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Middlewich Wharf to Llangollen by narrowboat

It is 56 miles and 25 locks from Middlewich Wharf to Llangollen, about 22 hours 11 minutes of cruising, comfortably done in 4 days at 6 hours a day. The route is checked against live closure notices - 13 active stoppages currently affect its waterways, and the plan below works around or waits out what it can (last checked 28 Aug 2026).

56 miles
25 locks
22 h 11 min cruising
4 days at 6 h/day

Recalculated 6 Aug 2026 against live closures.

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From Middlewich Wharf the route slips off the Trent & Mersey onto the pastoral Middlewich Branch, crossing the Weaver valley to join the Shropshire Union at Barbridge. At Hurleston Junction it turns up the Llangollen Canal for the long climb through Grindley Brook, Whitchurch and Ellesmere’s meres, finishing across the Chirk and Pontcysyllte aqueducts high above the River Dee. A superb one-way week that pairs Cheshire dairy country with the Welsh hills.

The route in words

Waterways on this route, in order:

  • Ellesmere Tunnel (tunnel, 36.14 miles in)
  • Chirk Tunnel (tunnel, 47.71 miles in)
  • Whitehouses Tunnel (tunnel, 49.41 miles in)
  • Barbridge flight (lock flight, 4 locks)
  • Wrenbury Heath flight (lock flight, 3 locks)
  • Grindley Brook flight (lock flight, 6 locks)
  • Grindley Brook Staircase (staircase locks)

The route works 3 movable (swing or lift) bridges.

Day by day

  1. Day 1
    13.44 mi 8 locks 5 h 50 min arrive ~13:50
    Overnight: Swanley Bridge Marina
  2. Day 2
    10.1 mi 12 locks 5 h 53 min arrive ~13:53
    Overnight: Whitchurch Marina
  3. Day 3
    18.31 mi 3 locks 5 h 59 min arrive ~13:59
    Overnight: Maestermyn
  4. Day 4
    13.92 mi 2 locks 4 h 29 min arrive ~12:29

Live closures on this route

Most planners list stoppages and leave you to plot around them. Canal Nav checks every live notice and plans this route around anything blocking - automatically, each time it is recalculated.

20 live notices on this route's waterways (last checked 28 Aug 2026, 04:15). The live map routes around anything blocking.

Coming back the other way

The return from Llangollen to Middlewich Wharf covers the same water, the same 56 miles and 25 locks, again over about 4 days - only the overnight moorings shift.

Reverse day-by-day plan
  1. Day 1: 19.25 mi, 2 locks - overnight Blackwater Meadow Marina
  2. Day 2: 14.63 mi, 6 locks
  3. Day 3: 10.53 mi, 11 locks - overnight Barbridge Marina
  4. Day 4: 11.37 mi, 5 locks
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Start and finish

Middlewich Wharf

Where this cruise sets off.

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Llangollen

Journey's end.

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More routes to plan

More routes to Llangollen

Routes sharing this water

Cruising rings touching this route

  • Four Counties Ring 110 miles, 94 locks - a signposted circuit you can join from this route
  • Cheshire Ring 97 miles, 92 locks - a signposted circuit you can join from this route

Plan it properly

Distances and times are planning estimates (last computed 6 Aug 2026). Always check live closures on the map before setting off.

Cruising Middlewich Wharf way? Plan it in minutes.

Turn-by-turn routing with live closures, lock counts and day planning - free.

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