7 Best Canal Boat Family Holidays in Cheshire
Canal boat holidays make a fantastic family-friendly option. Kids will delight in exploring the villages and towns along the canal towpaths while sailing down their waterway holiday.
Kids of all ages will delight in feeding the ducks and swans, exploring the gorgeous countryside, and marveling at the craftsmanship of old canals such as Thomas Telford’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct or Chirk Tunnel – two magnificent structures that inspire both curiosity and awe!
1. The Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal is the longest canal in Britain and makes for an intriguing waterway to explore during family weekend breaks in Cheshire. Beginning at Brentford on the River Thames and quickly climbing through locks into Chiltern hills. Passing Camden Market and London Zoo along its route before skirting Uxbridge and Watford before entering picturesque Chilterns where there are pumping stations, old workshops, and meticulously engineered reservoirs.
As you travel along the Grand Union Canal through Horton, Slapton and Braunston with its Canal Museum you’ll witness its significance to England’s industrialization. Additionally this section of the Grand Union provides breathtaking views across Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire fields – many visitors taking in Warwick Castle along their journey.
As you travel north along the Grand Union to Whitchurch, you will descend the Grindley Brook Flight and work its six staircase locks before passing through Wrenbury with its charming stone cottages and impressive mills before reaching Swanley Bridge and stopping off at Fleur de Lys Pub, famous for their homemade pies. As you continue, Mow Cop Folly and Little Moreton Hall await before crossing over Iron Trunk Aqueduct into Lowsonford village.
2. The Kennet & Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal, consisting of two lengths of navigable river and canal totaling 87 miles, was constructed to carry commercial barges between Bristol and Bath. This waterway boasts breathtaking scenery, cozy canalside pubs and impressive feats of engineering – an ideal combination for commercial barge transportation.
An active canal boat holiday is the perfect way to keep the whole family moving and active. On arrival you will receive full lock instruction as well as buoyancy aids for children and adults. Your children may also enjoy steering the boat and opening and closing locks, something Black Prince is especially known for doing by offering fun activity packs for them to get involved with their holiday experience.
On a canal boat holiday there is much to discover and experience. From the impressive Caen Hill flight of 29 locks near Bath to Bradford on Avon’s historic market town and Avebury stone circle – not forgetting nearby Honeystreet Barge Inn with one of the oldest operating steam beam engines – canal boat travel provides plenty of sights and activities.
3. The Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Are you seeking the ultimate in relaxation? Why not book a short break or week on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, which begins its journey at Skipton (known as ‘Gateway to Yorkshire Dales) and winds 127 miles through beautiful countryside to Liverpool.
Once starting from Barnoldswick – an historic Yorkshire town transferred stone by stone to Lancashire in 1974 – you’ll pass through Greenberfield Locks and experience rural tranquility before turning before Bank Newton to make your way towards Foulridge Tunnel, passing under Bank Newton before continuing onto Foulridge Tunnel for another scenic stretch that may even let you spot sheep crossing the water!
Continue to Bingley Five Rise and Sir Titus Salt’s World Heritage Status model town at Saltaire for overnight moorage, then make your way over to Stanley Ferry Pub for drinks and food – keep your Watermate Key and Handcuff Key handy as this section of canal has numerous swing bridges where your Watermate Key may come in handy if crossing. A great place for families looking for some peace away from city life!
4. The Shropshire Union Canal
Your family can all take part in enjoying weekend breaks in the countryside aboard a canal boat from Black Prince and assist in opening and closing lock gates, creating special memories while exploring nature together. A canal boat vacation provides an invaluable opportunity to bond as a unit while discovering all that lies beyond.
From our canal hire base at Bunbury, a cruise on the Shropshire Union Canal will lead you through Chester and Ellesmere Port to Ellesmere Port’s National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port where you will have the opportunity to explore docks, warehouses, forges and stables that bring its history alive!
Shropshire Union Canal runs across some of England’s least densely populated regions, providing wide open Cheshire landscapes, long vistas of rolling farmland, dreamy villages like Nantwich and Audlem, as well as timeless market towns along its course. It’s an amazingly diverse waterway with high embankments, aqueducts and deep cuttings cut out of hillside hillocks – as well as grand bridges reaching up into misty skies – grand bridges reaching up into misty sky. Along its path lies long vistas of rolling farmland; straight stretches with high embankments aqueducts aqueducts with high embankments and grand bridges reaching into misty skies; wide open Cheshire landscapes; wide-straight stretches with high embankments aqueducts; deep cuttings cut from hillside cuttings hewn out by cuttings hewn out of hillside cuttings cut into hillside cuttings cut into hillside cuttings cut deep mossy cuttings cut into hillside; grand bridges reaching into misty skies aqueducts; long vistas rolling farmland, Roman City of Chester with half-timbered old market town charm; dreamy villages Nantwich Audlem along its length; you’ll come across dreamy villages like Nantwich Audlem along the route that have timeless market town charm as well.
5. The Shropshire Canal
The Shropshire Canal is a narrow canal dotted with historic towns and villages as well as pubs that provides family boat trips for older children. Part of the Four Counties Ring, it makes an excellent place for learning how to drive a narrowboat since the northern section has wide embankments while the southern one narrows more dramatically towards deep cuttings with grand bridges and grand cuttings.
An adventure along the Shropshire Canal is an enthralling voyage through Cheshire’s heartland. Beginning from Market Drayton – home of gingerbread! – and finishing up in Nantwich – famous market town and historic canal basin, with picturesque village scenes and historic pubs along the route including Audlem flight of locks and Adderley Aqueduct; you will also pass Betton Cutting; all this while moving lock-free towards Tyrley!
From Nantwich you can travel north on the Shropshire Union Canal until reaching Autherley Junction where it links up with the Middlewich Branch of Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal as well as Middlewich Branch of Middlewich Branch Canal of Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal before continuing onto Llangollen Canal in North Wales, which has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site with highlights including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (126ft high) which spans Dee Valley across Dee Valley from Llangollen Canal.
6. The River Mersey
An enjoyable canal break in Cheshire offers you the perfect opportunity to discover its beautiful countryside at your own leisure, while exploring our magnificent canal system – its locks, aqueducts and tunnels are a testament to the craftsmanship of engineers from 17th and 1800’s!
The River Mersey played a vital role in the industrialisation of Britain – coal, iron ore and limestone were transported for sale along its length. Now a fascinating tidal river with spectacular vantage points overlooking Liverpool’s waterfront area. It’s thought its name comes from maeres meaning boundary river as it once formed part of Mercia-Northumbria border region.
Cruise down the Macclesfield Canal and explore stone cottages and imposing cotton and silk mills, now transformed into enterprise centres or studio apartments. Visit Mow Cop’s Victorian folly or admire Alderley Edge and Little Moreton Hall before arriving at Nantwich with its waterside pubs and shops – from here, cruise up to Bridgewater Canal which is popular with novice and experienced boaters for scenic cruising before returning back to base at Lymm.
7. The Trent & Mersey Canal
Holidaying on the Trent & Mersey Canal can provide an exciting, active getaway for families and friends looking for an active break. After receiving initial instruction and instruction on managing all aspects of their canal cruise, everyone in your party will take turns steering the boat and steering your cruise itinerary – an amazing experience especially for older children and teenagers, and an ideal way to spend quality time together.
Your cruise along the Trent & Mersey will bring you past picturesque Cheshire villages as you travel along its banks, passing places such as Lewis Carroll’s father’s church with stained glass depictions from Alice in Wonderland; Lymm, home to shops, pubs, an unusual 17th century cross and National Trust-owned Elizabethan mansion Dunham Massey – as well as Audlem with its flight of 15 locks where Wedgewood Pottery offers factory tours, afternoon tea and woodland walks – not to be missed!
There is an abundance of pubs and restaurants along the canalside that are both dog-friendly as well as dog-munching friendly. Plus, you can moor up and walk to nearby attractions, such as Sandon Hall’s 400 acres of parkland or Grade II* listed Pitt’s Column in Sandon. In northern England you can rent a boat and navigate your way across Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, an UNESCO World Heritage Site!
