An estimated 15,000 people live on board boats in the UK and at any one time thousands more are interested in doing so. The aim of this beautifully illustrated guide is to help people live the dream and not the nightmare, providing a useful step by step introduction to the basics of making a life afloat. Fully updated this new edition of A Beginners' Guide to Living on the Waterways covers different types of liveaboard craft suitable for canals, rivers and estuaries, and the good and bad points of the different options. It goes on to discuss practicalities such as moorings, engines (including basic maintenance and fault finding), heating and cooking, sanitation, furnishing a boat, survival tips and finances. This is a must-have guide for all those considering the alternative way of living that a boat offers, as well as those who are already there!

Travelling fairs hold a special place in English history and traditions. Once or twice a year local towns and villages are overwhelmed with a cacophony of sounds, sights and smells, bringing magic and excitement into peoples' lives before, all too quickly, moving on. The transient nature of travelling fairs is part of their magic, and an integral part of that magic is the transport that carries the people and the rides. More than just vehicles however, fairground transport is often an integral part of the show, acting as homes for the showmen, a way of generating power and even converting into parts of the rides themselves. In short, they are part of the way of life. This book looks at the history of the travelling fair through its transport, beginning with how it has evolved from what a performer could carry on their back and simple horse-drawn caravans, through to steam-powered traction engines and war surplus petrol and electric vehicles, finally bringing the story up to date with today's mega lorries and cranes.

Wending its way from Braunston to Salford, under Spaghetti Junction, this illustrated guide covers the northern part of the Grand Union Canal, accompanying the guide to the southern half published in 2005.

It can be said of few men that without them the course of their nation's history would have been very different, yet through the force of his ideas and sheer bloody-mindedness, James Brindley, the first great canal builder, provided the spark that ignited the Industrial Revolution, united the nation and set Britain on course to become the world's first superpower. Born into poverty and barely literate, Brindley had a vision for the country that defied both established society and the natural order, dividing mid-eighteenth-century scientific and political opinion. Crowds flocked to marvel at this new canals and the engineering feats that accompanied them, with Brindley's inventiveness earning him the nickname 'The Schemer'.

The Grand Union Canal, one of the most famous waterways in the UK, links London to Birmingham. This guide explores the southern half of the canal, and its journey from Milton Keynes, through the Home Counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and finally Middlesex before joining the Thames at Brentford in the heart of West London. Revealing much that will appeal to holidaymakers along this stretch of water, this guide also provides historical snippets and useful up-to-date information for the casual sightseer or interested local. Covering an area a mile of two either side of the towpath, it is an invaluable resource for the canal and leisure boater, day tripper, angler or walker.