- Estimated Cost: $1900
- Deposit: $500
- Max Trip Size: 15 people
This is a two-week canal boat trip in the county of Cheshire, in central England, southeast of Manchester. The canal boat will be our moving base of operations, a sort of floating RV with a kitchen, bathrooms, showers and bedrooms. Each day we will cruise down the canal, through the lovely English countryside, for about 4-5 hours, leaving us 8-10 hours each day to explore scenic villages, ancient castles and churches, and dramatic overlooks. It’s also possible to take short rail journeys to visit some of the larger historic towns of the region, such as Stafford, Lichfield, and Stoke-on-Trent. The area is criss-crossed by multiple long distance hiking routes. For those who are interested in less than two weeks on the boat, it will be possible to leave or arrive during the cruise, as we will be close to rail stations most of the time. There will also be an optional hiking trip in the Peak District, after the main boat trip.
For the hiking part (4 or 5 days), I’m planning to take the English “Gentleman Hillwalker” approach, where we set up a base in some central location, probably Bakewell, and walk circular day trips along the high ridges and through picturesque villages, using trains and buses to reach trailheads when needed. This would be immediately after the boat trip, in the area about 20 miles east of the canal ring.
There will also be an optional pre- or post- trip extension of 3 or 4 days in London.
Estimated cost is $1900 (boat part only) – boat, food, train transport from London, lodging before and after, and airfare (which is currently about $820 RT). I will be reserving half the spots for people who have not gone on any of my previous canal boat trips.
Email me, and I will send you an email with links to the trip plan, maps, and attractions. You will also get links to a video showing how easy it is to run the boat, and videos produced by one of the British TV networks called “Great Canal Journeys” showing what it is like cruising the canals.