You have to feel sorry for the North Wilts Canal. Not only has it been shut for over 100 years (and been subjected to the usual ignominies such as demolished bridges, missing aqueducts and having part of Swindon built on it), but both of the two canals that it once connected together have also been abandoned for a similar length of time. So it's a derelict canal isolated from the outside world by derelict canals on either side of it. Rather like being a landlocked country that's completely surrounded by other landlocked countries (Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein, since you asked...), its status seems to give it an added level of remoteness when it comes to any possible prospects of its revival. And yet, with the world of canal restoration being the optimistic movement that it is, this hasn't prevented anyone from putting the North Wilts forward as a candidate for restoration. After all, the two canals that it linked are both the subject of well-established restoration projects which have chalked up some significant success stories in recent years.
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