The English canals started out as the motorways of England throughout the Nineteenth century. At that time, using the canals was the most efficient way to transport goods from town to town using canal boats, sometimes known as narrow boats.
These boats would be towed throughout the canal system by a trusty horse or pony, navigating tunnels and a mass of locks that allowed the canals to go uphill and downhill. The engineering at the time was out of this world with lifts and aqueducts that still work today.
But as we came into the Twentieth century, first trains and then road haulage gradually wore the canal boats down. They could not keep up with the pace or flexibility of modern transport and by the 1960s, working the canals had just about disappeared.
What followed then was a lull, where many canals, locks and tunnel fell into disrepair and often disappeared altogether. However during the late 1970s and early 1980s a new use was beginning for these unused inland waterways and that was tourism.
Canal boat rental started to appear, and more and more people started to get access to the beauty and history of the canal network. As more people started holidaying this way, more money then became available to repair and improve many of the main canals, to the extent that some canals that I believe represent some of the most wonderful places in England.
Canal boats are no longer a 70-foot hull consisting of a metal cabin and a tarpaulin over the rest. They now have all the modem amenities you would get in your home like Flat screen TVs, Washing machines, central heating, several bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets, oven microwaves and much more. In fact the only thing you are limited to is space. The reality is that more and more people are choosing to live on narrow boats now because of the lifestyle and cost of living without losing many creature comforts.
There are many canals to cruise along but never more than 4mph and you can even go from London to Leeds, even though it will appear to be the long way round.
Of course the canal network is not totally finished and there are still groups up and down the country working hard to restore some more of the English heritage and when these are finished will give even greater choice to destination and route.
In the summer months just take a stroll down to your local canal and there you will see the interest and passion there is to the canal network. You will see many choosing to spend their hard earned money on renting a narrow boat that for one week or two will become their holiday home on water. They will get to see countryside that you can only see on a boat and the healthy living of operating the locks and driving your holiday home. I have been doing this for some time now and I love it. For me the best holiday in the UK
Mark is webmaster for Home Contents Insurance and Churchill Road Rescue Service and ICS Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Flanighan
