrother they are really doing a fantastic job, I didn’t see it in the dereliction you did but I’m glad it’s being restored, it’s a lovely route.

[@aJarrowLad525]

Thanking everyone great work

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

They’ve done an amazing job

[@daveydarko5026]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Is that what you would say to all of those who have been affected by this nonsensical idea?!? Somehow, I don't think you would...

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@daveydarko5026 I’m talking about the canal which has done nothing but increase land value for anyone living along side of it.

[@daveydarko5026]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Ha! We've experienced the exact opposite effect of the HS2 line being built. Tragic really.... So, I suppose they rob us and then funnel some of their ill-gotten gains into faux community projects like this. What a joke of a misguided project.

[@michaelmiller641]

Thanks for that. Great video!

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!

[@LHCRT]

Thanks Steve. Awesome video!

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Thanks for having me!

[@LHCRT]

@@CourtAboveTheCut any time!

[@aJarrowLad525]

Great drone work

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Thank you

[@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882]

Looks amazing, HS2 can do one, however I can’t deny the cash injection from that ugly construction, but it was good to cruise by the junction back in January knowing that good work is being done. I worked on the WCML section between 2008 and 2011 and have moved to the area recently.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

It’s one of those things that should have been built differently but now it’s started they need to finish it, it needs to go to the north or it’s pointless

[@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882]

@@CourtAboveTheCut we had an HS2 and they destroyed it… now we’re getting a huge precast unit … bloody horrid… I’ve shared this btw.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882 there’s no architectural merit to the concrete structure being built. I do believe the money would have been better opening old routes to increase capacity, speed across the uk isn’t the issue, price and capacity is. I’d use the train regularly if it didn’t cost so much, travel to Europe and they pay a fraction of the price we pay

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882 and thank you for sharing :)

[@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882]

@@CourtAboveTheCut agreed.👍🏼

[@philtucker1224]

Now we just need some narrow boats.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@philtucker1224 it should be busy when it’s complete to the Wyrley and Essington as it’ll be a decent loop and cut through

[@abumstead1219]

Have you heard the saying” A picture paints 1000 words.”? Can I suggest that here a Map would also paint 2000+ words!

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@abumstead1219 I add a google earth video on most of my newer stuff. Thanks for the advice though, I hope that helps

[@abumstead1219]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Sorry, but I didn’t get to the end of your video tour as you had lost me. Hence I didn’t know about what you added at the end. And that is really my point. You lost me as I couldn’t make out where anything you we’re talking about was in relation to one another.

[@ontheroad_again]

Great video 👍 Glad you abandoned the yellow/white transitions.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Thank you :)

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

I got enough abuse to know they weren’t a good idea!

[@ontheroad_again]

@CourtAboveTheCut too many people over sensitive now after the lockdowns, well that's my experience. Abuse everywhere 🙄

[@cms9902]

Japan has just opened a new 129km stretch of Shinkansen line in the west of Japan. Bargain at $11b.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Unfortunately the way this country is ran and the hoops that need to be jumped through to do anything you can barely build anything without spending a billion

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

Also do the Japanese publish all the costs associated with building the railway ? They don't in China and Europe.

[@sybennett7392]

Carlisle had one the Carlisle basin the canal went from Carlisle to port Carlisle

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Yep it has a short but interesting history, apparently part of hadrians wall was demolished to build the canal.

[@thomaswykes3647]

Ripping up the Great Central Railway was possibly one of the biggest scandals the British government made in the 1960s - which has some tough competition given the closed branchlines, Euston Arch etc etc

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Agreed, I’m in the firm restore our railway camp as well as canals. One of the major reasons we won the war was our logistics, the luftwaffe would bomb one line and another would take up the slack. Imagine if we hadn’t had Marples, a man only interested in his own fortunes.

[@philtucker1224]

HS2 five years off? I thought it was recently cancelled?

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@philtucker1224 this section is the link to the east coast mainline at Handsacre, at that point the northern section started so this is still necessary so trains can continue north on the existing infrastructure.

[@philtucker1224]

@@CourtAboveTheCut That’s good! Kind regards to you buddy, keep those videos coming, I live near the Kennet & Avon.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@philtucker1224 so do I, well Chippenham so about 20-30 minutes.

[@philtucker1224]

@@CourtAboveTheCut yes ( I’m at the Reading end) kind regards.

[@bigKDL]

You can hardly say it's open when it's not connected to the system so it cannot be used by boaters

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

The ecology park is open, I say several times in the video it’s open to the public and I also say at least once that the canal can’t open to the main network until HS2 is open. It’s an ecology park with a restored section of canal in it, the canal is one part of the area not the entirety

[@waikanaebeach]

Cancellation of part of HS2 is a massive mistake, I hope the next government reinstates it. What we have here is the confluence of transport history with road, canal, rail and high speed rail…

[@michaelhart895]

Unfortunately any future government will struggle,from what I understand the government are already in the process of selling off some of the the land . I may be mistaken though.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

They should but from what I hear at least some of the land has already been sold off. Tories don’t have a clue what’s best for this country in any way

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Yeah that’s what I heard as well. It’s ridiculous these schemes can be changed like this with no comeback for the current government.

[@waikanaebeach]

@@CourtAboveTheCut they can compulsory purchase it back. All the next government needs to do is say that they will buy it back for price it was sold at, that caps the price… the buyers can’t complain, they took a risk and they at least get out of it without loosing their shirt.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@waikanaebeach I expect they have a contract stating it can be bought back at cost plus inflation. The issue revives around them reinstating the project, years of political wrangling, new applications, consultations and environmental assessments. The tories have really screwed us over with their poor planning and attempts to win back votes

[@harrythompson6977]

hows something outdoors member's only 😅😆

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

It was a construction site before so all fenced off, this was before the gates were open to the site, they then opened it up to the public straight after this event. There’s only one access point to it on the lane, all the rest surrounding it is private land (golf club or HS2)

[@MARKCARTLIDGE-sm3mz]

After all the expense we ended up with the worst outcome. And I'm local to Lichfield.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Let’s see what happens after the next election, those in power really screwed over everyone north of Birmingham.

[@daveydarko5026]

@@CourtAboveTheCut They are screwing us all with HS2!

[@niklar55]

It's not a canal, it goes nowhere, it's just a long pond! .

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@niklar55 it will be connected when HS2 is done through this section. It will then connect to the Coventry canal

[@niklar55]

@@CourtAboveTheCut I wont hold my breath! 😊

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@niklar55 HS2 is the concern, not the LHCRT. It’s always 5 years away for HS2, fingers crossed it will be this time

[@niklar55]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Dont hold YOUR breath either!

[@RustyRogers]

Slow down and steady your camera. You lost me after 2 minutes.

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

It’s a 360 camera, it goes where I edit it to go and self stabilises

[@TheLion-b3h]

So HS2 is complete….!? where is it..!? He’s just talking up a canal..!?! 😂

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

Watch the video and you’ll see a whole section on HS2 in the video.

[@TheLion-b3h]

@@CourtAboveTheCut But where is it…..!? So there’s a “whole section” !?! With running strains…!?

[@CourtAboveTheCut]

@@TheLion-b3h I don’t once say that, the Darnford moors section of the canal is open, it’s pretty sad to come online and start trying to make an argument for no reason. It’s nice out why not go and enjoy it.

[@TheLion-b3h]

@@CourtAboveTheCut I asked if the HS2 was complete?’ You replied “there’s a whole section in this video..!?” No sections complete at all..!? Just a little canal..!? 🤭

[@TheLion-b3h]

@@CourtAboveTheCut Thats like telling ya girl you got a big one, then when it’s in she asks “is it in!? you reply “ theres a whole section in ya ass”. She’s barely noticed!?! 🤣😝