Falkirk
- Glasgow, Edinburgh
and the Falkirk Wheel
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| The Falkirk Wheel is 115 feet high
- the equivalent height of eight double decker
buses. It is 115 feet wide and 100 feet long.
The wheel will lift loads of 600 tonnes (300
at each end) - the approximate weight of 81 adult
African elephants. The structure stands in a
330 feet wide circular basin with moorings for
over 20 boats. Before redevelopment, the site
was a deep open cast pit left behind by mining,
which ended in the early 1980s. Prior to that
the site was the home of Scottish Tar, producing
various tar-related products. |
 |
The
total project cost was approximately £17
million and work took 22 months. The wheel
is designed to last for at least the next 120
years.
The first wheel-based boat lift was proposed by a German engineer at
the beginning of the last century, though it was never built. The Falkirk
Wheel is the world's first rotating boat lift and the first boat lift
to be built in Britain since the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire, which
dates from 1875
Click
here for Falkirk Wheel base
information and cruising details
|
| |
Acton
Bridge -
Canals of North
West England
|
| Based near Northwich, Acton Bridge
is a good starting point for a number of routes.
Traveling north, you meet the canal where it
all started - the Bridgewater canal, which takes
you lock free to Manchester. From there you can
travel to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, or continue
on the Cheshire Ring via the Peak Forest and
Macclesfield. Apart from Manchester itself, currently
being cleaned up, this is a beautiful route with
constantly changing scenery. South of base you
can travel the Four Counties Ring, or meander
up to Chester and beyond to the Ellesmere Port
boat museum. |
|
| Click
here for Acton Bridge base information
and cruising details |
| |
Chirk -
North Wales & Llangollen
Canal
|
Based
on the breathtaking canal in North Wales, our
lovely marina is situated on the site of
the new Chirk Golf & Country Club (where
all customers become automatic members).
The Llangollen Canal unarguable has a lot to
offer both first time and regular holidaymakers.
It meanders gracefully through the beautiful
countryside
where the world famous "stream in the sky" - the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
spans the Dee Valley, such a feat of engineering is sure to snatch your
breath away! |
|
Perhaps you would like to visit
the walled City of Chester. Another first that
Black Prince Holidays are proud to announce is
the opportunity to cruise the Montgomery Canal
from the national canal network, very recently
reopened to boats for the first time in over
fifty years, a one and a half mile length of
canal has now been restored, and has been officially
opened, giving you the chance to be one of the
first to cruise this once dormant sleepy waterway.
Click
here for Chirk base information and cruising details |
| |
Peak District -
Trent & Mersey,
Caldon Canal
|
Situated on the redeveloped National Garden
Festival site, home of the industrial potteries,
and host to some of the most fabulous scenery
on Britain's waterways is what makes this one
of the most popular Black Prince starting points.
There is a variety of routes available from this marina, with the Cheshire
Ring and the Four Counties Ring being the most popular. You can exchange
the contrasting landscapes of the Potteries, Royal Doulton, Cheddleton
Mill and Wedgewood industries for the peace and tranquility of the Llangollen
Canal. |
|
What better way to experience
the hidden delights that this unique journey
has to offer.
Click
here for Peak District base information
and cruising details
|
| |
Stoke
Prior -
Worcester & Birmingham
Canal
|
| Situated in a lovely spot, close to both the
M5 and M42, Stoke Prior is the base for those
who want a more active holiday, being at bottom
of the Tardebigge flight of locks. It is a base
of contrasts, with routes taking in the rivers
Severn and Avon, as well as a number of different
canals. Equally it covers beautiful countryside
as well as such cities as Birmingham and Worcester.
Several rings can be completed from here, with
the Stourport Ring being the most popular, as
well as a large number of other routes. |
|
| Click
here for Stoke Prior base information
and cruising details |
| |
Napton
- North Oxford Canal
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| Ideally situated at the head of the North Oxford
Canal, Napton is an ideal base for a large number
of interesting routes. The circular route if
the Warwickshire Ring is ideal for the more energetic
and has the contrasts of beautiful countryside
around Warwick, then industry near Birmingham
and Spaghetti Junction. Out and back trips of
beauty and interest can also be achieved, including
Stratford-on-Avon, Oxford, Snarestone, or a visit
to the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne, depending
on the number of locks you wish to negotiate |
|
| Click
here for Napton base information
and cruising details |
Black
Prince Narrowboat Hire - Base Information
