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Report - - (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset (closed 1868) March 2012 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset (closed 1868) March 2012

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Styru

Admin
28DL Full Member
lt1.jpg


Lillesdon Tunnel, opened 1842, closed 1868

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends,

we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside.

(for the full effect - click on the above link, and let it play in the background whilst viewing this report :) )

Welcome to this, the fourth installment in the Underground Boating trilogy.

You may remember us from such previous underground boating buffoonery as:


Why is all of Bristol staring at us?

If these are Catacombs – why don’t the locals speak French?

and

FFS don't sneeze unless you want to wear Crimson Hill as a hat!

Once again we find ourselves in the West-county – Somersetshire to be precise.

('we' being Cap'n Urbanity Sparrow and Popeye Mc Styru)

banksy-welcome-to-the-west-country-from-wwwbanksyco_uk_.jpg


Indeed, to make this report accessible to the West-county it is designed to primarily be Windows 3.1/Scrumpy O.S 1.2 Beta compatible
(other users please turn you PC clock back 19 years to match Somerset time)

Having upgraded his nautical fleet to include a new 'Explorer 200 Pro' seasoned boater Urbanity had an urge he needed to fulfil – but enough about his quirks

– he wanted to go boating too!

And so, our quest today was Lillesdon Canal Tunnel - not the biggest by any means, at only 400 yards, but one that we needed to do, as it lies close to our previous conquest, Crimson Hill tunnel, and, like Crimson, formed a section of the long closed Chard to Taunton canal, (this has been on the 'to-do' list since Crimson) Completed in 1842, the canal was never commercially viable, and closed in 1868.

So, on with the pics!

The entrance is not that big!

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Really not that big!

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In fact, quite a squeeze if you are an inflatable boat!

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Entering thorough the very top of the long silted up entrance we were treated to a joyful wade through deep, wader grabbing, mud with the added bonus of only about 3 foot of headroom!

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After about a 100 yards of fighting to retain our waders.....

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We reached water!

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The eagle eyed amongst you will spot the rather old, home made, raft in the above picture - this was pretty old, well, very old,
and far too dangerous to use :rolleyes:

(so obviously Urbanity had a go - pics later :p:)

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Now apologies dear reader, but most of these pics are hand-held 'point-and-shoot' pics - as an inflatable boat doesn't provide the best of platforms for a tripod.

Now, where I could, I took proper pics as obviously I don't mind getting my tripod damp, as can be seen in the pic below...

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(Just for clarity - that's a full height tripod, and yet the lens cap is dangling in the water! :p:)

So on with some more pics!

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Is there a geographer in the house??

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Oh yes, there's one..

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The far end of the tunnel is blocked by an electric pumping set up - starting automatically this pump fires into life every few minutes, pumping water up to the farm above - probably to make cream teas or something.

And so back to that raft:

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(above) urbanity risks not only life and limb - but more worryingly the ridicule of the interweb if it all goes wrong.

All in all a fun little paddle!

My £9.99 Union Jack boat (seen below on a previous trip) has survived another trip, as indeed have my Lidl waders.

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And as an added bonus I seem to have gained a new torch (sorry Urb' - I'll get it back to you)

I'm sure Urbanity will be along with some pics too.

Thanks for looking - please leave via the gift shop (do try the cream teas - they're very nice!) :thumb

.​
o
 

Camera Shy

Old enough to know better
Regular User
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

That's some brilliant exploring, well done :thumb
 

Seffy

SWC
Staff member
Moderator
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

I love these reports! Very nice stuff, thanks for sharing :)
 

georgie

He Never Even Got There
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

good stuff styru im getting into this boating stuff myself and currently in the process of buying an inflatable, ive found a few local things id like to paddle down with it
 

Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Haha played lads, I really don't know how you manage to keep that budget kit going, I've destroyed 3 times that lot in the past 12 months :D
 

pantomime horse

Nay Nay and thrice Nay
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

great report
must have been a blast lads
 

stepping lightly

Stolenmoments
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Whats not to love £9.99 adventures....
 

tweek

SNC/SWC
Regular User
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

:Not Worthy Love it! :thumb
 

canute

货车司机和国王
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Fantastic:thumb I want more!

- is it true that you're going to record episode 5 of the quartet in 3 installments?
 

WB

28DL Wood Burner
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Actual pr0 league b0ating right here! :thumb
 

Horus

Butt Wipe
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Nice read mate, sounds like great fun :thumb
 

Landsker

The Rock Man
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Looks like a good laugh!
 

Styru

Admin
28DL Full Member
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset. March 2012

Looks like a good laugh!

Well my exploring is very much like my love life, ongoing tension, moments of excitement, some abject terror, the odd laugh or two, and often a wispered 'sorry' in the dark :p:
 

Adders

living in a cold world
Regular User
Re: (More) Underground Boating. Lillesdon Canal Tunnel, Somerset (closed 1868) March

The underlying risk of becoming deflated whilst getting wet. ;)
 
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