CRUISE DETAILS 2023

Leaving Stratford we head north, the canal passes close to Mary Arden’s House at Wilmcote (She was Shakespeare’s mother), at Edstone is an aqueduct which at 200 yards is one of the longest in the country. We now head for Preston Baagot, Lowsonford climbing some locks before getting to the Lapworth flight of 22. We travel through some countryside with no locks and turn right at King’s Norton heading towards Birmingham.

On leaving Birmingham we head down the farmers flight towards Fazeley Junction, we continue on soon passing farmland and, after the village of Coton, we pass an army shooting range. A few more villages farther, we travel alongside the busy A38 - an old Roman road. Reaching Fradley Junction, which is very popular with Gongoozlers (spectators), you can see the Swan Pub, a famous canal landmark.

Leaving the Pub behind, we enter quiet countryside as we wind our way towards Armitage with its Armitage pottery and church. Passing Rugeley, we continue our way towards Shugborough Park with its impressive hall. At Great Haywood Junction Stone, we are only 6 locks away from the end of our journey. 

After leaving our mooring at Stone, this cruise takes us through the Potteries with the Potteries Industrial Museum at Etruria. We travel through the Harecastle Tunnel (2926 yards), which is the only remaining tunnel out of three built in this area. The first canal tunnel had to be closed because of subsidence, whereas the third was a railway tunnel which was closed when the railway was re-routed. 

After the tunnel, we turn onto the Macclesfield Canal, which is very beautiful as it winds its way through the Peak District. Then we head to the Peak Forest Canal, followed by the valley of the River Goyt which leads to Whaley Bridge one of the most beautiful canals in UK, and then onto the magnificent Bugsworth Basin a restored inland port with lime kilns used in the early 1800s.

On leaving Northwich, we rise up in the magnificent Anderton Boat Lift and turn right to head for Middlewich, skirting around the environs of industrial Northwich. We cruise through pleasant countryside equally beautiful to many other stretches in the country. 

Reaching Middlewich, we turn right to join the 11 miles of the Middlewich Arm, which is all open country, punctuated by 4 locks. At Barbridge Junction, we join the Shropshire Union main line and follow a brief stretch of this canal until we reach Hurleston Junction. 

Afterwards, we turn right onto the Llangollen Canal and immediately climb the four locks by Hurleston Reservoir. 

The canal travels through lovely scenery and reaches Wrenbury, where we encounter the first of several lift bridges. We continue until we reach Grindley Brook with its three chamber staircase lock. After Grindley Brook, the canal crosses Whixall Moss, a bog rich in flora and fauna. 

Over the next few miles there are several meres (small lakes formed in the Ice Age) on either side of the canal, which are followed by the short Ellesmere Tunnel (87 yards). Ellesmere town is at the end of a short arm. A few miles further on comes Frankton Junction, where we continue past up to New Marton Locks, the last of the canal, and cross the Chirk Aqueduct overlooked by the railway viaduct and into Chirk Tunnel (459 yards). 

Whitehouse Tunnel (191 yards) follows quickly after and then we reach the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct 126 feet above the River Dee. Immediately after the aqueduct, there is a ninety degree turn as the canal continues its short journey to Llangollen. This stretch of the canal is very narrow and slower with one-way working in places. We finish our cruise in the marina at Llangollen.

As we leave Llangollen going through some narrow parts of the canal with some passing places and a ninety degree turn just before arriving at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and crossing the River Dee 126 feet below. Next is the time for two tunnels, the Whitehouse (191 yards) and the Chirk (459 yards) long. We come to the smaller Chirk Aqueduct and our first locks heading down to New Marton through the lovely Welsh countryside before we arrive in Ellesmere. Over the next few miles there are several meres (small lakes formed in the Ice Age) on either side of the canal. Next comes Whixall Moss a bog rich in flora and fauna, after comes Grindley Brook with its three chamber staircase lock and some lovely scenery before arriving at Wrenbury. Coming to Hurleston Junction turning right down the Shropshire Union Canal towards Nantwich.

We leave Nantwich heading towards the Audlem flight of 15 locks and the Adderley flight of 5, now comes the town of Market Drayton. We have some lovely countryside and villages of Wheaton Aston and Brewood before arriving at Autherley Junction turning left on the lovely Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal towards Gailey, PenKridge, Acton Trussel, Milford and Great Haywood where we join the Trent and Mersey Canal heading north to our moorings at Aston Marina.

On leaving the marina we head north up 17 locks towards Lapworth before turning onto the Grand Union Canal towards Shrewley Tunnel and the famous Hatton Flight of locks going down 21 to our destination Warwick. We descend towards the valley of the River Avon at Leamington Spa. Then we begin to climb slowly and will continue to do so for many miles through Radford, Fosse and Bascote locks. We arrive at 8 locks at Stockton, with various reminders of the former days of clay quarrying here. We climb three more locks at Calcutt. Then we pass a reservoir on our right soon to join the joint Grand Union we turn right onto the Oxford, we eventually clear the nine locks and pass Marston Doles, the canal meanders passing Fenny Compton, we soon descend the flight of locks at Claydon. We pass Cropredy village with its sleepy churchyard and then onto Banbury. We go under the M40 passing even more quite locks you can see the church spire at King’s Sutton. Anyhow Weir we briefly cross the River Cherwell. We reach Somerton following the Cherwell before arriving in Heyford. Next we head south on the Oxford Canal towards Enslow joining the River Cherwell for about half a mile then back on the Canal going through Thrupp.

Next is the town of Thatcham and the villages of Midgham and Aldermaston then we arrive in Reading where we leave the Kennet & Avon Canal and get on the River Thames going right towards Sonning, the famous Henley-on-Thames, and Marlow. Next comes Maidenhead and Windsor with its racecourse and Castle. Staines is next followed by Walton before arriving by Hampton Court Palace and Park. Kingston, Teddington and Richmond soon follow before leaving the Thames and turning left onto the Grand Union Canal at Brentford heading towards the Hanwell flight of 9 locks and then tuning right on the Paddington Arm passed Northolt towards Little Venice.

On leaving our Marina we head west towards Burton on Trent and Alrewas. Reaching Fradley Junction, which is very popular with Gongoozlers (spectators), you can see the Swan Pub, a famous canal landmark. We continue south going through farmland and we pass an army shooting range. After more villages we arrive at Fazeley Junction, going back into the countryside heading towards Atherstone and Hawkesbury Junction joining the Oxford Canal. We head south towards Rugby and Braunston through a mix of countryside and towns. From here onwards, we descend through wide locks starting with Calcutt, Stockton, Bascote, Fosse and Radford locks. The canal then passes through Royal Leamington Spa and onto Saltisford Canal Centre in Warwick.