Canal TV

[PaulRhB]

Put put put put . . .

 

BBC 4 showing 2 hours of as it happened canalboat journey TV 8-10pm tonight.

 

The Danes do a 5 day cruise and we get the Kennet & Avon for 2 hours!

 

Ooh sheep!

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for the links.  

 

However while I think I can understand why someone would want to leave Trondheim why on earth they'd want to go to Bodo is something I can't figure - not a very inspiring place in my experience (and the station is even less inspiring/interesting).

[buffalo]

Having just come home from a few days in hospital, drugged up to the eyeballs and quite dozy, two hours of Kennet and Avon was ideal TV for me. It was real time from Bath to Dundas Aqueduct, so maybe there will be more to come?

 

Nick

[jonny777]

The thing which annoyed me was the dubbed soundtrack made to appear original.

 

I don't know where they found the lapping water noise from but it gradually became so repetitive it was irritating. The quack of a mallard was added when the bird appeared to be 50 yards away, and the sound of a diesel engine was faded in and out if a boat passed in the other direction. The birdsong was hopeless as one particular bird could be heard continuously for about 300 yards near Bathampton.

 

They could have picked a more rural setting, because all we seemed to see on the towpath side was endless moored boats (many far too wide to get through a 7ft lock) which seemed to be homes for those who wish to avoid council tax.

[Tony_S]

 

They could have picked a more rural setting, because all we seemed to see on the towpath side was endless moored boats (many far too wide to get through a 7ft lock) which seemed to be homes for those who wish to avoid council tax.

I too noticed the non narrow boats but I remembered that some navigation's could cope with 14 foot beam craft and the whole length of the Kennet and Avon can ( I checked after seeing the programme). I don't know about Council tax afloat and to be honest I don't mind if people on barges are exempt.

[jonny777]

I've no real objection to folk not paying council tax either, as long as they do not expect the local police or fire brigade to respond to them when they have an emergency; do not partake of any municipal freebies, (museums, parks, libraries and the like), and if they get food poisoning in the local pub they pay for the environmental health inspector to visit.

[PaulRhB]

At least you can just knock a hole in the bottom to put the fire out, well the bottom half anyhow. There was a sunk boat on there last night with just the top couple of foot showing unless there's a new trend for waterline chop tops

[ZiderHead]

You do pay council tax/business rates as a boater - its paid for you out of your canal and river license (which is way higher than council tax would be as it includes water/sewage services etc.) If you own a permanent residential mooring you can also be liable for council tax/business rates, so you actually pay it twice!

[Horsetan]

I believe this is a genre known as "Slow TV" which has become quite popular in the Scandiwegian regions.

 

I can see parallels with film noir in the relentless slowness of it.

[wombatofludham]

Excellent programmes, more please.
 

We need more slowness and less pandering to the attention deficit generation.

 

[The Lurker]

Golf coverage is similarly slow TV.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Thanks for the links.  

 

However while I think I can understand why someone would want to leave Trondheim why on earth they'd want to go to Bodo is something I can't figure - not a very inspiring place in my experience (and the station is even less inspiring/interesting).

 

People have a bit of an obsession about crossing the Arctic Circle (as they do about the Equator).

 

Bodo not very interesting, I agree. Certainly not worth such a long journey although the fish and chips were good back in 1975.

 

Back to the OT, as much as I like canals, this really made for slow TV and I gave up on it after about ten minutes.

[Waverley West]

Thanks for the links.  

 

However while I think I can understand why someone would want to leave Trondheim why on earth they'd want to go to Bodo is something I can't figure - not a very inspiring place in my experience (and the station is even less inspiring/interesting).

 

Not sure which parts of the city you saw, Mike, but there are plenty of attractions in Trondheim to keep you there: beautiful, traditional architecture (the cathedral and riverside buildings in particular), lit cross-country skiing and walking trails not far from the city centre, a downhill ski centre nearby, glorious mountain scenery within easy reach, coastal walk at Lade with views across Trondheimsfjord, good public transport and riverside parks. Like any city, it has its not so nice parts of course, but overall I found it a lovely place to live.

 

Maybe you were just there at the wrong time. Admittedly, it is a bit dull after the snow has gone in the spring and before everything turns green again.

 

Sorry, horribly off topic.

 

Cheers

Dave

[The Stationmaster]

Not sure which parts of the city you saw, Mike, but there are plenty of attractions in Trondheim to keep you there: beautiful, traditional architecture (the cathedral and riverside buildings in particular), lit cross-country skiing and walking trails not far from the city centre, a downhill ski centre nearby, glorious mountain scenery within easy reach, coastal walk at Lade with views across Trondheimsfjord, good public transport and riverside parks. Like any city, it has its not so nice parts of course, but overall I found it a lovely place to live.

 

Maybe you were just there at the wrong time. Admittedly, it is a bit dull after the snow has gone in the spring and before everything turns green again.

 

Sorry, horribly off topic.

 

Cheers

Dave

We were there end of March (literally) Dave and not much taken with any of it although we didn't get inside the cathedral.  Tromso was far more interesting although it was under a good covering of fresh snow which might have helped.

[Reorte]

I only saw a bit when I was flicking through channels during the adverts. I like the idea (and I strongly believe that a bit of sitting back and watching the world go by every day would do us all good) I'm not totally convinced that it works well on TV.

[Waverley West]

We were there end of March (literally) Dave and not much taken with any of it although we didn't get inside the cathedral.  Tromso was far more interesting although it was under a good covering of fresh snow which might have helped.

 

Yes, Tromsø is a very special place with or without snow I think. Just a shame it's dark for a significant part of the year, which does take its toll on the inhabitants. The whole of Northern Norway is stunning though, but you know that I'm sure.

[eastwestdivide]

Liked the idea of the 2 hours of canal journey, but I didn't stick with it. Half the problem was that you didn't see much beyond the canal banks, much like cycling a disused railway path through a long cutting.

Also agree with the soundtrack comments above - the one abiding memory of our single canal holiday was the thud-thud-thud of the engine, which was hardly to be heard on the BBC4 programme. A few shouts of "hello" from passers-by would have been nice too.

I preferred the whole hour of birdsong the previous evening - no music, no commentary, just the odd caption telling you the bird's name, and excellent photography.

And also in the same "slow" mould there are a few half-hour programmes called "Handmade" - I saw a master glassblower making a jug in realtime, no commentary, no music, and also a bladesmith(?) making a knife, heating and metal bashing to produce a thing of beauty. There's another one tonight 8pm, making a Windsor chair.

[Guest]

the one abiding memory of our single canal holiday was the thud-thud-thud of the engine, which was hardly to be heard on the BBC4 programme

Like MTU engined HSTs canal boats don't sound like that any more.

[Pugsley]

Some do!

 

 

Edit - It's like the canal equivalent of a 'thrash' video

[Bert Cheese]

I quite enjoyed it, and persevered to the end despite the iffy sound effects as mentioned...I wasn't giving it my entire attention and it occurred to me halfway through that the other boaters seen must be right miserable as not one apparently said hello!

 

I'd imagine it would be more enjoyable watched on a rainy Sunday afternoon with a decent single malt to hand?

[jonny777]

I watched a Handmade on catchup this evening. It is in the same series, but lasts only 30 minutes.

 

The one I watched was the making of a glass jug, and was fascinating. No wonder these objects are so expensive, given the time and skill put into them.

 

My only gripe was that the glassmaker's lady helper was not given a credit at the end. Sexism is alive and well in certain quarters it would seem.

[Bill]

Well, take a cab ride from Bergen to Oslo then, the full 7:15 hours of it

 

 

Or Trondheim-Bodo, the full 10 (-ish) hours

 

In winter:

 

In spring:

 

More up your street, and a lot shorter at 2 hours, the Bernina:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh7K9ZCo0yY

 

 

Well I'm halfway to Oslo - pity I can't make get to the buffet car

.... Let you know when I've arrived..

[jonny777]

Thanks very much for those links, they will keep me out of mischief.

 

This is not bad too - https://youtu.be/VovKfPDiGSE

[Reorte]

Premier German TV channel ARD transmits parts of the "Die Schönste Bahnstrecken" (the prettiest railway lines) series at night, as gap-fill between the last reruns of the evening/night shows and the first programs in the morning. Because it's a fill-in program, it can be from 5 up to 90 mins. long. The series contains both German and world-wide cab rides. No commentary, only the noise in the cab is audible. Prior to loosing access to the ARD channel a few years ago, I was a fan

Some time ago there was a cab ride video on YouTube from Glasgow to Fort William (which perhaps shouldn't have been there since I couldn't find it last time I looked) with some German (IIRC) text at the start, wonder if that was where it came from?

[Derekl]

Moving a little back to the topic, I have just watched this on catch-up, having done a little canal trip on the Trent and Mersey (southern end) a couple of weeks back. Surprisingly compelling, I thought. I would have preferred some time at the camera position in the front on my trip, but not to be, so I ended up on the back at the tiller for much of it.

 

My recollection, though, is that the plinking sound of the water running under the boat is exactly what you get when sitting there. The motor is not very noticeable at the front and this boat was travelling slowly throughout - he did not noticeably slow down passing moored boats, suggesting that he was running on tick over or a little above.

 

(If anybody is to take such a trip, please do slow down passing moored boats, a fast pass causes mayhem in the moored boat to the extent of spilling your beer if in a glass - OK just drink from the can or bottle, no problem, but doesn't help the tea or coffee drinkers).

 

The motor noise of passing boats does lift and drop quickly - I am not sure that they fiddled with that. Similiarly with the bird sounds - they tend to the back of the boat, expecting goodies (shamefully, bread, which is no part of their diet, or, worse, mouldy bread, which will kill them).

 

Reaction from tow-path or other boaters: the camera was in the front, and probably unmanned. The guy driving the boat is about 70 feet back - my experience is that other boaters and tow path users are friendly and acknowledge your presence with a friendly wave, and sometimes brief exchange - you would not hear or see that at the front.

 

For those who haven't, have a look and enjoy.