ACTIVITIES ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

There's no better time to take a trip on the UK's waterways The festival season on Britain's canal network gets under way with a traditionalopener, the Canalway Cavalcade, at Little Venice in London (1-3 May). The country's largest narrowboat rally has competitions for the smartest boat and the best-looking bargee in traditional costume. There's also a pageant, a parade of illuminated boats, and a handling competition, all a hop, skip and a splash from Paddington station.

The UK's inland waterway system could still be described as a holidaymaker's secret. Hire a canal boat for a few days and you'll discover Britain by the back door, drifting at a sedate four mph - five, if the devil's in you - into the heart of the country along the arteries of the Industrial Revolution, pausing only to open a lock or visit an atmospheric old pub.   After the Canalway Cavalcade, the gaily decorated boats put-put north up the Grand Union Canal to a festival at Rickmansworth (22-23 May) where the highlight of the weekend is a tug-of-war (check your insurance before entering). Then it's off to Tring for another festival (30-31 May), where boats moor up for a weekend of festivities.

GREAT BRITISH CANALS

Caledonian Canal
The most spectacular inland waterway in Britain, the Caledonian Canal stretches 60 miles along the Great Glen, from Inverness to Fort William. It is a masterpiece of engineering and connects four great lochs along the way most notably Loch Ness, where monsters surf unseen in your wake.

Llangollen Canal
Gird your loins for the most spine-tingling experience on the inland waterways. The magnificent Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a breathtaking piece of engineering, created to haul the Llangollen Canal over the beautiful Dee Valley At a dizzy-making 125ft high, navigating feels like tackling a high wire in a large wooden box - it takes a head for heights and a full drinks cupboard to get through it. If you want to experience the thrill without being in charge, excursions operate from Llangollen Wharf.

River Wey
One of the first British rivers to be made navigable, the Wey opened to barge traffic in 1653. This was swiftly followed, a mere 111 year's later, by the Godalming Navigation. You can explore the story of the work at Guildford's Dapdune Wharf visitor centre or, better yet, follow in the clog-steps of early pioneers in a hired narrow boat or a horse-drawn barge.

Trent and Mersey
The 93-mile Trent and Mersey is the greatest achievement of canal pioneer James Brindley, who joined the industrial dots through the heart of the Midland potteries (such as Wedgwood) and opened up much of rural Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire along the way.

A favourite centre to pick up a hired narrowboat is in or around Burton-Upon-Trent. Highlights of a holiday here include inching your way along the haunted 2,880-yard Harecastle Tunnel and the Anderton Boat Lift, which hoists barges over from the River Weaver.

Stratford-upon-Avon
Did you know that Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice? One of the most picturesque waterways wends its way along 25 miles to join the River Avon at Stratford. If you can't be bothered with locks or the vagaries of a narrow galley this is one of several journeys that can be made on a hotel boat, where you put your feet up and watch the world go by while somebody else does the steering. When you finally reach Shakespeare's Stratford, you'll often find resting actors giving impromptu performances at Bancroft Basin.