Canal Boat Diaries

Robbie Cumming begins a fresh set of adventures along Britain’s waterways, visiting the north of England and Midlands. He’s forced to make running repairs to his narrowboat, the Naughty Lass, while on the Tinsley lock flight in South Yorkshire. He then cruises beneath Conisbrough's magnificent viaduct and must wait for an unusual sliding railway bridge to open on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal.

Robbie Cumming tackles the fast-flowing River Trent, which promises fierce currents and potential debris in the water brought in by the tide. Later, he is invited to join a night-time illuminated boat parade. However, his journey is hampered by a damaged wall in Worksop and a water shortage on the Chesterfield Canal which threatens his voyage. Will he make it to Kiveton Park?

Robbie Cumming has decided to undertake his latest waterway quest during the fall and winter months. He immediately starts to question that decision as autumnal fog and an overheating engine prove to be a problem for his narrowboat the Naughty Lass. As he navigates a Roman waterway, it turns into a journey of many challenges as he runs aground and breaks down in Nottingham.

On the last leg of his wintery journey across the North and the Midlands of England, Robbie faces issues with ice on the Grand Union Canal, which hampers his progress and threatens to damage his boat. He takes on Foxton's famous lock flight in Leicestershire and completes his journey in the picturesque village of Braunston in Northamptonshire, regarded as the spiritual home for narrowboaters.