'A Water-Based School'

 

The canal at Hebden Bridge 

Once is never enough for a canal, I reckon;
You need to go back and see it again,
And sail it again, and smell it again, and
Touch it again; canals run through our veins
Like they stroll through this country
Like blood through our veins.

The canal tells you stories
The canal sings you songs
They hang in that space
Between memory and water

by Ian McMillan

(click here for the full poem) 

Not much pleases me more than cycling beside a canal on our tandem. Going under bridges is sometimes a bit scary, but I put all my faith in my 'captain' and he always keeps his 'stoker' safe and we haven't fallen in yet.. 

There is so much observe and learn as you travel along a tow path. As Ian McMillan says in his poem 'a canal is a lesson, a water-based school.' We are lucky here in West Yorkshire to have several canals to explore, so click here and find out more.

Writing prompts:

• If you could cycle along your local towpaths on the back of a tandem, who would you choose to be your 'captain'? Write about him, or her, and why you would choose them.
• Write about a time you have walked beside a canal. How did it make you feel? Describe the experience using all your senses. 
• Canals or rivers - which do you prefer? Write about a waterway that you love and explain why.