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Welcome Aboard!

Canal boats, barges, longboats, call them what you will, there is nothing to compare with the unique experience of a narrow boat for exploring Britain’s beautiful countryside. Enforced relaxation while drifting along at no more than 4 miles per hour, a flurry of activity as you come to a flight of locks. 

A dog friendly holiday of contrasts, taken at a slow pace. The variety is endless; city, town, village and country, wide and narrow canals. Every bend in the canal brings forth some new delight, every mile some new feature.

Narrowboat holidays are for relaxation, for unwinding from everyday pressures, for doing what you like, when you like. With us you have the choice of seven bases, each with their own unique routes to help you discover a little more of this beautiful country of ours.

Acton Bridge Base

Based near Northwich, Acton Bridge is a great place for exploring a number of routes. Traveling north, you 

meet the canal where it all started – the Bridgewater Canal, which takes you lock-free to Manchester. From there you can travel to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, or continue on the Cheshire Ring via the Peak Forest and Macclesfield.

As well as the vibrant city of Manchester (where parts of the canal are currently being cleaned up), this is a beautiful route with constantly changing scenery. From south of the base you can travel on the Four Counties Ring, or meander up to Chester and beyond to the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum.

Suggested Routes From Acton Bridge

1. WIGAN & RETURN

84 Miles, 6 Locks, 1 Week Cruise, 5 hours per day (ROUTE A) 
A very pleasant and easy run with many miles of lock-free cruising. Leaving the base you travel on the first British canal built by the Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal to Manchester. On this you can see the mine entrances, together with the Barton Swing Bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, where the canal is swung to let large ships through. At Wigan, the Pier Museum and Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine (the world’s largest), are well worth a visit.

2. CHESTER & RETURN
84 Miles, 44 Locks, 1 Week Cruise, 6 hours per day (ROUTE B)
A slightly more active route, but still easily manageable at about five hours per day, this trip includes varying canals and countryside. Travelling southwards past the old salt mines to Middlewich, you turn onto the Middlewich arm to join up with the Shropshire Union Canal. The trip to the medieval city of Chester is particularly pleasant with the canal built next to the old city walls. You should also have time to visit the boat museum at Ellesmere Port.

3. CHESHIRE RING
98 Miles, 92 Locks, 1 Week Cruise, 8 hours per day (ROUTE C) 
An active route at around eight hours per day, the Cheshire Ring is one of contrasts. Travelling northwards over the Bridgewater Canal and lock-free to Manchester, where the city’s canals are currently being improved. After this, into the Peak District on the Macclesfield Canal, with its pretty stone villages. Just north of Stoke on Trent, you meet the Trent & Mersey Canal travelling through the many locks to Middlewich and its history of salt, then home.

4. FOUR COUNTIES RING
141 Miles, 102 Locks, 2 Week Cruise, 4 hours per day (ROUTE D)
A relaxing fortnight, travelling southwards to Stoke on Trent via Middlewich. Passing through the red-watered Harecastle Tunnel (the result of local iron workings) and continuing past the Wedgwood factory to Stone and Great Haywood, joining the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. Just north of Wolverhampton, you meet the Shropshire Union Canal with its extravagant cuttings and embankments, carrying you up to Barbridge and the Middlewich arm. If time permits a diversion along the Caldon is well worthwhile.

The Finest Fleet Afloat

Over the past few years, Black Prince has invested more than any other company in building a fleet of bespoke, modern, award winning boats, making our fleet the youngest in the country. This year sees the introduction of even more. All of our boats have water cooled engines, full central heating, airing cupboards, showers, superior macerator toilets, cookers, fridges (with small freezer unit), colour tv, radios, CD and DVD players and much