And on our latest trip, on the Worcester canal, we learned that it can take a lot of hard work to compensations far outweigh any minor inconvenience.

On this trip my wife, Julie, and I took an experienced crew, Chris and Pam and their three-year-old Isaac. We picked up the boat from the Black Prince boatyard in Stoke Prior, a few miles east of Worcester. Black Prince has the largest fleet of hire boats in Britain, and there are a number of yards around the country from which to start your trip.

The Birmingham and Worcester Canal appealed because it provides a number of routes including round trips that take in the Severn River, as well as the short trip we decided on - Worcester and back. It sounded easy... until we had a look at the canal map and realised the number of locks we would have to negotiate in just over three days. But then we needed the exercise after a long, cold, lonely winter and it is better to do that many locks when there is little chance of queueing. In March, just a couple of weeks into the season, we were likely to be the only boat on the move.

With the aid of the knowledgeable staff- about the boats and moorings for pubs and food - at Stoke Prior, we were under way by 3pm, which gave us just over two hours of cruising before we would have to tie up for the night. Just enough time to get used to handling the boat and reawakening the muscles to the demands of lock opening and closing.

We moored that first night just outside the Dunhampstead tunnel( 236 yards long) about five miles into our journey. Dunhampstead is a small village that does not even boast a shop, but it does have the FirTree Inn, a delight we we would sample on our way back.

This part of the canal system is a potted history of the waterways. Britain's largest salt works was centred in Stoke Works, while the keen sighted can spot remains of the Cadbury wharf on the second day. But as the canals became less about trade and more about tourism, long-term moorings were built and the towpaths now attract walkers and cyclists, as well as those just wanting a few moments of respite after a busy day.

The Black Prince boats are about the best designed and equipped I have been on. Everything is provided - all you need to bring are clothes, groceries and wine. All of England's canals have a plentiful supply of pubs so if you do not feel like cooking on board there are plenty of options. The finely detailed Pearson's guides show all the locks, bridges and tunnels as well as information about pubs along the towpaths. But just to be on the safe side take a copy of Camra's pub guide and you can't go wrong.

That first night we ate aboard. Being early March, the weather was not at its most clement but the heating system kept us more than snug throughout the meal and through the night. Even our thin-blooded friend Chris had little cause for concern.

The next day dawned cold but clear. Unfortunately our two crew were struck by a mystery bug and were of little help other than keeping young Isaac amused. So I was forced to be the lock labourer while Julie had to learn to steer the boat, something she had put off on our previous trips. She took to like a bargee to water. So much so that she now talks enthusiastically of us trying trips with just the two of us, a prospect she had previously refused to countenance.

Once through the tunnel there is a long run through Oddingley and Tibberton before you next encounter any locks, but at Offerton there is a series of six that take you down 42ft to the outskirts of Worcester. Along this section. you also pass under the noisy M5. By this stage you are completely attuned to the world of the canal, its slow pace, its open spaces, its hand-knitted villages and farms and you are left wondering what all the rush is about when you see the cars and lorries hurtling above you. "How pathetic," you say, until you realise that this will be you in a couple of days.

It is about this time on the journey that you start to talk about buying a boat and living on board, a romantic notion that is being taken up by more and more people all the time. Black Prince has no problem selling its retired fleet.

We started to look for a mooring on the outskirts of Worcester but nothing really appealed until we were well into the city centre in the middle of a new housing development. There was a busy bridge nearby, which led to the town, but it quickly quietened down after the afternoon rush hour.

With a fully fit crew the return journey proved much easier, and we were able to stop in Tibberton for a late lunch of honest English fare at the Speeding Plough.

It was then just a short journey to Dunhampstead for another fine mooring just short of the tunnel and a two-minute trip to the Fir Tree Inn for dinner. This inn is worth the visit, not just for the gastro-pub style food, service and wine list, but because of its gruesome history.

A previous manager stood trial in the 1830s for the Oddingley murders, one of the most notorious local crimes. He was supposed to have murdered a vicar on the orders of a local farmer. He was acquitted because of the lack of a body - found 23 years later under a barn.

Eating in such surroundings adds a little piquancy to the meal.

A general tip here: always carry a torch when you venture out at night. While villages may have street lighting, it is rare to find it on the towpath.

Throughout the trip it had either been extremely cold or raining or both, yet equipped with decent raincoats and overtrousers and working the locks to keep us warm, it turned into one of our most enjoyable trips. The lack of other traffic had a lot to do with it. We had days of being on our own, taking our time and learning new skills.

For the novice it's an ideal time to try out the canal - you can make mistakes without an audience, easily find moorings, and become used to steering boats of up to 72 feet without the fear of bumping into on-coming traffic.

And a specific tip about this section of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal: check with the boatyard about water points. For some reason, the only place to take on water was at Diglis Basin, just before you descend the final lock to the Severn. When we dropped off the boat, the manager was investigating.

Apart from that, it's a enjoyable doddle.