Four Counties Ring (7 or 8 days): This is 'the classic cruising ring'. Taking in the Staffs & Worcs; the Shroppie; Middlewich; Trent and Mersey canals. It includes such features as the 1.75mile Harecastle Tunnel; the Cheshire Locks (known also as 'heartbreak hill'); the Shropshire Union canal with it's attractive Lock flights at Audlem and Tyrley - not forgetting those alternating impressive embankments and gorgeous cuttings. Apart from a few hours at Stoke & Etruria, the route is almost entirely rural but with differing contrasts in canalscape. For more detail see our map and the descriptions of the individual canals. We can extend this cruise by several days to take in a trip up and down the Anderton Lift, with some river cruising on the Weaver. In fact add a few days and we have a number of Extensions - Caldon, Macclesfield, Llangollen canal.  Being a cruising ring we can set the start and end point to suit. 

Whaley Bridge to Ellesmere (6days): Starts at Whaley Bridge and descends from the edge of the Peak District via Marple, Macclesfield and Congleton SW on the Macclesfield canal to Kidsgrove.  Here we continue downhill via the Cheshire Locks on the Trent & Mersey canal to Middlewich.  Here we turn west to link up (briefly) with the Shropshire Union canal. Brief, because we almost immediately turn SW onto the Llangollen canal at Hurleston. We then climb up off the Cheshire Plain into Shropshire and the Welsh borders, ending at Ellesmere. The area just east of Ellesmere is described thus by one popular canal guide.... "The Llangollen canal undertakes a hauntingly lovely journey through Shropshire's own 'lakeland'." We agree and it is our favoured area to spend the winter months. For more detail see our map and the descriptions of the individual canals.  

Stourport to Etruria (including the Caldon Canal) (7days):  Leaving Stourport we head north on the Staffs & Worcs canal passing through Kidderminster and onto one of the prettiest stretches of canal in the country, passing through the Cookley/Kinver area. We ascend the curious Bratch locks and then skirt the barely noticed northern edge of Wolverhampton. With a meandering course, typical of the early Brindley canals we pass through Gailey and Penkridge before joining the Sow Valley to meet with the Trent & Mersey canal at Great Haywood. Here we head north on the 'T&M' as it's known passing through some very attractive water meadows (often reminiscent of a constable painting). As we head further north the landscape becomes urban as we approach Stoke on Trent. Necessary I'm afraid, because it is there, at Etruria, we need to turn NE onto the Caldon canal. But soon we leave the urbanization and ascend into the Staffordshire Moorlands area.  The Caldon provides charming (if challenging) narrowboating, with some very tight turns and very narrow sections. The Leek branch has the canal following around the edge of a wooded hillside (the bluebells in early May are stunning). Later we follow the main Caldon line down to Consall Forge via a charming River Churnett section of the Navigation.  With the Churnett Valley steam railway running alongside, some locals call it the 'secret valley' - well named. With the Cheddleton water mill to visit, this canal is charming. We end the cruise back down at Etruria merely to provide easy access to rail links there. For more detail see our map and the descriptions of the individual canals.  

Market Harborough to Great Haywood (River Soar) (7days):  Leaving Market Harborough we head for Foxton, but instead of climbing the locks we turn north through some stunning quiet back waters of the Leicester section of the Grand Union.  For a day we are in deepest rural 'shire' countryside. Then as we approach the southern outskirts of Leicester we join the River Soar, from time to time (almost as if we are getting brief tasters of river navigation. We pass right through Leicester in one day, mooring on the northern side beside the charming Watermead Country Park. I have always personally found the section of canal through Leicester to be very pleasant (despite warnings of vandals). North of Leicester we join the River Soar, proper.  This provides a couple of days of charming river travel. See the photos on the 'Leics Section' web page linked to our cruise map. Eventually the Soar flows into the Trent, where we head upstream bound for the T&M canal. The T&M takes us through Burton to Wychnor and the smaller charming Trent River section near to Alrewas. Another charming 'well to do' village with it's canalside thatched cottages. Then we have Fradley Junction and the interesting section of the T&M returning us to Great Haywood. For more detail see our map and the descriptions of the individual canals.