BCN 24 hours Marathon Challenge 2014 Image Library
240 large professional photos of 24 hours on the BCN in a narrowboat.
Birmingham Canal Navigations, West Midlands,
There are so many canals in the UK, many of them very popular with visitors from all over the world. Not many of them visit the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). The annual BCN Marathon Challenge, on the May Bank Holiday weekends, organised by the fabulous BCN Society, is to encourage boaters to navigate the rarely used parts of the network.
The BCN changes all the time. Gradually. Gas Street Basin was in the 1980s part of Birmingham's back yard, now it's part of a vibrant city centre. Many old canalside warehouses and factories still exist, some in a rather sad state. many of the old branches can still be seen, in years or decades they will be replaced by modern housing, anonymous industrial estates, or parks.
On most other canals the "site of former iron works" is only noticed when reading a canal guide carefully - it's all nature and beautiful now. On the BCN, the remains of former works are still to be seen, making the network a fascinating place for this photographer.
The BCN Marathon Challenge 2014 happened on a rather wet weekend. It was so wet that sealed professional lenses got damp inside, so there are a few gaps in the photos of the event.
An interactive panorama was created during the weekend, please have a look:
- Hawne Basin Interactive Panorama where the event ended
Should you find any errors in the captions to the photos below, please let me know!
Looking forward to the BCN Marathon Challenge 2015, if I'm lucky enough to take part again!
Birmingham Canal Navigations, West Midlands,
