Allens Lock on the Oxford Canal is next to Bridge 204 at Upper Heyford

A handful of photographs taken at Kintbury Wharf in Wiltshire, where the Kennet & Avon Canal passes alongside the Reading to Westbury railway line at the Dundas Arms

The Grand Union Canal passes through the village of Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire, just off the A5 south of Towcester - Stoke Bruerne is home to The National Waterways Museum, there is a flight of seven locks, stone cottages and the nearby Blisworth Tunnel, and two canalside pubs

Braunston Marina, on the Grand Union Canal near its junction with the Oxford Canal, just north of Daventry in Northamptonshire, provides mooring facilities for 250 boats. Having enjoyed the Discovery TV series "Narrow Boat Afloat", which followed the journeys of the historic boat "Dover", I was amazed that the first boat I came across at Braunston was "Dover", for sale and reduced in price from £125,000 to £98,000!

The Anderton Boat Lift is an incredible edifice, perched on the banks of the River Weaver outside Northwich, Cheshire. It was built by Edwin Clark in 1875 to lift cargo boats the 50 feet from the River Weaver to the Trent & Mersey Canal. The concept is simple - two huge water tanks, known as caissons, each with watertight sealable doors, carry boats up and down. The original counterbalanced system was replaced in 1908 by electric operation, but the lift now works hydraulically again, following major restoration completed in 2002

A sunny Good Friday at Trevor Basin on the Llangollen Canal - site of the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, built by Thomas Telford around the end of the 18th century and crosses the valley with the River Dee beneath - oddly, it is the Dee which feeds the canal

A return visit to Foxton Locks, on the Grand Union Canal in South Leicestershire - just a mere quarter of a century since the last one! Some pleasant winter sun brought out the visitors in large numbers to enjoy the Foxton Staircase of ten locks. [I have moved the b&w scans from April 1982 into this collection for comparison]

Heading for Hatton North Junction, I took some shots of this peaceful scene on the Grand Union Canal

An overnight stay prior to the lunchtime kick-off at Anfield (Reds v Mancs) was at the Holiday Inn at Ellesmere Port, overlooking The Boat Museum - well worth a visit if you're in the area

A couple of views of the peaceful scene along the canal towpath at Willington, Derbyshire, as I headed for the railway at North Staffs Junction

I hadn't realised how easy access was to this spot where the Coventry Canal passes under Cash's Lane, at the site of the J & J Cash factory, world famous for their woven silk pictures. The factory has been converted into residential accommodation, yet retains its former glory overlooking the canal

A selection of views of the Oxford, Coventry and Ashby Canals, all taken within a small radius around Coventry

The Grand Union at Hatton, near Warwick, is one of the most photographed places in the Midlands, with its flight of 21 locks - here are a selection of photos taken over the Bank Holiday weekend

Alongside the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire is the Caldon Canal, and here's a sample of the scenery to be enjoyed (for images of the railway, see my "Rail Photos" gallery)

Heading for our North Wales hotel, we stopped at Trevor Wharf on the Llangollen Canal, where we enjoyed the views of the mighty Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and on our return journey, we took a short horse-drawn canal trip in Llangollen

Much restoration and regeneration work has taken place in the old Coventry Canal Casin, and although there are a number of offices there, the retail side does not appear to have taken off, which is a pity since, although it's small in area, it does have some charm about it - perhaps its location just outside the busy Ring Road has something to do with it