The quiet appeal of a lost arm

Many disused canal arms survive as linear ponds, damp hollows or straight, tree-lined depressions in the landscape. They were once working branches off a main line, built to serve a wharf, a quarry, a colliery or a town basin. Today, with the boats gone and the locks often dismantled, they offer some of the most atmospheric walking in the British countryside. You will not find a café, a gift shop or a neatly mown towpath. What you will find is stillness, often a good deal of mud, and a strong sense of a waterway that has been left to nature.

The best way to explore a disused arm is on foot, and the only safe and lawful way is to follow public footpaths and other rights of way. Many arms are private, or they are leased to angling clubs and mooring operators. Respect private moorings and fisheries at all times. A canal arm is not a public playground; it is a working landscape, even when it looks abandoned.

Plan your route with rights of way in mind

Before you set out, study a detailed map. You are looking for public footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and permissive paths. Not every towpath is a public right of way. Some are private access tracks for neighbouring landowners, while others end abruptly at a locked gate or a restored marina. Check the local authority's definitive map and statement, which is the legal record of public paths in England and Wales.

• Look for waymarks: yellow arrows for footpaths, blue for bridleways, and acorn symbols for national trails. If a waymark is missing, trust your map and compass rather than a faint desire line.
• Ask locally: a village shop, a pub or a parish council noticeboard can tell you about temporary closures, broken bridges or aggressive dogs.
• Have a backup plan: arms often dead-end. Know where you can legally turn around, or link onto a lane or another path to make a circular walk.
• Check the weather and water levels: after heavy rain, low-lying arms can flood their paths. In dry spells, cracked mud and steep, slippery banks are common.

Reading the clues underfoot

Half the pleasure of walking a disused arm is learning to read what remains. The canal is still there, written into the land. A straight hedge line across a field, a slight dip in a pasture, a row of bricks in a bank — these are the fingerprints of the old navigation. Take your time and look for the following.

• Wharf walls and edging stones: often the only built remains, sometimes covered in ivy or brambles. Do not climb on them; they can be loose and undercut.
• Lock chambers and gates: a hollow with vertical stonework may be a filled-in lock. Original gates are rare, but hinge posts and paddle gear sometimes survive.
• Bridge abutments: a narrow gap in a hedge with stone or brick either side usually marks a former accommodation bridge or occupation crossing.
• Winding holes: wider, bowl-shaped sections where boats once turned. These often hold water when the rest of the arm has silted up.

Never enter a lock chamber, culvert or sluice. They are dangerous, and they may be private property. Observe from the path.

Wildlife, water and watchers

Because many arms are linear ponds or damp hollows, they are excellent for wildlife. Dragonflies and damselflies patrol the sunlit stretches. Herons, kingfishers and little grebes may visit. Water voles, amphibians and grass snakes find refuge in the banks. In spring, the water margin can be a riot of marsh marigold, ragged robin and yellow flag iris.

Keep dogs under close control and out of the water. Blue-green algae can be toxic, and leptospirosis is a real risk in stagnant or slow-moving water. Cover any cuts, wash your hands before eating, and do not drink from the canal. If you are walking in summer, check for adders basking on warm stonework, and give them a wide berth.

Moorings, fisheries and other people's spaces

Even a disused arm may still have a few moored boats, a small boatyard or an angling club. These are private spaces. Do not walk along pontoons, do not untie ropes, and do not cross a fishery without permission. If an angler is fishing, give them room and pass quietly. A friendly nod costs nothing; a dog charging through a swim can ruin a day's sport and cause a confrontation.

• Leave gates as you find them: open or closed. This is especially important on farmland.
• Keep to the path: crops, hay meadows and newly planted woodland are easily damaged.
• Take litter home, including fishing line, which is lethal to wildlife.
• Do not light fires or camp without the landowner's permission.

Practical kit and a few final courtesies

Wear sturdy waterproof boots with good grip. The banks of a disused arm are often steep, poached by cattle and lined with nettles and brambles. Long trousers are wise even in summer. Take a map, compass or charged phone, a walking stick for probing mud, water, a snack and a small first-aid kit. A pair of secateurs is not appropriate; do not cut vegetation unless you have permission and a good reason.

Autumn and winter are often the best seasons. Vegetation dies back, revealing masonry, curves and old water levels. Summer is greener but hides more. Whatever the season, go quietly, follow public footpaths only, and respect private moorings and fisheries. A disused canal arm is not a theme park. It is a fragment of industrial history, a wildlife corridor and someone's livelihood. Treated with care, it makes a wonderfully absorbing walk.