5-7 Day Cruises

CRUISE 1 : 7 DAYS CRUISE ON THE LLANGOLLEN CANAL

The cruise is for those who want to cruise the whole of the Llangollen Canal, which will take an average of 8 hours cruising every day for 6 days.

Start : Blackwater Meadow Marina, Ellesmere, Shropshire
Finish: Blackwater Meadow Marina
Total distance: 89 miles
Total locks: 34
Major Aqueducts: 2
Tunnels: 3
Cruising Hours : Approx 48

This very beautiful canal is one of the most popular Waterways in Europe, and includes the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is one of the most spectacular and amazing feats of engineering on the Canal system. Built by Thomas Telford in 1805, the Aqueduct is 126 feet high, and spans over 1000 feet across a valley with the River Dee thundering away in the distance below your feet.

The Chirk Aqueduct is another impressive structure built by Thomas Telford, and is 70 feet high, and beside it at 100 feet high is an impressive Viaduct built in 1848 to take the Shrewsbury & Chester Railway across the valley. The Chirk Tunnel is 1,377 feet in length, and once through this you can moor up and walk to Chirk Castle, a 700 year old Castle managed by the National trust. Llangollen, a very pretty Welsh town at the Western end of the Canal, is easily reached from our marina in a couple of days, and is a pleasant base to moor up for 24 hours.

Those who fancy a few more locks can cruise back to Blackwater & then go eastwards towards Grindley Brook, a set of 6 locks just past the bustling market town of Whitchurch, and then on to Hurleston meeting more locks on the way, and to where the Llangollen canal meets the Shropshire Union canal. Then its back home to Blackwater Meadow marina.

CRUISE 2 : Grand Union canal, a 7 night cruise in glorious countryside, inc 2 flights of locks and 3 tunnels.

Cruise to Braunston, which is a must for Canal enthusiasts, with its hustle and bustle of canal traffic, boat builders and restorers.

Start : Union Wharf
Finish: Union Wharf
Total Distance: 65 miles
Total Locks: 46 (inc Foxton locks 2 x10 Watford 7 x 2 , Braunston 2 x 6)
Cruising Hours: 33 hours

The nice part about this cruise is that there are only 3 sets of locks , so you don't have to jump off every 10 minutes to do 1 lock at a time! Cruise from Market Harborough - a quaint, traditional English market town that dates from 1203, up the Market Harbrough arm of the Grand Union canal to Foxton. The friendly lock-keeper will guide you through the staircase locks, stop for a cream tea in the canal side cafe or a well deserved pint in the Foxton Locks Inn.

Cruise down the canal through Husbands Bosworth Tunnel which is 1166 yards long, passing open fields and wooded hills, with the odd village along the way. There aren't many canalside pubs along this stretch, but a 15 minute walk will bring you into a village like Yelvertoft which is a delightful place to stop for a while and there are moorings between bridges 19 and 20. The local is is the Knightly Arms which serves real ales & home cooked food. You can stock up on supplies here as there is a stores, off licence & butcher.

Before you pass through the Crick Tunnel, you can moor up at bridge 12 & visit Edwards of Crick, a restaurant & coffee house offering a wide ranging menu. Stroll into the village of Crick, home of one of Britain�s largest annual boat show held each year in May.

Meet the lock-keepers at the Watford Locks and they will cheerfully help you on your way through their complex set of locks. Watford Locks raise the canal to it summit level of 412 feet. Four of these locks form a staircase, with a 'one up one down procedure. The new Inn is Canalside at Buckby Top lock & has moorings.

Swinging westwards towards Braunston you pass through one of the longest tunnels on this stretch at 2042 yards, before reaching the historic wharf where you can moor up and have a look at the fine selection of buildings here. It is worth stocking up on supplies here, then it will be time to think about returning home at this point. Remember you may have seen the views before but it will look a lot different on the way back.

CRUISE 3 : Grand Union canal

A 7 night cruise through a very rural landscape, to Stoke Bruerne, perhaps the best example of a canal village in thecountry, passing through the third longest canal tunnel in Britain.

Start : Union Wharf
Finish: Union Wharf
Total Distance: 89 miles
Total Locks: 48 (inc Foxton locks 2 x10 Watford 7 x 2)
Cruising Hours: 41 hours

Cruise from Market Harborough - a quaint, traditional English market town that dates from 1203, up the Market Harbrough arm of the Grand Union canal to Foxton. The friendly lock-keeper will guide you through the staircase locks, stop for a cream tea in the canal side cafe or a well deserved pint in the Foxton Locks Inn.

Turning left down the Grand Union the new Inn is Canalside at Buckby Top lock & has moorings.

Near Weedon is the Heart of the Shires Shopping Village which is converted from a selection of Victorian stables and farm buildings. With over 20 independent shops and a restaurant located around a traditional band-stand and court yard it makes a unique shopping experience.

The canal passes numerous villages where you can make a detour for the village pub or supplies, before passing through Blisworth Tunnel, which at 3057 yards is the 3rd longest waterway open to navigation in Britain. Turn and tie up as soon as you emerge from the tunnel and walk down to Stoke Bruerne, which has everything a canal village should have -pubs, canal shops and a Canal Museum.

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