Autumn on the water

Last year, I spent four months travelling the inland waterways, discovering a backdoor to an England I'd thought no longer existed.

Pottering at three miles per hour through more than 600 lock gates turned me into an narrowboating evangelical - no hold-ups or queues. Sailing the first modern national navigation network, I rediscovered the joy of travel.

But how easy is it for beginners? Your hire-boat operator shows you the ropes, takes you through the first lock, and then you're on your own. But with gorgeous waterside pubs, glorious walks and pretty villages doing their best to delay you, you'll probably cover no more than 12-16 miles a day - but who's counting? You'll return to work more refreshed than if you'd spent a week in the Caribbean.

Here are ten plums on the English inland waterway network: five one-week itineraries and five for a long weekend to spare.

You return the same way to your base unless otherwise stated. Weekend routes often require a Friday afternoon start and can be undertaken as short breaks in the week (most hire operators charge the same for a three-day weekend as for four midweek days).

All prices are for a narrowboat, with a minimum of four berths, taken out in October.

Kennet & Avon Canal

One of the most beautiful and popular routes on the network.

One Week: Bristol to Crofton via Bath and Wiltshire villages. See John Rennie's classical Avoncliff aqueduct (built 1804), the steep 16-lock Caen Hill flight and the Bruce Tunnel.

Weekend: From Bristol to Bath via the mellow stone waterfront homes of Cleveland.

Operator: Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays (0117 924 1200; www. anglowelsh.co.uk) from £515 per week or £335 for a long weekend.

Leeds and Liverpool canal

The most dramatic, diverse and longest English canal.

One week Silsden to Blackburn via the Yorkshire Dales. Highlights are the medieval market town of Skipton and the Burnley Mile (which carries the canal 60ft above the historic industrial town).

Weekend: From Silsden heading east to Saltaire. Highlights include the model 'worker's village' built by Sir Titus Salt in 1850, now housing the world's largest collection of works by local boy David Hockney.

Operator: Silsden Boats (01535 653675; www.silsdenboats.co.uk). From £530 for a week in October or £340 for a long weekend.

The Oxford Canal

A popular waterway offering panoramic views over Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.

One week From Lower Heyford north to Braunston - the 'Capital of the Canals'. Highlights include Rousham House and Gardens, and the Bygones Museum at Claydon.

Weekend: Cruise from Lower Heyford into the centre of Oxford with a memorable loop on the Thames.

Operator: Oxfordshire Narrowboats (01869 340348; www.oxfordshirenarrowboats.co.uk). From £476 per week or £410 for a long weekend.

Caldon Canal/Trent & Mersey Canal

THhe Caldon is an unsung rural gem, while the Trent and Mersey has many engineering marvels.

One week: Explore the Froghall Basin branch and the ridge-clinging Leek branch of the Caldon. A highlight is the two working waterwheels at Cheddleton Flint Mill.

Weekend: Trent and Mersey Canal. Head north from Stoke-on-Trent's Festival Park Marina through the 2,926-yard Harecastle Tunnel to Hall Green Lock on the Macclesfield Canal and over Red Bull Aqueduct.

OperatorBlack Prince Holidays (01527 575115; www.black-prince.com). One week from £570; long weekend from £342.

The South-East

Broxbourne is far enough away from London to escape. One week: The River Lee and the London Ring. Cruise south from Broxbourne past the Royal Gunpowder Mills to Limehouse Basin and on to the Thames. Join the Grand Union Canal at Brentford, through Little Venice and Camden, before rejoining the River Lee.

Weekend: River Lee to Hertford. Travel north on the Lee through pretty countryside dotted with pubs. For more locks, slip up the Stort to Bishops Stortford.

Operator: Lee Valley Boat Centre (01992 462085; www. leevalleyboats.co.uk). One week from £521 or long weekend from £411.

For more information, call British Waterways on 01923 201120 or visit www.britishwaterways. co.uk.

For cruising fleet options, call Waterways Holidays UK on 0870 747 2934 or visit www.WaterwayHolidays UK.com. Drifters (www.drifters.co. uk or 08457 626252) is a consortium of boat operators with a late-booking service (Latelink 01905 610550).

For advice on Thames sailing, contact the Environment Agency on 01189 535000.

Find out more: For region-by-region guides to undiscovered Britain, go to Destinations at www.thisistravel.co.uk.

Paul Gogarty is the author of Water Road - A Narrowboat Odyssey Through England (Robson Books £17.95).