While the hub of the system is Birmingham, most canals are in the rural coutryside, linking picturesque towns and villages through farmlands and lake country. At night you can tie up at a town, beside a pub or simply along the bank, in the countryside. Most people try to pace their travel so that they are moving only four to six hours a day, to allow lots of time for exploring. You or the boatyard stock the boat with groceries and other essentials. As you travel there are many stores along the canal or in the small towns.
Some people eat their main meal of the day ashore, often in one of the many canal-side pubs.
Using the 4 to 6 hours cruising per day as a guide, we end up travelling some 16 to 24 lock-miles per day. Of course, life is a bit more complicated than this. Some experienced canallers enjoy covering as much ground as possible, others spend more and more time enjoying the canal-side people and the pubs. Some people seem to be aghast at the thought of having to do a 'there and back' cruise. Such a journey also has the advantage that you don't have to make initial estimates of how far you will travel - you simply turn round half way through your hire period.