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| Anderton Boat Lift |
Cruising the waterways is not only wonderfuly relaxing, but can be fascinating.
On the Trent and Mersey canal, we found the Anderton Boat Lift.
One of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ it is one of the only 2 working boat lifts in the UK.
It was built in 1875 to connect the River Weaver with the Trent and Mersey canal, to expedite the transport of salt via barge.
Boats are raised or lowered vertically 50 ft between the river and the canal.
Read about the history and operation of the lift at Anderton Boat Lift or The Heritage Trail.
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| Falkirk Wheel |
The other working boat lift is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, which links the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
These waterways were originally connected via a flight of 11 locks over a distance of 1.5 kilometres. They were dismantled in 1933.
The Millenium Link was designed to restore navigability of the waterways across Scotland, and the Falkirk Wheel was opened in 2002.
It is the world’s first and only rotating boat lift, raising or lowering the craft 35 metres.
My love of boats goes back to my early years when I went on holiday with my parents to Knysna in the Cape.
We stayed at a hotel on stilts, and I played in rowing boats and little motor boats on the lagoon.