Top 9 Canal Boat Holidays for Autumn 2021
A canal boat holiday is a great way to enjoy the splendid colours of autumn in the hedgerows and trees that line our waterways. And there’s plenty of wildlife to spot along the way during the autumn months, including flocks of fieldfare and redwing searching for hawthorn berries.
Here are Drifters’ top nine narrowboat holiday destinations for autumn 2021:
1. Visit Coventry UK City of Culture afloat
From Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Braunston, it takes 12 hours to reach Coventry Basin, travelling 28 miles and passing through just four locks. The journey takes boaters up the North Oxford Canal, transferring on to the Coventry Canal at Hawksbury Junction. Along the way, boaters travel through the Northamptonshire countryside, passing a series of canalside pubs, including the popular Greyhound Inn at Hawkesbury Junction.
2. Go blackberry picking on the Stratford Canal
From our canal boat hire base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, it’s a seven-hour cruise to Stratford upon Avon. The route, which is perfect for a short break, passes through the Warwickshire countryside, with plenty of hedgerow foraging opportunities along the way. Once at the birthplace of the Bard, boaters can moor up in Bancroft Basin and use it as a base to explore the town’s many independent shops, restaurants and museums.
3. Complete the Stourport Ring
On a week’s break from our base at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, boaters can travel the popular Stourport Ring. This circuit travels 74 miles and passes through 118 locks in around 44 cruising hours. Highlights include: Gas Street Basin in Birmingham City Centre; open countryside on the River Severn; and the Tardebigge Flight of 30 locks.
4. Glide across The Stream in the Sky
On a week’s break from our base at Whixall on the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, boaters can reach the pretty town of Llangollen. The journey takes 12 hours, passes through two locks, two tunnel and crosses over the magnificent World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. From there, boaters can enjoy amazing views across the Dee Valley and the Welsh Mountains.
5. Cruise to Manchester & back
On a week’s break from Acton Bridge, canal boaters can cruise to Manchester and back. The route, which passes through a mixture of urban and rural landscapes, travels 68 miles of waterway (34 each way) and passes through just one lock. Places to stop off at along the way, include Stockton Heath, with a choice of shops, boutiques, restaurants and pubs, and the historic village of Lymm. On arrival in Manchester, there are places to moor at Castlefield Basin, within easy reach of City Centre attractions. And to visit the Trafford Centre, boaters can return via Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal.
6. Drift through the Calder Valley
On a short break from Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, boaters can travel along the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation to the old mill town of Hebden Bridge. Climbing through woods, fields and small stone towns, the journey to Hebden Bridge covers seven miles, passes through 10 locks and takes around five and a half hours. Once at Hebden, boaters can moor in the centre of town to enjoy a good choice of places to eat, as well as hikes up to Heptonstall or Hardcastle Crags.
7. Cruise through the Scottish lowlands to Linlithgow
On a short break from Falkirk, boaters can experience a peaceful five-hour cruise through the Scottish lowlands to the historic town of Linlithgow. The route passes over the Falkirk Wheel (the world’s first rotating boat lift), goes through two tunnels and crosses two aqueducts on the Union Canal.
8. Potter through the Shropshire countryside to Market Drayton
From Brewood on the Shropshire Union Canal, it takes around 10 hours to reach the historic market town of Market Drayton. Along the way, boaters pass through miles of beautiful Shropshire countryside, six locks and a series of villages with canalside pubs. Pubs include the Junction Inn at Norbury and the Royal Oak at Gnosnall.
9. Cruise through the Bath Valley
On a short break from Hilperton on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire, boaters can travel to the World Heritage Status City of Bath and back. The journey to Sydney Wharf takes just six hours, travelling across two magnificent aqueducts and passing through one lock. There’s a choice of canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Seend and the Cross Guns at Avoncliff. Once in Bath, boaters can moor up a short walk away from the centre of Bath.
