Hi,
I came over the L&L in December and would recommend it as the prettiest and easiest route over the pennies. A trip into Liverpool would be a good diversion for a couple of weeks, I would have done it but the link is closed in winter. You need to book to get down the flight of 4 locks into Salthouse Dock and to reserve a mooring there. Full details and some useful links on the CRT site - link below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/liverpool-canal-link