An account of the adventures of Joshua Ford, a young mule driver on the old Erie Canal during the canal season of 1884.

Have you ever wondered about the people who lived and worked along the canals? Have you ever caught a glimpse of something they might have seen or an echo of something they might have heard? As the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn canal wind their way from Framilode to Inglesham, they hold the stories of all who lived and worked on them. From Jack spinning yarns as he legs barges through the Sapperton Tunnel to Elizabeth swimming for all she is worth in the Wallbridge gala, the stories in ' Tales from the Towpath' span 250 years of life on the Cotswold canals. Mixing fact and fiction, they bring the past to life and, like all the best tales, appeal to children and adults alike. These original tales by storyteller Fiona Eadie are complemented by the evocative illustrations of local artist Tracy Spiers.

A lot has changed since Towpath first rolled up its shutters 10 years ago on the Regent’s Canal in Hackney and everything but the toasted cheese sandwich was cooked from home across the bridge. And a lot hasn’t. It is still as much a social experiment as a unique and beloved eatery. What happens when seasonality means you close every year in November, because England’s cold, dark winters are simply inhospitable to hospitality from a little perch beside a shallow, manmade waterway that snakes through East London? What if you don’t offer takeaway coffees in the hopes that people will decide to stay awhile and watch the coots skittering across the water? If you don’t have a phone or a website, because you’d rather people just show up like (hungry) kids at a playground? Towpath is a collection of recipes, stories and photographs capturing the vibrant cafe’s food, community and place throughout the arc of its season – beginning just before the first breath of spring, through the dog days of summer and culminating – with fireworks! – before its painted shutters are rolled down again for winter.

Have you ever wondered about the people who lived and worked along the canals? Have you ever caught a glimpse of something they might have seen or an echo of something they might have heard? As the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn canal wind their way from Framilode to Inglesham, they hold the stories of all who lived and worked on them. From Jack spinning yarns as he legs barges through the Sapperton Tunnel to Elizabeth swimming for all she is worth in the Wallbridge gala, the stories in 'Tales from the Towpath' span 250 years of life on the Cotswold canals. Mixing fact and fiction, they bring the past to life and, like all the best tales, appeal to children and adults alike.These original tales by storyteller Fiona Eadie are complemented by the evocative illustrations of local artist Tracy Spiers.

Towpath's Tail is the story of a special pit bull puppy with a magical tail that spreads happiness wherever he goes. But when Towpath's tail is suddenly stolen by an angry young boy, his friends all abandon him, leaving the puppy to wander, sad and alone.Towpath's only hope comes from the kindness of a young stranger who helps him regain the magic, despite his stubby new tail. Soon we realize that Towpath's magic was not in his tail after all, but in his heart. Towpath's Tail makes a wonderful addition to family reading hour for children five and above, as well as humane educations programs for lessons in bullying and kindness to others. Complete with full color illustrations by Rhonda Van.

'Haywood imprints his inimitable humour on his descriptions of the people and places he meets along the way.' – BBC Countryfile magazine 'He conjures up a picture of a different world, filled with interesting and eccentric people. A cross-section of the best of middle England, in fact.' – The Oxford Times Steve Haywood has been cruising the inland waterways for fifty years, and has amassed a following of readers keen to hear about his travelling tales on Britain's beautiful canals and rivers. His previously published books – Narrowboat Dreams, One Man and a Narrowboat, Too Narrow to Swing a Cat and Narrowboat Nomads – have all been hugely enjoyed by those with a desire for a narrowboat narrative told in Steve's witty, charming style. Tales from the Tillerman is Steve's next title and is both his tribute to Britain's canals, rivers and countryside and a celebration of Britishness in all its eccentric glory. Unlike Steve's previous titles, which have each focussed on one particular journey that Steve has taken, Tales from the Tillerman is casting the net wider and drawing from his full fifty years of experience, recounting the many hair-raising escapades he's had up and down the country and reflecting on how the country and the cruising landscape has changed in those fifty years. Anecdotes and light-hearted rants aplenty, mixed with some tall tales and a smattering of the nostalgic, in Tales from the Tillerman you'll be thoroughly entertained as a middle-aged man (oh, go on then, an old one) reflects on his long love affair with boats and waterways, contemplating their importance to his life and how they've changed it.

Twisting and turning its way through great cities and towns is the eternal navigation: a network of canals that fed the industrial growth of our country. Nowadays we might consider our waterways a place to find peace and relaxation, but under that tranquil surface hides a turbulent past. Storyteller and narrowboat dweller Ian Douglas has salvaged a wealth of stories from the depths. Murder and mystery, heroes and love, devils and oatcakes are all wrapped up in this wonderful book – but beware ... you will never see the towpath in the same way again!