Tag Archive for: long boat hire

Canal boat holidays in Cheshire

New canal boat holidays from Nantwich in Cheshire

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From the middle of March 2024, we will be offering canal boat holidays from Nantwich Marina on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire.

We’ll have three different sized narrowboats for hire, offering accommodation for between four and eight people.

There’s a great choice of short breaks, week-long holidays and two-week routes from Nantwich.

Here’s a guide to our Top 5 narrowboat holidays from Nantwich:

1. Cruise to ancient Middlewich where three rivers meet

This short break route is great for beginners.  You’ll cruise through the countryside passing the canalside Barbridge Inn at Barbridge Junction, where you transfer onto the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. A good place to stop is the village of Church Minshull with its popular Badger Inn.  Once in Middlewich, you can moor up to explore this ancient town where the rivers Dan, Croco and Wheelock meet.  The town’s history dates back to Roman times and a medieval market later rose up around the salt industries established there.

The journey to Middlewich and back travels 27 miles, passes through 14 locks (seven each way) and takes around 13 hours.

2. Navigate to the ancient City of Chester to walk the Roman walls

Perfect for a four-night break, the journey to Chester takes you through beautiful unspoilt countryside and a series of villages.  Places to visit along the way include Beeston Castle, and the Ring O’ Bells pub at Christleton.  Once in Chester, you can shop at the famous Chester Rows galleries, walk the Roman City Walls and visit Chester Zoo.

The journey to Chester and back travels 36 miles, passes through 22 locks (11 each way) and takes around 17 hours.

3. Boat to Lymm to see a dinosaur footprint

This is a popular week-long route for beginners.  You’ll cruise first to Barbridge Junction, and onto the Middlewich Branch to Middlewich.  From there you’ll transfer onto the Trent & Mersey Canal and cruise on through the Cheshire countryside to Northwich. At Northwich there’s a choice of places to shop and eat, including the Kingfisher pub.  Another good place to stop is the Salt Barge pub at Marston.  Soon after you’ll reach the Anderton Boat Lift, also known as ‘The Cathedral of the Canals’. After passing through three tunnels, you’ll switch to the Bridgewater Canal.  Then you’ll pass through Stockton Heath with views of the Pennine Hills in the distance.  There’s a choice of places to shop, eat and drink at Lymm, including the Spread Eagle pub in the heart of the village.  And you can see the 240 million years old dinosaur footprint at the Lymm Heritage Centre.

The journey to Lymm and back travels 81 miles, passes through 18 locks and takes around 35 hours.

4. Travel across ‘The Stream in the Sky’ to Llangollen

This week long journey travels the entire length of the Llangollen Canal.  You’ll start off in Cheshire and then you’ll transfer onto the Llangollen Canal at Hurleston Junction.  The route will take you through the Shropshire Lake District and the historic market town of Ellesmere.  Soon after you’ll reach Chirk and then the beginning of the 11-mile UNESCO World Heritage section of the Llangollen Canal.  This will take you through stunning scenery and across the Chirk and Pontcysyllte aqueducts.  Also known as ‘The Stream in the Sky’, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal 38 metre’s high above the Dee Valley.  In Llangollen, you can moor up in the basin and visit the town’s independent shops and restaurants, including the Three Eagles bar and grill.

The journey to Llangollen and back travels 92 miles, passes through 42 locks (21 each way) and takes around 48 hours.

5. Complete the Four Counties Ring

On a two-week break from Nantwich you can travel round the Four Counties Ring.  This canal boat holiday odyssey takes you through the counties of Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands.  You’ll pass through a series of historic towns and villages with canalside pubs.  These include the Gingerbread Man in Market Drayton and the Littleton Arms at Penkridge.  You’ll pass through Macclesfield and Marple Junction.  You’ll cross a series of aqueducts, including the Marple Aqueduct on the Peak Forest Canal with incredible Peak District views. You’ll travel through parts of Manchester and then on to the village of Lymm.  You’ll also pass through Preston Brook Tunnel and past the Anderton Boat Lift.

The Four Counties Ring from Nantwich travels 110 miles, passes through 94 locks and takes around 60 hours.

 

Hatton Locks on the Grand Union CanalCanal & River Trust

‘Top of the Locks’ for 2024 canal boat holidays

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There are over 1,800 locks on the 2,000 miles of navigable waterways in England and Wales, all enabling boats to travel up and down hills.

There’s no mystery to using locks – just a series of step-by-step tasks.

A lock is simply a chamber with gates at either end.  By emptying or filling the chamber with water, boats can move up or down onto a new section of waterway.

There are many different kinds of locks, but they all on work on a similar principle.

With the lock gates closed, boaters should open the sluices (paddles) to let the water in or out.  When the water level under the boat is the same as the level it’s moving to, the boat can move in or out of the lock.

Some locks are operated by boaters, others by lock keepers.

Tuition is included in all our canal boat holiday packages.

During your handover procedure, our boat yard staff will usually be able to take you through your first lock.

To celebrate these marvels of canal engineering, we’ve put together a guide to the Top 7 lock flight destinations for 2024 narrow boat holidays:

1. Hatton on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire

The Hatton Flight was nicknamed ‘The Stairway to Heaven’ by the boaters who once carried cargos on the canals.  This impressive flight of 21 locks raises boats up 45 metres over two miles, and takes around four-and-a-half hours to travel through.  Just below the Top lock, you’ll find the popular Hatton Locks Café for welcome refreshment. Drifters’ nearest canal boat hire base is eight cruising hours away at Stockton.  The journey travels 11 miles and passes through 22 locks.

2. Caen Hill on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire

Caen Hill at Devizes in Wiltshire is one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.  With 29 locks spread out over two miles, raising the canal by 72 metres, it takes around six hours to passage through.  The 16-lock section clustered together up the hill is truly a magnificent site, and one of the most iconic on the waterway network.  Drifters’ Devizes narrowboat hire base is at the base of the Flight at Foxhangers Marina.

3. Wigan on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Lancashire

This epic flight of 21 locks is said to be one of the most fearsome on the waterways.  Descending 70 metres in less than two miles, it takes around five hours to pass through all the locks.  The flight travels through New Springs, a suburb of Wigan which was once an industrial hub with collieries and ironworks lining the canal.  Today it’s a post-industrial landscape of waste ground, modern housing and terraced streets.  From Drifters’ base at Barnoldswick, it takes around 19 cruising hours to reach Wigan Top Lock Junction, travelling 48 miles and passing through 20 locks.

4. Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in Worcestershire

With 30 locks spread out over two-and-a-quarter miles, this awesome flight of locks is the longest on the inland waterways system.  In total, the locks raise and lower boats 67 metres and it takes around five-and-a-half hours to travel through them.  In recognition of the effort it takes, the Canal & River Trust issues certificates to boaters rising (or lowering) to the challenge.  Drifters’ nearest canal boat hire base is at the top of the flight at Tardebigge Wharf.

5. Bingley 5 Rise on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in West Yorkshire

Another one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’, this spectacular staircase of five locks is near Bradford.  It raises (or lowers) boats 18 metres in five cavernous chambers.  The locks open directly from one to another, with the top gate of one forming the bottom of the next.  It takes around one-and-a-half hours to work through.  The size of the chambers can be intimidating even for experienced boaters, but friendly lock-keepers are on hand to help.  Drifters’ nearest canal boat rental base is 25 miles and 20 locks away at Barnoldswick. The journey takes around 14 and a half hours.

6. Foxton on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire

Surrounded by stunning views of the Leicestershire countryside, this set of 10 locks raises boats up 23 metres in just a quarter-of-a-mile.  Foxton Locks is the longest set of staircase locks in the UK, and is a Grade II Listed structure.  In staircases, the locks open directly one from another so that the top gate of one forms the bottom of the next.  It takes around 45 minutes to pass through. There are lock keepers on hand to help.  They offer key advice when it comes to opening the paddles: “Red before white, you’ll be alright. White before red, you’ll be dead.”  Drifters’ nearest narrowboat boat hire base is around 13 cruising hours away at Braunston.  The journey to Foxton Top Staircase travels 27 miles and passes through 13 locks.

7. Marple on the Peak Forest Canal in Cheshire

One of the steepest flights on the system, the 16 locks at Marple raise boats by 64 metres over just one mile.  The locks are built of local stone and are mostly tree-lined, giving the canal a lovely secluded feeling.  The Peak Forest Canals is said to be one of Britain’s most scenic waterways, running through beautiful countryside on the edge of the Peak District National Park.  Drifters’ Stoke on Trent canal boat hire base is around 19 cruising hours away from Marple Bottom Lock.  The journey there travels 32 miles and passes through 14 locks.

You can visit a Christmas market on a canal boat holiday

Best Christmas markets to visit on a canal boat holiday

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Winter cruising on the canals offers the chance to visit a Christmas market on a canal boat holiday.

Our canal boats for hire range from snug narrowboats for two, to larger boats for seven, and prices start at £635 for a short break (three or four nights), £875 for a week.

All Drifters’ boats have central heating and hot water, and some also have multi-fuel stoves. So, whatever the weather, it’s always nice and cosy on board.

Here’s a guide to the top four Christmas markets to visit on a barge holiday in 2023:

1. Boat to the Bath Christmas market

From Thursday 23 November to Sunday 10 December, Bath Christmas market will return to the historic City of Bath. You can explore dozens of chalets nestled amongst iconic monuments, with a wide range of crafts, gifts, food and drink. From our canal barge base at Bath, it takes around two hours to cruise to City Centre moorings, passing through six locks.

2. Navigate to the World of Wedgewood Christmas Artisan Markets

On the weekends of 25 and 26 November, 9 and 10 December and 16 and 17 December 2023, Josiah & Co will host Christmas artisan markets at the World of Wedgewood. From Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Great Haywood on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Staffordshire, boaters can reach Middleport Pottery in Stoke on Trent in around eight hours, passing through 12 locks along the way.

3. Visit Stratford-upon-Avon’s Victorian Christmas Market

This award-winning event taking place 7-10 December 2023 features hundreds of stalls selling seasonal products, with traders decked out in Victorian costumes. From Drifters’ canal boat hire base on the Stratford Canal at Wootton Wawen, it’s a six-hour cruise to moorings in Bancroft Basin in the centre of Stratford upon Avon, passing through 17 locks along the way.

4. Experience the Warwick Castle Christmas Market

From Drifters’ base at Stockton on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire, canal boat holiday-makers can cruise to Warwick and back to experience ‘Christmas at the Castle’ (25 November 2023 to 7 January 2024), including an open-air ice rink and Christmas Market. The journey from Stockton to Warwick takes around seven hours, passing through 20 locks.

5. Cruise to the famous Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham

From 2 November to 24 December 2023, Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market will fill New Street and Victoria Square, with stalls offering a variety of food and drink, traditional toys, ornaments and gifts. From Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, it takes around five hours to reach moorings in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham city centre.

*NB some of our routes will be affected by winter maintenance work on the canal network.

What to pack for a canal boat holiday

What to pack for your canal boat holiday

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Today’s canal boats are like floating holiday cottages, so you’ll find many home comforts already on board.

Our galley kitchens are equipped with a fridge and everything you need to cook with, including gas cookers with hob, oven and grill, cooking utensils, saucepans, plates, bowls, mugs, knives, forks, spoons, etc.

There are shower rooms and flushing toilets on board.  Our operators include bedding and many also include towels.

To help you prepare for your canal boat holiday, we’ve put together a list of useful items to pack:

1. Wet & warm weather clothes

If it’s wet you’ll need a waterproof jacket and a large golfing umbrella for the skipper.  If it’s sunny, you’ll need a sun hat, sun glasses and sun cream.  Gloves are also useful for working the locks and steering when it’s cold.

2. Shoes & slippers

Trainers or rubber soled shoes are best for boating and lock working.  And it’s a good idea to bring slippers or warm socks to wear on board.

3. Shopping bags

Bring re-useable shopping bags as well as re-useable plastic bottles and coffee cups to help limit the amount of plastic you acquire on your holiday afloat.

4. DVD’s, cards & games

For cosy nights in, bring along some cards and board games, as well some DVD’s as a good TV reception isn’t always available on the canals.

5. A torch

If you do venture out to the pub for the evening, it’s best to take a torch as country moorings can be incredibly dark at night.

6. Toilet rolls

Some will be supplied but do bring some extra lightweight toilet rolls – not quilted as this could block the loo.

7. Washing-up liquid & tea towel

Pack an eco-friendly washing-up liquid and hand soap, and make sure your shampoos and face washes are micro-bead free, as the water you use to wash-up and shower with will empty straight into the canal.

8. Binoculars

Great for spotting wildlife.

9. A canal map

Buy a canal map online or at the boat yard when you arrive to pick-up your boat.  You can also plan your canal boat holiday online using the mapping tools on the Canal & River Trust’s website Canal route planner | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)

10. Drinks

The water on board is ok to use to make hot drinks and cook with, but it’s worth bringing a large bottle of drinking water to top-up with.  And wine boxes are great space savers and safer to transport than bottles.

11. Condiments

Pack some extra flavourings as well as the main ingredients, including salt & pepper, tomato sauce, herbs and spices.

12. Phone chargers

Narrowboats have 240 volt 3-pin sockets powered by the on board batteries so you can charge your phones and tablets on board.  But only do this when the engine is running to avoid draining the batteries. Blenders, cool boxes and hair straighteners can also be plugged in, but nothing above 1,000 watts is permitted – so no kettles, irons, hairdryers or heaters.

13. Your dog’s bed

Pets are welcome on board most hire boats, but remember to bring your pet’s blanket or basket as they aren’t allowed on the beds or chairs. Remember to bring poo bags too!

14. First aid kit

For any cuts, scrapes or grazes.