0:00:00 > 0:00:07Here is a question for you. What links Jack Russell, Bear Grylls and
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Samantha Cameron? Well, the answer is they also need here, at the
0:00:12 > 0:00:16University of the West of England. In tonight's programme, with
0:00:17 > 0:00:21tuition fees on their way up, is it still worth investing in a degree
0:00:21 > 0:00:27course? It is a hard decision to make. I am
0:00:27 > 0:00:31worried about not having a job at the end of it. Money expert Alvin
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Hall works out exactly how much students could end up having to
0:00:35 > 0:00:40repay. If I am going to show you what a degree can really cost and
0:00:40 > 0:00:45how you can avoid those fees altogether. Also in the programme,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49digging through the Cotswolds. The volunteers trying to restore a
0:00:49 > 0:00:55canal between the Severn and the Thames. How does a toilet seat
0:00:55 > 0:01:05ended in a canal? A matches and one was using it as a frisbee. I am
0:01:05 > 0:01:05
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Alastair McKee, and this is Inside A survey for Inside Out has
0:01:10 > 0:01:13discovered that 10% of A-level students could be put off going to
0:01:13 > 0:01:19university because of the rising cost of tuition. The survey
0:01:19 > 0:01:25questioned more than 1000 pupils aged 16 to 18, and the results
0:01:25 > 0:01:30suggest that higher fees could lead to a drop in applications. In our
0:01:30 > 0:01:40first film tonight, we talked to a 17-year-old A-level student from
0:01:40 > 0:01:41
0:01:41 > 0:01:46My name is Lauren Scott. I am in my last year of school. I'm doing
0:01:46 > 0:01:50three A-levels, but I do know what -- do not know what to do when I
0:01:50 > 0:01:54finish. I have been put off going to university because of the
0:01:54 > 0:01:59increase in tuition fees. I could end up paying up to �9,000 pay year
0:01:59 > 0:02:08and I do not know if it is worth it. It is decision time. Do I go to
0:02:08 > 0:02:15university? How much is many a issue for the
0:02:15 > 0:02:22rest of you? It is putting me off a lot. Even when it was just �3,000
0:02:22 > 0:02:26for the year, even that was still a big debt to come out with.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30My university application means being in just a few weeks. I am
0:02:30 > 0:02:35running out of time. And going on a journey to make the biggest
0:02:35 > 0:02:43decision of my life so far. Being independent has always been very
0:02:43 > 0:02:47important to me. That is �12 and asinine. At the moment, I have
0:02:47 > 0:02:53three jobs. One of them is a gift shop in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. I
0:02:53 > 0:02:57really do not know how I could afford to go to university. At the
0:02:57 > 0:03:04moment, with people not been guaranteed a job at the end of
0:03:05 > 0:03:09university, it is a hard decision to make. I am really not sure what
0:03:09 > 0:03:14I want to do. If I apply to university, I fancy studying media,
0:03:14 > 0:03:21but I also enjoy being independent and would like to in -- run my own
0:03:21 > 0:03:26business full-time. I am going to pick the brains of two guys I
0:03:26 > 0:03:30really admire. 80 years ago, Jon Simon and Tristan Hogg set up
0:03:30 > 0:03:34PieMinister in Bristol. It has grown into a hugely successful
0:03:34 > 0:03:38business. Jon went to university, but Tristan did not, choosing
0:03:38 > 0:03:42instead to become a chef. Your decision not to go to university
0:03:42 > 0:03:50has benefited you? For me, what was really important was getting a
0:03:50 > 0:03:54trade, something I could carry on. The business has been very positive
0:03:54 > 0:03:59and I am not in debt. For me, it was a different approach. I made
0:03:59 > 0:04:03the decision that I was going to be working for 50 years. I wanted to
0:04:03 > 0:04:05put out of as long as possible and have some fun. You get a great
0:04:05 > 0:04:11chance to meet lots of exciting people you would never normally get
0:04:11 > 0:04:17a chance to beat. The debt side of things, you get loans, you can pay
0:04:17 > 0:04:22it back it gradually. It is not a big deal. We have just confused you
0:04:22 > 0:04:25even more! And I may be confused about university, but meeting Jon
0:04:25 > 0:04:32and Christine has these in my belief that I could be a successful
0:04:33 > 0:04:37businesswoman. One of my other job is selling candles. Christmas is
0:04:37 > 0:04:43one of the exciting part of the year. It is also one that people
0:04:43 > 0:04:47dread for money. I have been doing this in his January and I plan to
0:04:47 > 0:04:50keep it going for as long as I can. It is earning me lots of money that
0:04:50 > 0:04:56I would not usually have and it is making me a lot more independent,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59so that is why I started the business will start there is a t
0:04:59 > 0:05:03light holder. You can get everything is in this range, some
0:05:04 > 0:05:08things that hang from the wall. I have built up my own customer base.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13If I decided not to go to university, I could do this full-
0:05:13 > 0:05:17time and it would compensate for a full-time wage. That is always an
0:05:17 > 0:05:20option. But before I make my final decision, I think they should
0:05:20 > 0:05:26actually visit a university teacher I would not be missing out on
0:05:26 > 0:05:30anything. Nick, Sarah and Meenal are also in the type of course I
0:05:30 > 0:05:34might be interested in at the University of the West of England
0:05:34 > 0:05:39in Bristol. It is charging �9,000 a year for students like me he would
0:05:39 > 0:05:45start next September. Do you feel that all the money you have paid to
0:05:45 > 0:05:51study these courses will be worth it I time you finish? Hopefully! I
0:05:51 > 0:05:55think so. It is a lot more than getting a degree at the end of it.
0:05:55 > 0:06:02It has helps develop me as a person as well. The experience of being
0:06:02 > 0:06:07here for three years has helped. I have other skills as well as a
0:06:07 > 0:06:12degree. We have the chance to go on a placement, career advisers and
0:06:12 > 0:06:16focus on what we want to focus on. In the 30th, you have the option of
0:06:16 > 0:06:24work experience, so over summer you can work within the industry see
0:06:24 > 0:06:29you get a better idea about the industry you want to go into.
0:06:29 > 0:06:35keen to have a nose around the campus and to find out more about
0:06:35 > 0:06:40student life. This is the other accommodation for a sock it is
0:06:40 > 0:06:46called student village. There are six blocks in each. How demands to
0:06:46 > 0:06:50pay for living costs? You have got the maintenance loan. That helps
0:06:50 > 0:06:55pay for some of it, but a lot of students get part-time jobs as well.
0:06:55 > 0:07:02It is all about working within your budget and budgeting well and still
0:07:02 > 0:07:06having a good time. It is not supposed to be a breeze. Seeing it
0:07:06 > 0:07:12all has made it feel more real. It feels a lot more achievable to be
0:07:12 > 0:07:17able to come here. It seems like a lot of fun, so I would look forward
0:07:17 > 0:07:25to that. The main thing for me now is to find out whether the cause is
0:07:25 > 0:07:27worth the money I will be paying for it. Behind these a fantastic
0:07:27 > 0:07:32experience our media production last... For Helen Kennedy, deputy
0:07:32 > 0:07:36head of the media department, tells me I can stay practical skills in
0:07:36 > 0:07:41weather, photography and video which can lead to exciting
0:07:41 > 0:07:51opportunities. You think it makes it worth all of the money we will
0:07:51 > 0:07:51
0:07:51 > 0:07:55have to pay for it? I think it is a tough moments for you. Sweet
0:07:55 > 0:07:59passionately believe in the value of what we do have and we think
0:07:59 > 0:08:02that people who have the experience of coming on our courses go into
0:08:02 > 0:08:07the world a better place. Perhaps they do not get the best jobs
0:08:07 > 0:08:12straightaway, but in five years' time, they are doing exciting
0:08:12 > 0:08:17things. It is having to take an extraordinary long view, which is
0:08:17 > 0:08:21hard when you are thinking about him all this money. You have to
0:08:21 > 0:08:26anticipate that it might be 10 years before you have capitalised
0:08:26 > 0:08:29on way you want to be. That is what I am thinking about. At the end of
0:08:29 > 0:08:36pain that money, will I be able to get a job which will pay of the
0:08:36 > 0:08:41massive loan I have? It is a risk. Yes. We are very aware of it. There
0:08:41 > 0:08:44is no-one in the higher education sector which -- he was not aware of
0:08:44 > 0:08:49how hard a sell it is now have to kiss from a range of backgrounds.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52In every aspect of what we're doing, we are trying to shake your as the
0:08:52 > 0:09:00best possible person that can be made. You're going to have the best
0:09:00 > 0:09:05possible set of opportunities down the line. If that is society hear!
0:09:05 > 0:09:10I get a really positive vying for this university, they do I want to
0:09:10 > 0:09:13borrow so much money? I still do not know what to do. Is it really
0:09:13 > 0:09:17worth �30,000 of debt to go to university at? I cannot decide, so
0:09:17 > 0:09:22I am going to take a gap year to try to figure out what I want to do.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27In that time, I can build up some money for fees if I want to go to
0:09:27 > 0:09:37university, or maybe I will become the next it entrepreneur.
0:09:37 > 0:09:37
0:09:37 > 0:09:44How will the new system work! --? Money expert Alvin Hall will be
0:09:44 > 0:09:50doing the maths. Young, confuse and afraid. This is
0:09:50 > 0:09:59what thousands of teenagers across England fear. A lifetime on the run.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04But what is chasing him? Student debt. But is it really going to
0:10:04 > 0:10:08beat the horror movie that we have been led to believe? Whether your
0:10:08 > 0:10:12hat -- think that the behind in fees is there, it is happening.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18Young people need to know the facts. Next year, English universities
0:10:18 > 0:10:24will charge up to �9,000 a year, with living costs on top. Graduates
0:10:24 > 0:10:28can face debts of up to �50,000. How much will they actually end up
0:10:28 > 0:10:34paying back? I have come to meet some sixth-formers in Birmingham to
0:10:34 > 0:10:40show them. I think the numbers will shock them. I think that ailing
0:10:40 > 0:10:45interest over such a long time is a number that most people do not
0:10:45 > 0:10:53think about. Let's imagine that you graduate from university with
0:10:53 > 0:11:00�50,000 of debt. You get a high- paying job. How much of that money
0:11:00 > 0:11:10do you have to pay back? A I'm not sure, but all of it? All of it and
0:11:10 > 0:11:16
0:11:16 > 0:11:22more! Bow, interest? For interest! 70 than a -- �75,000. Is that just
0:11:22 > 0:11:31for one person team at that is just for one person. Is that just for
0:11:31 > 0:11:37the average degree? Yes. But what if their careers do not go
0:11:37 > 0:11:47as planned? What are they never came more than �21,000 a year? The
0:11:47 > 0:11:47
0:11:47 > 0:11:52amount you have to pay back his... 0. What is going on? Basically, the
0:11:52 > 0:11:56repayment of the loan works like taxes. The more you earn, the more
0:11:56 > 0:12:03you pay back. If you never owned never visit -- he earned above a
0:12:03 > 0:12:06certain amount, you never pay back a penny. The new Independent
0:12:06 > 0:12:14Taskforce on Student Finance is led by Martin Lewis. The biggest
0:12:14 > 0:12:20confusion out there is that people confuse the price-tag with the
0:12:20 > 0:12:25actual cost. This is a different type of system. Many people will
0:12:25 > 0:12:30not come close to repay in full what they borrow. Some will not pay
0:12:30 > 0:12:33anything at all. The bewildering fact that we are putting of people
0:12:33 > 0:12:38going to university is because we are looking at a price tag, not the
0:12:38 > 0:12:44cost. Most graduates will face large debt. Is there any way of
0:12:44 > 0:12:50avoiding fees? Yes! You can study abroad. At the recent Student World
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Fair in London, teenagers discovered how much they can say.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Everyone would rather going to university if it would be �8,000
0:13:00 > 0:13:07are cheaper. If the fee is a cheaper, that is more attractive.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11In fact, dozens of universities across unit -- Europe offer courses
0:13:11 > 0:13:19taught in English. These differ from country to country, but in
0:13:19 > 0:13:27Scandinavia, and tuition is free. If in Denmark, we have no tuition
0:13:27 > 0:13:31fees. According to EU rules, we have to treat East citizens alike.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Harriet Moore has already taken the plunge. She is off back to
0:13:35 > 0:13:43university in Slovakia. I'm trying to save money, so hand-luggage it
0:13:43 > 0:13:50is! She saves a fortune on living costs, at spending just �100 a
0:13:50 > 0:13:54month. I caught up with her via Web cams. What advice would you give to
0:13:54 > 0:14:00someone considering doing what you have done? If you are considering
0:14:00 > 0:14:10it, you should go for it. It is worth doing. It you have to be
0:14:10 > 0:14:19
0:14:19 > 0:14:27brave, but it is great. I have Time is up! I want my money!
0:14:27 > 0:14:30studying overseas may be one way to avoid debt. But there are down
0:14:30 > 0:14:36sides. If you study abroad, the Government here will not give you a
0:14:36 > 0:14:39loan. Only some of the courses are taught in English, and some
0:14:39 > 0:14:44employers might not recognise foreign degrees. You need to do
0:14:44 > 0:14:50your homework. Another way of beating the fees is to get someone
0:14:50 > 0:14:56else to pay. But you? London pint - - the London's financial heartland
0:14:56 > 0:15:02is a good place to look. Believe it or not, these youngsters are all
0:15:02 > 0:15:11freshers. They are being sponsored by KPMG, an accountancy giant.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14for the entire package was a degree. The tuition fees were paid and you
0:15:14 > 0:15:18were offered a job at the end. You're helps to become a qualified,
0:15:18 > 0:15:25chartered accountant. That sounds too good to be true. Did she expect
0:15:25 > 0:15:30a catch? There is no catch. As with everything in life, you have to
0:15:30 > 0:15:37work hard. That is the only catch. And the man who runs the programme
0:15:37 > 0:15:40tells me KPMG does not offer the stereotypical student experience.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45This is an extremely intensive programme. They have got to work
0:15:45 > 0:15:48for us, study for their degree and to obtain their chartered
0:15:49 > 0:15:53accountant qualification in six years. That requires hard work.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57That is all we ask of the students to join us. Then there are
0:15:57 > 0:16:05bursaries. Students from low-income families can get money from various
0:16:05 > 0:16:14sources, so it is worth trawling the wet. Is there another way of
0:16:14 > 0:16:18avoiding the debt? Well, you can 16-year-old Safina Adam is trying
0:16:18 > 0:16:22to do just that. As well as studying for her A Levels she sells
0:16:22 > 0:16:25beauty products on her website. started my business because I
0:16:25 > 0:16:29wanted to save up for university and my parents said that because of
0:16:29 > 0:16:39the rise in prices of university fees it would be too much for them
0:16:39 > 0:16:41
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to pay for it. I'm hoping to avoid getting in debt.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The Government allows students to pay up front. But most will have to
0:16:48 > 0:16:54take out a loan. But one financial expert believes that graduates
0:16:55 > 0:16:57could end up paying back far more than anyone has predicted.
0:16:57 > 0:17:04Financial journalist William Cullerne Bowne is warning students
0:17:04 > 0:17:08to beware. I think the problem is that the deal is actually not a
0:17:08 > 0:17:11deal. There are all these numbers flying about saying that you'll be
0:17:11 > 0:17:13charged a certain amount of interest on the loan, that your
0:17:14 > 0:17:19repayments will start at �21,000, over that you'll be paying a
0:17:19 > 0:17:23certain percentage. But actually none of those parameters are in the
0:17:23 > 0:17:27contract that the student signs up for. And in fact the government can
0:17:27 > 0:17:32change those numbers if it wants to in five years time or ten years'
0:17:32 > 0:17:35time, 20 years' time, 30 years' time. So students could end up
0:17:35 > 0:17:39paying a lot more. But any big changes would have to
0:17:39 > 0:17:46be approved by Parliament. Like many Americans, I graduated with
0:17:46 > 0:17:52debts of tens of thousands of dollars. It was daunting but if you
0:17:53 > 0:18:02know the facts, student debt doesn't have to be scary. I
0:18:03 > 0:18:09
0:18:09 > 0:18:18You can see all the results of the inside out poll on A-level students
0:18:18 > 0:18:23on our website. The address is on Our final story tonight is about an
0:18:23 > 0:18:26ambitious project to restore a canal through the Cotswolds. The
0:18:26 > 0:18:30waterway will run from Saul on the River Sever to Lechlade on the
0:18:30 > 0:18:40Thames. It will provide a link between England's two longest
0:18:40 > 0:18:45
0:18:45 > 0:18:51rivers. But not everyone is happy These boats are preparing for a
0:18:51 > 0:18:54journey from here at Saul to Lechlade on the River Thames. It
0:18:54 > 0:19:01should be a leisurely cruise of 36 miles along the Cotswold canals
0:19:01 > 0:19:07which link the two places. But there's a problem.
0:19:07 > 0:19:13It's very simple: this whole business of canals is really about
0:19:13 > 0:19:20getting from A to B in a boat. Or in this case from Saul about a
0:19:20 > 0:19:30quarter mile back there, to that bridge. We're never going to get
0:19:30 > 0:19:34But that low bridge is only the first obstacle blocking the
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Cotswold canals. When they opened in 1789, they revolutionised
0:19:37 > 0:19:45transport for Stroud's mill industry by linking the Severn with
0:19:45 > 0:19:51the Thames. But inevitably, the canals fell victim to the success
0:19:51 > 0:19:54of the railways and were abandoned. In fact the last time a boat
0:19:54 > 0:19:59carrying cargo made the journey along the Cotswold canals from here
0:19:59 > 0:20:03to Lechlade was in 1911 - 100 years ago.
0:20:03 > 0:20:10Back then, that journey took about three days: now, whichever way you
0:20:10 > 0:20:13go, it'll take considerably longer. We're going to take three weeks on
0:20:13 > 0:20:17that cruise, it's a huge difference, and we're highlighting obviously to
0:20:17 > 0:20:27raise money and highlighting the fact the canal is being restored.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28
0:20:28 > 0:20:33It will open out a nice new cruising ring so people instead of
0:20:33 > 0:20:38having to go on a very dangerous route down to Bristol. They'll be
0:20:38 > 0:20:41able to go from here all the way to London Tower Bridge on our boats.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45I'll be catching up with the boats later, but in the meantime, I want
0:20:45 > 0:20:48to find out a bit more about the restoration project.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51For more than 30 years, the Stroud water canal has been stood
0:20:51 > 0:20:56forgotten. Like an ageing film star, its beauty and appeal could not
0:20:56 > 0:20:59withstand the ravages of public neglect. But there's always the
0:20:59 > 0:21:09hope of a comeback, and for the Stroud water canal that time is
0:21:09 > 0:21:09
0:21:10 > 0:21:12That was nearly 40 years ago: today there are 6,000 members of the
0:21:12 > 0:21:22Cotswold canals trust and every week, about 200 volunteers put in
0:21:22 > 0:21:24
0:21:24 > 0:21:27This is a stretch of canal where the council are putting in money.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31But you are still having to rely on volunteers. Does that ultimately
0:21:31 > 0:21:34make the task of doing it that much harder? No, we haven't got the
0:21:34 > 0:21:37money to do it all with paid contractors so right from the
0:21:37 > 0:21:42beginning the intention was to use volunteers, as many volunteers
0:21:43 > 0:21:45involved as possible. The use of volunteers attracts match-funding
0:21:46 > 0:21:48from our major funder, the Heritage Lottery Fund, so generally it's a
0:21:48 > 0:21:51win-win situation in that it's giving people from the local
0:21:51 > 0:22:01community to do some volunteering and to take ownership of their own
0:22:01 > 0:22:05
0:22:05 > 0:22:09What makes you volunteer? Well, I've lived round here for 50 years
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and in another 20 years I'd like to see it all finished. That would be
0:22:13 > 0:22:16a good goal I'm looking for work so this is a valuable thing to do for
0:22:16 > 0:22:19one's own personal self-esteem. looking for work so this is a
0:22:19 > 0:22:23valuable thing to do for one's own self-esteem. What have you pulled
0:22:23 > 0:22:26out today? Any supermarket trollies? No, funnily enough, no
0:22:26 > 0:22:30supermarket trollies but plenty of plastic bags. Hate to tell you
0:22:30 > 0:22:33though, I did see a toilet seat in the canal a little bit down there.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36How does a toilet seat get there? have no idea. I think someone was
0:22:36 > 0:22:40using it as a Frisbee or something like that.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Without the volunteers, this just wouldn't happen. This is a
0:22:42 > 0:22:45community project, it's not just about people on narrowboats, it's
0:22:45 > 0:22:48about the entire community, it's about all walks of life all sorts
0:22:48 > 0:22:52of people. It doesn't matter who they are, they're welcome on the
0:22:52 > 0:22:58canal, we're here to build not just a towpath, not just an canal, but
0:22:58 > 0:23:01an environment. Is this 'big society' in action? Absolutely.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Restoration's well under way along the Stroud Valley. That section's
0:23:05 > 0:23:11going to cost about �25 million and should be completed in about three
0:23:11 > 0:23:13years. The idea is that in the future,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17boats will be able to cruise through places like Ebley here,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21where the canal's been brought back to its former glory. But it's not
0:23:21 > 0:23:24all plain sailing: some sections of the canal beyond Stroud lie on
0:23:24 > 0:23:31private property and it'll take a lot of work, and some persuasion,
0:23:31 > 0:23:39to restore the waterway. Just behind you here is the site of the
0:23:39 > 0:23:43old canal. This is what they're proposing to dredge and reuse again.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It sounds like a good idea, is it a good idea to you? No, absolute
0:23:46 > 0:23:51bloody rubbish and anybody with a little bit of sense would soon come
0:23:51 > 0:23:54to that conclusion. This is the line of the Thames Severn canal,
0:23:54 > 0:24:01just over there about 75 yards away is the River Thames so why do you
0:24:01 > 0:24:07want a waterway here and a waterway there? It means cutting my farm in
0:24:07 > 0:24:10half, making my farming operation more difficult. The money side of
0:24:10 > 0:24:13it is horrendous, and all the district councils who were queuing
0:24:13 > 0:24:16up to support the restoration before apart from Stroud are now
0:24:16 > 0:24:21worrying about where they've got the money so I really think there
0:24:21 > 0:24:30are better things to do. I wish all the keen nice people who're trying
0:24:30 > 0:24:34to restore the canal would do these other better things.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Stroud district council is the lead partner in the restoration project:
0:24:38 > 0:24:42can it justify this huge spend? So what do you say to people who
0:24:42 > 0:24:46say you could have spent the money on something else? You can always
0:24:46 > 0:24:49spend money on something else, but this is part of our heritage and
0:24:49 > 0:24:52our past. I also think we're building something for the future.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56We felt this would be good for Stroud, for Stroud town and Stroud
0:24:56 > 0:24:59district, it would attract an awful lot more people. There's something
0:24:59 > 0:25:02in the leisure industry, but also along this corridor we would like
0:25:02 > 0:25:05to see regeneration of both the industrial side and, light
0:25:05 > 0:25:12engineering, the sort of stuff you see in these areas, along with some
0:25:12 > 0:25:19new residential waterside living. People are naturally attracted to
0:25:19 > 0:25:22water, whether it's sea, canals, rivers or whatever. But the cost is
0:25:22 > 0:25:25just one aspect which troubles some of the people affected by the
0:25:25 > 0:25:28restoration. Another disused section of the
0:25:28 > 0:25:35canal runs through this garden in Frampton Mansell, just east of
0:25:35 > 0:25:41Stroud. The water levels are very, very low in the summer which is
0:25:41 > 0:25:44when people want to have their leisure pursuits. In the winter, we
0:25:44 > 0:25:54get too much water and we're very grateful to the empty canal because
0:25:54 > 0:25:55
0:25:55 > 0:26:01it's a very good flood defence. But keeping water in the canal was
0:26:02 > 0:26:04always a huge challenge, even in its heyday. I've come to the two
0:26:04 > 0:26:07and a quarter mile-long Sapperton tunnel, at the highest point along
0:26:07 > 0:26:10the route, to find out how they're going manage.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15We're standing on a quagmire at the moment, but I suppose in canal
0:26:15 > 0:26:18terms this is about as dry as it gets. How on earth do you go about
0:26:18 > 0:26:22getting water back into this thing? Yes, this is the eight-mile long
0:26:22 > 0:26:25summit pound and it supplies the whole canal. Water will have to be
0:26:25 > 0:26:28pumped into the canal either from reservoirs that collect water in
0:26:28 > 0:26:33the winter or from lower down the canal where water availability is
0:26:33 > 0:26:35less of a problem. But in addition to that, there is the potential for
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the canal to be used for transferring bulk water supplies
0:26:39 > 0:26:47from the Severn area across to the Thames area to help relieve the
0:26:47 > 0:26:49shortages in the southeast. If that was to come off, then the amount of
0:26:49 > 0:26:58water needed for the boat traffic would be almost inconsequential
0:26:58 > 0:27:01compared with that which would be At the far end of the canal, here
0:27:01 > 0:27:07at Lechlade, yet more volunteers are busy restoring one of the 56
0:27:07 > 0:27:12locks. And it's the place where the canal finally meets the River
0:27:12 > 0:27:21Thames. So 36 miles back that way along the
0:27:21 > 0:27:25canal is where we started in Saul And it's the final destination for
0:27:25 > 0:27:35the narrowboats after their epic journeys 'the long way round'.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36
0:27:36 > 0:27:43Which means just one thing. Hello! We are going to desperately try and
0:27:43 > 0:27:46turn around. Everything about narrowboating is slow. I guess
0:27:46 > 0:27:49that's its appeal, but these long- distance boaters will be hoping it
0:27:49 > 0:27:59won't be another 100 years before these boats can take the shortcut
0:27:59 > 0:28:01
0:28:01 > 0:28:04home along the restored Cotswold Well, that's where we must moor up
0:28:04 > 0:28:13for the evening, but if you'd like to join in the conversation you can
0:28:13 > 0:28:20Next week we're investigating a businessman from Bath who promised
0:28:20 > 0:28:23his clients high adventure but left them angry and disappointed.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29Plus, should this man be allowed to his ask his wife to assist in his
0:28:29 > 0:28:38death? And is this the birthplace of the