UK Canal Locks, Tunnels, Aqueducts and Bridges
 Locks
Locks are a great opportunity
to meet people, as most people will be very happy to give you some
helpful hints on negotiating your first few locks. You will receive
some general instructions on locks before you leave the boat
base,
and perhaps assistance through your first lockt, but for now, here's
a quick guide.
To raise or lower
your boat through a gradient, you take it into the lock chamber
which has gates at either end. Close the gates then fill or empty
the lock by raising or lowering 'paddles' or small trap doors with
an L-shaped winder (windlass). When the chamber is completely full
or empty, you push the solid wood balance beams to lever the gates
open.
 All
this does require some physical effort but even older children will
love to help out and the reasonably fit should have no difficulty
at all. With two people on board one person steers, with the other
opening and closing the lock gates.
You can't rush locks
- each takes about 15 minutes - so there's plenty of time to get
it right. And when you've taken your boat through two or three,
you'll be wielding a windlass like an expert.
Bridges
Generally speaking, the
boat nearest the bridge has priority when going through narrow
bridges. You’ll soon learn how to judge this.
You will encounter lift
bridges, where a balance weight assists the opening, or swing bridges
which rotate to allow the boat through. Opening these bridges may
often hold up vehicular traffic!
Aqueducts
 Aqueducts
afford spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. A
magnificent
feat of engineering is Thomas Telford’s Pontcysyllte aqueduct,
towering 120 ft over the Dee Valley on the Llangollen Canal, where
the boat
travels across in a narrow metal trough with a sheer drop to one
side.
Tunnels
Tunnels are part of the fun of boating, and can vary in length
from a few boat's lengths to the 2700 yard long Harecastle Tunnel
on the Four Counties Ring near Stoke-on-Trent.
Your guidebooks will
identify which tunnels are wide enough for two boats to pass and
which are single way working only. Tunnels
are not illuminated, so put your headlight on and leave your cabin
lights on to show how near the tunnel wall you are.
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