The system is serve yourself where you have to operate the locks by putting someone ashore who opens the valves (gates) to lower or raise the water to the correct level as well as open and close the lock doors (paddles). This can be a bit onerous if only one person is working the lock, but there is a spirit of comraderie amongst boaters and people help each other out.
The wide canal is designed such that two narrow boats can lock through at a time, but our wide beam barge had to take the lock by itself. Some people, however, seemed to think our barge was narrower than it was!
People who travel and live on narrow boats are a unique lot, and this is reflected in how they decorate and name their boats.
For me, the best part of the trip was passing through the tranquil countryside with plentiful signs of nature and wildlife sharing the canal with boaters.
The English weather seemed to change every five minutes, but every once in a while it paid dividends.
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