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Four counties ring - one week


golfer

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The Four Counties Ring can be done in a week but Canal Planner tells me that, starting from Preston Brook Marina, you have to cover about 145 miles and 104 locks. At an average speed of 3mph and just 10 minutes per lock you will need around 65 hours of cruising time to complete the trip. That's just over 9 hours per day and closer to 10 hours if the hire company doesn't let you away until late afternoon and expects you back early at the end of the week. I think you would be pushed to complete the trip.

 

As an alternative, consider a there-and-back trip along the Trent & Mersey to Stoke and then the Caldon Canal. If you travel to the Froghall Terminus and then to Leek as well, Canal Planner tells me you have to cover about 110 miles and 106 locks. At the same average speed/lock time, the trip will take about 54 hours This is still close to 8 hours each day.

 

Or you could take the trip to Chester and Ellesmere Port (for a visit to the Boat Museum) and back. This is 102 miles and 46 locks and should take around 42 hours - just 6 hours per day. There is more variety on this route with both narrow and broad locks and the broad staircases at Bunbury and Chester to test your thinking skills. The run from Chester to Ellesmere Port is not particularly beautiful but you will be rewarded by the Boat Museum. You might even find time to visit Chester Zoo.

 

I worry about hire companies who tell people that trips can be done in a week when the evidence is that they can only be done if you push on for long hours. What sort of holiday is that? It defeats the whole object of a relaxing time. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy the trip.

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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

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Many years ago we did it from Anderton in a week with a crew of four (My wife, myself and 2 young but able daughters). We put in a couple of long days to get up heartbreak hill and through Stoke in good time and after that it was easy. These days the canals are much busier and hold ups at lock flights can be enormous if you hit them at busy times.

Good luck if you try it

Arthur

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Arthur.

 

"These days the canals are much busier and hold ups at lock flights can be enormous if you hit them at busy times".

 

I must be living in a different dimension, I have never witnessed an "enormous hold up". If anything I think the canals are less busy now than they were a couple of decades ago, there are fewer hire boats and the canals are deeper and better maintained.

 

Heartbreak Hill is a good example, most of the paired locks have now been reinstated and they are all in good nick, you can zoom through there now.

 

My gangplank has been sat unused on my roof for years, there was a time when I had to drag it out every day.

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I received a warning about the 15 locks at Audlem on the Shropie last year at whitsun

 

" . . . make sure your up nice and early and have a good hit before the rest of 'em and make sure you don't hit them of a night time. . . ."

 

We couldn't believe it when we got there. No one in front and everyone coming up was setting the locks for us! Fantastic, even better coming back it was the same.

 

its just the way you catch them sometimes and all depending on who's infront

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Bernie.

 

Not exactly typical examples Bernie, those locks are on the Middlewich branch of the Shropie'. Two canal rings share that length of canal, which must be the busiest on the system. They have always been a bottleneck.

 

There used to be probably twice the number of hire boats at Nantwich and Middlewich as there are now and all of them used to turn around on Saturdays.

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Hi

 

According to "Pearsons Canal Companion" The "Four Counties Ring" is 109 miles, 94 locks and will take 55 hrs.

 

1 Week hire = Saturday to Saturday but you get boat sometime after 14:00 hrs return by 09:00hrs. Therefore these days do not count in time available to cruise.

Time for cruising = 6 days

 

55hrs/6 days = 9.17hrs this is time actually moving the boat each day. This is a lot of cruising each and every day.

 

If you buy a guide (nicholsons or pearsons) work out where you need to be each day because if you slip behind time it will be difficult to catch and there is a law that says if you hurry somethig or someone will slow you down.(s#ds law)

 

Cruising day example: underway 08:00 stop 12:00... under way 14:00 stop 19:00 this equals 9hrs.

 

On the first Saturday you will put some hours in the bank for hold ups, just be aware of where you must be each day, if you find yourself in front of time just ease off a little.

 

This should be a restful time but 9hrs a day is a lot of hard work.

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Bernie.

 

Not exactly typical examples Bernie, those locks are on the Middlewich branch of the Shropie'. Two canal rings share that length of canal, which must be the busiest on the system. They have always been a bottleneck.

 

There used to be probably twice the number of hire boats at Nantwich and Middlewich as there are now and all of them used to turn around on Saturdays.

I am aware of that John since our moorings are in Middlewich but it still part of the 4 counties with hire bases at both ends.

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We did the four counties twice last year, both times starting in fradley. and finishing with time to spare.

These trips were taken at end may and mid august

 

There were a couple of long days involved and some hard lock work.

However, we are early starters and sometimes started at 0600. Whilst we did not do this everyday, it is a good way to gain a few extra hours cruising when its quiet, and in addition the canal is a different place at that time of the morning. Totally quiet, with lots of wildlife.

 

it all depends what you want out of your week. We are not ones for stopping at pubs. We did visit pubs at night, but during the day we prefer to keep cruising.

After all, i can visit a pub anytime, but when you are paying hire costs for a boat, and youve waited all year for that one week, it sort of makes sense to use the boat.

I would love the luxury of cruising for a few hours a day, but that time will come.

At the moment we prefer to see as much of the network as we can. (without rushing-just doing the hours)

 

there are also quite a few flights on this route where you can make up time if using the lock/miles calculation. Heartbreak hill, Audlem, mkt drayton etc

 

Ps we also managed to get a spot on Tixall wide, on BOTH trips.

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Thanks for the info, but i am even more confused!

 

i dont mind putting inthe hours cruising, but i dont fancy 10 solid hours, if that is needed I think we will keep it simple 3 days out 3 days back

 

next point which is the more scenic,(and most pubs to eat in at the evening) down the trent & mersey, taking in the caldon canal or going onto the Shropshire union (dont intend going on the llangollen been there twice before)

 

Many Thanks

 

JM

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JM

 

Just go for it, you will enjoy the trip. It was the first ever trip I ever did and it got me addicted to the canals. We set off from Simolder at Nantwich no instruction of any kind. The first day we got told off for leaving all the gates open. Well we didn't know.

 

I have done it several times since in my own boat, one or two long days but mostly 5 or 6 hours. If you want long lazy days stay at home and sit in your garden drinking weak tea.

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John sums it upexactly i think.

 

I never had any days of 10 hours solid cruising.

we had long days because we get up early to cruise in the morning, then stop for an hour or so for breakfast. Then cruise some more, and stop for lunch.etc etc

The idea is to see as much as possible, whilst stopping for a while to take in a bit of the scenery.

 

To be honest, my personal favourite parts of the trip are the shroppie between Brewood and Audlem. Which is the far corner of the ring for you and then might aswell do the whole circuit

 

For the two routes you mention, they both have equal appeal. However, the trent and mersey would mean 2 trips through Stoke, (which isnt the best mooring area).

 

The best pubs, in my limited (personal)opinion, are south of Audlem (Shroppie fly included) on the Shroppie, and south of Stoke on the T&M.

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Guest st170dw
hiring a narrow boat in July 2005, from Preston Dock, intend sailing around the four counties ring but only have boat for one week, is it possible and still have time to relax, if not any other suggestions of routes

 

I covered the 4 Counties ring a few years ago from Higher Poynton on the Macclesfield. We took 10 days but we took several diversions that on reflection were not a good idea!

 

The actual ring was perfectly possible in 7 days.

 

It is a wonderful mish mash of scenery and history.

 

Enjoy

 

Dave

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I guess it is horses for courses, I have done the 4 counties twice in hire boats and taken a fortnight each time which is just about my pace, I wouldn't dream of doing it in a week, I would need a holiday to get over the so called holiday!

 

Still if you enjoy the getting up at 6am every day!?

 

NB whatever the canal cruising guides tell you the daily cruising time will be, it will be at least two hours more - guaranteed.

 

The Caldon is great (apart from the first bit in Soke).

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Nobody has mentioned the Cheshire ring yet. Preston Brook is well placed for this ring, which has interesting industrial scenery as well as good countryside. The passage through Manchester is much maligned. Best method is to overnight at Castlefield and get through early.

Arthur

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We've just had to lose a week of our hols, fatally scuppering the East Midlands Ring so we've fallen back on doing the Four Counties in the week leading up to the May Bank Holiday weekend. We can't pick up from Stoke any earlier than 2pm on Saturday 21st May...do you think we'd do better going anti-clockwise and getting the tunnel out of the way early on in the trip? Would we be likely to reach and get through it on that Saturday? The alternative is of course to go clockwise and hit it on the Friday or Saturday morning of the Bank Holiday.

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