The Water Road – Details, episodes & analysis

Join us as we set off on our narrowboat, and travel through the Northamptonshire village of Stoke Bruerne. We speak to a volunteer lock keeper and hear about the history of some of the canal side buildings, before entering Blisworth Tunnel.

Produced and presented by Adam Porter.

Join us at our mooring on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent. We hear from the boat builder, Tim Tyler, about how narrowboats are fashioned out of steel; and we talk to the co-ordinator of Stoke's Green Door project, which runs an accessible cycling scheme at Westport Lake.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

Join us as we begin a journey along the Caldon Canal in Staffordshire in our narrowboat. We ascend the Beford Street staircase locks in Stoke, and travel on to Cheddleton where we learn about the fascinating history of Cheddleton Flint Mill with its two waterwheels.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

Join us as we continue our travels on the waterways of England and Wales. In this episode we reach the end of the Caldon Canal. While our boat can't fit through Froghall Tunnel, we find a trip boat which can -- and we experience the Churnet Valley steam railway.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

If you have any boating questions, leave them in the comments and I'll try to answer them in future episodes.

In this bumper episode of The Water Road we visit the Crick Boat Show in Northamptonshire -- the biggest show of its kind for the inland waterways. We talk to boat builders, Aquavista Marinas, the Inland Waterways Association, Emma Culshaw Bell one of the stars of Narrow Escapes, CRT's head of boating Matthew Symonds, and Paul Knox-Johnston from the insurers Haven Knox-Johnston, and the show's favourite ice cream man. Plus we'll talk to the winner of the boat which won the public vote for the Favourite Boat at the show.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

In this special edition of The Water Road, we talk to Richard Parry, who's stepping down this summer as Chief Executive of the Canal and River Trust. He answers questions about the performance of the charity, and warns that funding cuts means there's potential jeopardy for the canals in the future.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

In this episode of The Water Road we reach Foxton Locks, where we have quite a wait to get down Britain's longest flight of staircase locks. A volunteer lock keeper tells us why it's so important to operate the paddles in the right order, and gongoozlers tell us why they decided to visit the site. Plus we hear about the history of the inclined plane boat lift, which replaced the locks for a while early last century -- and why it proved a failure.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

In this episode of The Water Road we investigate the world of electric propulsion boats, with a visit to the Electrika boat show. We hear how the show came about, learn about the different types of hybrid systems, drill down into the green credentials, and discuss some of the challenges for the future. Guests include Rob Howdle and Caroline Badger from the boat builders, Ortomarine; Ricky Lee from Finesse Boats; and Matthew Symonds from the Canal and River Trust. Plus we hear from the owners of electric boats about life on board, including the crew of Tethys, stars of Channel 4's Narrow Escapes.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

This episode of The Water Road comes from Beeston in Nottinghamshire, where the Beeston Cut leaves the River Trent. The main focus of the episode is the Canalside Heritage Centre, a buzzing community hub in a row of canal cottages. We hear from Stewart Craven, who masterminded the project to save the buildings from dereliction -- and he tells us about the latest attraction, which shows one of the cottages as it would have been in 1942.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.

In this episode of The Water Road we visit a floating market on the Shropshire Union Canal, and hear from some of the people trading from their boats. Guests include Julie Tonkin of the Roving Canal Traders Association who tells us about her canal art; Helen Tidy of Wild Side Preserves; the artist, Emma Bradley; Kate Newman who makes glass items; and Paul Partridge from the Baked on Board pizza boat.

The Water Road is produced and presented by Adam Porter.