Wilderness Boat Owners' Club  Latest News


WBOC HELPS CELEBRATE 25 YEARS SINCE THE REOPENING OF THE
HUDDERSFIELD NARROW CANAL

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Eight boats, and fifteen crew members, from the Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club (WBOC) cruised the western side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in early September 2026. This was at the kind invitation of the Huddersfield Canal Society (HCS), to help them celebrate the 25 th anniversary of the reopening of the canal throughout in 2001. With help from the HCS members, and Canal and River Trust (CRT) volunteer lock keepers, over a few days the boats travelled from the slipway at Wool Road, Dobcross, downstream as far as Roaches Lock, (Lock 15W), before turning around and ascending to the summit at Diggle, (Lock 32W). (Photo 2). Some crews even celebrated with ice
creams, bought lockside, at lock 31W! 
Wilderness Boats are fully-equipped, narrow-beam, boats that can be towed on trailers by their owners to different parts of the canal system and launched and recovered on slipways. Because they are petrol-powered, and made of glass-fibre, these boats are not allowed through Standedge Tunnel. Instead the Wilderness crews travelled all the way through the tunnel on the electric trip boat to Tunnel End, Marsden, courtesy of the HCS. They returned to Diggle by double decker bus which followed the spectacular route of the old Standedge turnpike, now the A62. At Uppermill, the Chair of HCS, Alan Stopher, gave an illustrated talk on the restoration of the canal from 1974 to 2001, and at Diggle, author and HCS Deputy Chair, Trevor Ellis, gave a further illustrated talk on the history of the Four Standedge Tunnels.
At Diggle, before boarding the trip boat WBOC Honorary Secretary, Chris Davey, presented HCS Chair Alan Stopher with a cheque for £500 on behalf of the club.
Chris Davey said,“I worked on the restoration of Lock 31W back in the 1980s, as one of the regular Waterway Recovery Group volunteers. I’m so delighted to be able to cruise through the part of this canal that I actually helped to restore, and to finally go all the way through
Standedge Tunnel.” ‘Huddersfield Canal Society were very pleased to welcome the members of Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club so that we could show them some of the delights of the canal we champion. Their tidy craft and enthusiasm for all things canal-related brought life to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal during a year hampered by drought. It also provided a spectacle to complete our celebration of 25 years since the canal reopened, and a generous donation to boost our funds which was gratefully accepted.’ said Society Chair, Alan Stopher.
The success of the cruise was due to the teamwork between the WBOC, the members of the HCS, the staff and volunteers from CRT, and the local retained firemen. The firemen helped to clear the slipway at Wool Road, so the boats could be launched and recovered safely.

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Wilderness Boats supporting "Fund Britian's Waterways" 

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Wilderness Boats have joined the Great Ouse Boat Owners Association "Fund British Waterways campaign" cruise on the way to Bedford River Festival. A superb day at Buckden Marina as they welcomed the GOBA flotilla, helping to raise awareness and support for the Fund Britain's Waterways campaign.

The flotilla officially began its journey from Earith, although some of the boats and crews have travelled incredible distances to take part in this important initiative. It was a fantastic venue supporting a great cause, admiring some beautiful boats, and meeting so many incredible crews along the way.

Wilderness boats involved were : Matchbox, Bimble, Nipper and Andante.



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Connecting Brandon to the sea...........

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Since the thirteenth century Brandon has been connected to the sea by its river, the Little Ouse.

Until now.

Recent use of Brandon Lock for flood alleviation, and virtually no maintenance elsewhere on the river in 2024 and 2025, has broken this link. That boats can no longer reach Brandon means the economic benefits of work done and planned by the Town Council, Suffolk County Council, the Bridge Inn, and EA itself, to attract waterborne visitors to the town are unlikely to be fully realised.

Following an abortive attempt to reach Brandon by WBOC members in 2024, on Friday 21 November 2025, members of the Club tried again, setting off on from the Ship Inn at the junction of the Little Ouse and Ely Ouse.

Ivan Cane reports: “We had a good journey upstream to Hockwold. The first fallen tree was easy to pass, and we didn’t actually notice the second one. We had no trouble along the next section, although we noted that the left archway, (going upstream), of the railway bridge is now getting impassable. When we reached the lock/weir cut, tree three came into view. [Photos 1 & 2] As this substantial tree is across the deeper channel, it is diverting the current to the south bank. This is then faster, and carrying silt. As soon as the current passes the tree, it slows and deposits its silt in a bank across the river. Luckily, being in a Wilderness boat, we were able to raise the engine and, with our shallow draft, clear the bank. We then moored in a deep pool, previously identified by local paddleboarders, canoeists and wild swimmers, who had surveyed the area for us in advance.

We were welcomed by local canoeists and paddleboarders, as well as representatives from the Inland Waterways Association and other Ouse club members.

Hardly any boats now visit Brandon, many crews being dissuaded by social media reporting that longer boats are unable to turn below the weir. Brandon is now cut off from the national and local system of navigable waterways. The lock itself will soon enter its third year of waiting “for essential maintenance works”.

We hope that our efforts on behalf of the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign will encourage the government to increase funding for the Environment Agency’s navigation assets.




Welsh government to “guarantee” Mon. and Brec water supplies for 5 years.

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Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club Supports Ashby Canal Restoration and Waterway Recovery Group Training Weekend

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Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club Supports Ashby Canal Restoration

On Sunday 18th May 2025 seven boats belonging to members of the Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club set off for a Sunday afternoon cruise, with a difference!

Ten Wilderness Boats attended the Moira Canal Festival, held on the detached section of the Ashby Canal at Moira Furnace, near Swadlincote, Leicestershire, over the weekend of the 17th and 18th May 2025, along with two CaraBoats and a Sea Otter.

All thirteen boats were towed to the canal by their owners from all over the country and launched either at the Moira Furnace slipway, or at ‘Conkers Waterside Centre’ in the National Forest, just down the canal.

On the Sunday afternoon seven of the boats set off for the southern end of the detached section, about a mile away, and had a most enjoyable cruise in the bright sunshine.

The boats lined up across the end of the canal and toasted the sunshine and restoration progress with a glass of orange juice.

Several of the residents of the nearby houses, which look out across the current end of the canal came out on to their balconies, or on to the canal bank, to photograph the boats and celebrate the restoration with us.

Of course, it will be some years before this section is linked to the rest of the Ashby Canal. In the meantime the Wilderness Boats Owners’ Club continues to demonstrate its support for this and other restoration schemes up and down the country, through supporting events such as the very well attended, Moira Canal Festival.


For more information about this press release please contact Chris Davey, WBOC Honorary Secretary via info@wilderness.org.uk



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Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club Supports Waterway Recovery Group Training Weekend

On Sunday 18th May 2025 the Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club presented a cheque for £500 to WRG to support their Training Weekend.

Two members of the Committee of the Wilderness Boats Owners’ Club (WBOC) presented a cheque for £500 to WRG (Waterway Recovery Group) on Sunday 18th May 2025. The donation from WBOC was made to help support this year’s WRG Training Weekend, which was held on the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal.

Chris Davey, WBOC Honorary Secretary, handed the cheque to Alison Bottomley, who has organised the WRG Training Weekends for well over a decade.

In attendance were John Parker, WBOC Chair (far right) and Mike Palmer, WRG Chair (far left).

The Wilderness Boat Owners’ Club actively supports restoration schemes around the country. As part of this, WBOC members take their Wilderness trailboats to detached and restored sections of canal that are cut off from the main network, to help promote their use. By doing this WBOC aims to encourage wider support for restoration projects, so that, where applicable, they can eventually be re-connected to the main parts of the canal network. Of course WBOC members also use their boats regularly on their home waterways and they enjoy cruising the main networks across the UK, whenever they can.

John Parker, WBOC Chairman said,

“I’m delighted that WBOC can help support the Waterway Recovery Group to train its volunteers, old and new, in new skills that they can use on restoration schemes across the country.”


For more information about this press release please contact Chris Davey, WBOC Honorary Secretary via info@wilderness.org.uk

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The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is a stunningly picturesque, historic, waterway, well used and loved by walkers, cyclists and boaters. It is an important contributor to the local economy, and was restored by millions of pounds of public and private investment, and thousands of hours of volunteer effort. Public investment and volunteer labour continue today to maintain this vital public asset.
The canal was also the birthplace of Wilderness Boats some fifty years ago, and today these privately owned boats form one the largest, single marque, groups on the canal. Our club represents Wilderness boat owners, many of whom are based on the canal, or who tow their boats there to enjoy it. We want to support CRT’s endeavours to solve the problems, brought about by recent changes to legislation, that threaten to severely reduce Its water supply. This is expected to force the canal to be closed during the peak tourist months, with a consequent impact on visitors and the local economy.
Please demonstrate your support by writing or emailing CRT, your MP, and Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, highlighting the importance of the canal to you, as well as its wider benefits.
Please look at the Inland Waterways Association’s website, waterways.org.uk, and the Bridge 46 to Five Locks Canal Group
Facebook group as they spearhead the campaign.
And, if you can, please join in any events that show how many people care about the future of this iconic waterway.

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Keith Hadden Memorial Cruise Stymied by Failed Structures and Lack of Dredging 

In September 2024, club members planned to visit Brandon, Santon Downham, the village of Reach, Ely, and Denver Sluice. All part of the Great Ouse system.

In the event they could only go as far as Brandon Lock, some distance from Brandon, which is inoperable due to silt from flood alleviation work earlier this year, and lack of dredging. This also meant their planned excursion to Santon Downham had to be cancelled. They managed to navigate the two mile, reed filled cut to Reach, receiving a warm welcome from the community and pub there.

Ivan Cane, cruise organiser, said “The cruise showed that it’s not just the Canal and River Trust that are facing problems. The navigation authorities in the east of the country are too, and there is a very real risk that those quiet, historic and picturesque extremities of the system will become inaccessible by boat.”


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