The first canals were "narrow" - the locks taking a 7ft wide boat, as this was the least expensive way of building them. Each lock could take one boat at a time. As the canals developed with the burgeoning industrial revolution, it became clear that the locks were a single point of congestion, severely curtailing the amount of freight that could be moved at speed. The solution for the canals built later was to double the width - to a 14ft "Broad" canal, and therefore enabling two narrow boats or one wider 14ft boat to use the locks, doubling the capacity. On the older narrow canals, one solution (adopted here at Hilmorton in the 1840's) was to "twin" the narrow locks, building another alongside the existing, to achieve the same effect. Here you see two narrow locks side-by-side.
Today we have moored on the outskirts of Rugby, having covered 14.5 lock-miles in around 5 hours. So far, over 6 days we have covered 51 miles and 31 locks (82 lock-miles) and it has taken us around 26-27 hours of cruising. The same journey in a car would take about an hour!
Thank you for all your recent comments. I really appreciate them. I am trying to keep up with following your own projects, but at times the internet and canal issues thwart me!
@stimuloog Marloes, it is very relaxing, unless you choose to get frustrated by the slow pace of life! You do see a lot of wildlife, and it often feels like you are meandering slowly through a Constable painting...
Ian