Spoilt For Choice - Please Help?

[cluffy]

As a new member to this forum I would firstly like to say a big hello to everyone. I've booked a weeks holiday for this August starting from Middlewich. This will be my first holiday on a canal and I really want it to be a great experience for my family. My problem is deciding on a route - there seem to be numerous options and I'm spoilt for choice. I would dearly like to average about 6 hours daily, have great scenery, a few pubs on the way and have places of interest to stop off at during our journey. Can anyone offer any suggestions or advice please because the more I try to research a route the more I'm getting confused?

[Liam]

Hi Cluffy, welcome

 

As a new member to this forum I would firstly like to say a big hello to everyone. I've booked a weeks holiday for this August starting from Middlewich. This will be my first holiday on a canal and I really want it to be a great experience for my family. My problem is deciding on a route - there seem to be numerous options and I'm spoilt for choice. I would dearly like to average about 6 hours daily, have great scenery, a few pubs on the way and have places of interest to stop off at during our journey. Can anyone offer any suggestions or advice please because the more I try to research a route the more I'm getting confused?

You can go west, along the Llangollen. Nice scenery, not too many locks and a few nice pubs. You may find it rather busy though, in August, as this is classed as 'peak time'.

 

South along the Trent & Mersey, through Cheshire locks. 30 odd locks upto Harecastle Tunnel. A nice stretch with a few canal side pubs. If you're after scenery though, there's not much on the southern side of the Harecastle.

 

Or, south, along the SUC (Shropshire Union Canal) nice canal, nice scenery, lovely pubs and not too many locks, apart from the flight at Audlem. If I had to pick I'd go this route.

 

Have a look around for pictures of the northern parts of the system, and then use http://www.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/index.cgi to tell you how many locks, bridges, winding holes, pubs, marinas etc there are along the stretch.

 

Some more info on routes from the Canal Junction website..

 

Trent & Mersey

 

Shropshire Union Canal

 

Bridgewater Canal

 

The Llangollen Canal

 

Edited to add...

 

Here's a link which lists the canals and gives you a page about the routes they take. Only some of them will apply to you seeing as you're hiring from Middlewich and have a week but it should give some interesting reading..

 

http://www.canaljunction.co.uk/canal/maps.htm

Edited January 16, 2006 by Liam

[DHutch]

Also, if you dont have a canal map, you can use Canalplan AC to find out how many locks/miles are involved in a journey.

 

Also i find the "whole of the uk" Nicholson Map quite good here

- And also the Nicholson Guide for the area.

 

And this thread is just about relevent

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3394

 

 

Daniel

[cluffy]

Hi Cluffy, welcome

You can go west, along the Llangollen. Nice scenery, not too many locks and a few nice pubs. You may find it rather busy though, in August, as this is classed as 'peak time'.

 

South along the Trent & Mersey, through Cheshire locks. 30 odd locks upto Harecastle Tunnel. A nice stretch with a few canal side pubs. If you're after scenery though, there's not much on the southern side of the Harecastle.

 

Or, south, along the SUC (Shropshire Union Canal) nice canal, nice scenery, lovely pubs and not too many locks, apart from the flight at Audlem. If I had to pick I'd go this route.

 

Have a look around for pictures of the northern parts of the system, and then use http://www.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/index.cgi to tell you how many locks, bridges, winding holes, pubs, marinas etc there are along the stretch.

 

Some more info on routes from the Canal Junction website..

 

Trent & Mersey

 

Shropshire Union Canal

 

Bridgewater Canal

 

The Llangollen Canal

 

Edited to add...

 

Here's a link which lists the canals and gives you a page about the routes they take. Only some of them will apply to you seeing as you're hiring from Middlewich and have a week but it should give some interesting reading..

 

http://www.canaljunction.co.uk/canal/maps.htm

 

Thanks for you help Liam. I like your suggestion of the Shropshire Union - could be just the job.

 

Also, if you dont have a canal map, you can use Canalplan AC to find out how many locks/miles are involved in a journey.

 

Also i find the "whole of the uk" Nicholson Map quite good here

- And also the Nicholson Guide for the area.

 

And this thread is just about relevent

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3394

Daniel

 

Cheers Daniel - greatly appreciated.