Meet the keepers of the UK's locks

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK is blessed with more than 4,700 miles of navigable canals. Developed in the late 18th century as the country's first industrial superhighways, they make up a network that is sometimes referred to by boaters as "the biggest village street in the country". Each stretch boasts its own charm and character. In London, Little Venice's towpath is teeming with wine bars and eclectically decorated houseboats; Wales's Monmouthshire and Brecon canal offers a lush idyll with sweeping waterside trees; and at Castle Lock on the Nottingham and Beeston canal there were recent sightings of otters (once close to extinction in UK waters). Almost half of these waterways are maintained by the Canal & River Trust, a charity founded in 2012 to take over guardianship from the government. Its responsibilities range from overseeing infrastructure (locks, bridges, towpaths) to preservation (the trust tends to more than 2,700 listed structures, including a World Heritage Site), supporting wildlife and regulating water levels to prevent flooding and manage droughts. Its latest project, the Grand Union Canal Transfer, is set to deliver 115mn litres of recycled water daily from the West Midlands to England's water-stressed South East by 2033. While the impact might not be immediately obvious, the work is extensive - and costly. Each year the Trust spends some £200mn on charitable activity, including maintenance. "London alone has more than 100km of canals and towpaths," says Campbell Robb, who was appointed chief executive of the Trust last year with a view to tackling three of the network's biggest challenges: ageing infrastructure, social engagement and climate change. The latter is exacerbating the need for repairs at a dangerous rate. When the UK was hit by a flurry of storms in 2024, the damage cost upwards of £10mn to fix. Most of the Trust's income is self-generated, with around a fifth coming from government grants. But a huge amount of help comes from volunteers, of which there are more than 8,000 across the UK. "The support allows us to focus more effort on community engagement, regeneration, and nature and biodiversity work," says Robb. Duties include litter-picking, operating bridges and tending to surrounding vegetation. To date, 2,500 tonnes of invasive weed have been removed from along the canals, while an ongoing project has created a 50-mile-long community orchard of peach, persimmon and rare Tettenhall Dick pear trees from Wolverhampton to Worcester. But volunteering offers a chance to make a direct contribution on the ground. "It's given me a real sense of purpose," says Monica Notarmarco, 63, who signed up to volunteer on the Towpath Taskforce along the Oxford Canal following her retirement three years ago. The Taskforce's work is intensive, ranging from installing mooring posts to repairing holes, but Notarmarco says she has "met lots of new people, learned lots of new skills - and the best thing is being outdoors in nature". Likewise for Stephen Bileckyj, 62, a volunteer lock keeper near Brentford: "It brings peace to be by the water - the lock is also a crossing point for so many people and they always stop to have a chat," he says. For others, the network is simply a means of getting around. "There are millions of people who use our canals but there are also millions who don't realise the benefits they can have," says Robb. You can walk from London to Leeds on the towpath if you want to. A more manageable expedition might be going from Golborne Road to a picnic on Primrose Hill. "Friends" of the Trust (a privilege granted by giving a monthly donation, from £5) have access to several extra perks: free entry to Trust-run museums (the National Waterways Museums at Ellesmere Port and Gloucester Docks); access to exclusive guides (part of the Cool Canals Walking Guide series); and special offers at cafés along the towpath (such as The Watersedge Coffee House at Standedge and the Diglis Island Café in Worcester). The Trust is also involved with numerous wellbeing initiatives to connect people to the outdoors, from Swim Sista Swim (a 10-week swimming programme for African Caribbean women) to "Walk with a Doctor", where local residents share concerns with GPs while strolling along the canal. "People love canals for lots of different reasons," says Robb. "Some people love the boats, some like the kingfishers, some like a quiet bench. It's endless."