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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Mark Brown North of England correspondent

Thrills and spills at 4mph: the return of Canal Boat Diaries

Robbie Cumming at the helm of Naughty Lass, for Canal Boat Diaries
Robbie Cumming at the helm of Naughty Lass, for Canal Boat Diaries Photograph: BBC

It has surprise: an old pair of long johns caught in the propeller. It has tension: will the narrowboat be successfully reversed to its last turning point? It has excitement: a 40-minute descent on the steepest set of lock gates in the UK.

None of those are the mega-thrills provided by many TV shows today, but that’s the point. Who needs them? Sometimes low jeopardy is as thrilling as high.

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