Holiday in Yorkshire - looking for recs / location to hire a narrowboat for ~7 days for a newbie? July.

[IanD]

https://www.anglowelsh.co.uk/great-haywood-canal-boat-marina/

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

https://www.anglowelsh.co.uk/great-haywood-canal-boat-marina/

Sounds like you’re on commission😂

 I would much rather hire from this company and location though, than the ones being discussed further North. As the location is just far better with routes. The routes up North are limited with decent canal side locations/overnight stays. Far nicer routes for the first time hirer South than those up North. I would be looking at a ring route, not an out & back route, as going back to the location you were at the day/days before could be disappointing, especially if paying a large high cost hire.

 As for Bramblewick Narrowboats, I would totally disregard, they look like a couple of chancers who have flashed an old boat over, to take advantage of the Airbnb’ers.
 Who would want to spend hours stood on that rear deck listening to an old air cooled Lister, while on a river? Not really the relaxing experience that people are looking for.

 

Edited February 28 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Ken X]

Completely agree re. Bramblewick.  Not ideal for a first time trip.

 

As to routes, I always suggest an out and back for a first trip as nobody knows how the first timer will find the strange world of narrow boating.  If you know how long you will be out for, then the halfway point in terms of time is easily calculated.

 

If its all becoming a bit much you can slack off knowing that when you get halfway you're going to get back in good time. The view is completely different the other way and you have a bit of familiarity with the locks and moorings so can relax more.

 

A ring for a first trip is fine if it is easily achievable but can be stressful if things get a bit tight or you encounter a stoppage or a problem with the boat. 

 

Either way, the main thing is that you enjoy the experience.  If you have any worries do not hesitate to ring the yard. They will do their best to help and advise you. They have heard it all before and have been known to be asked about launderettes, restaurants, pubs and all sorts of bizarre questions apart from boating queries.  Other boaters are another source of help and will usually do their best to assist. Chatting at locks is mandatory (according to OC Domestic ).

 

 

 

 

[David Mack]

7 minutes ago, Ken X said:

As to routes, I always suggest an out and back for a first trip as nobody knows how the first timer will find the strange world of narrow boating.

If you go for a ring you have until half way through the holiday to decide whether you have time to complete the ring, or maybe you have bitten off more than you can chew. You can always turn back midholiday and return the way you came.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

The thing I don’t like about out and back routes on a week hire is that, say you go out for 3 days and plan back in 4 days, or vice versa. Is that you could only have the same place to visit that you were at a day or so before. The same mooring, shops, scenery and when you could be paying £1000 give or take, you might feel a bit seen off and disappointed in basically trying to stretch it out over 25 miles, knowing you’ve got to go back the same way. But when travelling a cruising ring you could cover 70 miles while not seeing the same moorings, shops, scenery twice. And as said, if you don’t it after a few days, you could just stay put and turn around as you haven’t got to do the ring, but still you have the option, unlike out and back hire routes.

[Lady M]

Well I think that places look different in the other direction and it is perfectly possible to plan stops in different places on the return journey.  You also get the chance to stop and look at places that seemed interesting as you cruised past on the outward leg.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

10 minutes ago, Lady M said:

Well I think that places look different in the other direction and it is perfectly possible to plan stops in different places on the return journey.  You also get the chance to stop and look at places that seemed interesting as you cruised past on the outward leg.

Yes you could, the best thing to do on any hire boat holiday I would say, is to pre plan as much as possible prior and not just relay on the hire companies programme of overnight stoppages. These days with Google and Google maps you could plan a very detailed cruise inventory making the most of the time and places on route.

 Unlike leisure boat owners where you’ve got all the time in the world to stop wherever and go and explore.

[Ken X]

9 hours ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

Yes you could, the best thing to do on any hire boat holiday I would say, is to pre plan as much as possible prior and not just relay on the hire companies programme of overnight stoppages. These days with Google and Google maps you could plan a very detailed cruise inventory making the most of the time and places on route.

 Unlike leisure boat owners where you’ve got all the time in the world to stop wherever and go and explore.

Definitely,  we have been known to peer at Google Earth and maps to check out a bit of untravelled river or canal.  Well worth the effort and adds a lot to the information bank before you arrive on scene for real.  www.Canalplan.uk is another useful tool for the OP.  You can never have too much information. 

[David Mack]

11 hours ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

The thing I don’t like about out and back routes on a week hire is that, say you go out for 3 days and plan back in 4 days, or vice versa. Is that you could only have the same place to visit that you were at a day or so before.

Not really. On the first day you have a few hours cruising so the first night is spent some distance from base. But the last night needs to be at or close to the base. Project that through a week's hire and your return stopping places will end up at different places from your outbound stops.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

46 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Not really. On the first day you have a few hours cruising so the first night is spent some distance from base. But the last night needs to be at or close to the base. Project that through a week's hire and your return stopping places will end up at different places from your outbound stops.

Obviously all depends on location, workable on populated canals where there are villages, towns or cities to stop and visit, but maybe a bit repetitive if there are not.

Edited March 1 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[brianthesnail96]

On 28/02/2026 at 22:04, Lady M said:

Well I think that places look different in the other direction and it is perfectly possible to plan stops in different places on the return journey.  You also get the chance to stop and look at places that seemed interesting as you cruised past on the outward leg.

 

I had planned a ring for our first week long trip last summer because we didn't want to see/ stop at the same places, but due the lack of water and functioning infrastructure we ended up doing an out and back (from Autherley Junction down towards Stourport, one of Alec's suggestions) and found that the canals do indeed look different from the other way and we generally stopped at different places (we actually got a bit ahead of ourselves so ended up stopping the last but one night in the same place as our first night, but that's because we liked it there!) so I didn't feel we missed out too much. It was certainly more relaxing coming back up knowing a) we had plenty of time and b) we knew where the tricky bits were, where we could get water etc). 

 

To the OP, in case you hadn't discovered this yet- thanks in no small part to Uy Hoang's efforts in walking the UK's towpaths with a 360 camera, Google Maps is an excellent resource for looking at mooring spots and getting your eye in for tricky bits of canal, combined with Canalplan- at least if you're like me and like to have a plan, others are quite happy making it up as they go along. 

 

Having said all that- we are planning on doing last year's intended ring this year. 

Edited March 2 by brianthesnail96

[IanD]

32 minutes ago, brianthesnail96 said:

 

I had planned a ring for our first week long trip last summer because we didn't want to see/ stop at the same places, but due the lack of water and functioning infrastructure we ended up doing an out and back (from Autherley Junction down towards Stourport, one of Alec's suggestions) and found that the canals do indeed look different from the other way and we generally stopped at different places (we actually got a bit ahead of ourselves so ended up stopping the last but one night in the same place as our first night, but that's because we liked it there!) so I didn't feel we missed out too much. It was certainly more relaxing coming back up knowing a) we had plenty of time and b) we knew where the tricky bits were, where we could get water etc). 

 

To the OP, in case you hadn't discovered this yet- thanks in no small part to Uy Hoang's efforts in walking the UK's towpaths with a 360 camera, Google Maps is an excellent resource for looking at mooring spots and getting your eye in for tricky bits of canal, combined with Canalplan- at least if you're like me and like to have a plan, others are quite happy making it up as they go along. 

 

Having said all that- we are planning on doing last year's intended ring this year. 

We've very often done rings in the past (on hire boats) but that's with a crew who have done it all before and know what is involved -- and like travelling for long hours every day and doing lots of locks.

 

With just two of us onboard we tend to take it a lot easier and only travel for a few hours each day, less tiring and more time to see places.

 

I'd always suggest to people doing their first-ever holiday that they don't choose a "week-long ring" needing relatively long cruising hours, because they may well find they don't want to do this once they try it. And if they do an out-and-back they can always just go further before turning back -- or even better, go back past the base and explore the other direction (if the location permits) so you don't end up a long way from base in case of any delays, which are not uncommon nowadays.

 

Once people have done this once they'll have a much better idea about what they actually like doing, and can plan the next holiday accordingly -- including rings and/or long hours if that's what they like... 🙂 

 

 

Edited March 2 by IanD

[shoelessone]

Thanks everybody for all of the info (and sorry again for the continued annoyance with my avatar - I'm still working on it!)

 

That said, a small update / follow up question:

 

My wife and I are struggling a bit with the price, but one thing that we've decided we'd really like to see if possible is Stoke on Trent - I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but we're both hobbyiest potters and have always loved watching the Great Pottery Throw Down and have really wanted to visit Stoke. 

 

The point is, we're found a few slightly cheaper boats for hire on our target dates out of Congleton, Cheshire - technically on the Cheshire loop, but very close to the Trent and Mersey canal - and importantly a closer distance to Stoke if we ended up deciding we wanted to take it slower.

 

So, we're basically ready to put down a deposit, we're just trying to decide between:

£1200 FUEL INCLUSIVE for a slightly older / rougher boat out of Congleton, Cheshire

£1400 + FUEL (not included!) for a slightly nicer boat out of Great Haywood - I guess we'd probably shoot for the Leek and Back route, which is apparently 36 hours - full days for two people I suppose, but we could always run around early.

 

To us this is a lot of money, but we are currently learning towards spending a bit more for the nicer looking boat (we're not fancy people I swear!) and because it seems like if we changed our mind or whatever we could pivot to a different route easier from Great Haywood.

 

Sorry for beating a dead horse but thanks again everybody, really appreciate it!

 

 

Edited March 3 by shoelessone

[Ken X]

We have run up the Caldon Canal to Leek and back from Great Haywood and its a really nice run with plenty of countryside.  There were a few bottle kilns to have a look at in Stoke and probably more evidence of the pottery industry for those who know what they are looking for.  We found enough pubs to keep us happy and fed plus a rather nice Indian Restaurant in Milton.  Google maps, OpenCanalMap or similar is very handy.  There is a pathway to the shops from the canal terminus at Leek.

 

Once you have sorted out your base, it would be prudent to pick up a guide book.  We used the Nicholson guide book entitled "Waterways Guide 4, Four Counties & The Welsh Canals" from Collins.  Others are available.

 

The route is an easy one for a first time trip with two features that are worth taking a bit of time in understanding.  The first is that the first lock encountered on entering the Caldon Canal is an uphill two chamber staircase.  Its really not a problem but can be a bit daunting for the first timer.  It has one quirk in that the top (second) chamber is larger than the bottom chamber so when you fill the bottom chamber from the top, it overflows and the excess water enters a bywash channel once the bottom chamber is full.  I'm sure there is lots of info online, if you are lucky there may be a Youtube video although some are better than others.  Probably a bit like potting videos. 🙂

 

The second, easier, feature is a mechanised lift bridge, (bridge 11, Ivy House,) where a road crosses the canal.  It is operated by inserting the British Waterways key which comes with the boat into the control panel.  (This key also gains you access to water points on your route).  If the control panel hasn't been upgraded since we last visited, when you press the up button, it begins the cycle of activating warning lights and sounder followed by lowering of the road barriers.  When everything has settled, the bridge will commence to raise until fully open.  Its not a fast process so keep the button pressed until the bridge is fully open.  Take the boat through and then press the down button to reveerse the process.  Again, keep pressing the button until the barriers are up and the lights stop flashing.  Its like a miniature railway crossing.  The road wasn't busy when we passed through either time so don't worry about stopping the traffic.

 

This was us in 2017 (eek, that long ago)  If you zoom in a bit you can see the control panel on the left bank being operated by the present Mrs X.

 

 

 

Edited March 3 by Ken X

[trane]

With the situation in the Middle East I would expect there will be a lot of uncertainty with flights through that area or to the likes of Turkey and Egypt. This could well have the effect whereby people decide to holiday in Britain ( as during Covid). If you are looking to book a particular boat/base then it might be better to book now rather than delay. The trend over recent years seems to be to book later and for shorter breaks but if foreign travel is disrupted then holidays closer to home could well be seen as safer. It could well be a bumper year for the hire boat industry.

Then again I could be completely wrong (not for the first time).

 

[IanD]

6 hours ago, shoelessone said:

Thanks everybody for all of the info (and sorry again for the continued annoyance with my avatar - I'm still working on it!)

 

That said, a small update / follow up question:

 

My wife and I are struggling a bit with the price, but one thing that we've decided we'd really like to see if possible is Stoke on Trent - I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but we're both hobbyiest potters and have always loved watching the Grate Pottery Throw Down and have really wanted to visit Stoke. 

 

The point is, we're found a few slightly cheaper boats for hire on our target dates out of Congleton, Cheshire - technically on the Cheshire loop, but very close to the Trent and Mersey canal - and importantly a closer distance to Stoke if we ended up deciding we wanted to take it slower.

 

So, we're basically ready to put down a deposit, we're just trying to decide between:

£1200 FUEL INCLUSIVE for a slightly older / rougher boat out of Congleton, Cheshire

£1400 + FUEL (not included!) for a slightly nicer boat out of Great Haywood - I guess we'd probably shoot for the Leek and Back route, which is apparently 36 hours - full days for two people I suppose, but we could always run around early.

 

To us this is a lot of money, but we are currently learning towards spending a bit more for the nicer looking boat (we're not fancy people I swear!) and because it seems like if we changed our mind or whatever we could pivot to a different route easier from Great Haywood.

 

Sorry for beating a dead horse but thanks again everybody, really appreciate it!

 

There's not a lot of pottery left in Stoke any more since the main Wedgwood factory closed many years ago (there is a smaller remnant making jasperware which does tours), apart from the Middleton Pottery right next to the canal which is well worth a visit.

 

https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/see-and-do/middleport-pottery-p737141

 

The trip from Great Haywood up the Etruria and then the Caldon to Leek is a good trip for a week's hire, some nice places to stop but also a few worth avoiding, especially in Stoke, so I suggest making full use of canalplan. If you make better time than expected -- which very much depends on how may hours a day you want to cruise -- you could go up towards Froghall instead, which is lovely.

 

If you and your wife are beer/pub fans I'm sure some watering hole suggestions could be made -- I'd recommend stopping overnight at Etruria and walking down to the Holy Inadequate for a start... 😉 

Edited March 3 by IanD

[IanM]

5 minutes ago, IanD said:

There's not a lot of pottery left in Stoke any more since the Wedgwood factory closed many years ago

 

😕

 

https://www.worldofwedgwood.com/content/getting-here

 

Easy walk from the canal.

[IanD]

17 minutes ago, IanM said:

 

😕

 

https://www.worldofwedgwood.com/content/getting-here

 

Easy walk from the canal.

The main factory making crockery closed many years ago -- not long after we visited... 😞  (we still have a set of Wedgwood plates bought as a wedding present)

 

But I take it back, they do seem to run heritage-type tours of what remains (making jasperware).

Edited March 3 by IanD

[IanM]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

AKAIK it's basically just a shop so unlikely to be of much interest to the OP, the factory closed many years ago -- not long after we visited... 😞 

 

Everything I can find suggests they still make pottery there https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2wdllen88o#:~:text=Workers at the ceramics firm,with workers returning on Monday.

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, IanM said:

 

Everything I can find suggests they still make pottery there https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2wdllen88o#:~:text=Workers at the ceramics firm,with workers returning on Monday.

Yes you're right, I just corrected my post... 🙂 

 

I suspect Middleport will be much more interesting to anyone who is a hobbyist potter though... 😉 

 

(and IIRC you can moor right outside -- can anyone confirm this, we didn't actually stop there?)

Edited March 3 by IanD

[MrsM]

Really enjoyed Stoke - the potteries, Wedgewood museum etc. At Middleport you can moor up outside and they've got a nice tearoom.

[agg221]

There are a few other pottery related things to see in Stoke. Jesse Shirley’s bone mill, the Emma Bridgewater factory (tours) and Cheddleton flint mill immediately spring to mind.

 

If you can run to it, I would go for the boat from Great Haywood. For budgeting purposes you won’t use £100 worth of diesel unless their prices are very unreasonable! I would do this because the infrastructure is a bit fragile and sometimes breaks or gets closed due to lack of water and this is the location which is least likely to be affected by such issues to the point where you don’t have any good options (last summer which was particularly dry you would still have had two of the three choices). I would try to get up to Froghall rather than Leek, although if you make reasonable time you may well be able to get to both. Not suggesting you should copy this but the last time we hired in 2021 we went round the Four Counties ring and up the Caldon in a week. We decided to stop at Consall Forge to go to the Black Lion rather than going to the end (having been there before) and chose a lazy morning rather than the Leek branch, but we could easily have done so.

 

One thing to bear in mind is that, by car, Stoke on Trent is not very far from Great Haywood so when you hand the boat back on the last morning there is time to drive up and visit some of the pottery places before heading home. This allows you to spend a few more hours boating, which makes a difference to getting to the end.

 

Alec

Edited March 3 by agg221

[alias]

18 minutes ago, agg221 said:

For budgeting purposes you won’t use £100 worth of diesel unless their prices are very unreasonable!

 

There's nothing to stop a hirer topping up elsewhere if they see a better price on offer.

[IanD]

22 minutes ago, alias said:

 

There's nothing to stop a hirer topping up elsewhere if they see a better price on offer.

That's true -- but most boaters on a week's hire aren't going to find somewhere that can fill them up, moor up, then go off and find the man, then wait twenty minutes while he finishes whatever else he's doing, then comes and fills them up, then takes them off to the office and fills out a paper receipt with their details -- half an hour of boating time wasted, all to save a tenner or so. DAMHIK... 😉 

Edited March 3 by IanD

[Stroudwater1]

I believe you can moor at Middleport but not overnight from my recollection of the sign. That’s one consideration with Stoke is mooring isn’t too great - there’s a lake that’s busy and goose pooed, or  Harecastle tunnel South entrance or Trentham. Mooring just up the Caldon I think is OK. 
 

My recollection of Anglo Welsh and fuel is you pay a standard amount as part of booking. It comes  filled up and they dip the tank at  the end and charge or refund depending on what you have used. It wasn’t too much extra last time despite doing a long journey in a week.