Painted Boats appreciates the gentle rhythm of traditional canal life, whereas Ted's ambition is to get off the canals and into mainstream life at the earliest opportunity. World War II intrudes when Ted is called up for military service, leaving the future for the pair uncertain. Location filming took place on the 20-mile stretch of the Grand Union Canal between Stoke Bruerne and Braunston in Northamptonshire, including the Blisworth Tunnel – at 1.75 miles (2.82 km) in length, the third-longest canal tunnel in Britain. Insert shots feature the industrial landscape of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, the famous Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire and
Riqueval Tunnel Riqueval Tunnel The Riqueval Tunnel is a -long tunnel on the St Quentin Canal, close to the commune of Bellicourt, in the department of Aisne, France. It connects Bellicourt with Bony. It was constructed as part of the St Quentin Canal between 1801 and 1810, on the orders of Napoleon. The tunnel remains in use, and can be traversed using a chain boat. Along with the Mauvages tunnel, on the Marne–Rhine Canal, it is one of the last locations in the world where a system of chain towing is still in operation. It was the longest tunnel in the world