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Win a new book about the Grand Union Canal


'A journey along the Grand Union Canal' by first-time author John Bishop has just been published by Bright Pen Books. This beautiful colour book features photographs and paintings of the Grand Union Canal and the canals and arms which intersect it.

The book is three years in the making. It started back in 2006 when retired businessman John Bishop set himself a challenge to walk every step of the towpaths of the Grand Union Canal and the canals and arms which intersect it as part of a pain management programme for a chronic back condition. Although a book was not initially in his plans, encouragement from close friends set him on the path. He has taken every photograph in the book, designed every page and included 22 paintings of different species of waterfowl all spotted during these walks. These were painted by his wife Barbara.

A labour of love

John has walked more than 750 miles on the course of his journey, which he describes as a labour of love. He says:

"I have never attempted anything like this before and it has been a steep learning curve, particularly in terms of the design of the book and how the publishing industry works. Nonetheless it has been an enjoyable project.

"It is wonderful to have a record of my walks along the Grand Union Canal and the intersecting canals. The canal network in Britain is a wonderful resource and I am delighted to share the beauty of every day life on the canals with more people."

The book is available to purchase, priced £29.99 from Authors Online and Amazon.

Win a free copy


Congratulations to Mr David Winter - competition winner

Exclusive to waterscape.com customers. Win a copy of ‘A journey along the Grand Union Canal’ by answering this simple question:

How many miles did John walk as part of his Grand Union Canal journey?

A. More than 350
B. More than 550
C. More than 750

Email your answer to editor@waterscape.com. Please put ‘A journey along the Grand Union Canal’ as the subject line and include your name and full postal address in the email.

Last updated: 05/01/2010