Our canals are lined with exciting adventures for kids – from taking a turn at the tiller to helping with the locks or playing amid canalside nature, as well as local attractions and historic cities.
Here are our favourite canal cruises for families with young ones.
1. Fun at Foxton Locks
On the Leicester Line of the Grand Union, Foxton Locks is a must for adults and children alike. These Grade II listed staircase locks are a spectacular sight, set amid acres of natural green space for the kids to stretch their legs. As you travel up – or down – the locks, look out for herons, swans, swallows and kingfishers. And once you've finished, reward the kids with an ice cream from the Top Lock Cottage café.
You can also visit the Foxton Canal Museum, located in the Boilerhouse and run by the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, to learn about the local history.
Foxton Locks are the longest staircase flight of locks in England.
Reach Foxton on the Leicester Ring, taking a little over three weeks to complete 154 miles and 91 locks. This route takes in non-tidal river sections on the River Trent and River Soar, as well as the Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham & Fazeley and the Trent & Mersey Canals. Elsewhere on your cruise, the kids will enjoy the bustling city of Leicester and helping with all the locks along the way.
A chocolate factory, science museum, LEGO shop and aquatic adventure? Boating through Birmingham is the best canal trip your children can ask for. Moor up in the city centre with Sea Life on one side and sights of the LEGO store through the other porthole. A short walk into the city centre will take you to ThinkTank – an interactive science museum with plenty for all the family.
Birmingham's industrial past has been transformed into a water-side oasis at the heart of the city.
Continue your cruise through the city on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, and breathe in the smell of chocolate as you approach Bourneville. You can see the Cadbury factory from the canal, where you can moor up on the visitor moorings to explore Cadbury's World or take a trip to the chocolate-y café.
The Black Country Museum is another great destination for kids. Follow the New Main Line north out of Birmingham towards Dudley and moor up on the visitor moorings on the Dudley Tunnel Branch of the Old Main Line, where you can also take a trip through Dudley Tunnel – the only tunnel where boaters must still 'leg it' through because no engines are allowed.
If you're looking for thrills, take the Birmingham & Fazeley from Gas Street Basin in the heart of Birmingham to the green and peaceful Midlands countryside. Here, you'll find Drayton Manor – a small theme park with rides for every generation.
This 15-mile canal has 38 locks, including the dramatically floodlit archways, undercrofts and claustrophobic tunnels of the Farmers Bridge Flight.
Taking you out of the city, Farmers Bridge Lock Flight goes under the iconic Spaghetti Junction.
Once past Drayton Manor, turn right at Fazeley Junction to take the Coventry Canal over the Tame Aqueduct to Polesworth, where the kids can explore Pooley Nature Reserve. With vast green space, a children's play area and a packed events calendar, the reserve is the perfect place for everyone to stretch their legs.
4. Warwick Castle and the heights of Hatton
With origins dating back to 914, the structure we know today was constructed in the 12th century.
A short walk from the Grand Union, Warwick Castle is a 900-year-old structure that brings to life centuries of battles, gruesome tales and magical myths. Explore the dungeon's grizzly history before catching a battle re-enactment and watching the birds of prey take flight.
You can reach Warwick Castle on a two-week cruise around the Warwickshire Ring. The ring also takes in the Hatton Flight, where you can challenge the kids to help you through all 21 double locks with the promise of ice cream at the top. About three-quarters of the way, there's an old British Waterways workboat on the bank and a small play area to explore.
5. Marvel at Victorian engineering
To cruise along the 'Stream in the Sky' will offer views like no other – and a memorable experience for the whole family.
Taking the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee valley in North Wales, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is 38 metres high and 307 metres long. The kids will love the Trevor Basin Visitor's Centre with hands-on models and the exciting history of how the aqueduct came to life.
Pontcysyllte has been named as the most captivating UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world.
The Llangollen branches off the Shropshire Union Canal at Hurleston. Turn left to head towards Chester, where you can relive the lives of the Roman Centurions on the city's walls, explore the ancient castle and meet your favourite animals at the zoo.
Alternatively, take the Middlewich Branch up to the Trent & Mersey and journey towards Anderton Boat Lift. This Cathedral of the Canals is another impressive sight to behold as it transfers boats and barges between the River Weaver and the Trent & Mersey.
Few things are as exciting as mooring up in the centre of England's capital city, where your kids can explore an unimaginable array of museums, parks and other attractions. The Regent's Canal stretches from the colourful collection of narrowboats at Little Venice, through Regent's Park, where it is overlooked by London Zoo's vast aviary, and to the quirky shops of Camden Town.
Little Venice is thought to have been so-named by the poet Robert Browning.
The Regent's Canal joins the River Thames at Limehouse Basin, where you can make your journey longer on the Thames Ring. Travel past the Royal Botanical Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, the playing fields of Eton, Henley and plenty of other famous sights before joining the Oxford Canal at Isis Lock. Remember that the Thames has fickle currents and tides so check tide and lock times first.
The Thames Ring takes you up to Banbury and the lower reaches of the Midlands before looping back to London on the Grand Union.
Far away from the busy stretches of the London waterways and Birmingham canal network, you'll find a small, unassuming and very pretty canal in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Quiet though the Caldon Canal might be, but it's got plenty of excitement for all the family.
You can join the Caldon from the Trent & Mersey at Etruria. It's a quiet and rural stretch with stunning views and picturesque villages along the way. At Hazelhurst, the canal branches in two. The right canal (the Leek Branch) will take you through the unusually low Froghall Tunnel to the historic market town of Leek.
Froghall Tunnel is very small, with maximum dimensions of 5ft by 5ft.
The left canal travels under the Leek Branch through the tranquil Churnet Valley to Consall Forge. Look out for the steam train that follows the canal – and if there are any train spotters in the family, book yourself a ticket aboard.
The real excitement, however, sits a short drive from the canal. Alton Towers is a fun-packed resort with plenty for all ages.
As you head back through Stoke, stop to admire the old potteries and learn the history of how they used the canal to move their fragile wares from one part of the factory to another.
