Basingstoke Canal was cut in the 1790s to link Basingstoke with the River Wey navigation and, beyond that, the Thames. The western end no longer reaches the town because the Greywell Tunnel collapsed in 1932, but the surviving canal is still a pleasant green corridor through northeast Hampshire.
The towpath is the main reason to come: you can walk or cycle long stretches beside locks, woodland and quiet water, with narrowboats and kayaks using the navigable sections. It works best as a slow countryside outing rather than a conventional sight.