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
Stad Ship Tunnel Norwegian Coastal Administration concluded that a tunnel would not be economical. It looked at two sizes, small and large, which would cost respectively. The report concluded that the utility, including saved waiting costs, for shippers have a present value of , respectively, and in saved accident costs. A similar report from 2007 concluded that the tunnel would be economical. The Coastal Administration stated that the differences were because of new and better data. Stad Ship Tunnel The Stad Ship Tunnel () is a proposed canal and tunnel to bypass the Stad peninsula in Selje Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county,