NARROWBOAT
CANAL HOLIDAY CRUISING
Self-Drive Canal Boat Hire Vacation - Nantwich
Seeking
a relaxing yet active holiday vacation away from the bustle and hurly
burly of modern day life, but beach sweat and lotion isn’t your
thing. Freedom from the strictures of where to be, when to eat, dance
class and life boat drills of an ocean cruise. Want to be captain of
your own ship? How about a self-drive narrowboat cruise holiday through
the bucolic English country side, hand on the tiller and command of all
you survey. Narrow boat cruising can be a romantic weekend getaway for
a couple or a two week family adventure.
The canal system in Britain is a legacy from an earlier age, a network
of waterways intended for the cheap cartage of freight with narrow barges
originally pulled by horses from the banks. With the advent of the motorway,
the great English canals lost most of their commercial purpose, but remained
as a heritage transport system. Many of the canals have been restored
and canal cruising is a popular way to enjoy historic towns, canal side
pubs and the unique world of the peaceful slow life. There are organized
commercial canal cruise companies offering berths on organized tours,
but perhaps the most memorable way to enjoy canal cruising is to hire
your own narrow boat.
There are canal systems in nearly all regions of England with hundreds
of canal boat hire companies from family operations to larger rental agencies
and operators. The canals of Oxfordshire and along the upper Thames is
one of the more popular sites for boat hire, but some of the most impressive
and canals are further west in Cheshire and Wales where the Valhalla
of canal ways is the world-famous high stone arch Pontcycyllte Aqueduct
which crosses 121 feet above the River Dee Valley between Chirk Castle
and Llangollen.
Empress Holidays is an award winning canal narrow boat
hire company based in the historic town of Nantwich in southeast Cheshire,
located along
the Shopshire Union Canal across from the field where the royalists were
defeated in the Battle of Nantwich. The company offers short break
cruise
rentals of 2, 3 or 4 days, and weekly rate hire. Boats and routes available
range from first-timer novice to the practiced pro helmsman on some of
England best canals.
The Llangollen Canal which begins 20 minutes from Nantwich has been called
Britain’s most beautiful waterway, passing through quaint villages
and past churches dating back 700 years. The Wrenbury Lift Bridge is
an attraction for many and Ellesmere is a popular mooring place for its
inns and Norman church. Crossing the Welsh border, the canal which in
2009 was granted UNESCO World Heritage status for its engineering achievement
passes over the Chirk Aqueduct and through Chirk Tunnel, allowing a stop
at the medieval castle. A thrilling passage across the stunning Pontcysyllte
Aqueduct which has just been listed as a World Heritage Site for leads
to Llangollen where an excursion on the steam railway is just one excuse
to get off the boat.
A
trip to Chester on a section of the Shropshire Canal
(the Shroppie) built in 1774, passes Bunbury Church and Beeston Castle.
Tie up for a
day under Roman Walls at Chester and shop the historic Chester Rows and
visit one of England’s great Cathedrals (see Medieval
Chester) or catch a train to Liverpool
for the day to discover the Beatles town (see Liverpool
Beatles Town). The Cheshire
Ring route takes a little more effort requires but is packed
with quiet country scenery, history and modern sights, taking you to
the heart of Manchester and the hip trendy bars of Castlefield and the
waterways of the Salford Quays to the Lowry Shopping Center and canal
side restaurants, or the Trafford Football Stadium (see Manchester
United Stadium Tour) and the War Museum (see Imperial
War Museum North). Heading
the other direction can take you through four counties, traveling south
on the Trent Canal through the mile long Thomas Telford
tunnel at Harecastle to the famed pottery town of Stoke-on-Trent with
its Wedgewood factory
and museum, and take the main Shropshire Union Canal back
through the Cowley Tunnel and Tyreley Locks.
Canal Boat Cruising
Life inside a canal narrow boat is similar to mobile home or camper living,
but spur of the moment excursions and exploration of the environs discovered
with each passing mile unique to the waterway. Renting a canal narrow
boat for the first time takes a little bit of a shakedown to get used
to the helm and operations. Detailed instruction books are included and
the rental staff will give you a trail run before setting you off. Adventures
along the way may require a bit of canalmanship, mooring and the operation
of locks, depending on the route taken.
Canals have a speed limit of 4 miles an hour so decision making is at quite a slow pace, plenty of time to get the hang. The cost of narrow boat self-drive rentals range from around £300 for a two day excursion on a smaller basic boat up to £1,500 a week for a luxury craft. Fuel and gas are included, you shop for your own food and damage waiver insurance is necessary to purchase with the rental. There are no set routes you need follow or schedules to meet. A deposit is required at booking with full rental charge due up to several weeks before the hire date for long cruises. Off-season November to March shorter breaks can be booked up to the day of departure. For international cruisers, transfer from Manchester Airport can be arranged. © Bargain Travel Europe
Find best hotel and travel deals in Cheshire on TripAdvisor
Web Info
Empress Holidays
Waterways Boat Companies
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct photo courtesy Adrian Pingstone.
See Also:
HACK
GREEN SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER
CREWE RAIL HERITAGE CENTRE - STEAM ENGINES
CREWE HALL MANOR & HOTEL - CHESHIRE
WEDGWOOD
MUSEUM - STOKE-ON-TRENT
