Being able to closely commune with nature is one of the treats in store when cruising the canals. Slipping through the waters at a sedately 3 mph intentionally keeps the boat wake low so as not to disturb the banks. Similarly, your fleeting wildlife neighbours carry on as if you’re not there. The reward being a closer look than you’ll get with most other encounters. Here a nesting swan sits on its nest in the reedy shallows of the Trent and Mersey canal, undisturbed.