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A HIGH-speed train flashed across the bridge in front of us and in the distance cars and lorries hurried along a motorway But on our narrowboat journey we had no such urgency. While we waited for the lock to fill with water we just watched that other world go by.
We were in deepest Northamptonshire on the Grand Union Canal. The countryside was coming to life now that spring had finally arrived and we really were a world away from the mad rush of the 21st century.
A holiday afloat on the UK's inland waterways network will take you to places you may never have heard about or even thought of visiting before. And it is so relaxing - for the whole family!
Our weekend break saw five of us stepping on to our fully equipped boat on the Friday afternoon at Viking Afloat's boatyard at Rugby in Warwickshire.
And after being shown how everything on board worked as well as instructions on how to drive and steer the narrowboat (and it really is very easy), we were off, leaving Rugby behind and heading in a southerly direction into rolling countryside with wide horizons.
Most of us live within a few miles of a river, lake or canal and they are great places to explore; whether you are cruising on a boat, walking or cycling along a towpath or perhaps angling, studying wildlife, or just sitting peacefully on the bank whiling away a lazy summer's afternoon.
More and more people are taking a holiday afloat and to find out where you can go and how to book, contact Drifters.
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This is a consortium of the best independent fleets operating on our canals and rivers. It works in conjunction with British Waterways - the organisation that looks after many of these waterways.
Britain's canal network was largely created in the 18th century to transport goods to and from the newly emerging industrial centres. Agricultural produce was also transported, but the canals' heyday was short lived as the railways followed soon after.
Although many canals fell into disuse, a remarkable restoration programme over the last few decades has brought miles of waterways back to life. Today, their principal use is for leisure pursuits.
But it's not just the waterway itself that can be explored. You don't hurry things when you are on a boating holiday There is plenty of time to tie up the boat, leave the towpath and go and explore.
As well as good pubs and restaurants that you are bound to find along your route, why not stop off and explore a village or a town?
On our short break we reached Braunston before nightfall on the Friday. It's where the Oxford and the Grand Union Canals meet. Before we set off the next morning we took a stroll up to the quaint village on the hill above the canal. Looking back down there is a splendid view of one of the largest marinas you'll see on our inland waterways. We were amazed at the rows and rows of privately owned boats moored there was a stretch of the canal with six locks to navigate and then the thrill of the 2042-yard Braunston Tunnel. The tunnel really does bring home the history of Britain's canals.
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There's no towpath in the tunnel, so in the early days two men had to lay down on planks that extended from their boats and had to propel their craft by walking along the brick sides .
Meanwhile, the boatman's wife and children would take their horse over the top of the hill.
Later, a steam tug was used to haul a line of boats through the tunnel.
There is just enough room for two boats to pass, but you have to drp the diesel engine down so that you edge past each other very slowly. Problems in digging the tunnel in the early 1790s means that it is not straight. There are a few nasty kinks, so even the most skilled
of boatmen is likely to nudge the sides at one point or another. Slowly the light at the end of the tunnel grew larger, or so we thought. It was, fact, another boat coming with its headlight blazing. We passed in the gloom, and then it was not long before we were back out in the daylight.
You'll find that you meet all kinds of people on boat holiday, especially while you are back through locks.
Crews coming in the other direction will tell you what's ahead and it can be great fun to share the winding gear and gate opening duties family and find out where you are each heading.
Whether you go and enjoy the canals of the Midlands as we did, or venture to waterways in Scotland, Wales, the north of England, or even the local Wey Navigations and the Thames, you'll be amazed at what you can see and learn.
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