.. Well, not an actual canal trip, but the next best thing.

As part of their “BBC Four goes slow” season, the BBC was showing unique type of programme, best described by their press release …..

A two-hour, real-time canal boat journey down one of Britain’s most historic waterways, the Kennet and Avon Canal, from Top Lock in Bath to the Dundas Aqueduct. Using an uninterrupted single shot, the film is a rich and absorbing antidote to the frenetic pace and white noise of modern life.

Taking in the images and sounds of the British countryside, underpinned by the natural soundscape of water lapping, surrounding birdsong and the noise of the chugging engine, this is a chance to spot wildlife and glimpse life on the towpath while being lulled by the comforting rhythm of a bygone era.

Along the journey, graphics and archive stills embedded into the passing landscape deliver salient facts about the canal and its social history.

I guess this programme has significant personal interest as it was filmed on a stretch of the Kennet & Avon Canal between Bath City Centre, and close to the Wiltshire county border at Dudas, near Limpley Stoke. Stunning scenery and landscapes, and this programme was different in having no commentary, just the actual real life soundtrack. It’s also quite nice that you can recognise the progress of the journey, outward from Bath, past The George pub at Bathampton, and along the Avon Valley past Claverton.

Home Sweet Home.

I’m not sure how long the programme will be available on BBC iPlayer, but the link is here