Pick a lock ... any lock In return for one day per week, you receive full training, a uniform, and the opportunity to become part of an ancient and colourful tradition. According to Ed Moss, the Trust's national volunteering manager, the role of a lock keeper is "the most symbolic on the waterways." It's a perfect hobby, he says, for people who like working outdoors, meeting a wide range of people, and trying their hand at something different. So, one glorious winter's morning I head down to the City Road Lock in Islington, on the Regent's Canal (which celebrates its 200th birthday this year). There I am met by two rugged lock keepers, Paul Crowhurst, a retired fireman, and Mark Loveday, an ex-Royal Marine (it's the uniforms, Crowhurst explains). There is also a handsome narrowboat bobbing in the waters, skippered by an old sea dog whom I initially mistake for Brian Blessed (why do all captains have beards?). Dog walkers bumble along the towpath. The only sign that we are in London is a dead pigeon in the canal. "Right," says Crowhurst, rubbing his hands together. Your job is to be a reassuring presence on the lock. You need to help people operate it safely and resolve any problems they might have. I haven't even put on my life jacket, I say, and already I'm feeling out of my depth. "Don't worry," says Loveday. Let's start with the basics. Opening and closing the lock turns out to be easier than I had expected. First, you have to winch up the underwater "paddle," which allows the lock - or "chamber" - to fill. This can be done as slowly as you like; apparently, any able-bodied person can manage it. Able bodied I can do. I give the "windlass" a turn, and it is compliant. The water begins to churn. When the lock is full, it is time to open the massy oak gates. Encouraged by my early success, I brace myself and heave. It gives, but only slightly. "You're making a classic bloke's mistake," says Crowhurst. Women turn around and do it with their bums. Try that. It's a lot easier. I swallow my pride, put my cheeks to the beam and, as if by magic, the gate swings open. Loveday (the ex-Marine, who I notice is opening the other gate with his shoulder) gives me a thumbs-up. When the boat has chugged into the lock, we close the gates and winch up the paddle on the other side. A few spectators - "gongoozlers" as they're known on the canals - are rubbernecking, but everybody seems too good-natured to mind. As we wait for the lock to drain, it's time for another lock keeper's duty: the chat. Loveday and Crowhurst explain the importance of conserving water. "You might be surprised to hear that we are officially in a state of drought," says Loveday. Canal water comes from reservoirs, rainwater and groundwater. It is a precious resource. Lock keepers, he explains, must conserve as much water as possible by ensuring the locks are always closed properly. If the water level falls too low, this 200-year-old canal will be closed. This is where chatting has a serious application. "As well as passing on local wisdom about pubs or farmers" markets," says Crowhurst, "the lock keeper asks boaters whether they have spotted any leaks in the locks, or dangerous obstructions in the canal. You're the eyes and ears of British Waterways. The water having drained, it is time to open the lower gates and release the vessel. I put my bum to the beam and heave; the gate opens smoothly, the boat moves gently off. Loveday points to the grooves in the stone floor. "Those marks have been made by lock keepers" feet over two centuries," he says. When you opened that gate, you added your tiny mark to history. You're keeping that tradition alive. My brief time as a lock keeper over, I shake hands with my new friends and go on my way. Keeping locks, it seems to me, is a highly commendable activity; sociable, healthy and rich with tradition. And as an added bonus, you might just catch a glimpse of Brian Blessed drifting cheerfully downstream. To find out more about volunteering as a lock keeper, visit waterscape.com, email volunteer@britishwaterways.co.uk or phone 01827 252097 To learn more about the challenges facing Britain's canals, visit waterscape.com/trust