Combe Hay to Midford
February 2014
This post marks the second day of my exploration of the Somerset Coal Canal and I parked under the railway bridge in Midford and used this as a staging post to explore the canal in both directions.
For the sake of continuity I will pick up from the bottom of the Combe Hay Locks and follow the canal through to the railway embankment which marched straight across the canal bed.
At any other time of the year this is just a groove in the field and the dog walkers advised me that they have never seen it in water before. It was therefore an unexpected pleasure to see it looking so canal like.
The actual course for this half mile in unremarkable but with water in it was quite dramatic, with the surplus water draining out through a culvert near the embankment. The anarchist in me had a burning desire to block the outflow pipe with a turf sod and see that it looked like as it filled up some more, but rest assured I suppressed this urge!
You haven't got much feedback on these, so this is just to tell you how much I've enjoyed this series - thanks for taking the time to put your words and photos together to tell the story of the SCC.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick - I am not sure if the SCC suffers from over or under exposure. Its certainly not as "lost" as some I have looked at and a lot of great work has been done to clear the path. Testament to the SCCS and WRG.
ReplyDeleteWell the lost canal looks magnificent in water Capt.
ReplyDeleteI think like you I would have used something to block that culvert.. No nearby logs?
Fantastic photography, and it put a smile on my face when I saw your 'lost canal' well and truly found.