Having just finished work for a major hire company, a fair few of the customers who did the ring said they wish they hadn't because of the Manchester section, mainly due to the lack of water (vandalism), and the state of the canal in general, no reports of anti-social behaviour, but they did feel vulnerable in a couple of places, One couple who had just finished the ring said they were phoning friends to advise them to take a different route, as they were planning to do the ring in a couple of weeks time. Please note this is only an observation from people I dealt with and in no way my opinion as I've never done this area by boat.