@hmallett@toot.wales It's not hard to operate locks. I imagine sheep-shearing causes more aches and pains than canal-locking. 🐑 When gates are well balanced, and the paddle-winding mechanism doesn't stick, it's easy work. Usually it's easy. But the pace is slow. Filling a lock chamber. Draining it. Winding paddles up. Then down. Pushing open a well balanced 1-tonne oak gate. Ditto closing it. Pulling ropes. Tying the boat to bollards. Leaving the lock with gates and paddles closed. The minutes add up.