There’s plenty of storage on board and we offer advice on what to pack
Great Haywood Canal Boat Marina
We offer a range of boat sizes with accommodation for two to 12 people.
With our Price Promise you know you’ll be paying the best price.
Explore the canals of the West Midlands, the Potteries and the Peak District.
Located at the junction of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire and the Trent & Mersey canals, Great Haywood offers a great choice of routes for beginners and experienced boaters.
You can cruise through the Staffordshire countryside, stopping off at sleepy villages, historic market towns and canalside pubs along the way.
Routes & Destinations from Great Haywood
Next to the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Staffordshire & Worcestershire canals Great Haywood offers a wide variety of routes
Fradley Junction
On a short break from Great Haywood you can cruise south to Fradley Junction and back, passing through the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Stone
On a short break you can travel north along the Trent & Mersey Canal through the wooded Trent Valley to the historic village of Stone and back, passing through a series of villages with canalside pubs.
Gailey Wharf
On a four-night break you can cruise the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal to Gailey Wharf and back.
Alrewas
On a four-night break you can cruise through the Staffordshire countryside to historic Alrewas and back.
Etruria/The Potteries
On a week away you can cruise north up the Trent & Mersey Canal to Etruria in Stoke on Trent, home of the Potteries.
Drayton Manor Theme Park
On a week’s break you can cruise through the countryside to moorings on the Coventry Canal close to Drayton Manor Theme Park and back.
Market Drayton
On a week’s break you can cruise to the historic market town of Market Drayton, home of the gingerbread man, and back.
Leek on the Caldon Canal
On a week long holiday from Great Haywood you can cruise to Stoke on Trent and transfer onto the Caldon Canal to Leek and back.
Black Country Ring
On a 10 day or two week break you can complete the Black Country Ring, travelling 75 mile and passing through 79 locks in around 43 cruising hours.
The Four Counties Ring
On a 10-day or two week break you can complete the popular Four Counties Ring, cruising 110 miles and passing through 94 locks in around 60 cruising hours.
The Stourport Ring
This popular circuit travels 104 miles, through 121 locks and takes around 44 hours. It takes in sections of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire, Worcester & Birmingham, Birmingham Main Line and Stourbridge canals, as well as a short section of the River Severn. You can connect to it from our Great Haywood base.
The South Pennine Ring
This epic circuit for experienced boaters criss-crosses the Pennines. It travels 73 miles, passes through 197 locks and takes around 3 weeks from Great Haywood.
Boats available at Great Haywood
There’s a great range of narrowboats available at Great Haywood, ranging from boats for two to 12 people.
Phoenix
This Premium 69ft Ocean Class narrowboat sleeps up to 10 people.
Warleigh
This Premium 48ft Weir Class cruiser stern narrowboat sleeps up to two people.
Golden Ghyll
This Premium 57ft Firth Class narrowboat sleeps up to two people.
Pulteney
This Premium 48ft Weir Class narrowboat sleeps up to four people.
Arley Hall
This Premium 58ft Weir Class narrowboat sleeps up to 4 people.
Leo II
This Premium 65ft Bond Class narrowboat sleeps up to 4 people.
Curzon
This Luxury 65ft Admiral Class narrowboat sleeps up to 4 people.
Lady Andrea
This Premium 58ft Village Class narrowboat sleeps up to 4 people.
Hydra
This Luxury 65ft Constellation Class narrowboat sleeps up to 4 people.
Lady Carol
This Premium 65ft Estuary Class narrowboat sleeps up to 6 people.
Pegasus
This Luxury 67ft Constellation Class narrowboat sleeps up to 6 people.
Vale
This Premium 60ft Beech Class narrowboat sleeps up to 7 people.
May
This Premium 60ft Lock Class narrowboat sleeps up to 8 people.
Firefly
This Standard 58ft Trent III Class narrowboat sleeps up to 8 people.
Hatherton
This Standard 68ft Church Class narrowboat sleeps up to 9 people.
Floral Dance
This Standard 69ft Emperor Class narrowboat sleeps up to 12 people.
Day boats
We have two day boats at Great Haywood. Each boat has space for up to 10 people. Our day boats are family and pet friendly. Prices start at £99.
How to find us
Our boat yard at Great Haywood is on the Trent & Mersey Canal near Stafford.
Anglo Welsh, Mill Lane, Great Haywood, Staffordshire ST18 0RJ
Tel 01189 881711
A range of holiday durations
Cruises can start different days of the week (except Sundays), depending on your chosen route. Holidays range from three-night weekend and four-night mid-week breaks, to a week, 10-days and two weeks, or more – the choice
is yours!
Boats should be returned by 9am on the final day of your holiday – or the afternoon before if you’ve made arrangements with the booking team. Please bear this in mind when deciding where you will moor on your last night.
Download a Brochure
Our brochure includes information on our boats, routes, destinations and prices. There are also tips for canal boat beginners, advice on what to pack and a list of our locations offering day boat hire.
FAQs
How do canal locks work?
A lock is a chamber with gates at either end. By emptying or filling the chamber with water, boats can move up or down a canal. With the lock gates closed, open the sluices (paddles) to let the water in or out. When the water level under your boat is the same as the level it’s moving to, you can move your boat in or out of the lock.
How long does it take to go through a lock?
It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to go through a lock.
Will my narrowboat have heating?
All our narrowboats have gas central heating with radiators throughout for cosy year-round canal boat holidays. Some of our boats also have a multi-fuel stove.
