A winding hole is a widened area of a canal (usually in the United Kingdom), used for turning a canal boat such as a narrowboat. In sea ports an area for turning ships is usually called a turning basin.
The word is commonly believed to derive from the practice of using the wind to assist with the turn.[1]
Another etymology, however, is the Old English word for turn - "windan", (pronounced with a short I (as in windlass, a handle for winding (long I) gears)).[2] Much UK canal terminology comes from spoken rather than written tradition and from bargees who did not read or write.[3]
It is also possible that the word has a similar derivation to that of the windlass, which derives from the Old Norse "vinda" and "ás"—words currently used in Iceland—where the modern word for "windlass" is "vinda".[4]
Because the average width of a canal channel (about 30' to 40' feet) is less than the length of a full-size narrow boat (72'), it is not usually possible to turn a boat in the canal. Winding holes are typically indentations in the off-side (non-towpath side) of the canal, allowing sufficient space to turn the boat.
A winding hole consists of a "notch" in the canal bank. A turning boat inserts its bow into the notch and swings the stern round. In the days of horse-drawn boats, this was accomplished using bargepoles.[5] [6] [7]