Bauer Travels to United Kingdom – Kyle Bauer, general manager at KFRM Radio, recently traveled to the United Kingdom for vacation. He saw much of the country via canal boat from August 21 to September 4.
He started his trip in London, England, and took the train to Rugby, England, where he boarded the canal boats.
“We boated down the canals in the English countryside for five days,” Bauer said. “We operated our boat and the locks in the canals. It was interesting that most people boating in the canal were from Great Britain, not tourists like us.”
Through this unique travel method, Bauer was able to get a sneak peek at the agricultural practices of Great Britain.
“Their farms are tiny, and most of the crops were cereal grains,” Bauer said. “We only saw four fields with corn in them. They mainly raise barley, spring wheat, and oats. The farther north we went, the more livestock farms we saw.”
The canals were built when the Romans occupied Great Britain, and construction continued well into the 20th century.
“They wanted every community in England to be within 15 miles of a canal to allow for easier travel, trade, and connection,” Bauer said. “They used the canals to transport goods like textiles and coal by the tens of thousands of pounds. However, the canals’ usage decreased when the railroads came along.”
After the canal boat, Bauer traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, by train.
“We got to see Edinburgh Castle, and it was amazing,” Bauer said. “It is in the middle of town and overlooks the busiest section of Edinburgh. It was interesting to learn that this castle had never been conquered.”
