3-Day Narrowboat Adventure from the Peak District to Manchester

It’s all hands on deck on this 3-Day narrowboat adventure through the rugged Peak District countryside and the gritty urban canals of Manchester! Traveling and sleeping aboard a back-to-basics narrowboat, the tour offers an exciting experience for adventurous souls who want to get involved with all aspects of narrowboat cruising and see a side of the region that many travelers don’t get to see. Boating experience isn’t necessary; all that’s required is a good standard of fitness and a desire to get involved with navigating locks, moving gates and more. Meals and friendly company included!

Head to Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire to meet your hosts, fellow group members and your form of transport – a narrowboat! After hopping on board, most of your time throughout the tour is spent ‘pitching in’ and helping out with anything from lifting moveable bridges to guiding your boat through the locks. Evenings are spent socializing around the onboard ale pump or visiting local pubs close to where you moor. Nights are spent in the comfortable bunk beds back on the boat.

The route on your adventure tour takes in 34 locks in total, each of which have three gates that individually weigh up to 4,410 lbs (2 tonnes) and require opening and closing by hand. It’s estimated that between seven and eight hours are spent throughout the weekend on working the locks, so roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to the action!

After navigating the Pennine Waterways that cut through the scenic Peak District, head into the urban canals of Manchester on the final day. Cutting under roads and beneath a hotel, the route continues to be quite an adventure, and most people—even Mancunians—will not have experienced the city this way. The route takes you through some relatively unused industrial areas to remind you why the canals were originally built. See derelict mills and experience some of the uglier (yet exciting) sides of urban boating, such as fishing shopping trollies out of the canals or removing litter from the propellers!

Refer to the Itinerary for a full breakdown of the route.