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Whitchurch is a quite market town in rural Shropshire.
Centrally placed on the spectacular Llangollen Canal, you
can cruise to Llangollen itself, Chester or spend two weeks
on either the ever popular Four Counties Ring or The Cheshire
Ring. Whitchurch is a friendly and unspoilt place of pleasant
gardens and narrow streets lined with buildings displaying
a remarkable variety of architectural styles.
The Viking Afloat boatyard lies just outside the town on the
Wrexham road - a peaceful spot and a foretaste of the tranquility
to be found as your holiday takes you along the Llangollen
and Shropshire Union Canals, into the wide open spaces of
Wales and the north-west.
Directions
to the base by car and public transport.
Click here
for our Cruising Guides
(Click on the tours below for full details
of each trip)
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| A
very relaxing cruise along this most popular of waterways
which combines the gentle countryside of Shropshire
and the more dramatic landscape of the Welsh border.
This has given rise to some outstanding examples of
canal engineering |
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The
appeal of this tour is the cruise along the Shropshire
Union Canal. The countryside is peaceful and unspoilt,
there are many interesting canal features and a highlight
of the trip is a visit to the historic city of Chester. |
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A
highly popular two week cruise which takes you through
some delightful parts of Staffordshire, Cheshire and
Shropshire. |
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A
fascinating circular two week trip that takes you through
the heart of Manchester and then up into the Peak District
with its distinctive stone architecture. |
| Tour
5 (1 week)
Whitchurch to Llangollen
58 Miles - 4 Locks - 4+ hours cruising per day.
 First
stop on this trip is Ellesmere, a delightfully unspoilt,
small country town. Shortly after leaving Ellesmere
you will come to Frankton Junction which is the start
of the Montgomery Canal (currently under restoration).
At Chirk, the canal crosses from England into Wales
in spectacular fashion by way of the Chirk Aqueduct.
This carries you over the river Ceiriog at a height
of 70 feet, and is followed immediately by Chirk Tunnel.
All this though is only the start, since what follows
is a truly spectacular piece of engineering: Thomas
Telford's breathtaking Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. It carries
the canal 1,000 feet across the Dee valley at a height
of 120 feet.
The final stage of your outward journey
is by way of a channel that hugs the steep side of
the valley and provides panoramic views before entering
Llangollen on a high embankment.
On your return journey you may have
time to continue past Whitchurch and explore the canal
to the east, as far as Wrenbury,
after which, it passes into Cheshire, before finally
returning to the base. |
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| Tour
6 (1 week)
Whitchurch to Chester
60 Miles - 66 Locks - 5 hours cruising per day
From our base at Whitchurch, you head East along
the Llangollen Canal, past Wrenbury,
to the junction with the Shropshire Union Canal at
Hurleston. The locks at Bunbury signal your arrival
onto the Cheshire Plain from where you get a splendid
view of Beeston Castle.
As you approach Chester, the canal
drops down through five locks and passes right through
the city. A stop here is highly recommended and there
are plenty of mooring points at which to tie up.
On leaving Chester you pass through
the deep Northgate locks, hewn out of solid rock,
and past a short branch that connects with the River
Dee. The canal then skirts the northern edge of Chester
within half a mile of the celebrated Zoo, making a
visit possible. If you still have time, it is well
worth pressing on to Ellesmere Port and visiting its
excellent Boat Museum before turning round and heading
back to Whitchurch. |
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| Tour
7 (2 weeks)
Four Counties Ring
136 Miles -132 Locks - 5 hours cruising per day
This is our most popular two week trip which
takes you through some delightful parts of Staffordshire
and Shropshire.
You cruise down to Hurleston Junction where you join
the Shropshire Union Canal. From here, you head for
Stoke-on-Trent, via Middlewich.
South of Stoke you have the opportunity to cruise
up the picturesque Caldon Canal before carrying on
your journey south down the Trent and Mersey Canal
to Great Haywood Junction.
The next stage is along the splendidly rural Staffs.
and Worcs. Canal which weaves its way southwards following
the contours, to Autherley Junction where you turn
north again on the Shropshire Union Canal.
This trip can also be undertaken in an energetic
week from our Gailey Hire Base. |
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| Tour
8 (2 weeks)
Cheshire Ring
145 Miles - 137 Locks - 6 hours per day
A fascinating trip that takes you through the
heart of the city of Manchester and then up into the
Peak District with its distinctive stone architecture.
As with tour 7 you head east to Middlewich
where you join the Trent and Mersey Canal to head north.
At Anderton you can pause to visit the historic Boat
Lift, shortly due to undergo total restoration.
At Preston Brook you join the Bridgewater
Canal which takes you into Manchester. In the centre
of the city you pass briefly onto the Rochdale Canal
with its flight of nine locks.
After Manchester you ascend the Ashton flight of locks
and at Duckinfield Junction you turn right onto the
Peak Forest Canal which takes you up to the summit at
Marple.
Your journey continues on through Macclesfield along
the Macclesfield Canal before you begin the steady descent
down the Trent and Mersey Canal back to Middlewich,
where you retrace your journey to Whitchurch.
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