Top 8 museums to visit on a canal boat holiday
Britain’s canal network is home to exciting waterside museums
We’ve published a guide to the top 8 museums to visit on a canal boat holiday.
The fascinating history of Britain’s 3,000-mile network of navigable canals and rivers and our nation’s industrial past are brought to life through our waterside museums.
1. National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port
On the banks of the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, the National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port brings together a unique fleet of historic boats. There are also docks, warehouses, forge, stables and workers cottages to explore. And a rich collection of archives telling the story of Britain’s canals. From Bunbury, it takes around 18 hours to cruise to Ellesmere Port and back. The journey takes you through the 12 locks each way, and the ancient City of Chester.
2. Birmingham Black Country Living Museum
Famous as a filming location for The Peaky Blinders, this 26-acre open air museum on the Birmingham Canal Navigations, gives visitors an insight into life in one of the world’s most heavily industrialised landscapes. From our narrowboat hire base on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Alvechurch, it takes around eight hours to cruise to the Birmingham Black Country Museum. You’ll pass through three locks each way.
3. Leeds Industrial Museum
Next to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Canal Road, the Leeds Industrial Museum explores the inventions that shaped Leeds. From Scootacars to steam engines, and space food to Spirograph. It takes around 16 hours to cruise to the Leeds Industrial Museum from our hire base at Silsden. The journey there and back passes through 22 locks, including the famous Bingley Five Rise Locks.
4. Hepworth Wakefield Museum
Located on the banks of the Calder & Hebble Navigation, the Hepworth Wakefield showcases the extraordinary work by the British sculptor Barbara Hepworth. There are also works on display by Henry Moore, Antony Gormley, David Hockney, Bridget Riley and Anthony Caro. From Sowerby Bridge it takes around 22 hours to reach the Hepworth Wakefield Museum, passing through 26 locks each way.
5. Warwick Castle
Over 1,000 years of history can be explored at Warwick Castle on the banks of the River Avon. This medieval wonder offers a fantastic day out, with birds of prey displays, Horrible Histories Maze, live shows, Princess Tower, Kingmaker exhibition and ramparts to climb. From Stockton on the Grand Union Canal it takes around eight hours to reach Warwick. The journey travels 11 miles and passes through 22 locks.
6. Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne
On the banks of the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, this quirky little museum tells the story of Britain’s canals through archive films, models and artefacts. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach the Canal Museum from our canal boat hire rental at Gayton. The route takes boaters through the Blisworth Tunnel, which at 3,076 yards long is the third longest on the canal network and takes 30 minutes to cruise through.
7. Anderton Boat Lift
Built 150 years ago, the Anderton Boat Lift connects the River Weaver and the Trent & Mersey Canal. The lift’s museum tells the story of this incredible Victorian structure, nicknamed ‘The Cathedral of the Canals’ and considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. It was the world’s first major commerical boat lift and still transports around 3,000 boats a year. We have a canal boat hire base at Anderton and nearby at Acton Bridge.
8. World of Wedgewood
The award-winning World of Wedgewood Museum is next to the Trent & Mersey Canal near Stoke-on-Trent. As well as galleries featuring the V&A Wedgewood Collection, there are hands-on Creative Studios, the Wedgewood Factory and Tea Room to experience. From our narrowboat hire base at Stoke-on-Trent, it takes around three hours to reach moorings close to the World of Wedgewood. The journey takes you through five locks.
