This is Fradley Junction in Staffordshire where the Trent and Mersey and the Coventry canals join. It's part of the four counties ring, which is my favorite narrow boating ring. There's a good pub, a cafe and shop as well as a nature walk here.
The canals are great for industrial history, I love seeing all the rope marks on bridges etc and iron rope rollers still in situ in some places. There's also the Ellesmere port museum in Cheshire that's very good 😊
Some years ago I helped a friend take her narrowboat up the Cain Hill Locks flight near Devizes.
I spent most of that day running back and forth along the tow-path, fortified by the occasional mug of tea and biscuit handed to me; not only operating the paddles and gates on my side but trying to supervise a friend of hers on the opposite bank. That young lady was very keen to help, but Oh Dear, could not grasp how locks work and when not to open or close things. With two dozen locks in a row you'd think she'd have twigged it by the time we reached the summit, but I don't she had!
@ArishMell wow, the most I've done is the Hatton locks which is 21, I have supervised lots of hire boats doing it for the first time and some get very confused lol.
@PatientlyWaiting25 I've actually have very little experience on any sort of watercraft, inland or (as I've always lived on the coast) sea-borne, but I am interested in old machinery, industrial archeology and preservation.
