Guys, where's some good places to take an boat to and why?

Yeah, Jason, that does sound like fun.  And sooooo very English.

Great photos Ruth!! What an amazing looking place!!

I love that photo Jason!! I wouldn't mind taking a boat there either!

I think it's brilliant the way the towns were planned out that way and they had the foresight to preserve the canal system.  And every photo I've seen of them is lovely and it just looks like a great way to relax.

I'm just back from a week on our (shared-ownership) narrowboat.  We travelled along the Grand Union Canal from Napton in Warwickshire to Rickmansworth which is just north of London.  Despite this being a relatively built-up area, we passed through some beautiful countryside with hedges in full blossom and ducklings everywhere

If you are new to the idea of canal holidays this is a good "gateway" site for information

http://www.canaljunction.com/ 

(the noise that plays when you log on is the sound of a traditional narrowboat engine!)

It is, you can walk, cycle or obviously go by narrow boat. A lot have been filled in, or just become derilict, but they seem to be opening quite a few back up now, they have realised people want to live by them, where they pass through cities the appartments they converted from old factories have become very expensive!

The thing about canals is they started as the motorways of the time, so nobody wanted to live by them, they were looked on as just a transport method, but now nature has claimed the banks and they are not used so much commercially they have become leisure places, and the fact they pass through some beautiful countryside makes them perfect!!

Thanks, Krissy.  The lakes here are pretty cool.

And I'm glad to see you, Kernowphile (Shirley?) and glad you had a great vacation.  Will you be posting some pics for those of us who have to live vicariously? 

And thanks to you Jason, for the history.  I'd never thought of it like that.  I'm guessing that living near canals wasn't the most desirable thing before there were clean water laws (it's the same here).  It's also the same here in that any place to live that has some unique and attractive feature, like a historical building, a waterfront or a stunning view is much pricier that just an ordinary neighborhood. 

Yeah they were just motorways, would be like living next to a motorway. 

There was an old mansion near Stafford, its gone now, but its near a place called Shugborough hall (where lord Lichfield used to live!), now this house overlooked a canal, and the lord of the manor wasn't happy about it, so they widenend it to make it look like a lake! the wide section remains, and not many people know why!!