I always enjoy seeing narrow boats on the Wigan Flight, especially on a warm day, when everyone stands about chatting as the lock fills. It is a long, hard day and can easily take seven or eight hours from bottom to top. The short breaks waiting on the water must be very welcome.

The Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the Wigan Flight, in particular, are an endless source of photo opportunities. Now and again, it is possible to come across a boat just entering (or leaving) a lock with all the people who are working the lock gates in shot, and to have them interacting.

I love the atmosphere of the first shot and the interactions of the second shot. The third shot is a bit of an experiment with a 20mm lens, and it probably confirms I need to practise a bit more.

Saturday afternoons after the end of the football season seem to mean young lads turn to fishing on the canal. There are no mobile phones or video games here, which is to be applauded. The patience required to fish is considerable, even if there are plenty of fish in the canal and not all are minnows. There is a legendary, giant pike which I have been told about by two different fishermen, but I don't think my arms are long enough to illustrate the size of this fish!

A red or a red and green painted narrowboat is too good against a mainly green background to convert to black and white image.

Waiting in the basin between locks punctuates the waiting in the locks, and together they make progress up or down the Wigan Flight a slow business.

21 Locks spread over about 2 miles (3.2km) with a rise/fall of about 215 feet (65m) make it one of the most impressive lock flights in the country.

The Leeds-Liverpool Canal in general and the Wigan Flight in particular are always interesting when boats are coming or going, especially through the locks.

It is a long day through the Wigan Flight, taking six or seven hours from one end to the other. Sometimes there is help with the locks, and today there was, but only for one or two locks at the top. Lashing boats together means there can be more people on the two paths working the lock gates.