First Canal Holiday

[retired]

We are going to be taking our first canal holiday starting in early May for a week. It will be just my wife and myself along with our two small dogs.

 

A friend has been on many canal holidays over the past 20 years or so and has suggested going to Market Drayton as we are setting off from Great Haywood's Anglo-Welsh base.

 

We are not to bothered about going sight seeing etc, only really want to be able to top up on supplies and have a nice few pubs to pop in for a relaxing drink or 3, chill out and relax.

 

We will be happy travelling for a good few hours each day so does anyone have any other suggestions to the routes we can travel, bearing in mind this is our first time with locks etc. We did have a week on the Norfolk Broads a couple of years ago, but that is the only boating we have done.

[Bones]

We are going to be taking our first canal holiday starting in early May for a week. It will be just my wife and myself along with our two small dogs.

 

A friend has been on many canal holidays over the past 20 years or so and has suggested going to Market Drayton as we are setting off from Great Haywood's Anglo-Welsh base.

 

We are not to bothered about going sight seeing etc, only really want to be able to top up on supplies and have a nice few pubs to pop in for a relaxing drink or 3, chill out and relax.

 

We will be happy travelling for a good few hours each day so does anyone have any other suggestions to the routes we can travel, bearing in mind this is our first time with locks etc. We did have a week on the Norfolk Broads a couple of years ago, but that is the only boating we have done.

 

 

Sounds fabulous!!! Look on the map for any walks you might want to do. I had a lovely surprise when I took my bike off down a track that looked friendly and found myself after seconds in a gorgeous field with a spring running through it. A bit more of a ride, being chased by cows, and dropping my bike over a bridge led me to a beautiful picnic spot in the middle of a field.

 

Personally I find nothing more satisfactory than cruising, stopping, having a cup of tea, cruising stopping and going to the pub. I do hope you have a fabulously lovely and relaxing time!

[Guest]

We are going to be taking our first canal holiday . . . this is our first time with locks etc.

Hello Claity & welcome to the site.

We've only been boating a couple of years so got a lot of sympathy for your inexperience.

You'll love the whole thing especially as it sounds as though you have the right attitude - slow and enjoy the stops!

When you leave Gt. Heywood, are you gong to be travelling down the Staffs & Worcs or along the Trent & Mersey? (S&W is less locks and prettier - T&M is loads of locks plus a long tunnel!)

[Bernie]

First of all welcome. Since it is your first canal boat experience I would definitely cruise the Staffs and Worcs, turn right at Autherley junction onto the Shroppie and then head on down to Market Drayton. There are locks but they are not too close, too heavy or too numerous for a first trip. The only place to watch out for is the Tyrley flight which can be very shallow and rocky between the locks, especially the last couple. That's if you get that far before you have to turn round.

[Guest]

. . . the Tyrley flight which can be very shallow and rocky between the locks . .

Hi Bernie

We've never got that far yet, please can you be a bit more explicit about the "shallow & rocky" part?

How shallow - bumping along the bottom stuff?

Rocky? You must mean rocky sides, can't mean rocky bottom - canals don't have any rocks on the bottom! Do they?

Do you mean "rocky" like the narrow cutting at Marsh Lane on the S&W just before Autherley?

 

Peter

[Guest]

Claity

Just noticed - you're only out for a week, so you've got to go via the Staffs & Worcs, you wont have enough time to go the other way. And as Bernie says, you might not get there, depending how you spend your days.

On a "lock-miles" calculation it's 3½ days each way but it wouldnt be wise to expect to get it exactly right first time, so you'll need to look for a turning place if you don't make it (bridge 55, or 48, or just after 44, or just before 41 etc).

Make sure you know what the turning places look like on the map, before you leave the hire base.

(Dont forget, when you're turning, you can always get off onto the towpath with a rope and pull her round).

 

You'll be going uphill through your first run of locks, so the paddles you'll be opening will be ground paddles (the holes for the water will be in the ground not the gate). They are fierce, open them SLOWLY and be ready to drop them shut fast if the boat gets into trouble. So the lock person needs to watch the boat steerer all the time!

 

Your second lock is Deptmore Lock and I didn't pay attention there once. The water surge threw the boat up against the top gates with a mighty bang.

[retired]

Hello Claity & welcome to the site.

We've only been boating a couple of years so got a lot of sympathy for your inexperience.

You'll love the whole thing especially as it sounds as though you have the right attitude - slow and enjoy the stops!

When you leave Gt. Heywood, are you gong to be travelling down the Staffs & Worcs or along the Trent & Mersey? (S&W is less locks and prettier - T&M is loads of locks plus a long tunnel!)

 

 

Well the friend I work with suggested the Staffs & Worcs.

 

 

Charles

[Merlin]

Well the friend I work with suggested the Staffs & Worcs.

Charles

Hi Charles

 

I agree with your friend, if starting from Great Haywood you can head west along the Staffs & Worcs. then turn right at Autherley Junction onto the Shropshire Union. You should be able to make it to Market Drayton and back in the week, it will mean averaging about six hours cruising a day, which is not too bad and should still give you time to do a bit of sightseeing on the way. There is a winding hole (turning point) about an hours cruising past Market Drayton at the bottom of Adderley locks between bridge 68 and 69. If you make it this far you will get to go through Woodeaves Cutting which is a couple of hours cruising before Market Drayton. It is worth making the trip for this on it's own, in my opinion.

 

As far as the drink or three goes there are a number of great watering holes on route and some lovely villages to stop at, one of note being Gnosall (pronounced "No Zull") with good local shops and a choice of three pub's, two being canalside.

 

Hope you have a great trip and remember, it is the journey not the destination that is half the fun.

Edited March 19, 2006 by Merlin

[dor]

You can turn in the boatyard in Market Drayton, which saves a bit of time.

 

The "rocky" bit in Tyrley cutting mentioned earlier: It is quite shallow between the locks, sao you need to keep to the middle of the channel. It gets very shallow on the towpath side. Watch out for rocks when going through Woodseaves cutting, especially if you have to pass another boat.

[kawaton]

We are going to be taking our first canal holiday starting in early May for a week. It will be just my wife and myself along with our two small dogs.

 

A friend has been on many canal holidays over the past 20 years or so and has suggested going to Market Drayton as we are setting off from Great Haywood's Anglo-Welsh base.

 

We are not to bothered about going sight seeing etc, only really want to be able to top up on supplies and have a nice few pubs to pop in for a relaxing drink or 3, chill out and relax.

 

We will be happy travelling for a good few hours each day so does anyone have any other suggestions to the routes we can travel, bearing in mind this is our first time with locks etc. We did have a week on the Norfolk Broads a couple of years ago, but that is the only boating we have done.

 

 

You've said that you are not interested in sight seeing, and are happy travelling a good few hours........ What about 7/8 hours a day cruising?

 

In which case the four counties ring can be done comfortably.

Edited March 20, 2006 by kawaton

[retired]

You've said that you are not interested in sight seeing, and are happy travelling a good few hours........ What about 7 hours a day cruising?

 

In which case the four counties ring can be done comfortably.

 

 

Sounds interesting, but would that be too ambitious for us being first timers??

[kawaton]

Sounds interesting, but would that be too ambitious for us being first timers??

 

Not at all.

I went on my first weeks hols around the four counties.

I've read of more people on this forum who also did it.

 

If you just cruise as much as you want, and if you havent got to Barbridge Jct by the time you are half way through your hols, then just turn around.

I remember when we did it. for the first time, we had a lot of time to spare.

 

I've done the ring 3 times in the last 2 years and have come across countless first timers all doing the ring.