Last summer we did the Four Counties Ring in a week, from Stoke on Trent. From previous threads on this forum I had thought it might be a rather busy week but the boatyard told us we just needed to be at Market Drayton as our halfway point and if we were, we would be fine. On this basis we planned the whole route on our first night. And we had a great week and didn't feel pushed at all. In fact, the last day we reached our stop with time to spare, and that was after queuing for an hour and half for the Harecastle Tunnel (do allow plenty of time for the tunnel, it can hold you up a bit).
We did get an early afternoon start from the yard - we were the second boat out of the yard. We also had a 'proper' lunch before we left so that we could cruise longer on the first evening. We ate out most evenings, I only cooked one full meal for the whole week and we found some lovely pubs and sampled a lot of good beer - for me this is an important part of what makes a holiday relaxing and a proper break. Of course, not everyone wants to or can afford to do this.
We are quite an experienced crew of four, with my husband and sons providing the muscle, and usually me doing the driving. But if you have not done this before, then you might want to try a shorter route.
The other tip I have is that we always took our showers when the boat was on the move! This is a great time-saver and it also means the supply of hot water shouldn't run out in the evening!!
Which ever route you choose, have a really good time!
Zoë