Bridgewater Canal Short Break

A full induction

On your arrival day, you’ll meet a member of our team who will take you through a personalised coaching session on your designated boat. This boat induction will show you the complete workings of the boat, how to drive, steer etc plus a tour inside. This usually takes around an hour, longer if you need it.

Leaving your narrowboat hire base

After your boat handover at our narrowboat hire base at Acton Bridge you’ll head north and about one hour into your cruise, you’ll arrive at the Dutton Stop Lock. This is the only lock you will come across on your short break route.

A stop lock was originally used to control the flow between different canal company’s water and so is slightly different to a normal lock where you ascend or descend the terrain.

With gates and a chamber, it’s the perfect ‘practice’ lock. Depending on the water flow, there may be a couple of inches difference in water level, so you will go through the process of working the lock but without any of the normal risk of anything the boat catching a cill and up-ending itself! If you have never narrowboated before and are worried about working a lock, then this is the perfect route to take to quell your fears.

Head to Moore for overnight mooring

Once you have successfully worked your way through the lock, your cruise continues through miles of pretty countryside, through pretty villages such as Moore, which is a good place to moor up on your first night.

Just past Moore you’ll reach the large village of Stockton Heath, which is well known for its specialist shops and boutiques, plus of course restaurants and pubs, a good spot to stretch your legs and perhaps enjoy a pub lunch.

Arrival at Lymm

Continue on through the woodland and farmland of Cheshire to Lymm. This picturesque Cheshire village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1066 and is a lovely place for a walk, with plenty of restaurants and pubs for a cosy meal in.

On a four-night break we recommend heading just past Lymm and enjoy a stroll around Dunham Massey. This dog-friendly National Trust property has huge parklands with herds of deer, some quite tame, plus the famous plantsman’s gardens at which to marvel.

Easy return cruise

After turning your boat around at a winding hole, it’s then time to turn back and enjoy your tranquil cruise back to base. We recommend coming back close to the boat hire base on your final night if you want to eat out.