Bude Canal
Not so much one canal as a whole waterway network, Cornwall's Bude Canal is a fascinating relic of the industrial age.
The Bude Canal system was one of the most unusual in Britain.
A full-size barge canal ran two miles inland from the coast at Bude to Marhamchurch. From here, a network of tiny 'tub-boat' canals extended for almost 35 miles into the hills. The three main branches had no locks but six inclined planes.
The tub-boat canals fell into disrepair at the end of the 19th century. The barge canal remains in water to this day, and though its two inland locks are no longer in operation, the sea lock has recently been restored and sea-going boats can once again pass onto the Bude Canal.
An ardent group of local supporters promotes the preservation of this far-flung waterway system.
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