mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Having ridden everything from smooth tarmac to muddy quagmire (all on about 20 miles of the Grand Union), I'm no longer sure what "typical canal tow path surface" is in this country!My trailer with 20" wheels can cope with typical canal tow path surface but the problem is access gates and bollards. Still I get through them.
Apart from the odd bad bit of gravel, the thing that makes me avoid riding the Lea Valley between Clapton and Enfield are the horse steps, which are basically cobbled ramps besides locks and bridges with every third or fourth row of cobbles raised up an inch or two (and not all to the same height!), so that horses' feet don't slide back when pulling a boat. In most places, it's only part of the width, but I think there are at least two sets which seemed full width across the towpath. When my riding companion in front of me hit the first set, I wondered why he'd bunny-hopped to a stop, only to then hit the steps myself while still wondering...