Whether you travel the canals by boat, bicycle or simply enjoy a little towpath walking there are several impressive sights to see around the UK canal network.

Robert Aickman, co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association, compiled a list of the seven wonders of the British canals in his book ‘Know Your Waterways’. He lists them as the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the Anderton Boat Lift, the Devizes flight of 29 locks, the Standedge Tunnel, Barton Swing Aqueduct, The Bingley Five Rise flight and Burnley Embankment. These are all stunning achievements of engineering and fascinating parts of our English canal heritage; I am keen to see them all!

Actually I’ve already cruised across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales and the view is stunning. The other six wonders are definitely on my waterways bucket list of things that I must see, but I could also add three more ‘alternative’ wonders to the waterways wish list.

1) Birmingham

Perhaps this is an unlikely candidate for a romantic and peaceful cruise but it is an iconic landmark in the history of the industrial canal age. Yes I’ve been to Birminghamby train and by car but I want to see it by canal boat! Busy Birmingham is at the heart of England’s canal network and has more canals than Venice. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution Birmingham was a hub of industry and the network of canals was used to transport raw materials and goods. The city centre’s canals have since been redeveloped into an attractive place to live and socialise.

2) The Shropshire Union

In 1944 LTC Rolt published the classic book ‘Narrow Boat’, which is credited for playing a major part in the revival of the waterways as a leisure resource. He relates the journeys he made with his wife Angela, living aboard their narrowboat ‘Cressy’ and nostalgically describes the simplicity of English country life. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the densely wooded cuttings of the Shropshire Union, which was “uncommonly well supplied” with canal-side inns. The Wrekin (hill) dominates the landscape here; part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

3) The National Waterways Museum

I’ve already been to the London Canal Museum and I love it, but I’ve yet to visit the one in Cheshire. The National Waterways Museum covers a seven acre site that was once a busy canal dock at Ellesmere Port. The indoor displays are housed in charming Victorian buildings and while there are some boats inside, the majority of historical boats are outside in the canal docks. The docks were still in use in the 1950s, and today you can walk around the locks and warehouses and see the forge, stables and workers cottages. The indoor exhibitions tell the story of Britain’s canals and waterways and the Inland Waterways collection is designated as being of national and international importance.

Of course the other unofficial wonders of the British canals and rivers are the peaceful atmosphere, the beautiful scenery, the swans, ducks and geese, and messing about in boats. Then there are the hidden secrets, such as discovering old canal side pubs and timeless country villages.

So what would you put on your Waterways Bucket List? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

Image credit: Akke Monasso Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

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