Top 5 places to watch the sunset on a narrowboat holiday
From rural retreats to vibrant city centres, narrowboat holiday-makers can use their boat as a floating holiday home.
You can explore Britain’s beautiful 3,000-mile network of inland waterways, with the choice of hundreds of waterside destinations to visit along the way.
It’s free to moor almost anywhere on the network, so you can plan your journey around your chosen mooring sites. These can include canalside pubs, beauty spots and places to relax and enjoy a sundowner on deck.
To help you plan your next narrowboat holiday adventure, we’ve listed the top five places to watch the sunset afloat:
1. Tixall Wide in Staffordshire
From our canal boat holiday hire base at Great Haywood on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Staffordshire, it takes just half an hour to cruise to Tixall Wide. This beautiful lake on the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal was created at the time of the construction of the canal. It was designed to mitigate objections of the residents of Tixall Hall, who didn’t want the new canal to spoil their view. Today it’s a peaceful haven for wildlife and the perfect place to watch the sun go down.
2. Lock 37 on the Rochdale Canal in Lancashire
From our narrowboat yard at Sowerby Bridge is at the junction of the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the Rochdale Canal. From there, it takes around 13 hours (travelling 13 miles and passing through 35 locks) to reach West Summit Lock 37 on the Rochdale Canal. This takes you high up in the Pennines. Here you can moor up before the lock to watch the sun go down. And then take a short walk to the village of Summit and The Summit Inn.
3. Calcutt Locks in Warwickshire
From our narrowboat hire base at Stockton Top Marina on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire, it takes just half an hour to reach the bottom of Calcutt Locks. This is a great place to view the sunset over Stockton. From there, on a short break you can continue on to the pretty canal village of Braunston with a choice of pubs. On a week away, you can continue on up the North Oxford Canal and on to the Ashby Canal. From there, you can enjoy 23 miles of lock free cruising through the countryside.
4. Chirk Aqueduct in North Wales
From our narrowboat hire base at Chirk on the Llangollen Canal, it takes half an hour to reach Chirk Aqueduct. This carries boaters 21 metres high across the River Ceiriog and the English/Welsh border. There are moorings on the north side, perfect for looking out across the valley beyond. On a short break from Chirk, you can continue on to cross the World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. It stands 38 metres high across the Dee Valley. Then you can cruise on to the Eisteddfod town of Llangollen, on the edge of the Berwyn Mountains.
5. Castleford Flood Lock in West Yorkshire
From Sowerby Bridge, it takes around 15 hours to reach Castleford Flood Lock No.9 on the Aire & Calder Navigation. The journey travels 29 miles and passes through 31 locks. Along the way, you’ll travel along the Calder & Hebble Navigation through Elland, Brighouse, Mirfield and Wakefield. Then you cane transferg onto the Wakefield section of the Aire & Calder Navigation. Then cruise on to Castleford, the birthplace of the sculptor Henry Moore.
