Trevor (Pontcysyllte Aqueduct)-Llangollen Canal
You will pass the following places:
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Barbridge
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Shropshire countryside
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Village of Wrenbury
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Grinley Brook
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Whitchurch
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Whixall Moss
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Ellesmere
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Chirk
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Trevor (Pontcysyllte Aqueudct)
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49 hours of sailing- 1 week with heavy cruising.
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46 Locks - return. (although majority are before Whitchurch and can be found in batches)
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Aqueduct Marina- Pontcysyllte - Aqueduct Marina
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From Aqueduct marina you will sail down the Middlewich branch, turning left at the end of the branch. From there you will pass the lovely Barbridge inn pub, with 48 hour moorings available. As you pass the Barbridge inn, you will then see the entrance to the world famous Llangollen canal through the hurdleston locks. NOTE* This set of locks are under maintenance and may be shut during certain periods.
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You will transit the Hurleston locks to get onto the Llangollen canal. As you pass through the beautiful Shropshire countryside, you will arrive at Wrenbury, a perfect location to moor up for the evening! Wrenbury is a small village with 2 traditional pubs. The cotton arms offer superb food at reasonable prices!
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Next stop must be Grindley Brook, this settlement has some 6 locks which can take some time to navigate depending on the time of year. Before tackling the locks, why not moor up and visit "The Horse and Jockey", this lovely pub offers lovely traditional homemade food or maybe you could try the Tapas!
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Beyond Grindley Brook staircase locks you quickly approach the little town of Whitchurch, which has some beautiful old houses of all historical periods in little narrow streets and you will love to wander around trying all the local coffee shops and restocking on supplies!
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Leaving Whitchurch the canal passes through some very remote areas with little signs of human activity. Perhaps some black and white cows, and maybe some bulls! You pass over an embankment which carries the canal over Whixall Moss. a nature reserve rich in flora and insect!
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You continue along a long stretch of canal, which pasts several pretty little lakes and after a short stretch of tunnel you reach the little market town of Ellesmere which is located about half a mile away from the canal. There is a short arm of the canal that turns off here to a wharf with a tesco supermarket on your doorstep! Ellesmere has all the supplies you will need plus restaurants and pubs, so well worth scheduling a stop here.
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From here on wards you can see the hills of Wales approaching. If you are new to canal boating or canal boat hire this will be a memorable journey for sure!
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You will see the little town of Chirk in the distance and certainly hear the roar of the traffic on the nearby A5 as it thunders towards Wales. Chirk is at the edge of the mountains. You can either decide the moor up and spend the evening here, or continue to find yourself approaching a sharp corner you find yourself approaching Chirk aqueduct, a very impressive structure of brick and stone pillars which carry the water for the canal in a cast iron trough.
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Beyond the Chirk tunnel you enter another tunnel then suddenly you are approaching perhaps the greatest sign of engineering on the entire canal network with the UK - the great Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is iconic masterpiece which needs to be seen to believe. Don't look down!!
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Once you have passed over the aqueduct, you can turn the boat around in Trevor basin to start your voyage back through Wales.
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Manchester- Bridgewater Canal
You will pass the following places:
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Middlewich
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Cheshire Countryside
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Anderton Boat Lift
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Northwich
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Warrington
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Lymm
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Trafford centre (with vistor moorings)
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Manchester city centre.
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42 hours of sailing.
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28 locks - return.
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Aqueduct Marina- Manchester - Aqueduct Marina
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As you leave Aqueduct Marina on your arrival day, depending on the time of the year, you could expect to react Middlewich for late evening. The town of Middlewich has something for everyone, it is packed with pubs and different variety of restaurants. There is also a Tesco express near to the canal, open until 11 pm so you can stock up on some essentials for your travels ahead.
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As you leave the Middlewich branch you will descend down a lock where you will turn north onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. As you sail through Northwich, you will pass a couple of lakes known as the "flashes". To reach Anderton, you will pass Marston, where you can enjoy a wonderful brand new museum called "The Lion Salt Works"- worth a visit!
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In the distance you will see the approach to the Anderton Boat Lift. This historic and inspiring structure built in 1875 stands at over 50ft tall and was refurbished in 2001 to allow boat to be lowered to the River Weaver below. You will not pass over the anderton boat lift so no need to book a transit!
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After you have been amazed from the Anderton structure, prepare for the excitment of three tunnels Barnton (572yds/523m long), Saltersford (424yds/388m long) and Preston Brook (1239yds/1133m long)- as well as an aqueduct with stunning views of the valley directly below. Signs at the end of Preston Brook Tunnel will tell you that the canal has merged into the Bridgewater Canal. Cruising quietly eastwards along a lock-free stretch from Preston Brook, you’ll pass Dunham Massey Hall, a 250-acre deer park with an Elizabethan mill and 30-room mansion, the perfect tea and cake stop-off. Your relaxing route will come to an exciting finish as you enter the city of Manchester through its secret back door. As you sail into Manchester you will pass the Trafford centre, Old trafford before arriving into the heart of Manchester.
Why not book this trip for 2 weeks and do the whole Cheshire ring? Not only will you see more places, but you will have more time to relax or visit the sites in Manchester!