A barge trip on Kennet and Avon canal offers a true experience of English nature at its finest.  The UK canals are beautiful. Although no longer pulled by horses as in olden times there is something romantically old fashioned about a barge trip, and unsurprisingly, UK canal holidays are growing in popularity. We hired a barge and set off from Bradford-on-Avon, in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside and puttered along at a leisurely 2 miles an hour to historic Bath in Somerset. A barge isn’t the easiest of vehicles to drive, and negotiating swing bridges and locks can be challenging, so be aware of what you are taking on. But nothing beats sitting outside enjoying the beautiful countryside, nature and waving civilly to other barge users. Mooring up every evening, enjoying the sunset with a glass of wine, watching the still water in the moonlight, it’s a unique experience and in this day and age feels refreshingly simplistic. Without the glamour of a super-yacht, the inside of our particular barge was still perfectly comfortable, with a loo, shower and adequate cooking facilities. Sleeping with the gentle loll of the water was strangely comforting, apart from the odd worry about the knots tied for mooring coming loose – thankfully they didn’t. Also, it helps to be handy with a pole, known as a ‘pike pole’ for pushing off from the bank and avoiding crashes with other vessels. We learnt this the hard way, but I would go again in a heartbeat.