Today there are more craft on our canals than even during their industrial heyday. Thanks to the pleasures of boating, our canals are vibrant and thriving once again. Yet this would have astounded the people who built them and lived hard lives to keep the boats and their cargo moving. In Barging Round Britain John Sergeant sets out both to explore eight of the best trips among our more than three thousand miles of canals and to tell the fascinating story of their origins and workings. Opening up a too-often neglected world right on our doorstep, he seeks out pleasures and sights while stopping to examine the part the canals and their extraordinary builders played in our industrial heritage - from Josiah Wedgwood's need to safely transport his fragile bone china, to engineer James Brindley's visionary solutions to complications of geology and landscape. Exploring the history of British inland navigation through eight of the most celebrated waterways - including the Caledonia, Grand Union and the Trent and Mersey Canals - travelled by John Sergeant in the ITV series Barging Round Britain, this book will delight seasoned boaters and encourage those dreaming of their first canal holiday to dip their toes in the water. It is the book for anyone with a passion for Britain and its waterways. 'There is something very British in the way we cherish the canals. It takes us back to a time when the pace of life was slower. . .'