The Cheshire Ring
Cheshire Ring Canal Boat Hire & Narrowboat Holidays
Navigate the famous Cheshire Ring on a canal boat holiday. Explore Manchester, the Peak District, and the Anderton Boat Lift on this magnificent circular route.
A Magnificent Journey of Contrasts
The Cheshire Ring
Expected to open again as a full ring next year. However, much of the route remains open and makes for a wonderful out-and-back holiday.
Still want to explore this area? Even if a route has a stoppage, you can often enjoy magnificent out-and-back journeys along the open sections. Please contact us for expert advice on tailoring an amazing adventure!
Route at a Glance
92 (Circular) Locks
5 Subterranean Tunnels
7+ Night Route
Featured Discovery
Oldknow's Warehouse.
Marple and Marple Bridge
This popular canal holiday circular route has it all, beautiful rolling countryside, magnificent Pennine scenery, and the vibrant city centre of Manchester.
The Cheshire Ring takes in the whole of the Macclesfield Canal, alongside parts of the Trent and Mersey, Bridgewater, Rochdale, Ashton, and Peak Forest Canals. Because it is a ring, you can travel in either direction, but we highly recommend heading south (anti-clockwise) to begin. Leaving our Middlewich base, steeped in history dating back to the Roman fort of Salinae, heading south allows our expert team to guide you through your first few locks for hands-on training.
You will immediately tackle the famous 'Cheshire Flight', navigating through the beautiful Cheshire countryside towards Hardings Wood Junction near Kidsgrove. A short walk from the canal here brings you to the gorgeous Elizabethan half-timbered Little Moreton Hall.
The Macclesfield & Peak Forest Canals
At Hardings Wood, you join the Macclesfield Canal, which oozes Pennine character as it clings to the hillside above the Cheshire Plain. Twelve superbly engineered locks at Bosley lift the canal past Congleton under the shadow of the looming 1,126-foot millstone grit eminence known as The Cloud. It is then a largely lock-free stretch through pretty stone-built mill towns like Bollington, where you can admire the Clarence and Adelphi cotton mills, look out for the White Nancy monument, and visit the canalside Discovery Centre. Further on, Macclesfield itself offers the iconic Hovis breadmakers' mill, the Silk Museum, and Paradise Mill, celebrating the town's famous silk manufacturing history.
At Marple, you join the Peak Forest Canal. If time allows, a scenic detour to Whaley Bridge and the Bugsworth Basins is highly recommended, exploring its Ancient Monument status and the remnants of its six-mile limestone tramway. Continuing the ring, a soaring aqueduct, an 1800 monument to its engineer Benjamin Outram, carries you a hundred feet above the River Goyt before the canal descends through an awe-inspiring flight of sixteen locks to meet the Ashton Canal.
Manchester & The Bridgewater Canal
In Ashton-under-Lyne, you can explore the Portland Basin Industrial Museum, housed in a magnificent 1834 canal warehouse, before facing a rewarding descent through eighteen locks (comprising the Fairfield, Clayton, Ashton, and Ancoats flights) towards the smart developments of Piccadilly Village. You then move onto the Rochdale Canal, negotiating the famous 'Rochdale Nine', a flight of deep, wide-beam locks cutting right through the vibrant heart of Manchester city centre. Canal travellers can moor within the urban heritage environment of Castlefield, overlooked by the impressive Merchants and Grocers Warehouses. The area is centred on the ambitious Museum of Science & Industry and a stone's throw from the Granada Studio Tours.
From here, the historic, lock-free Bridgewater Canal provides a relaxing cruise past the handsome 18th-century mansion at Dunham Massey, where fallow deer roam the delightful parkland. Along the way, you can stop near Daresbury to uncover its connections with Lewis Carroll, visit the petting zoo at Walton Gardens, or explore the picturesque town of Lymm, where you can admire the 1824 Lymm Dam and its enigmatic sandstone cross. Finally, you rejoin the Trent and Mersey Canal, experiencing over an hour's worth of exciting subterranean cruising through the Preston Brook, Saltersford, and Barnton tunnels. Because they are not wide enough for narrowboats to pass inside, they provide a thrilling navigation experience. You will then pass the awe-inspiring 1875 Anderton Boat Lift on your final stretch back to Middlewich.
Cheshire Ring Holiday Highlights:
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The Anderton Boat Lift: The world's first boat lift, designed by Edwin Clark in 1875 to lower boats to the River Weaver.
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Castlefield Urban Heritage Park: Moor right in the heart of Manchester near world-class museums and historic warehouses.
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Three Historic Tunnels: Navigate the Barnton, Saltersford, and Preston Brook tunnels, renowned as some of the earliest essays in canal tunnel digging.
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Marple Aqueduct: Soar 100ft above the River Goyt on this breathtaking 1800 Benjamin Outram masterpiece.
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Peak District Scenery: Stunning Pennine vistas and the looming 1,126-foot peak of The Cloud.
Cruising Time
One week average cruising time per day:
The Cheshire Ring: 8 - 9.5 hours
Explore More Canal Routes
Looking for a different direction? See where else you can travel from Middlewich.
Important Route Updates
While our Middlewich base offers incredible access to the network, please note the following updates to some of our famous routes.
Great news, there is still an abundance to explore! Even when a 'Ring' is temporarily closed, you can enjoy magnificent out-and-back journeys along the open sections. The UK canal network is over 200 years old, so occasional maintenance 'hiccups' are to be expected. Please contact us for expert advice on tailoring an amazing adventure around them!
The Cheshire Ring
Expected to open again as a full ring next year. However, much of the route remains open and makes for a wonderful out-and-back holiday.
The Llangollen Canal
Currently closed due to a major breach, as seen in the national news. It is expected to reopen as a route next year and cannot be explored past the breach.
Planning Your Cheshire Ring Trip
The Cheshire Ring is a magnificent achievement, combining the very best of British engineering and natural beauty. Whether you conquer the full ring or explore the Macclesfield Canal as an out-and-back journey, you are guaranteed an unforgettable holiday.
Please Remember: A word of warning though, this is quite a busy week's cruise for a novice boater, but very rewarding if you can take the pace. If you're planning to spend a day out and about off your boat (such as exploring Manchester or the Peak District), please make sure you factor this into your plans when working out the amount of cruising hours required to complete your holiday route. You may also want to compare this with the Four Counties Ring.
Choosing Your Perfect Pace
We want you to love every moment of your journey. While our route guides provide suggested times based on a steady pace and ideal conditions, we always encourage you to plan your trip around your crew's unique comfort and abilities.
Since everyone's energy levels are different, you may find that choosing a longer duration, such as 14 nights instead of 7, allows you to reach your goals while keeping the adventure inclusive, relaxed, and truly enjoyable for everyone on board. For more detailed advice on planning a journey that is safe and inclusive for everyone, please visit our Accessibility Statement.
Captain's Note: Your holiday should always feel like a break, never a task! If you are unsure about the best route and duration for your specific crew, please get in touch for friendly, honest advice.
Download Your Digital Map
We suggest downloading the free Open Canal Map while you plan. It is a fantastic interactive tool for exploring routes, finding visitor moorings, water points, and local pubs along the towpath.
Boatyard Bonus: It's incredibly helpful for pinpointing your exact location on the canal network. If you ever need to call our team for advice or assistance during your holiday, you can tell us exactly where you are!
* Disclaimer: Open Canal Map is a third-party application. It is not affiliated with Andersen Boats and is downloaded and used entirely at your own discretion.
Pearson's Canal Companions
For the ultimate captain's preparation, we highly recommend picking up a copy of Pearson's Canal Companions. These legendary guides are the gold standard for boaters, packed with beautifully illustrated mile-by-mile maps, fascinating local history, and invaluable reviews of towpath pubs and eateries.
Four Counties & Cheshire Rings
Perfect for navigating the Cheshire Ring, Four Counties Ring, and our local Trent & Mersey routes.
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Welsh Waters (featuring the Llangollen Canal)
The essential guide for anyone heading down the Llangollen Canal or exploring the Shropshire Union.
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