On a boating holiday on the Macclesfield Canal you can enjoy spectacular Pennine views
The beautiful tree-lined Macclesfield Canal was one of the last narrow canals to be built, and the first to be awarded Green Flag status.
It runs for 28 miles from its junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple in Cheshire, to the Trent & Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire.
Passing mostly through green and rural surroundings, the canal follows the natural contours of the land. It passes along the side of the most westerly Pennine hills through High Lane, Higher Poynton, Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton.
Approved by an Act of Parliament in 1826, the Macclesfield Canal was designed to provide a direct link between Manchester, the Potteries and the Midlands, reducing journey times. It also served cotton mills, quarries and coal mines around Macclesfield, Congleton and the Peak District.
The coming of the railways soon outcompeted the canal, but it was still used for some freight carriage until the 1960s. As a local cruising club had already been using the waterway for many years, its leisure potential was already established, so it remained navigable.
With its spectacular views over the Cheshire Plain, the Macclesfield Canal is one of the highest in the country. And is perhaps the most beautiful section of the Cheshire Ring. With just one flight of locks at Bosley, the Macclesfield Canal enjoys miles of lock-free cruising either side.
Narrowboat holiday-makers can enjoy seeing the historic structures that line its route, including Victorian mills and warehouses. They can also look out for the canal’s original stone milestones and six ‘snake’ bridges, where the towpath changes sides of the canal, allowing horses to move over without having to be untied from the boat.
You can cruise the Macclesfield Canal on a boating holiday from Bunbury or Great Haywood.
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Cruise through the Yorkshire Dales and Airedale on a holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
At 127 miles, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is the longest single canal in the country.
This mighty waterway crosses the Pennines and links the wide waterways of Yorkshire with those of Lancashire and the River Mersey.
From the vibrant centres of Leeds, Liverpool, Wigan and Burnley, to the awe-inspiring vast areas of open space of the moorlands at the canal’s summit and the peace of the wooded Aire Valley, the scenery of this canal varies dramatically.
The Leeds & Liverpool main line has 93 locks and two tunnels, there are two more locks on the seven-mile long Leigh Branch and eight on the seven-mile Rufford Branch. The waterway was recently extended by the construction of the Liverpool Link. This takes boaters right into the heart of the city, passing in front of the Three Graces to moor in Salthouse Dock.
And it boasts two of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ – the famous Bingley Five Rise Locks near Bradford and the awesome Burnley Embankment, carrying the canal high above the town.
You can experience a boating holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from our base at Silsden.
The Grand Union Canal
Built to transport goods between London and Birmingham, today the Grand Union Canal is alive with pleasure boats, walkers, cyclists and wildlife
Stretching 137 miles through 166 locks, the Grand Union Canal emerged as a result of the joining of several waterways.
It cuts across the country from the River Thames at Brentford in London to the Digbeth Branch canal in the heart of Birmingham. The Grand Union Canal takes boaters up through the rolling Chiltern Hills, rural Northamptonshire and Warwickshire.
Along the way, it has a series of branches, including the Paddington, Slough, Wendover, Aylesbury, Leicester and Northampton arms.
Some of its most dramatic features include the magnificent Iron Trunk Aqueduct carrying the canal over the River Ouse in Buckinghamshire, the 2,795-metre long Blisworth Tunnel in Northamptonshire and the Hatton Flight of 21 Locks in Warwickshire.
Just some of the canal’s key destinations are the county town of Warwick with its jaw-dropping castle on the banks of the River Avon. And the charming canal villages of Braunston and Stoke Bruerne.
You can reach the Grand Union Canal from our base at Wootton Wawen.
The Caldon Canal
Explore the Potteries, remote moorlands, tranquil water meadows and dense woodlands on a holiday on the Caldon Canal
The peaceful Caldon Canal is often described as ‘one of the finest canals in Britain’. It runs from the Trent & Mersey Canal at Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent, to Froghall Wharf in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
There are 17 locks along its length. The canal passes through moorlands close to Denford and water meadows at Cheddleton. It takes boater through the beautiful wooded Churnet Valley, with a restored steam railway running alongside.
In the middle of the Caldon Canal, there’s a 2¼-mile arm towards the historic market town of Leek. And the now derelict 13-mile Uttoxeter extension connects at Froghall.
Opened in 1779, the Caldon Canal was built to carry Peak District limestone for the iron industry and flints for the pottery industry. Freight traffic ceased on the Caldon soon after the railway was constructed alongside. By the 1960s the canal was virtually unnavigable.
But enthusiasts bought the canal back into use by 1974 and the Caldon and Uttoxeter Canals Trust is now working to restore the Uttoxeter branch of the waterway.
You can reach the Caldon Canal from our Great Haywood base.
The Oxford Canal
Experience meandering waterways, peaceful villages and the chance to visit the world famous City of Oxford by boat
The picturesque 77-mile long Oxford Canal was completed in 1790. It links the City of Oxford and the River Thames, with the Cathedral City of Coventry at Hawkesbury Junction.
Following the contours around hills, rather than using cuttings and embankments like later canals, this largely rural waterway meanders gently through the countryside. The waterways is dotted with pretty villages, rural pubs, black-and-white lift bridges and nature reserves.
Once the main transport route from the Midlands to the south of England, it’s now one of the most popular and beautiful canal boat holidays routes.
You can reach the Oxford Canal from our Oxford base.
The Llangollen Canal
Experience breath-taking mountain views, a UNESCO World Heritage site, historic market towns and havens for wildlife
The beautiful 41-mile long Llangollen Canal crosses the border between England and Wales, and links the Eisteddfod town of Llangollen in Denbighshire with the Shropshire Union Canal, just north of Nantwich in Cheshire.
The scenery varies from rural sheep pastures and ancient peat mosses, to tree-lined lakes and the dramatic foothills of Snowdonia.
In 2009, an 11-mile section of the waterway from Gledrid Bridge to the Horseshoe Falls in Llangollen was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. This includes the incredible 307-metre long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and 220-metre long Chirk Aqueduct.
Soaring 35 metres above the rushing waters of the River Dee, which tumble out of Snowdonia, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is truly one of the wonders of the waterways. Built by the great canal engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessop, the aqueduct was completed in 1805. Supported by giant 18 pillars, it’s the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain, with an exhilarating sheer drop on one-side.
You can cruise the Llangollen Canal on a holiday from our Trevor, Whixall and Bunbury bases.
The Kennet & Avon Canal
Experience soaring aqueducts, prehistoric landscapes, ancient forests, historic market towns and the World Heritage City of Bath
One our best-loved canals, the 87-mile long Kennet & Avon Canal links the Bristol Avon with the Thames at Reading, passing through spectacular landscapes and the World Heritage City of Bath.
From the foothills of the Cotswolds to the North West Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Vale of Pewsey dotted with pre-historic features, this canal offers the chance to enjoy some of England’s most beautiful countryside.
Completed in 1810, the Kennet & Avon Canal is made up of two lengths of navigable rivers linked by a canal. From Bristol to Bath in the west the route follows the Bristol Avon, and at the eastern end, the River Kennet from Newbury to Reading.
The waterway has 105 locks along its length, including 29 at the dramatic Caen Hill locks in Devizes, as well two stunning Bath stone aqueducts at Avoncliff and Dundas, designed by the pioneering canal engineer John Rennie.
The Pennine Ring is an ambitious and challenging canal cruising route in England.
Also known as the ‘Two Roses’ thing ring connects the east and west coasts of Northern England, traversing the Pennines with spectacular views. The name ‘Two Roses’ refers to the symbolic roses of Yorkshire (white) and Lancashire (red), two historic counties in Northern England.
This epic canal boat holiday adventure takes boaters along sections of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Aire & Calder Navigation, Huddersfield Broad Canal, the Calder & Hebble Navigation, the Rochdale Canal and the Bridgewater Canal.
It travels 183 miles through 214 locks and takes around four weeks.
Route highlights include: the Castlefield area of Manchester; the 21 locks at Wigan; the Burnley Embankment; majestic Pennine scenery; Gargrave gateway to the Yorkshire Dales; Skipton Castle; the Bingley Five Rise Locks; UNESCO World Heritage Saltaire; the waterfront at Leeds; Stanley Ferry Aqeduct; the Hepworth Wakefield gallery; and Sowerby Bridge.
You can cruise the Pennine Ring from our Silsden base.
