Whitchurch-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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24 hours of sailing.
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42 Locks - return.
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Aqueduct Marina- Whitchurch - 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!
Chester- Shropshire Union Canal
You will pass the following places:
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Barbridge
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Cheshire countryside
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Beeston Castle
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Tattenhall (Ice cream farm)
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Waverton
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Chester
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Aqueduct Marina- Chester - Aqueduct Marina
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Sailing from Aqueduct Marina you will shortly pass Venetian marina and arrive at Barbridge Junction, home of a lovely well kept pub on the side of the canal. You will turn right and head North West towards the historical city of Chester.
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The locks on this section of the Shropshire union canal can take two narrow boats at once, not only saving water, but saving time! If using a wide lock, always share with another boat when able, if not, make sure on person guides the boat with the centre rope to prevent excessive movement of the boat in the lock.
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On your travels up the canal, you will come across Beeston Castle which stands proud over the Cheshire plain and can be seen for miles around! Legend says that King John buried his treasure here and has never been found. The castle is open to the public so why not have a good look around and see what you can find.
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On this trip you will pass many pubs/restaurants and small cafes for a bite to eat or perhaps a drink after a chilled day narrow boating!
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You will start to slowly see more signs of life as you near the charming city of Chester, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. There is nothing like entering a roman, ancient city from the canal side and not having to worry about everyday stresses such as traffic and parking!
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There is an abundance of things to do in Chester, from visiting the historical sites such as the cathedral or the roman walls or perhaps visiting the world famous Zoo! More information can be found at VisitChester.
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Anderton boat lift Junction- Trent and Mersey Canal
You will pass the following places:
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Middlewich
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Cheshire Countryside
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Northwich
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Anderton Boat Lift
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16 hours of sailing.
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12 locks - return.
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Aqueduct Marina- Anderton Boat Lift - Aqueduct Marina
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This trip is ideal for an easy 4 days of travelling, only 6 locks each way, many of them very small! You will pass beautiful countryside between the towns of Middlewich and Northwich.
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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. For a 4 day trip, we recommend mooring up a few 100 meters before reaching the boat lift, this will allow you to turn the boat around to start the journey back.
Audlem- Shropshire Union Canal
You will pass the following places:
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Barbridge
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Cheshire Countryside
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Nantwich
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Audlem
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12 hours of sailing.
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14 locks - return.
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Aqueduct Marina- Audlem - Aqueduct Marina
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This route is a nice and chilled trip which can be completed in a couple of days or at your own leisure, allowing you to soak up the whole experience!
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At the end of the Middlewich Branch you will pass the Barbridge Inn, where you can stop for a drink or some food if you're feeling peckish.
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From here you'll head south on the Shropshire Union Canal towards Nantwich. The Shropshire Union is one of our newer canals and it runs in a comparatively straight course with wide openings. Nantwich is a wonderful old market town, with many half-timbered houses. The town is stocked with great restaurants, including a lovely tapas bar and a great BBQ smokehouse. There is plenty of 48 hour moorings in Nantwich, many boaters choose to moor here on their travels adding to the community spirit along this stretch of the canal!
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From Nantwich, you will approach the lovely village of Audlem. Audlem is famous within the narrowboat community for the flight of locks here. We recommend turning the boat around at the Moss Hall winding hole. This is before reaching Audlem. If you carry on pass this winding hole, you will have to pass through 20 locks within a space of a few miles (40 return) before you reach the next turning point.
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From the Moss Hall winding hole you can walk into Audlem which has a few pubs/restaurants as well as multiple cafes.