The canal work boats in use at Ryecroft

I had a few minutes to spare and as I was close to Ryecroft I drove down to the bridge over the Stroudwater Navigation to see the progress of the works.

I was surprised to see all these boats gathered and with people at work. It looked like one of the boat's engines was being worked on. In the distance the canal side works are completely new and will allow access from Stonehouse to a wharf where in future boats will give rides along the canal, both eastward towards Ebley and Stroud, and westward to The Ocean, the current end of the navigation. 

New work is beginning to provide a replacement section of the canal to link Stroud with The Gloucester to Sharpness canal at Saul Junction about four miles away. They've got to get under the M5 motorway which was built in the 1970s over the abandoned canal.