the.com/towpath
the road built for horses to drag boats, now jogged by people fleeing horses
means A path running alongside a canal or river, originally used by horses or people on foot to tow boats through the water by rope.
from A plain compound of "tow" — to pull or drag, from Old English "togian," related to "tug" — and "path." Before engines, barges had no way to move themselves down still canal water, so the answer was muscle on the bank: a horse (or sometimes a gang of men) walking a level cleared strip, hauling the boat along by a long rope. The path was the engine's stable. When canals fell to railways and then to leisure, the horses left but the smooth, flat, water-hugging track stayed — which is why so many old towpaths now carry cyclists and walkers instead of rope.
- origin
- Horses walked these to haul canal barges
- the rope
- Towlines cut grooves into bridge stonework still visible
- changeover
- Bridges let horses cross without unhitching the rope
- second life
- Now cycling and walking routes across nations
- the pace
- A walking horse set the original speed limit
grand canal dublin — 9 km towpath alongside historic canal built 1756, popular walking route in ireland
leeds liverpool canal — 127 mile towpath across northern england, restored victorian canal with regular barge traffic
canal du midi france — 240 km towpath from toulouse to sète, unesco world heritage site built 1681