There are few greater joys in life than to find yourself on the sun-warmed banks of a river in mid-May.

At this bountiful time of year, between the fervour of spring and idle days of summer, the water’s margins billow with great masses of buttery meadowsweet and bedstraw.

Butterflies take to the wing, herons stalk, and all the while the river gently glugs. Our canals and lakes deliver a similar sense of peace.

This booklet is a celebration of our waterways and the creatures that live among them – 10 magical walks, from the shores of Loch Oich in Scotland to the quiet towpaths of the Mon and Brec Canal in Wales and England’s iconic River Thames.

Each of these walks is best experienced slowly, so take your time, breathe it all in, and feel the force of nature lift your soul.

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Daniel Graham is section editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine