british medical association news January 24, 2004

HE CHANGE of pace was remarkable. An hour earlier we had been zipping along busy A-roads — now we were cruising at 4mph along a canal, banked by trees and fields,  with cows mooing, birds singing and a 52ft boat chugging beneath us.

A trio of thirty-somethings, we were on a short break on the Langollen Canal, starting from the Black Prince Holidays base at Chirk Marina. Despite a bit of experience on the canals (OK, I was 12 at the time) we appreciated the thorough tour of our boat —The Woodpecker — and its workings, from the friendly staff. They don't send you out until you are ready, and then you go with the reassurance of 24-hour emergency call-out in the unlikely event of any problems. So, armed with knowledge about bilge, starting, steering, and, importantly, stopping and safety, we set off for what proved to be a fantastic three days.

Canals were the motorways of their day but now many of them take you out of sight, and sound, of roads and offer a different view of the countryside.The Langollen Canal is simply beautiful, offering wonderful and varied views from the rising hills as you progress west into Wales, to the undulating pastures as you head east towards Whitchurch.

ravely, I took the tiller for the first time on this trip (or perhaps my shipmates were the courageous ones) and it took me all of 20 minutes to get the hang of it. At least so I could go under rather than into the many charming bridges. We tackled a turn at Frankton Junction a little too fast and The Woodpecker 'kissed' the bank — as we named those minor collisions and scrapings — a bit too firmly. Before you wince, the boats are built to withstand bumps and so the only damage done was to the helmsman's pride. We stopped for a cup of coffee — once we'd got the side of the boat rather than the prow aligned with the bank — and watched as another boat performed the same move as badly as we had.

You can't really make a fool of yourself on a canal, where a genuinely friendly and helpful attitude prevails. We were exchanging 'hellos' with everyone, from the laid-back people who live on narrowboats (they're the ones who don't hit the bank), to the groups of young friends and the families, with ages ranging from 70 plus to little ones in lifejackets.

he break offered a series of little delights — from being pursued for bread by a brood of daring ducklings, to choosing fresh fruit pies in the market town ofEllesmere. We ate these while doing some star gazing, taking advantage of a night sky unpolluted by street lights. We walked from the canal up to Chirk Castle (a steep hill but there is a courtesy bus), to enjoy more panoramic views — and we all, at some point, enjoyed a quiet stroll in solitude along the tow path, safe in the knowledge we wouldn't be left behind.

But the highlight of this particular cruise was the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Thomas Telford's marvel in iron that carries the Langollen Canal 120ft over the Dee Valley.

Seeing is barely believing as the land drops away, leaving you floating between a narrow tow-path and — gulp — the hands-width lip of the iron trough on the other. One of our party decided this was the time to get off the top of the boat and admire the stunning view from the towpath. It was an awesome reminder of the industrial history of the canal network. 'Our'  stretch of the Langollen Canal only had two locks, but there were  lots of bridges, a lift bridge, Chirk Aqueduct and two long tunnels.

Things I was glad to have with me included a camera (though  beware of backing towards the water while framing your shot), a  wildlife book — you will get the chance to see plenty of flora and  fauna and, be assured, the ducks and swans will certainly see you.  Oh, and a torch, for getting back on the boat at night.

The world seemed absurdly fast when we had to swap the boat  for the car and head home. We'll have to book a longer stretch of sanity for this year.

Rebecca Mills takes to the tiller for a three day break on Britain's canal network with Black Prince Holidays.

An amazing river in the sky, daring ducks, countryside vistas, stoical steering and some peace and quiet.