Once thriving with industrial activity, canals now offer calm havens for people and wildlife alike. Step into serenity on these waterside days out
There are thought to be some 5,000 miles of navigable canals and rivers in Britain, 2,700 miles of which are connected to form a vast waterways network. In England and Wales alone, this liquid labyrinth is supported by 1,582 locks, 55 tunnels, 2,949 bridges and 280 aqueducts. Once thronging with industrial activity, these structures are now a sanctuary for many wild things; water voles build burrows in the banks and kingfishers hunt for minnows.
This union of heritage and wildlife makes canals serene places to walk beside in the summer. Here, we reveal 10 of our favourite routes, from a dizzying crossing of Wrexham’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a tour of the Falkirk Wheel in Stirlingshire to an amble along a section of the mighty Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire.
HOW TO USE OS MAPS ON YOUR DEVICE
OS Maps gives unlimited access to OS maps throughout Great Britain.
Discover hundreds of thousands of ready-made routes at your fingertips.
No signal? No problem. Download maps and routes and use them wherever you go.
Get access to the whole of Britain for only £28.99 for a year’s subscription.