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All canal holidays have some things in common; the fresh air, seeing the countryside from a new angle, and probably above all, the relaxing pace and sense of freedom. Most have fine scenery, interesting things to see and do, and many historic and engineering features.
Least Locks:
The Lancaster Canal (42 miles without locks),
The Ashby Canal off the Coventry Canal (no locks)
Bridgewater Canal / northern Trent & Mersey Canal (almost none!)
Peaceful:
The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Lancaster Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Scenery:
The Caldon Canal (off the Trent & Mersey),
The Llangollen Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal
The Oxford Canal,
The Kennet and Avon Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
Hustle and bustle:
The Llangollen Canal
The Grand Union Canal around London (Regents Canal) and Braunston.
The Birmingham Canal Navigations especially around Gas Street,
The Thames
The River Severn
The Avon and Stratford Canal in Stratford.
Historic Cities:
Cambridge on the River Cam
Chester on the Shropshire Union Canal
Warwick on the Grand Union Canal
Worcester on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal
Bath on the Kennet and Avon Canal
Gloucester on the River Severn.
Interesting Villages:
The Oxford Canal especially towards the South of Oxford
The Shropshire Union Canal
The Stratford on Avon Canal
The Kennet & Avon Canal
Canal Features:
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (Stourport etc)
The Worcester and Birmingham Canal (lots of locks and tunnels)
The Coventry Canal (Hawkesbury Junction)
The Trent and Mersey Canal (Anderton Lift, tunnels, Shardlow)
The Grand Union Canal (Braunston, Stoke Bruerne)
Industrial History:
The Trent & Mersey Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
The Shropshire Union (Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port)
The River Severn (National Waterways Museum at Gloucester)
The Grand Union Canal (Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum)
Pubs:
The Shropshire Union Canal
The Caldon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal
The Oxford Canal
The Grand Union Canal
The River Thames
Literary Connections:
The River Avon and Stratford on Avon Canal for 'Shakespeare Country'
The Thames for 'Three Men in a boat'
The Oxford Canal for Inspector Morse (although the real murder happened on The Trent & Mersey Canal)
