Water over the valley

An original literary non-fiction-style account of crossing a canal aqueduct on a passenger boat.

The boat entered the aqueduct slowly enough for a leaf to keep pace beside us. On the approach, I had seen the long structure from below, its arches repeating across the valley. From the deck, most of that impressive outline disappeared. There was water immediately beside us and, beyond its edge, a depth I preferred to describe to myself as scenery.

A narrow path ran along one side. Two walkers waited at its entrance while our boat moved past. A child near the rail asked why they were standing still when there was so much room below. His mother said that the room below was not useful for walking. He considered this explanation and turned back towards the water, where the leaf had caught against the boat’s side.

The guide described how the crossing linked the canal on either side of the valley. A man in front of me asked whether it was difficult to steer. She said that the person steering was concentrating, then invited us to notice a group of houses beyond the trees. Some passengers looked out. Others watched the narrow strip of water along the hull. The same journey was producing several kinds of attention.

Halfway across, the walkers began moving behind us. From the deck they seemed unexpectedly close, their shoes at almost the same height as our feet. Below, a car followed a bend in the road and vanished beneath the trees. The guide’s voice remained calm. Someone opened a packet of crisps with a crackle which made me grip my seat before I realised where the sound had come from.

At the far end, the banks widened and ordinary reeds returned beside the boat. Conversation grew louder. The child asked whether the aqueduct had been a bridge or a canal. Before his mother answered, another passenger said that it depended on where you stood. The child looked back at the retreating edge, still holding the leaf he had asked someone to lift from the water.

What do you learn from the whole passage about how people experience the aqueduct crossing?