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Welcome to Viking
Afloat's Whitchurch Hire Base
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 Whitchurch is a quite market town in rural Shropshire. Centrally placed on the spectacular Llangollen Canal, you can cruise to Llangollen itself, Chester or spend two weeks on either the ever popular Four Counties Ring or The Cheshire Ring. Whitchurch is a friendly and unspoilt place of pleasant gardens and narrow streets lined with buildings displaying a remarkable variety of architectural styles.
The Viking Afloat boatyard lies just outside the town on the Wrexham road - a peaceful spot and a foretaste of the tranquility to be found as your holiday takes you along the Llangollen and Shropshire Union Canals, into the wide open spaces of Wales and the north-west.
Directions to the base.
(Click on the tours below for full details of each trip.)
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A very relaxing cruise along this most popular of waterways which combines
the gentle countryside of Shropshire and the more dramatic landscape of
the Welsh border. This has given rise to some outstanding examples of canal
engineering. |
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The
appeal of this tour is the cruise along the Shropshire Union Canal. The
countryside is peaceful and unspoilt, there are many interesting canal features
and a highlight of the trip is a visit to the historic city of Chester. |
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A
highly popular two week cruise which takes you through some delightful parts
of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. |
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A
fascinating circular two week trip that takes you through the heart of Manchester
and then up into the Peak District with its distinctive stone architecture. |
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Tour
5
(1 week)
Whitchurch to Llangollen
58 Miles - 4 Locks - 4+ hours cruising per day. First
stop on this trip is Ellesmere, a delightfully unspoilt, small country
town. 
Shortly
after leaving Ellesmere you will come to Frankton Junction which is the
start of the Montgomery Canal (currently under restoration).
At Chirk, the canal crosses from England into Wales in spectacular fashion
by way of the Chirk Aqueduct. This carries you over the river Ceiriog
at a height of 70 feet, and is followed immediately by Chirk Tunnel. All
this though is only the start, since what follows is a truly spectacular
piece of engineering: Thomas Telford's breathtaking Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
It carries the canal 1,000 feet across the Dee valley at a height of 120
feet.
The final stage of your outward journey is by way of a channel that hugs
the steep side of the valley and provides panoramic views before entering
Llangollen on a high embankment.
On your return journey you may have time to continue past Whitchurch and
explore the canal to the east where it passes into Cheshire, before finally
returning to the base.
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Tour
6 (1 week)
Whitchurch
to Chester
60 Miles - 66 Locks - 5 hours cruising per day From
our base at Whitchurch, you head East along the Llangollen Canal to its
junction with the Shropshire Union Canal at Hurleston. The locks at Bunbury
signal your arrival onto the Cheshire Plain from where you get a splendid
view of Beeston Castle.
As
you approach Chester, the canal drops down through five locks and passes
right through the city. A stop here is highly recommended and there are
plenty of mooring points at which to tie up.
On
leaving Chester you pass through the deep Northgate locks, hewn out of
solid rock, and past a short branch that connects with the River Dee.
The canal then skirts the northern edge of Chester within half a mile
of the celebrated Zoo, making a visit possible. If you still have time,
it is well worth pressing on to Ellesmere Port and visiting its excellent
Boat Museum before turning round and heading back to Whitchurch.
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Tour
7 (2 weeks)
Four
Counties Ring
136 Miles -132 Locks - 5 hours cruising per day This
is our most popular two week trip which takes you through some delightful
parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire.
You cruise down to Hurleston Junction where you join the Shropshire Union
Canal. From here, you head for Stoke-on-Trent, via Middlewich.
South of Stoke you have the opportunity to cruise up the picturesque Caldon
Canal before carrying on your journey south down the Trent and Mersey
Canal to Great Haywood Junction.
The next stage is along the splendidly rural Staffs. and Worcs. Canal
which weaves its way southwards following the contours, to Autherley Junction
where you turn north again on the Shropshire Union Canal.
This trip can also be undertaken in an energetic week from our
Gailey Hire Base.
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Tour
8 (2 weeks)
Cheshire Ring
145 Miles - 137 Locks - 6 hours per day
A
fascinating trip that takes you through the heart of the city of Manchester
and then up into the Peak District with its distinctive stone architecture.
As with tour 7 you head east to Middlewich where you join the Trent
and Mersey Canal to head north.
At Anderton you can pause to visit the historic Boat Lift, shortly
due to undergo total restoration.
At Preston Brook you join the Bridgewater Canal which takes you into
Manchester. In the centre of the city you pass briefly onto the Rochdale
Canal with its flight of nine locks.
After Manchester you ascend the Ashton flight of locks and at Duckinfield
Junction you turn right onto the Peak Forest Canal which takes you
up to the summit at Marple.
Your journey continues on through Macclesfield along the Macclesfield
Canal before you begin the steady descent down the Trent and Mersey
Canal back to Middlewich, where you retrace your journey to Whitchurch.
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