Renaissance for canals as new boaters come aboard

More than 200 years after the nation’s canals ferried materials that fuelled the Industrial Revolution, inland waterways are enjoying an extraordinary resurgence. Rather than carrying coal and cotton, however, the boats of the 21st century are crammed with families, couples and friends all seeking a fast way to slow down. Today British Waterways will announce a record number of boats on the country’s canals - a stark contrast to the decades of apathy, neglect and underfunding that they were subjected to during the last century, when they were largely abandoned. A programme of regeneration and restoration has transformed the canal network to such an extent that more than 31,000 boats travelled on the waterways last year and 11 million anglers, walkers and cyclists used the towpaths, a rise of 13 per cent. Robin Evans, chief... [read full story]