Cruising per day: 5½ hours (approx)
Distance: 117 miles
Locks: 12
This is a cruise for complete relaxation, as all the locks and bridges are manned and operated for you. The route passes through the two cathedral towns of Gloucester and Worcester, together with the contrasting towns of Stourport (with its funfair), Tewkesbury (with its abbey) and Sharpness (with its docks). The porcelain factory in Worcester, the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks and the Slimbridge Wildfowl Sanctuary on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal are all worth a visit.


Cruising per day: 5 hours (approx)
Distance: 96 miles
Locks: 34
The River Avon is picturesque with many attractive towns and villages en route. A midweek overnight stop in Stratford allows for a visit to the theatre and other tourist sites. Two of the seventeen locks are manned, so the cruise is ideal for first time hirers providing just enough locks to master the skill without overexertion. This is a popular route, and can be busy during peak season, especially when searching for a mooring.


(not suitable for Charlotte II)
Cruising per day: 6½ hours (approx)
Distance: 96 miles
Locks: 74
After a day of working up the River Severn to Stourport, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (arguably the most attractive canal in the country), provides a pleasantly contrasting atmosphere with the occasional lock, pleasant towpath walks and rural pubs. A day spent on the Severn Valley Steam Railway from Kidderminster or Bewdley historically blends well with canal life. An alternative destination to Aldersley Junction via the infamous Bratch Locks, is to cruise the Stourbridge Canal from Stourbridge Junction for a visit to the Black Country Museum at Dudley, with its Industrial Heritage and Canal Exhibits.




Cruising per day: 3¾ hours (approx)
Distance: 103 miles
Locks: 118
For the canal enthusiast, this ring includes some of the most attractive settings, with rural countryside and the occasional lock interspersed with intense flights of locking activity, long tunnels, and a day or two in the heart of the canal Mecca (Birmingham!). In addition to the attractions mentioned in the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal one week cruise, the Stuart Crystal Works near Stourbridge, Cadbury’s World at Bournville, and the Avoncroft Museum of historic buildings at Stock Heath are all worth a visit. In two weeks this route allows time to explore the lower reaches of the Shropshire Union Canal, and the numerous nether regions and backwaters of the Birmingham Canal Network.


Cruising per day: 4 hours (approx)
Distance: 109 miles
Locks: 130
The Avon Ring provides a complete contrast between the River Avon with its fast flowing weirs interspersed with tranquil stretches of river, and the canals with activity associated with lift and swing bridges, tunnels and aqueducts and the pleasures of the Tardebigge flight of locks. Many of the attractions to be found on this ring are described along with the details of the other routes, but the Patrick Collection of historic cars at Kings Norton, and the Commandery at Worcester which celebrates the Civil War, provide an interesting diversion from canal life.