More than a century after losing out to the train, Scotland's canals will once again be used to transport thousands of tonnes of freight around the country, ministers announced yesterday.
Inland waterways will play a central role in the Executive's £44 million programme to take lorries off the road and transfer their loads to boats and ships.
Even though canal boats go barely faster than walking pace, ministers believe companies can be persuaded to move bulky, heavy goods by water...
For a related, interesting read, you might check out Our Wherry in Wendish Lands: from Friesland through the Mecklenburg Lakes to Bohemia, by H.M. Doughty, originally published in 1891, and reprinted in 1985 by Ashford Press of the UK, ISBN 090706938X. It's a travel memoir, illustrated by line drawings done by the author's daughters. It's not Scotland, by any stretch, but it is inland waterway travel, and paints quite a picture of late Nineteenth Century Europe and its people.
That's if you can find a copy at a reasonable price. It's out of print and prices are all over the board, from $5 to $95 at the websites I use to check market price, and even in the UK there don't seem to be many copies out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment