Cheshire Cat

Cruising on the canal

Shire takes a trip in a narrowboat and is instantly won over by the amazing scenery and appealingly slow pace of canal life

Cheshire Cat Narrowboats is a boat hire company based at Overwater Marina near Audlem in Cheshire. It’s run by Linda and Mark Edwards, and it’s Linda who greets Shire at the bustling marina to show us around the boat on which we’re about to take a leisurely canal trip. So how did she get into narrowboats? “For me it was a complete accident,” Linda says. “A friend asked if I wanted to go for a weekend on the canals, and I got hooked straight away.”

Clearly expert at everything to do with narrowboats – she is a certified inland waterways helmsman instructor – Linda makes quick work of the explanations. The steering and controls are very straightforward, with a couple of points to remember about heating, electricity and simple daily maintenance, and then she steers us out of the marina and on to the canal, staying with us until the first lock.

Straight away the appeal of canal life is obvious. “It is easy to fall in love with the canals, for the scenery, the wildlife, the history, the slow pace of life and the lovely people you meet,” Linda says. “It is known as the ‘linear village’ – everybody knows each other. It is a chance to relax,

unwind, and see a hidden world of history and colourful tradition, ideal for adults and children. Just working the locks is a physics lesson, learning about levers, gears and water pressure. And it keeps you fit!” Having successfully worked the first lock, we are deemed safe to continue on our way alone. We spend the next three days travelling up towards Chester, with a detour on the Llangollen branch. You see a different side of life on the canals – we cruised quite close to the centre of Nantwich, but felt completely separate from the hubbub of the town centre. It’s not just the slow speed of cruising – which is about walking pace – it’s also the fact you see Narrowboat holidays have enduring appeal everything from a new perspective. We found it was important to have a planned end destination for each day in mind, a little bit like hiking, because you can’t hurry a canal boat. We moored outside local inns for food and drink, and at Barbridge were treated to some live music from the pub garden. Cheshire Cat has seven narrowboats to choose from, ranging in length from 31ft to 65ft. Living on the narrowboat is, well, narrow – but although your living space is never wider than six and a half feet, it’s as well appointed as a holiday cottage. When we weren’t stopping to eat at canalside pubs, meal preparation in the galley was easy, the bathrooms were all well appointed and everything was very comfortable. We only needed to bring food and clothing – everything else was taken care of by Cheshire Cat.

hire company based at Overwater Marina near Audlem in Cheshire. It’s run by Linda and Mark Edwards, and it’s Linda who greets bustling marina to show us around the boat on which we’re about to take a leisurely canal trip. unwind, and see a hidden world of history and colourful tradition,

A cottage on the water

“It’s a chance to unwind and see a hidden world” Get a unique perspective

For more information, visit www.cheshirecatnarrowboats.co.uk

Linda is an expert on the canals in the Shire region so after the trip, with the boat safely returned to Audlem, we jumped at the chance to find out more about these lovely waterways

How do the canals we have in the Shire area compare with the rest of the UK?

The canals of Cheshire, Shropshire and north Wales offer a huge variety of scenery and experiences, from the deepest rural idyll to vibrant city centre cruising. We have the amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, carrying the Llangollen Canal 126ft above the Dee Valley, and the Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich, two of the “seven wonders of the inland waterways” both in our region. And this is all unique to the UK – as far as we know, the traditional 7ft-wide narrowboat is not used anywhere else in the world.

What is your favourite stretch of the UK canal system?

Our favourite is the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal, from Great Heywood down to Stourport Basin where it joins the River Severn. We love it for the variety of scenery and the fascinating canal architecture.

What would be your one key piece of advice for someone embarking on a day trip or narrowboat holiday?

Whether you’re a holidaymaker or a day tripper, be ready for the British weather! Narrowboating is an outdoor pursuit and appropriate clothing is essential. Of course, we give a whole lot of other advice to our guests, including how to steer the boat and work through locks, where to go, what to look out for. And most of all, learn to enjoy life in the slow lane.