Locks and Quays

Matthew Corbett takes a coast-to-coast journey from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. After a detour to a Cheshire boat painter, the journey begins along the Humber and into the port town of Goole, where the Aire & Calder Navigation takes him into the heart of Yorkshire.

Matthew Corbett discovers how the Aire & Calder Navigation survived the railway revolution and how water power continues to drive an ancient mill. Plus, a look at why Wakefield was once the region's `pantry', how Leeds city centre has continually embraced its waterside existence and how one part of Ellesmere Port offers boaters a chance to relive the past.

Matthew Corbett spends his first day on the historic Leeds and Liverpool Canal as he continues to explore northern waterways. Having seen how a Cheshire charity is benefiting from the Bridgewater Canal, he stops off at Kirkstall Abbey and Saltaire before retracing the steps of a well-known relative.

Matthew Corbett spends his second day on the historic Leeds and Liverpool Canal. He stops off at Bingley's famous staircase locks, looks at canal crafts made by a Cheshire-based society and ends with a poignant recollection near Skipton.

Matthew Corbett reaches the half way point of his journey visiting Skipton Castle and a strange construction near the county border. And before he swaps the white rose for the red, he finds out why Worsley's water is orange and how a piece of old carpet can protect a canal boat from wear and tear.

Matthew Corbett spends a day with the Humber Lifeboat crew, delves into the murky world of the police underwater search team and hears a curious tale of a cow swimming a mile through a tunnel to reach a pub.

Matthew Corbett hears about Blackburn's pivotal role in the packet boat routes that proved so popular along the Leeds and Liverpool canal. He then travels towards Hoghton Tower through the town's lock flight. Plus, competitors trying to conquer Cheshire's 97-mile ring race in less than 24 hours, and an attempt to entice barn owls back to the Aire and Calder Navigation Canal.

Matthew Corbett is on the Leeds and Liverpool canal and discovers how two prominent landmarks in Chorley relied on the waterway a century ago. He then heads to Wigan's flight of locks and reminisces with two women who had a huge impact on the waterways during war-time.

Matthew Corbett visits west Lancashire's canal-side communities at Appley Bridge, Parbold, Rufford and Burscough, and learns about life in a boating family. Plus, a trip to the Stanley Ferry workshop where lock gates are made using age-old skills.

Matthew Corbett completes his coast-to-coast journey by arriving in Liverpool and crossing the Mersey on a ferry, and exploring the 2008 Capital of Culture's new canal link. He also talks about the Sobriety Project in Goole, a charity that has changed the lives of so many people on the east coast.