Why Towpaths Make Such Rewarding Weekends

Canals were built to carry cargo, not to climb hills, and that engineering legacy is a gift to anyone who fancies an easy day out. A canal has to hold its level, so the towpath beside it stays flat for mile after mile: no stiles, no steep climbs, no scrambling over a boggy summit. Most of the routes below are surfaced, waymarked, and never more than a few steps from a bench, a lock or a waterside café. Better still, you can turn back whenever you like — there is no summit to reach, so a shorter walk is still a complete one.

A few small habits make any towpath outing better:

• Wear shoes with grip. Even a good surface holds puddles after rain, and the shaded stretch under a bridge can stay damp for days.
• Keep left and listen. Cyclists ring politely, but not always early. Step to the side rather than stopping dead in the middle.
• Give anglers room. Their poles reach right across the path. Walk behind the seat, never between rod and water.
• Dogs on short leads near locks and moored boats, and don't let them drink where the water looks scummy or blue-green.
• Check local notices at the first lock for maintenance closures or a fishing match, which can fill a stretch with rods on a Sunday morning.

1. Grand Union Canal: Leighton Buzzard to Grove Lock

Roughly three miles each way and almost entirely level, this Bedfordshire stretch is one of the friendliest introductions to towpath walking you will find. Start near the town centre, where the path is wide and hard-surfaced, and head south past the moorings. The built-up edge soon gives way to water meadows, and the birdlife changes with it — moorhens, coots, the flash of a kingfisher if you are quiet and lucky.

The natural turning point is Grove Lock, where a short flight gives you a ringside seat as narrowboats work through. Benches appear at regular intervals, and there is a canalside pub a few minutes' walk from the lock if you have timed your outing to end near lunch.

2. Kennet & Avon Canal: Bradford on Avon to Avoncliff

Two gentle miles through a stone-built Wiltshire town, then out along the river valley to one of the prettiest aqueducts in the country. The towpath passes close to the old tithe barn before opening up, and the walking is flat throughout with a good firm surface for most of the way.

At Avoncliff the canal is carried over the River Avon on three arches, and the view back towards town is worth the pause. Take care here: the path narrows across the aqueduct and there is no railing on the outer edge, so hold small hands and cross one at a time. If legs are still fresh, carry on to Freshford, where the valley gets quieter still.

3. Union Canal: Edinburgh to Ratho

The Union Canal was built to follow a single contour line, which is why there are no locks at all on the Edinburgh stretch. That tells you everything about the gradient: it barely has one. The three miles out to Ratho are traffic-free and remarkably rural for a route that begins twenty minutes from a city centre.

You cross the Slateford Aqueduct early on, with the Water of Leith running below, then the Almond Aqueduct further out. The surface is generally good, though the first mile or so can be muddy after wet weather. Buses run back into town from Ratho, so this works beautifully as a one-way walk with a pub stop at the far end.

4. Llangollen Canal: Ellesmere to Frankton Junction

Shropshire's meres country, and arguably the most scenic gentle walk on this list. From Ellesmere the canal threads between lakes, with Colemere and Blake Mere sitting just beyond the towpath. The result is a stretch that feels more like a nature reserve than a navigation — reed beds, herons standing motionless in the shallows, swans escorting their cygnets along the bank.

Three miles brings you to Frankton Junction, where the canal splits and the mood changes completely. The going is flat and mostly grassy underfoot, so sturdy shoes are wise after rain. There are benches at the meres, and the birdwatching rewards a slow pace more than a fast one.

5. Leeds & Liverpool Canal: Skipton to Bradley

Three miles of North Yorkshire canal, starting beside the basin in Skipton and quickly leaving the town behind. Warehouses and wharves give way to open country, with long views towards the dales and the occasional heron fishing beside a moored narrowboat.

At Snaygill the path runs through a strip of woodland, which makes a lovely shady stretch on a warm afternoon. Turn around at Bradley, or push on a little further if the day is fine. The towpath is firm and level, but the locks near Skipton have steep steps down to the water, so keep children close at the start and finish.

Whichever route you choose, the pleasure is the same: an hour or two of easy walking, water on one side and the world gently slowing down on the other. Pack a flask, allow time for a pause, and let the canal set the pace.