The word Towpath.

The Word Towpath.

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There has been quite a lot of talk about who may or may not use a towpath. First off, the towpaths were formed for the canal and river systems of Great Britain when due to the construction of bridges over the waterway prevented the use of sail barges. So to be able to move the barges up stream a series of horse power was used to tow the barges and a series of towpaths were formed for that purpose. These remained in active use until the faster use of the Tugboat, finally the coming of the steam train became the mode of transport.

Even on the canals today the horse drawn narrow boats are now powered by diesel engines.