Abandoned canal exploration with Uncle Ed
Added 2025-03-13 16:50:56 +0000 UTCAfternoon $4 crew!
As promised, today we explore the eerie remnants of one of Britain's oldest industrial canals.
The Lichfield Canal was completed in 1797, abandoned in 1954 and subsequently filled in and forgotten. Recently there has been a big movement to restore the canal to it's former glory, and while certain sections have taken shape, large sections of it, barely seen by anyone, remain overgrown and hidden.
In this adventure me and Uncle Ed sneak our way through the countryside attempting to trace the path of this local treasure and unearth flashes of it's 250 year history as we go.
Amid all the fascinating history however, sits a bizarre, imposing and distinctly modern structure that we have to try and scale if we are to complete our journey to Brownhills. Our attempts are as comical as you might imagine.
Hope you don't mind the square aspect ratio. Was going to crop it down but figured it worked well with the map features.
Have a top weekend everyone. Off filming a mini straight line mission tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Comments
Just signed up for Patreon as I love your YouTube vids! Thankyou for the fantastic content! I’m an expat Brit in Canada but have gone canal boating pretty much every time we visit and planning next years already! It’s always great to see canal content especially with Tom and Uncle Ed! Also. Highly recommend a canal holiday. There’s always a pub at the end of the day 😊🍻 thanks Tom!
barleybeans
2025-09-28 14:02:10 +0000 UTCA fun adventure this one. So interesting to see these ruins of the Victorian (and earlier) Britain that are all around us, overgrown and completely ignored most of the time.
Thomas
2025-09-18 18:54:10 +0000 UTCSometimes when I went on off road hikes I'd bring a garabge bag with me and gloves in case I saw anything and you dont realize how much the small stuff adds up. Two garbage bags full and I couldnt finish my trek because it was equivalent to 20 pounds in each hand while walking. Good workout! - but in a way saddening that that much was even in such a small area. This area seems like youd be able to fill a few bags to. Fascinating how many people came to ask for photos, though LOL. It was shocking to them this wasn't a punishment from the mayor and I was just doing it of free will. No one else seemed to be doing it and seeing nature full of garabge just angered me Aware im 5 months late haha
Kalea
2025-08-25 14:24:21 +0000 UTCThe Guardian love you https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/mar/24/could-you-walk-across-the-uk-in-a-perfectly-straight-line-inside-youtubes-strangest-challenge
Nic Higham
2025-03-23 15:53:31 +0000 UTCCheers Nout! Good point. I think it's a mixture of things. Same family, same Secondary school (he's only 15 years older than me!) and some genetics too!
tom davies
2025-03-20 06:08:47 +0000 UTCWhat an iconic duo the two of you make. Lovely video! Also, don’t know if it’s the family connection or just because you two grew up / live in the same area (or both), but it struck me how similar the two of you sound! Intonation and all. Maybe it strikes me more cause English isn’t my first language. Anyway, thanks again and keep this brilliant videos coming, best regards from The Hague!
Nout van Deijck
2025-03-17 19:55:01 +0000 UTCWell, you tell that beautiful man that there's a married couple in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that would be thrilled to treat him to many pints (and a hardhat!) if the two of you ever adventure this way ❤️
Nadja
2025-03-17 09:25:55 +0000 UTCThat's ruyt mate. I went to Aldridge school too mate. Met Theresa Green a fair few times and felt the cursed smell of stink bombs whilst queuing up for RST at the bottom of the tower block. I think my sister Rachael was in your year? if you ever fancy doing a straight line mission on the Isle of Wight, let me know! Thats where I have escaped to now!
Christopher Till
2025-03-17 09:24:50 +0000 UTCThanks man glad you enjoyed!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:27:43 +0000 UTCThanks Nadja! I'm screenshotting these lovely messages to him! Yeah it was probably possible but the wall was so much taller than it looks on the fisheye camera lens! oh wow we'll check that out. Till next time!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:27:17 +0000 UTCHe will appreciate this comment! Yeah I love to have him. We've got some big ideas for the next year!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:24:57 +0000 UTCHe always delivers. Cheers Stu!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:24:20 +0000 UTCThanks Marte!!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:24:02 +0000 UTCCheers Morten glad it hit the spot!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:23:56 +0000 UTCoof I feel ya. Glad you're okay mate
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:23:41 +0000 UTCThat's incredible! I never knew bird's nests lasted so long. Maybe they didn't when they were plastic free!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:23:20 +0000 UTCThanks Soph!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:22:23 +0000 UTCI thought so too haha
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:22:18 +0000 UTCEnjoy my lord!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:22:04 +0000 UTCwehhey cheers Dustin and son!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:21:48 +0000 UTCAh thanks Ryan that means a lot. Keep adventuring and pushing your limits mate and I shall do the same! some big stuff coming up in the next few months
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:21:36 +0000 UTCCheers Chris! yaw'm a local'un ay ya! That sounds like a big old run man. I went to school with a Till (Aldridge school), I wonder if you're any relation..
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:20:20 +0000 UTCYeah brilliant website! great for discovering old forgotten roads
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:18:41 +0000 UTCCheers Fourt!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:18:03 +0000 UTCThanks Jemma, hope little Hugo enjoyed! Yeah we are already talking about going on a litter hunt on our kayaks with a view to find the oldest dates possible and collect as many different brands of litter as possible! I'm sure we'll find some interesting things...
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:17:54 +0000 UTCThanks Hannah I'm glad you enjoyed! always quintessentially British when Uncle Ed rocks up. First mission filmed, another one coming up!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:13:29 +0000 UTCPerfect! enjoy the trip Sam
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:12:28 +0000 UTCHappy birthday mate!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:12:02 +0000 UTCHe appreciates the love!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:11:46 +0000 UTCEnjoy Ollie!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:11:37 +0000 UTCThanks for tuning in Noel!
tom davies
2025-03-17 08:11:27 +0000 UTCWhat a great one this was. Solid adventuring!
hr598
2025-03-17 04:39:07 +0000 UTCLove, love, LOVE uncle Ed! I think he could have gotten up there but was a wise move to terminate mission when he did. These adventures remind me of IckeWalks- 'The Walk' on Youtube. You guys would love it- Gareth hunts down old Victorian railways around the same areas. I'd love to see Tom explore some of the old sites he does.
Nadja
2025-03-17 02:05:07 +0000 UTCED makes me laugh so much! Love to see him in your videos!
Ian Wepre
2025-03-16 10:17:23 +0000 UTCAnother smashing vid. Always fun to see Ed.
Stuart Duncan
2025-03-14 23:47:03 +0000 UTCLovely, good vibes 😁
Marte Kjelsberg
2025-03-14 17:43:37 +0000 UTCbrilliant, been itching for a little video also good to see Ed again!
Morten Dyrkilde
2025-03-14 10:47:07 +0000 UTCWhat a fascinating job you have! I’m going to check that out myself actually
Hannah Samuels-Lyons
2025-03-14 09:21:26 +0000 UTCJust had a nasty crash on my bike and saw this, thank you Tom for cheering me up
William
2025-03-14 08:28:31 +0000 UTCI love to see that you are checking expiration dates on trash! As a biologist, I work on plastic in bird nests and we just published the discovery of a nest from Amsterdam that was used for decades. We found expiration dates in the nest going back all the way until the early 90s!! If you want to check it out, you can google: 'Birds documenting the Anthropocene: Stratigraphy of plastic in urban bird nests'. With dates on litter, you never know what you will find! Thanks for the video, always exciting to see your adventures! Would be a nice follow-up, to do a clean-up at a fly-tipping spot!
Auke-Florian Hiemstra
2025-03-14 00:02:54 +0000 UTCI think it might be this: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/ from the National Library of Scotland
Saul
2025-03-13 23:56:58 +0000 UTClove this!
sophie
2025-03-13 23:30:19 +0000 UTCEd's footwear was a bold choice
Dave
2025-03-13 22:44:25 +0000 UTCThankee :-)
LordLard
2025-03-13 21:53:35 +0000 UTCMe and my son cheered when we saw this drop!
Dustin Geddes
2025-03-13 21:15:22 +0000 UTCEvening Tom! Just a little ‘thank you’ message as your YouTube videos and Patreon exclusives have really helped me get through something of a rough patch over the past 12 months! Looking forward to the nicer weather and what’s to come from your side, as well recreating/ forging my own adventures which will hopefully have a similar spirit.
Ryan
2025-03-13 21:07:55 +0000 UTCCan't wait to watch tonight. Just back from visiting my old man who lives in Pelsall, and spent the weekend running on the canals around Brownhills Blocko and Aldridge! Made me think of Geowizard and here we are!! Manifesting GW!!
Christopher Till
2025-03-13 19:31:57 +0000 UTCHow did you get those map comparisons up? Is it some sort of website? I’d love to do something similar where I live in Bristol
Ed Shelton-Richards
2025-03-13 19:01:36 +0000 UTCHell yeah man, just what I needed tonight :)
Fourt Wenty
2025-03-13 18:56:16 +0000 UTCI’m watching this with my son Hugo (who is the same age as your little one) from Calgary, Canada. My husband and I have been fans for years. A new video always adds something special to my day and Uncle Ed is the cherry (or pumpkin) on top! The history in this adventure is incredible and it was pretty heartbreaking to see so much rubbish around. Would love to see some adventures that combine exploration with some kind of clean up element. One of our favourite ways to explore is to go out and about with a rubbish bag and gloves.
Jemma Hayes Couture
2025-03-13 18:30:47 +0000 UTC“There might be a pog in that” 😭 Loved that. Between the canals, the cheese and branston sandwiches and the pork pies it was a very wholesome british feel. Uncle Ed episodes are always fantastic, I hope he knows how big his fan base is! If you’ve already done your straight line mission, I hope it went ok. If you’re about to start… good luck to you 🤞🏻
Hannah Samuels-Lyons
2025-03-13 18:30:23 +0000 UTCFinishing my last day of work before a trip to Scotland…something great to watch while I do.
Sam Boden
2025-03-13 17:37:42 +0000 UTCI'll take this as a birthday gift anyday. 😄
Stefan Hakso
2025-03-13 17:08:57 +0000 UTCAlways excited for an Uncle Ed adventure!
gold sky
2025-03-13 17:04:53 +0000 UTCThanks Tom appreciate you taking the time to answer
ZieNial
2025-03-13 16:59:19 +0000 UTCSorry man I don't have time to respond the the direct messages on this platform but I do my best to respond to all the comments on these $4 Adventures. Just read your message. Don't worry about it, just make sure you camp somewhere well hidden and don't leave a trace! Best of luck.
tom davies
2025-03-13 16:55:31 +0000 UTC🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻 Let's roll.
Ollie Spicer
2025-03-13 16:53:05 +0000 UTCHello Tom I sent you a dm on this if you don't mind giving some advice
ZieNial
2025-03-13 16:52:17 +0000 UTCGreat way to start my thursday evening! Cheers Tom
Noel Jacob
2025-03-13 16:52:12 +0000 UTC
