In this greatly admired work by John Seymour, first published in 1966, the celebrated advocate of self-sufficiency and of man's living as close as possible to nature describes a journey of four months spent on a British waterways hire cruiser - the 'Water Willow' - in which he and his family travelled the water roads of England, from Nottingham to Llangollen and then back by a devious route across the Midlands to the Wash. With a keen eye, a vivid pen and just about the right number of prejudices about canals and their management, Seymour delves into engineering history, offers fascinating descriptions of the people and the boats he met en route (and the public houses he patronized), and offers a still dependable guide for those who dream of exploring England's relatively un-crowded and colourful canal system.

In this greatly admired work by John Seymour, first published in 1966, the celebrated advocate of self-sufficiency and of man's living as close as possible to nature describes a journey of four months spent on a British waterways hire cruiser - the 'Water Willow' - in which he and his family travelled the water roads of England, from Nottingham to Llangollen and then back by a devious route across the Midlands to the Wash. With a keen eye, a vivid pen and just about the right number of prejudices about canals and their management, Seymour delves into engineering history, offers fascinating descriptions of the people and the boats he met en route (and the public houses he patronized), and offers a still dependable guide for those who dream of exploring England's relatively un-crowded and colourful canal system.

In this greatly admired work by John Seymour, first published in 1966, the celebrated advocate of self-sufficiency and of man's living as close as possible to nature describes a journey of four months spent on a British waterways hire cruiser - the 'Water Willow' - in which he and his family travelled the water roads of England, from Nottingham to Llangollen and then back by a devious route across the Midlands to the Wash. With a keen eye, a vivid pen and just about the right number of prejudices about canals and their management, Seymour delves into engineering history, offers fascinating descriptions of the people and the boats he met en route (and the public houses he patronized), and offers a still dependable guide for those who dream of exploring England's relatively un-crowded and colourful canal system.