Canoeist

Today I took advantage of a break in the winter weather to head out on my bike along the towpath. I've never seen a canoeist on the canal before so was delighted when this chap appeared with his boat over his shoulder and then proceeded to launch it and himself into the water. He is heading up towards Temple with one of the two huge Temple gasholders ahead. 

These were used for storage until quite recently although the manufacture of gas finished in 1968. There used to be a tunnel under the canal joining the Temple site to the Dawsholm site. Now many private homes have been built on this former industrial area but visits can be arranged to ascend to the top rim of the larger of these two  huge structures. When under construction in the later 19th century they were considered the second largest gas holders in the UK with the larger being 240 feet in diameter. North sea gas put an end to this form of manufacture.