Tripping The Rideau Canal
The Bytown Museum and Rideau Canal locks. Photo credit: Ottawa Tourism.
If you are feeling stuck in the house, you might enjoy a boat trip on the Rideau Canal. In the (new) tradition of slow TV, TVO can take you on a relaxing outing in the form of a video voyage in real time along Ontario's magnificent Rideau Canal. This is a great video to stream while you are doing chores such as ironing or mending or a project such as knitting or embriodery. Turn down the audio if you don't want to hear the continuous boat motor sound.
The Rideau Canal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. It is North America's oldest continuously operating canal system.
Trippiong the Rideau covers the segment of the Rideau Canal from Manotick just above Watson's Mill to Parliament Hill. The views are a mix of aerial and water level perspective. There are occasional screen titles indicating where you are along the canal or about points of interest. The film incorporates some old footage of traffic along the canal in earlier times, unrealized plans, and some computer graphics showing how the locks operate.
There are three ways to make this trip:
- Watch the preview of the trip to get the flavour of this slow-video experience. (1 min)
- Watch the short version (one hour)
- Watch the full version (four hours).
You can run the video at different speeds if you like. Click on 1x at the lower right corner, and you'll see a menu of possible speeds from 0.5 to 2x.
Added bonus: there are some VR 360 videos highlighting points of interest or different perspectives on the canal.
- Watson's Mill in Manotick
- Hog's Back Falls
- The World's Largest Skateway
- 8-step lock system where the canal meets the Ottawa River
- The 'Ever-adapting Rideau': the uses of the canal over time
- Over the Rideau Canal: Exploring the canal from the air
VR 360 (scroll down to the VR 360 heading)
Immerse yourself in 360 Virtual Reality with these six highlights along the Rideau Canal. See the waterway and learn its history in a new and exciting way. Shot in 360 panorama, you control the view! TVO seems to have deleted the VR 360 features, but you can find them on the TRIPPING website. (You can also view some videos on the making of the Tripping films, including the making of the VR 360 videos, the use of drones in the aerial photography, and several others. There are links to two other Tripping videos: Tripping the Bruce and Tripping the Niagara.
To learn more about the history and cultural importance of the Rideau Canal:
Wikipedia entry on the Rideau Canal
