North Walsham and Dilham Canal - the middle section

North Walsham and Dilham Canal
Middle Section - Swafield to Ebridge
13th March 2009

As I mentioned in my review of the northern reaches, gaining access to the canal track can be challenging. Luckily, a substantial element of the Swafield to Austin Bridge (Bacton Road) section runs close to the newly created Pigneys Wood circular footpath, and the Pigneys Wood Nature Park offers good parking on the northern bank, midway between the two bridges.

The river Ant is channelled into the canal bed in this area, supplemented by the outfall of the North Walsham sewage works, which results in a clear channel and something resembling a living canal. Before you turn your nose up at this idea, just remember that the Shropshire Union Canal is largely supplied by the waste water produced by the good people of Wolverhampton!

Austin Bridge Culvert

Austin Bridge is something of a misnomer really, as the original hump backed brick structure was demolished in the 1960's to facilitate the movement of North Sea Gas by lorry to the transhipment sites at North Walsham and Coltishall railway stations. This was at a time when natural gas was in its infancy and the national network of gas pipes barely off the drawing board. As a result it should really be called Austin Culvert. Interestingly, the Ant is diverted out of the old canal bed several hundred yards upstream and contrasting states of the silting show the benefit of a good water flow.

Bacton Wood Lock 2006

About half a mile downstream you come to Bacton Wood Lock, the upper limit of navigation until the canal was fully abandoned in 1934. The lock is again on private land and inaccessible to the public but I can show you how it looks courtesy of the East Anglian Waterways Association's website.

Bacton Wood Lock 1907

The next access point is Spa Common Bridge which has been the scene of much voluntary undergrowth clearing over the past year and looks very canalish.

Swafield Bridge

The middle section concludes with the impressive Ebridge Mill, home of the now defunct Cubitt and Walker milling company. Cubitt and Walker bought the canal in 1921 and photos exist showing dredging works in progress in the substantial mill pool.


Reed growth has clearly been a longstanding problem in this location as can be seen from the images of a different pontoon dredger in 1957, a contraption which I remember being moored above the mill in the 1970's.




The Mill Pool was open water in the 70's but nature has again reclaimed it for its own and with the cessation of milling activity in the mill the task of clearance will undoubtedly fall to the restoration team.


The lock at Ebridge is very visible beside the road and comes complete with some top gates heavily supported by concrete sandbags. Whilst the gates may be beyond repair it is good to see the distinctive top ground paddles back in working order and carrying water into the lock chamber, via culverts rather than letting it flow over the precarious top gates as it has for decades.


I had the good fortune to visit this site on the day a North Walsham and Dilham Canal Trust working party was on site, clearing the vegitation and generally moving the restoration project along. Their efforts are very apparent at most structures along the canal and the pace of their efforts seems to border on the hyperactive. Its a shame that all restoration projects don't have the same amount of dedication behind them.

North Walsham and Dilham Canal - the northern reaches

North Walsham and Dilham Canal

The Northern Reaches Antingham to Swafield
12th March 2009

Exploring this canal is a challenge. With no towpath it is difficult to follow the whole line, even on foot. Luckily, the Ant valley is criss crossed with footpaths and a couple of disused railway tracks, which have been converted into nature trails, so you have to gain access where you can.


The canal starts in the hamlet of Antingham, and the very extensive millpond behind the mill was presumably created to capture as much water as possible from the Ant's diminutive catchment basin. The Mill has been converted into a very attractive house and the owners appear reluctant to share the fine views over the pond with outsiders. The following photo was from the best vantage point I could find.

Just below Antingham Mill a low level bridge crosses the canal bed, which carries a narrow trickle of water and it is hard to imagine a wherry every getting this far - but they did till some point before it was dewatered in 1921.

Antingham Bone Mill and canal

A half mile downstream brings you to the first "real" NW&DC structure, the fine red brick bridge at Bradfield. I say its at Bradfield but actually its out in the middle of nowhere and the nearest building is the abandoned Bradfield Congregational Chapel, the final resting place of The Captian Senior. The bridge is a good example of NW&DC architecture, with a high arch and a signature white brick capstone at the very apex.



The next structure are the two Swafield Locks, remote and inaccessible on private land. Thanks to The East Anglian Waterways Association website for some glimpses of the area in times past.



Next is the busy road bridge at Swafield. The bridge remains in good condition but you take you life into your hand as you try and get some images of the canal stretching off on either direction. The North Walsham and Dilham Canal Trust volunteers have clearly been active in this area as the watercourse is clear of reeds and odstructions and it is possible to gain an inkling of how things used to be.

Tonnage Bridge

My approach to this exploration was to take every side road, no matter how small, that might lead me to / over the water. This process took me to the line of the long abandoned Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Committee Railway, which was axed long before the birth of Mr Beeching. The route has been converted into part of the Pigney's Wood nature walk, which is your best bet for pedestrian access to the canal between Swafield and Spa Common.




The original span of the railway bridge has been removed but interestingly, a high level single track footpath bridge has been installed. This shiny new structure is behind lock and key for the present and walkers use a low level wooden bridge to cross the canal bed. If anyone knows the plans behind the bridge please post a comment.

North Walsham and Dilham Canal - Introduction

North Walsham and Dilham Canal
Introduction
11th March 2009

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal is unique in so far as it is the only real canal in Norfolk. What is more, I spent my childhood in the area and was always aware of this navigational oddity which runs down the valley of the River Ant. The waterway therefore has a special place in my heart and I couldn't resist taking a tour along its 9 miles during a recent visit to Moby Mansion, ancestral seat of the Ahab's.

A potted history
The canal was constructed in 1825 enabling wherries to navigate up from Dilham, head of the navigable Ant, through six locks, and covering seven miles as the crow flies to Antingham, half way between the towns of North Walsham and Bacton. As this was an agricultural area the trade mostly consisted of corn, animal feeds and fertilizers carried initially in sailing wherries and later in motorised adaptations. This use of wherries accounts for the relatively high bridges and lack of towpaths.


As was the case elsewhere, trade dwindled with the arrival of railways leaving just six wherries on the route in 1923 and the upper reaches above Swafield were abandoned in 1927. The last commercial craft to use the canal was the motorised wherry Ella, which left Bacton Wood in 1931 and, with the onset of war, the crossings were mined as part of the national defence programme blocking any possibility of traffic during the conflict.

As recently as the 1970's it was possible to canoe from Ebridge to the confluence with the Ant, but intervening 30 years have seen much of the canal bed become choked with silt and reeds.



For the sake of ease I will explore the NW&D in three stages:

1. Northern reaches - Antingham to Swafield (abandoned in 1927)

2. Middle section - Swafield to Ebridge (abandoned in 1934)

3. Lower reaches - Ebridge to Dilham (currently under restoration)

The contemporary photo's are my own but I must acknowledge the excellent East Anglian Waterways Association's website for the historical material which has let me pull together a great series of "then and now" shots.


A particular problem with this waterway is access. The absence of a walkable towpath along much of its length creates challenges and one has to grab opportunities to reach the watercourse wherever public rights of way permit - and sometime with a discrete bit of trespass! You could easily spend three or four days working your way down this delightful valley criss crossing the line of the canal via the many footpaths.

Those amazing Norfolk skies

British Waterways Cash Generator

British Waterways Cash Generator
10th March 2009

It's unusual to see British Waterways being reported in the Business section of the BBC's web site, but an item released today caught my eye.

We have heard rumours about wind turbines and small scale hydro electric projects on our waterways but today these dreams took a significant step towards reality. David Milliband announced a £120m investment programme in 25 hydro electric plants around the system. These units will generate 210,000 megawatts of electricity per annum, which in real money equates to the power needs of 40,000 homes - say a town the size of Grantham.

Not only will the initiative reduce CO2 emissions, provide a small but sustainable supply of electricity, but it will also create about 150 construction jobs and provide an additional source of income for BW. This is really good news because in these cash strapped times BW will need every penny it can lay its hands on to make ends meet.

Whilst £120m may not sound much amid the £billions being bandied about as part of the recent economic stimulation measures, it is more than twice the £56.6m annual payment made to BW each year for the maintenance of the canal infrastructure.

Whilst I like the green angle on this, I am particularly pleased to see the waterways resource finding a new commercial application. We spend so much time selling the "soft" environmental and recreational benefits, and it makes a change to think of them being seen once more as a viable commercial resource, capable of delivering more than pleasant surroundings for boaters, walkers, anglers and nature enthusiasts.

Supplying the needs on one modest town may not seem like a lot but I can't see us finding a "big new power solution" so the answer must come from a myriad of smaller schemes and reduced consumption. And where better to start than among the boating community who know all about juggling power supplies and usage via a diminutive battery bank.

Also, hydro electricity plants need water and that means well maintained and properly dredged channels. So who knows, as well as a useful cash boost the initiative may also provide added impetus to maintain the network to a reasonable standard. Thats good news for us and the next generation of boaters.

See update 22nd March

Belle's Blog - Wet Weather Exemptions

Captain Ahab’s Word for the Day: ‘The absence of rain does not tee shirt weather make.’

And how much wisdom is there contained in those few short words! Nevertheless waking up this morning and realising that the sense of something missing was entirely due to the fact that the rain had ceased was a welcome moment. Although it is with some horror that I then realised my excuse for avoiding the locks had gone. Not being born to life aboard or even a natural, has allowed me a ‘wet weather exemption’. In return for sumptuous feasts and sexual favours, I am granted the privilege of remaining dry in torrential downpours. This seems perfectly reasonable. After all, Captain Ahab is already soaked to the skin because maintaining a steady hand at the tiller renders it impossible to keep dry in such circumstances. No sense in both of us getting wet, is there? And besides, it’s his boat, he likes the weather. I am a hothouse flower in need of preservation, gentler climes and general all round cosseting. Consequently this morning I had to pull out all the stops in order to continue with my cosseted lifestyle. Up at the crack of dawn (that is what you call 10:30, isn’t it?), I prepared a gourmet repast of hot bacon on wholemeal and organic sausage on white rolls, washed down with freshly ground coffee and freshly squeezed orange. At least the packets promised me they were fresh. Obviously it was nearly midday by the time I had everything together, because ripping open packets takes time and skill. Even then I muddled up the mustard and tomato sauce so it seems that I’m on lock duty after all. Must look out my thermals …