The Walk - EP 143 - 220 Years Of History Abandoned In The Woods - The Forgotten Somerset Coal Canal

Hello everyone, and welcome out on another explore. This time, I'm joined by Phil, Steve, and our new mate Vinny, and we're all the way down in Somerset, in the south west of England. We're down in cider country for a series of explores, with the first one being an epic journey back 220 years, to William Jessop's Somerset Coal Canal. Little known to me, Somerset had a huge coalfield consisting of over 80 collieries, and so in 1805, the Somerset Coal Canal was built to connect some of these collieries, with the already well established Kennet and Avon Canal. By 1889 the canal had run its course, and by 1910, large sections of it had been built upon by the Great Western Railway, as they sought to exploit these vast coal deposits. There is one spectacular section of the canal that remained untouched by the railway. A series of locks, called the 'Combe Hay Locks' that snake up the hillside, where there was once an engine house, before coming back, and joining what had by 1910, become the railway. We explore these 220 year old locks as they lay abandoned in the woods, since 1889, with some of them even having the lock doors still attached! From there we walk up the hill and find the remains of a 220 year old engine house, before making our way half a mile down the road, where we find the remains of 'Farm Tunnel'. Once a canal tunnel, Farm Tunnel was relined and reused by the GWR as part of their colliery line. I hope you enjoy this awesome piece of forgotten English industrial history. Support the channel below: CBD - Head to http://www.supremecbd.uk and use the code 'GI40' for 40% off everything. British Supplements - Get 20% off your first order here - https://www.british-supplements.net/icke Merch - Check out the shop here - https://garethickeshop.teemill.com/co... EMF Protection - Fix The World Morocco - EMF Protection for your home at https://www.ftwproject.com/ref/518/ Nutrition - Head over to https://madtravnutrition.com and check out their top end range of coffee, Manuka Honey and Mushroom Tinctures. Use the code ‘Gareth’ and get yourself 10% off all products in the range.