Thanks for watching folks. We hope you like the Abandoned Canals which we feel complement the Railways quite nicely. What do you think?

As a bricklayer it always amazes me the shear amount of graft that went into to building these structures only to be left to be reclaimed by nature. A shame really.

We can thank Barbara Castle for the foresight in th 1950's where she saw a possible leisure industry by the restoration of the canals. As an MP she encouraged and drove the restoration forward to what we have today.

The CCT often restore canals. There's a list of the ones they are going to restore, and Thames and Severn is on that list, so it will probably be restored.

Awesome guys as usual, must admit I'm a bigger canal fan than railway fan, but you could talk me in to watching paint dry. Stay safe and have fun👍

You were in my neck of the woods! I've walked all of the canal from it's junction with the Sheerness canal through to the tunnel portal, and I've visited the gap between the two tunnels. You must do the restored section, and the missing link under the M5 and A38 that is currently being restored, with the lock in the middle of A38 roundabout. Like you I have a fascination with disused canals and railways, I was born in a town created by the arrival of a canal that joined the River Severn in Worcestershire. The canal trade was killed off by the GWR railway to the town, but the canal has had the last laugh as it's a busy leisure route now and the railway has long gone (I'm old enough to remember when they were both active with trade!). A spell in the RAF got me interested in old airfields, I could probably bore your socks off for several hours on that subject.

Hi from Stroud, just down the valley! Just by the Daneway portal of Sapperton tunnel was the lengthmans cottage from where he would control the comings and goings through the tunnel. As you would have seen, it’s just a pile of rubble now. The Stroudwater canal, who’s only remarkable feature is that it is still owned by the company of proprietors that was set up to build it, was built up to Stroud to take the Severn trows. The Thames and Severn was built to take these up to Brimscome Port, where the cargo would be put into the narrower Thames style boat. A railway connection is that the Thames and Severn was brought by the GWR to prevent the Midland Railway from buying it and turning it into a railway. The Stroudwater canal has just received the funding it needs to completely reopen to the Sharpness ship canal. I hope the Thames and Severn is opened one day too.

Wow brilliant, love those old Locks

Great video. So much interesting industrial heritage! Those locks are amazing. It looks like you left your children behind half-way through - glad you found them at the end ;) Love the soundtracks too.

When I lived in NJ, I learned about another abandoned canal called the Morris Canal. It connected the Delaware to New York Harbor. There’s a park on the NY Harbor side to mark where it ended. The canal was a key part of NJ’s growing iron industry

A great video, and fascinating to see the old locks almost untouched. Thought Rebecca looked especially lovely in that outfit.

I came to this channel for the railways, but you are slowly winning me round to old canal appreciation. Top video!

"We don't want to bore you because it's lock after lock after lock"... au contraire!

So much history and such a beautiful location! I am as intrigued by the Canals as I am the Railways! Seeing that Sapperton Canal Tunnel map picture, i am looking forward to your video on it! Its nice they turned the tow path into a walking trail ! Thanks guys and yes Rebecca looked beautiful in her outfit!

Ended up walking along this a few weeks ago after the Thames flooded at Cricklade and I was forced to divert from the Thames path. So glad I did! The structures and the roundhouses were just so interesting.

Great video Siddington is 10 miles from my home, I had no idea the lock gates were there and had not heard of the Thames and Severn canal, the tunnel close to the pub used to have small boat trips into it a few years ago, if the water was deep enough.

Fascinating and very informative 👍. Great background music track too.

Thank folks! I'm watching and rewatching some of your videos. I love your quiet voice and relaxing music.

It’s so nice to see you both out and about, a brilliant video as always, so interesting. Thankyou x

Super video, really enjoyed this one. Thanks!

Another excellent inspiring video, thank you Paul and Rebecca. Keep up the good work.

Superb as usual. Great length video too. Thanks both (all) :)

We live in such a wonderful country with so much history, exploring it is wonderful.

I appreciate your efforts bringing everyone these little explores. Always very interesting. Looking forward to the tunnel video.

Thanks for posting this very enjoyable vlog!

As always, the time and effort that you put into making and editing your videos makes them compulsive viewing. So good to see you outdoors again.

Very nice and interesting video you pair 😎 Many thanks for all your hard work 🙂🍻🥂👍🏻

One of your best, not that any are poor you understand. Enjoyed that. Thank you both.

Beautyful video🥰 Lovely weather and wonderful seightings!!

Beautiful scenery, great to see these little corners of the country!

Don't you just love it when you stumble across industrial memories. You're right Paul, it sends a little shiver down your spine and you have to touch it to connect with the history. A great find and another string to your bow, yep, I'm liking it👍👍

Very interesting, thanks P&R, looks like you had lovely weather for the trip - so nice to be out and about again!

Great work from you all, as always! I love how you show me all of these amazing, nearly forgotten constructions. You are inspiring me for summer and autumn walks once this lockdown eases! Thank you for the work that it takes you to produce your videos!

Just found my new favourite KZfaq channel 😊 Big thank you to Paul and Rebecca for making and posting their awesome videos. Great videos guys 👍 keep up the good work 😊

Really interesting stuff, great job both

Effin amazing video brilliant subject and we'll presented. .the bridge at 9:00...wow!

Walked this old canal route many times over the years, another excellent video.

Sitting out in my garden in the sun relaxing watching another one of your excellent videos. Keep up the good work 👍

Abandoned canals!!! Absolutely wonderful....please keep the stations and railways coming too. Forgotten transports links and engineering feats in this country should be remembered a lot more. Great video, as usual, keep them coming, please!!!!

Your channel has given me a new appreciation for canals as well as railways. thank you!

Super cool video. Very interesting how you both tell the history of all you video. Great job!

The videos where you two have to really dig through the brush are always the most awe inspiring scenes.

Great interesting video thanks to both of you. Unbelievable how nature takes over.

Really enjoyed the video, keep up the great work 😀

Nice work Paul and Rebecca. I have always had an interest in the History of Britain's Mills, Mines, Railways, Canals, Thanks again from Australia.

We were on the northern part of the Lancaster canal this week. If you're ever up here it's dead easy to get to. It's straight off "Burton in Kendal" services. When they built the M6 they thought it was a good idea to cut the canal in 2. Plenty of good scenery, wildlife and history. Some of it is useable but isn't used and some of it is filled in further toward Kendal. Next time we're at our friend's in Tewksbury we'll have a look at this one.

Thanks Guy`s thats another bit of my local area I didn`t know about. Great video again.

That was really interesting & much appreciated - Thanks..

That skirt was a great choice! Beautiful countryside and an absolute treat to hear the English birds again. Best wishes from Australia.

Railways, canals, tunnels or stations it matters not. Love the content and appreciate the hard work and passion that you put in to it. Thankyou.

Another great film Mr and Mrs W, thank you!

Seeing the beautiful countryside you walk through on your adventures makes me realise how lucky we all are to live in such a magnificent country, and the history is fantastic too.

Great work , amazing architecture.

Loved it. First time here. It's obvious that you all love this stuff. well done.

Nice vid and info,keep safe you both and your kids.

Nice to see u out and about again

Great video, love all the historical facts.

Yet another fabulous video! I love all these. I remember first discovering your videos and not being able to spot a damn thing when you pointed out old roads, and railways etc. But the more I watch, the more I can see! It’s SO interesting and I really want to go myself and explore. Just trying to work out how to do it all with a 4 and a half month old baby in tow!

Lovely evocative video - home from home for me. Back in the early 60s my parents had wanted to buy and live in the Roundhouse at Coates, a little way east of the Tunnel Inn. It belongs (or belonged) to the Bathurst Estate at Cirencester who, sadly, showed no interest in the offer. It's still derelict half a century later. Instead, they bought a narrow (butty) boat on the Stroudwater and we lived on that for about four years.

Your videos are always very interesting thank you from New Zealand

Great video Paul and Rebecca, amazing feat of engineering,all dug by hand,no machinery, beautiful scenery and aerial shots, great to see you and the family exploring again 👍😀👌

Thanks for that video. Magical and atmospheric are two words that sprang to mind as I was watching your latest offering. I was also pleased to hear you give a mention to the men who built these amazing structures and the architects and engineers who drew up the plans. I sometimes find it sad and disrespectful to their memory that these monuments have been abandoned and all but disappeared from the landscape. It's great that you're bringing them back to life with your videos.

Can't quite put my finger on what's different but this video seems incredibly slick and well produced. More please.

There are plenty of goods that could still be transported by canal instead of road. Just requires the vision to do it.

hey paul and rebecca , great video , wow that old lock was so cool , i love walking along canals , if you keep your eyes open you can find some interesting stuff , rebecca looked as gorgeous as ever , :)

That's fantastic! I get very excited by abandoned canals. Nice drone shots.

CS Forester, Honblower and The Atropos has a fun description of travelling along the T&S canal. Loved the video and yes, canals are as good as railways to explore, thank you.

Fascinating as ever guys! Never thought I'd see a canal lock from such an angle :o nice to see the young'uns tagging along too :)

That was just lovely, I do love canals. I felt the excitement of the tunnel coz I was excited too. The stonework in those tunnels is fantastic.. absolutely loved that. Thanks for taking me along and please stay safe

I lived on a narrowboat for 7 years, did the Severn to Gloucester it would have been amazing to have been able to travel to the Thames. Hope one day this canal is opened once more.

Wonderful film. Thank you os much for making it. The history of old canals fascinates me especailly when you consider that they were built using shovels, hand tools and wheelbarrows. What a feat of civil engineering using gangs of itinerant navvies. Really looking forward to the next bit!

I have to agree with many of the other comments, I love the canals in the same way as railways. Just the brickwork skills alone make all the infrastructure interesting. Understanding the reason for the investment reveals so much about our past. Then there are all the additional businesses, and therefore buildings that evolved because of the investment. Canals also seem to have a tranquillity about them that railways don't. Great Video. Regards Garry

Excellent photography guys!

Super nice video Whitewicks ... would have liked to have seen more ...

What a fascinating journey...you'll have to forgive my ignorance but I had no idea there was so much left of this mammoth undertaking...thank you!

I enjoyed thsi video. You are both good at exploring these places. I spent roughly an hour on this video, I kept going to bing maps to see the places on teh OS map and getting distracted by many things.

I'm so glad KZfaq Recommended me this channel! I have a feeling your channel is about to explode in growth!

Love your work. Thanks for taking the time to make these. Very, very cool to watch. Thanks. 🖖🏻🇦🇺🇦🇺

Can never have enough whitewicks , great job as always

Love all the history around canals and it’s great to see this enthusiasm. Also it’s great that there is so much restoration going on - nothing more relaxing than a few days on the water. Now if only my better half agreed 😂

You should have a chat with Andy Tidy (canal hunter on YT) between you, you could bring the whole network alive again in pictorial/video format. The canal system in the UK was not just a transport aide, it's creation and development created the wealth and power for this country that came from the Industrial Revolution. Trains , air travel and road networks may rule today for transport but they were late on parade compared to the canals.Well done.

I lived in Faringdon for several years before moving to San Diego and we found several disused railways in the area but I never knew about the canals to the west beyond Swindon. Love the exploration.😊😊

Great video guys 👍

There will be plenty of unemployment after this awful virus has been brought under control, the government should open up these canals and the disused line beds and use the people who want to work and also love the land we live in , pay a proper wage and use the workforce for a good reason instead of just sitting at home losing their respect for themselves, every time I open the paper I read about people’s mental health surely working outdoors and restoring something that would be appreciated would do wonders for physical and mental health, I worked outdoors all my adult life and thoroughly enjoyed every minute winter and summer

Thank you so much, a perfect complement to the railway series. I think you might find the Bridgewater Canal ran from the Duke of Bridgewater's colliery at Worsley, Lancashire into Manchester. Cheers both!

That was brilliant guys. Thank you so much for showing this sad canal. Probably one of the least used waterways in the UK. In the Summer it ran dry and the winter it froze. They had huge problems along the summit level due to porous ground and rocks. The Summit level was fed by the same spring that feeds the Thames and somewhere at that point you would find the remains of the steam pumping engine and house built to supply the canal. The Trows only went as far as Stroud but the Thames barges could navigate the whole length. Most of the Locks had houses for the Keepers and many were octagonal, one or two survive I think between Sapperton Tunnel and the Thames. I had no idea so much has survived. Thank you both so much for your work.

What a lovely explore, great to see a forgotten canal and so nice to see you two out and about again. There are lots of abandoned railways where I live in Derbyshire, can't wait until you come up here.

Excellent video chaps, as I said a few months ago, Abandoned canals a whole new world, looked like you enjoyed it, I did parts of the Thames and Severn canal a few years ago, as you probably know some of the locks have been restored, North Wilts as you mentioned and there is a 3rd in the area, Wilts & Berks also lots to still see, looking forward to the Sapperton tunnel video, thanks again.

Reminds me of the Droitwich Canal. About 20 years ago I walked along what you could. Looked similar to some of the scenes in this video. There were a couple of volunteers working repointing the brickwork on a lock. They said they were restoring it. The task just to do one lock was enormous. What was more the M5 had been but across it's course. By 2011 it was reopened. I see from the comments below a restoration project is ongoing. You never know!

I dropped my dinner, so I came here to console myself. Thanks for the video. Enjoyable as ever. And who said locks were boring? From what I heard, this canal was a disaster from beginning to end, with many workers having died during the building phase and loss of water during the time it was in use. A real pity that it's never been repaired and reopened. Can you imagine the money that could be made from it? Instead of Costa del Sol, you could have Costa del Barge. :)

We really enjoy your videos especially as they contain so much local interest. We farm next to the Hampshire Avon, which was the subject of a more recent canal exploration, but last night while looking at some of our detector finds, we came across a token issued by the Thames and Severn Canal around 1795, and intended to be cashed in at their port. It shows a sai ling barge on one side and the tunnel on the other. I thought it was interesting as the water meadows on many of the rivers in the South were supposedly constructed by the same workers who built the canals, and this would tie in with the water meadows here.

Thanks! Great stuff 👍👍👍

That was really good guys.

Really enjoyed this one. The thrill of finding Industrial archaeology in beautiful countryside really comes across. Would like some more on Industrial Tramways (Purbeck springs to mind). Your videos have really helped during this difficult time.

i lov abandoned places, enjoying your videos

Greetings from Canada. I have been subscribed for a while now and enjoy all your videos. Lovely to see the "back seat beauties" with you for the hike. (forced march?) I love both abandoned of your Railways and Canals vids. Keep on hiking and educating.

That would make a great cycle route across country. Very interesting

I just found your channel via Geoff marshal least used station and I like watching abandoned stuff

this is a very scenic canal walk, you covered so many different angles from aerial to eye level, its really interesting to watch your journey, great sharing 👍

@ 15.45, no it isn't, you showed the site of the first one in the pub picture @ 15.20 and at 17.12. you were standing on it! untill the pandemic shut us down, there was a very active ongoing restoration project on this waterway along with several others, which i have been a very small part of for some years. how we proceed in the future with social distancing remains to be seen. for more information see www.cotswoldcanals.org.uk and www.waterways.org.uk