Richard T Posted April 30, 2019 Report Share Posted April 30, 2019 Try Union Canal Carriers at Braunston for good no frills kid friendly boat. With a good choice of routes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy Posted April 30, 2019 Report Share Posted April 30, 2019 1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said: I thought Aquanarrowboats were at Venetian Marina on the Middlewich Branch, sorry if I got it wrong. Aqua boats are at Mercia Marina and they also have a few boats based at Barton Turns on the T&M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB Lola Posted April 30, 2019 Report Share Posted April 30, 2019 2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said: I thought Aquanarrowboats were at Venetian Marina on the Middlewich Branch, sorry if I got it wrong. https://www.venetianhireboats.co.uk/ Aqua Narrowboats UK LtdThe Boat HouseTomlinson Business ParkWoodyard LaneFostonDerbyshireDE65 5BU hire base is now Barton Turns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Davis Posted April 30, 2019 Report Share Posted April 30, 2019 6 hours ago, ditchcrawler said: With kids you have the Secret Bunker, Nantwich, Chester. so I would say not bad at all, couple of locks out of the branch and then lock free until you get to Hack Green to get settled in, some big ones down to Chester. We were there recently and I'm not sure that children would be that interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawaton Posted April 30, 2019 Report Share Posted April 30, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, IanD said: Very attractive boats, but not so attractive choice of routes from their base for a beginner with 1 week... Agreed when they were at Mercia, but not now they are at BTM. Ashby and return is simple enough or Caldon and return or four counties lots of routes tbh Edited April 30, 2019 by kawaton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanD Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 (edited) On 30/04/2019 at 20:49, kawaton said: Agreed when they were at Mercia, but not now they are at BTM. Ashby and return is simple enough or Caldon and return or four counties lots of routes tbh Still don't think BTM is a good base for a 1 week hire for first-timers -- Four Counties ring is too far/too many locks, so is Caldon and back, so is Ashby and back, Staffordshire Ring is doable but quite a lot of locks and not especially pleasant. There are a lot of routes and starting places better suited to the OP, even if the boats might not be quite so swish as the Aqua ones -- I think the route matters more than the boat (so long as it's not rubbish, and there are plenty of good boats for hire). I'd suggest the Leeds and Liverpool, maybe starting from Shire Cruisers base at Barnoldswick (nice boats) -- from there to Rodley and back (or turn earlier if desired) is a very good week, lovely scenery and towns/villages/pubs, Bingley 5-rise, Saltaire. Much more interesting in general than the Llangollen, also a lot less crowded. Edited May 2, 2019 by IanD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 On 30/04/2019 at 14:05, ditchcrawler said: Which if your on a hire boat you probably dont want. I have not overnighted in Llangollen since the charge was brought in. I think it could be the thin end of the wedge charging for tow path visitor moorings. With kids you have the Secret Bunker, Nantwich, Chester. so I would say not bad at all, couple of locks out of the branch and then lock free until you get to Hack Green to get settled in, some big ones down to Chester. Yes, The Secret Bunker. You have to work really hard to find it A clue. Look for the V large signs that say "To the Secret Bunker". Actually I've been there 3 or 4 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Smith Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Bettisfield boats got a mention earlier, we went with them several years ago and had a great week, they are a very nice couple with reasonable prices, the boats are small between 35 and 38 foot if I remember so much be a bit tight for 4, but on the plus side you can turn round anywhere the canal widens. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Rod Posted May 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Thanks everyone for your comments, I've got a lot of reading up to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawaton Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 (edited) On 02/05/2019 at 16:38, IanD said: Still don't think BTM is a good base for a 1 week hire for first-timers -- Four Counties ring is too far/too many locks, so is Caldon and back, so is Ashby and back, Staffordshire Ring is doable but quite a lot of locks and not especially pleasant. There are a lot of routes and starting places better suited to the OP, even if the boats might not be quite so swish as the Aqua ones -- I think the route matters more than the boat (so long as it's not rubbish, and there are plenty of good boats for hire). I'd suggest the Leeds and Liverpool, maybe starting from Shire Cruisers base at Barnoldswick (nice boats) -- from there to Rodley and back (or turn earlier if desired) is a very good week, lovely scenery and towns/villages/pubs, Bingley 5-rise, Saltaire. Much more interesting in general than the Llangollen, also a lot less crowded. its a case of reality over your personal preference. All those routes can be done in a week. Comfortably for many people. I did the four counties from Shobnall my first time At least youve found out they have moved Edited May 5, 2019 by kawaton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
system 4-50 Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 Buy the large one page map of the canals for the whole of the country for an idea of the possibilities. Use the fantastic canalplan tool on the internet to get an idea of what locks are involved for each day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Vagabond Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 I think that for a first trip, an out-and-back one is a better option than a ring. It is often the case that people over-estimate just how far they will travel and at least with an out-and-back you should be able to work out at what point to turn back if you haven't reached your intended target, with a ring you are a bit committed and don't know just how long the second half of the ring is going to take you. This ( https://canalplan.eu/cgi-bin/canal.cgi ) is pretty good for working out roughly how long a particular trip is going to take , I use it all the time and you just set how many hours you want to be travelling during the day and it'll tell you reasonably accurately how long the trip will take. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul&Sam Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 Thanks for providing the link to us Tumshie. K-Rod if you have any questions about routes near us or our boats then feel free to get in touch with us at floating Holidays. 07901588364 or info@floating-holidays.co.uk Wherever you go have a great holiday. Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp140405 Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 I may be a little late in replying to this, but we had a mid-week "out and back" cruise (our first) with Shire Cruisers (there was a link in an earlier post) out of Sowerby Bridge in July 2017. Highly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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