The Water Road
By Adam Porter
Join us as we travel the canals and rivers of England and Wales in our narrowboat. The podcast takes you to places and events around the canal network, meeting the people who live, work, or volunteer on the waterways.
The Financial Times said The Water Road "takes nerdy delight in the minutiae of canal life". The Guardian described it as "a soothing sound effects-packed listen ... (that) wouldn't sound out of place on Radio 4". James Marriott in The Times said "How do I join this world? We need more of this sort of thing".
If you enjoy what I do, consider supporting me on Ko-fi! Every little bit means the world! https://ko-fi.com/thewaterroad
The Financial Times said The Water Road "takes nerdy delight in the minutiae of canal life". The Guardian described it as "a soothing sound effects-packed listen ... (that) wouldn't sound out of place on Radio 4". James Marriott in The Times said "How do I join this world? We need more of this sort of thing".
If you enjoy what I do, consider supporting me on Ko-fi! Every little bit means the world! https://ko-fi.com/thewaterroad
Latest episode
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Crick Boat Show 2026
We're back at Crick for the annual boat show, the biggest show in the boating calendar. We hear from the vlogger's Paul and Anthony from Narrowboat Life Unlocked about their new boat; we interrupt some live signwriting, and w… -
St Richard's Canal Festival, Droitwich
We're in Droitwich for the St Richard's Canal Festival, an event which has it's roots in the restoration of the Droitwich Canals. We hear from the organiser about it's history and the canal society behind it, … -
Middlewood Way
Canals and railways often exist close to each other, and it was the railways which often killed the trade on canals because they could move goods so much more quickly. But the Macclesfield Canal has actually outlived its rival: the Macclesfi… -
Pets afloat
We have a new crew member: Macc the Border Terrier puppy -- so this episode is all about pets on board. We speak to a puppy trainer, Cal Thorpe, about how to get the best out of your dog. We also hear from Pip from Narrowboat Oleanna about h… -
Marple Wharf
A former trans-shipment warehouse at Marple Junction, where the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals meet, is currently being renovated by a community project. In this episode of The Water Road we speak to its chair, Sue Ingham, who tells us … -
CanalPlanAC -- the canal planning website
CanalPlanAC is one of the most used canal websites, used by boaters to work out the best route between two places, and how long it might take. We speak to Nick Atty, the man behind the whole thing. We find out how it started, how it works, a… -
New Series, New Boat
The Water Road is back for a second series! In the past few months we have moved onto our new boat, and in this episode we talk to James Attwood from Braidbar Boats who built it, and Mark Langley from Waterways World who wrote a review of it… -
Christmas at Ellesmere Port Boat Museum
It's Christmas, and Santa is in his grotto at the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. The elves are running boat trips so children can help them find all the decorations they've lost, and Mother Claus is keeping the whol… -
Montgomery Canal
The Montgomery Canal is under restoration, and has been for more than fifty years. In this episode of The Water Road we speak to Chris Chambers, a lock keeper at Frankton Locks, who's been involved in the restoration since the 1960s,… -
Llangollen Wharf and the Horseshoe Falls
In this episode of The Water Road we reach Llangollen, at the end of the Llangollen Canal, and explore the Horseshoe Falls a couple of miles from the town, which supply the canal with water from the River Dee. Plus we hear about the horse dr…