The 18-mile Caldon canal stretches from the heart of Stoke-on-Trent into the Staffordshire countryside. It provides a welcome escape and a blue gym escape from busy city life. The canal has a total of 17 locks along its route, but most of these are grouped into sections of 3 or…
Grade: 1 (up to 2 in parts in high waters) Distance: 94.8 miles The 3rd longest river in the UK at 185 miles long, the River Trent is one of the major rivers in the Midlands. The river rises in the Staffordshire moors and flows through much of the midlands…
A mostly green, lush, rural canal, the Macclesfield canal runs for 26 miles connecting the Peak Forest Canal to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Be aware! If you’re planning to connect to the Peak Forest Canal as you’ll be met with the flight of locks known as Marple Lock. 16…
The Trent and Mersey canal is one of the longest canals in the country. Stretching 93 miles from Cheshire, through Staffordshire and Derbyshire, it’s a stretch that can be paddled from many different access points. There’s something for everyone along the Trent and Mersey canal. And, like many of the…
A principal river of the Peak District National Park, the River Dove is probably most famous for the stepping stones across it at Dovedale. This 45-mile stretch of river actually offers much more than stepping stones and a great view of Thorpe Cloud. Rising in the moors near Buxton, the…
Described as one of the most scenic canals in the country, the Peak Forest canal is 15 miles of paddle-heaven. It flows past mill workers cottages, lush woodland and open meadows. The canal is a route popular with nature lovers for its variety of flora and fauna along the route.…
Grade: 1-3 The River Derwent in Derbyshire is a beautifully scenic river cutting right through the heart of the Peak District. It drops down through the World Heritage site of the Derwent Valley, through Matlock and Cromford. From here it flows through to Derby before joining the River Trent further…
Measuring 66 miles with 47 locks, the Shropshire Union canal makes its way from Wolverhampton to Ellesmere Port. Much of the canal cutting through the beautiful Cheshire countryside as it goes. The canal is isolated and rural but charming at the same time and with no town for often miles…
The 14.5 mile Cromford Canal is a wildlife paradise to paddle along. It starts at Cromford in the shadow of an old cotton mill once owned and run by Richard Arkwright. It once ran all the way south to Ambergate where it met the Erewash Canal and filtered through to…
A river in the north west of England, the River Weaver runs for 20 miles from Winsford to Weston Point near Runcorn. It's a beautiful spot to paddle as the seasons change, with tree lined banks turning a whole host of colours through the seasons. The original river has been…
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