Aynho Weir Lock

This is Aynho Weir Lock on the Southern Oxford Canal, south of Banbury. The lock is a curious shape, with narrow gates at each end, but with a chamber that widens out to around 20 feet, making it awkward for solo boaters with shorter boats, especially as there are no bollards to tie onto (or, at least, there weren't when the photo was taken).
The lock only has a fall of around 1 foot, but it feeds the 12 foot deep Somerton Lock, 3 miles downstream. So, the unusual shape is to allow extra water to be sent downstream each time the lock is used.The River Cherwell crosses the canal on a level just above Aynho Weir Lock, sometimes creating interesting currents.
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Harecastle

Another view of the southern portal of Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Staffordshire.

In the background on the left you can see the portal to Brindley's original 1777 tunnel, which is no longer navigable.

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Tyrley Locks

Just a mile south of the bridge at Market Drayton is the flight of five locks at Tyrley. The strikingly red soil of the cutting indicates red sandstone underlying the area.
Tyrley Castle once stood on a site between here and Market Drayton, now occupied by Tyrley Castle Farm. Above the locks is Tyrley Wharf with its collection of 1840s red brick buildings.
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Consall Forge

Consall Forge is a surprisingly remote place on the Caldon Canal in Staffordshire. It is many miles from the nearest road, by means of a narrow track. It does, however, have a station on the North Staffordshire Railway (Churnet Valley Railway).

The Black Lion Inn, seem behind the railway, is a must for boaters stopping here overnight on their way to Froghall.

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Netherton Tunnel

The southern end of Netherton Tunnel near Dudley. This view is approaching the tunnel from nearby Windmill End. The tunnel is 2768 metres long (1.72 miles). It was opened in 1858, is wide enough for two narrowboats to pass and has towpaths down both sides so that two-way traffic could operate back in the days when boats were horse drawn.

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Garston Lock

Garston Lock, on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Theale, is another example of a Kennet turf-sided lock, although it was modified during restoration to improve safety.

The lock was built in the 1720s. A number of the locks on the Kennet navigation were originally of this sloping-sided design, since water consumption was less of a problem on a river than on a canal. Only two remain. (See also Monkey Marsh Lock.)

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Cropredy

Another view of picturesque Cropredy on the South Oxford Canal, this time from below the bridge and lock.

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Middlewich

Middlewich is a busy location on the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Middlewich Branch from the Shropshire Union Canal arrives in the town from the west, so a visit to Middlewich forms part of many people's routes. There are two hire boat bases here and the town is a popular stop for boaters.

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Bath

Just above the Widcombe flight of locks in Bath, the Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the middle of the Sydney Gardens. The gardens were Bath's first "park" and were visited frequently by Jane Austen.

They were created in 1795 and 15 years later, in 1810, the canal was constructed through the middle. Later still, in 1840, the Great Western Railway carved a parallel cutting through the gardens.

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Froncysyllte

Froncysyllte is on the Llangollen Canal just on the south side of the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The canal passes through the edge of Froncysyllte village.

In the distance can be seen the lift bridge and footbridge just before the bend that takes the canal round to the aqueduct.

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Trent Lock

The River Trent at Trent Lock is a peaceful location on a sunny day, although the area can become exciting when the river is in flood.

This spot is a complicated waterway junction, with the River Trent leading upstream to the right towards Sawley and the Trent and Mersey Canal and ahead towards the weir marked by the red barrels. To the right of the weir, the white sign marks the entrance to the River Soar, leading to Leicester and the Grand Union Canal. To the left, in the foreground, the weir is bypassed by the Cranfleet Cut leading downstream towards Nottingham. Out of sight to the left is Trent Lock, which lets boats access the Erewash Canal.

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Heartbreak Hill

Lock 65 seen from Lock 66 of the Trent and Mersey Canal just east of Wheelock in Cheshire. These locks form part of the lock flight known as "Heartbreak Hill".

Lock 66 is the bottom lock (or rather, pair of locks) of the flight. The "Heartbreak Hill" locks were doubled to relieve congestion on the canal, although some of the duplicate locks are no longer used and a few are filled in.

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Chester

The Dee Locks Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal at Chester provides a link between the canal system and the tidal River Dee. The sea lock is operated by British Waterways staff by prior booking.

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Watford

There are 7 locks at Watford on the Grand Union Canal's Leicester Branch, 4 of which form a staircase. These locks, not far from the bustling Watford Gap service area on the M1 motorway, create a substantial bottleneck on this busy canal link, and it is not unknown for boats to queue for more than an hour.
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Avoncliffe

Avoncliffe Aqueduct carries the Kennet and Avon Canal across the River Avon one and a half miles west of Bradford-on-Avon. Just behind the camera, the canal narrows again to cross the railway.

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Blisworth

Less than half a mile from yesterday's busy scene at Stoke Bruerne, the Grand Union Canal disappears through the wooded hillside into Blisworth Tunnel. At 2794 metres long, it is the 7th longest canal tunnel built in the UK and the 3rd longest currently navigable.

There are stories of boaters seeing another tunnel that is lit up, branching off in the middle of Blisworth Tunnel. What is spooky is that these sightings seem to be at a point where the present tunnel crossed the original line, which collapsed with the loss of 14 lives. The original route had to be abandoned because of the unstable ground.

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Stoke Bruerne

There is always a busy canalside scene at Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire. The Canal Museum and a cluster of pubs at the top of the flight of 7 locks makes the village a popular destination for visitors and a popular overnight mooring for boaters.

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Cropredy

Cropredy Lock, in the picturesque village of Cropredy, on the Southern Oxford Canal about 4 miles north of Banbury.

The village (pronounced "Croperdy") is famous for its annual folk and rock music festival, Fairport's Cropredy Convention, which attracts around 20,000 people each year, including a good number of boaters.

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Birmingham

The top lock of the Farmers Bridge flight on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal in Birmingham City Centre.
The canal here reaches the Birmingham Level of the BCN. In the background is the National Indoor Arena.
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Widcombe, Bath

A longish pound between locks on the Widcombe flight on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath.

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