The flight

Lock guide

How the twenty-seven locks of the Bridgmoor flight work, and how to work them without swearing.

Empty lock or full lock? The paddles tell you. Never wind a paddle until the gate behind you is shut.

Wind the ground paddles to fill, or open the gate paddles to empty. Slowly. The canal hates a splash more than a scandal.

Centre the boat between the gates with the bow line. The lock will do the rest; the lock always does the rest.

Wind the paddles fully down before opening the gate, every time. The yard has a list of people who learned this the loud way.

Notable locks of the flight
Lock	Known for
Lock 1, Kesselford	The start of the flight and the deepest. Mind the wing wall.
Lock 9	The passage turn. The bench beside it is painted, inevitably.
Lock 14	The summit tea room. Scones until four or until sold out.
Lock 21	The leaky one. Pumps run on frosty mornings; mind the hose.
Lock 27, Bridgmoor	The last gate before the basin, painted duck-egg in 1979 and never changed.

A lock chamber · cross-section