| Richard Cheesbrough recomends short breaks as a great way to try out a waterways holiday for the first time. He visited the Anderton Boat Lift with Drifters | Drifters is a consortium of award-winning holiday boat companies. For more information see website www.drifters.co.uk or telephone 08457 626252. Prices for short term breaks range from £70 per person. There are many great ideas for enjoying the waterways on website www.waterscape.com. There is more information about the waterways museums on website www.waterwaystrust.org.uk. |
ne of the joys of travelling on Britain's 2,000 miles of inland waterways is the variety it offers: industrial heritage, soft rolling farmland, rugged upland grandeur and pretty isolated villages contrasting with inner city regeneration. But the variety offered by the changing seasons is also a major attraction; the same waterway can offer totally different charms during the various seasons of the year. Most people would settle for cruising in mid-summer with the hope of glorious weather, but a cruise in early autumn with the trees just beginning to turn has a special magic about it. For those who can holiday at this time - whether it be for a short break or a week or more - it also offers the prospect of less crowded waterways, as most families with children of school age are effectively excluded from cruising out of season. A long weekend in autumn 2004 illustrated this perfectly. Taking boat from Acton Bridge near Northwich, a Black Prince Base and part of the Drifters Consortium, four of us enjoyed a fascinating time on the northern Trent and Mersey Canal, the Middlewich Branch and a little trip down to Nantwich on the Shropshire Union. As it was weekend break we picked up the boat just after lunch on Saturday and had to return it after lunch on Tuesday. Not too much time to take off work but plenty of time to slow down and relax. | The high quality, 58-foot boat had two double beds, a well-fitted bathroom with water flush toilet and splendid shower, and a kitchen and dining area that were lavishly equipped for all our needs. And the full central heating system was a reassurance in case of any cold evenings. The boatyard staff were thorough in ensuring that we were happy with the boat and confident in handling it and then we were off – in what must be said was glorious autumn weather. Bright clear sunlight and not so much chill in the air that an everyday fleece couldn't ward off.
The top of the Trent and Mersey is a fascinating place for boat enthusiasts as you fairly quickly come upon one of the seven wonders of the waterways network, the Anderton Boat Lift.
This massive and recently restored structure was built to transport boats between the canal and the River Weaver below and is a mighty piece of industrial engineering. Built in 1875 it was the world's first and is currently the UK's only boat lift and now its story is explained in an interactive exhibition centre. And it adds a little more excitement to the experience to arrive by boat. | There are plenty of safe and quiet moorings for lunchtime and evenings in this area of the waterways and we made it as far as the delightful black-and-white town of Nantwich, where we turned round on Sunday night. Weekend or midweek breaks are increasingly popular. They are a great way to try out a waterways holiday for the first time – and not surprisingly most people who do are quick to re-book for a week or a fortnight – but they are also a great way for those who are already addicted to the relaxing charms of a canal holiday to top up their batteries with a quick 'fix', especially just before winter sets in. Another attraction not far from Acton Bridge – a short hop down the motorway, in fact – is the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, which has one of the world's largest floating collection of traditional canal craft. It is possible to go aboard many of them and see what working and living conditions were like for the crews and often their families. The museum is at the northern end of the Shropshire Union Canal, housed in what was once one of the busiest transhipment ports in Britain where goods were moved from canal craft to sea going ships and vice versa. Many old Georgian and Victorian buildings and warehouses still survive and house fascinating exhibitions on the waterways, their industry and their people. |
