Canal Boat Diaries

Robbie Cumming starts his journey in historic Ellesmere Port, traveling 35 miles in three weeks to the village of Audlem. Along the way he passes through the walled city of Chester and the ancient medieval town of Nantwich. His progress is hampered as he battles his way through blanket weed on the Shropshire Union Canal, before discovering industrial secrets in Cheshire.

Robbie Cumming continues his exploration of England’s historic waterways on board his boat, the Naughty Lass. He’s traveling 52 miles from Market Drayton to Stourport-on-Severn, considered the finest canal town in the country. But Robbie soon runs into trouble as he gets stuck in the mud in Woodseaves Cutting, before exploring the charming canal-side village of Kinver in Staffordshire.

Robbie Cumming is back on the water in his vintage narrowboat, starting his journey at Stourport Basins. He leaves the canal and heads into the mighty River Severn, the longest river in the UK. It’s a 50-mile journey to his destination of Kingswood Junction, but there’s trouble as he takes an unexpected bath, tumbling into the water at the Tardebigge lock flight in Worcestershire.

On the last leg of his journey across England, Robbie is traveling from the historic town of Stratford-Upon-Avon to Britain’s second city: Birmingham. But first he has to rectify an issue with one of his boat’s doors, ripped off during an accident. Once underway, he crosses the impressive Edstone Aqueduct and Knowle Locks. But disaster strikes when he gets stuck in a lock in central Birmingham.