Top 7 May bank holiday destinations
Watch out for wildlife and explore exciting waterside destinations
Here’s a guide to our top 7 May bank holiday family destinations – all short breaks suitable for beginners:
1. Explore Sir Titus Salt’s model town at Saltaire on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
From Silsden it takes seven hours, passing through 11 locks to reach Sir Titus Salt’s model town at Saltaire. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sir Titus Salt built the textile Mill and entire village for his mill workers, all in a beautiful Italianate style. Places to visit at Saltaire include the magnificent Salt’s Mill where many examples of David Hockney’s work are on display. And the Shipley Glen Tramway, the oldest working cable tramway in Britain, which takes you a quarter of a mile up through woodlands to a popular local beauty spot.
2. Walk Chester’s Roman city wall circuit
On a weekend break from Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal it takes seven hours to reach the ancient City of Chester. The route takes you past a series of villages with canalside pubs, including The Cheshire Cat at Christleton. Once in Chester, you can moor-up and walk the city’s Roman wall circuit. Chester is the only City in Britain that retains the full circuit of its ancient defensive walls.
3. Visit Ellesmere in the hear of the Shropshire Lake District
From Whixall on the Llangollen Canal, you can reach Ellesmere in the heart of the Shropshire Lake District. The journey takes seven hours and you’ll pass Cole Mere and Blake Mere along the way. At Ellesmere there are plenty of visitor moorings, giving you the chance to explore this historic market town with a mix of Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings, as well as its famous Mere and woodland walks. There’s a range of places to eat and drink, including The White Hart pub and The Red Lion coaching inn.
4. Discover the secret life of the Tudors in Stratford-upon-Avon
From Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, it’s a delightful six-hour cruise through the Warwickshire countryside to Shakespeare’s Stratford. From there, it’s a short walk to the town’s theatres, shops, restaurants and museums, including Tudor World. There you can find out what life was really like during Shakespeare’s time, from dining and sleeping, to plague and poo!
5. Marvel at the Caen Hill flight of locks at Devizes
From Bradford on Avon on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire, it takes nearly eight hours to reach Foxhanger Wharf the base of the mighty Caen Hill flight of 29 locks at Devizes. Said to be one of The Seven Wonders of the Waterways, the breath-taking sight of the 16 locks in a row is one of the most spectacular of Britain’s inland waterways. Once there, the historic market town of Devizes is a short walk away. Devizes has a great choice of independent shops, pubs and restaurants, including the ‘Peppermill Restaurant’ and the Bear Hotel.
6. Get close to nature at Fradley Pool Nature Reserve
From Great Haywood in Staffordshire you can cruise along the Trent & Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction in around six hours. Along the way, you’ll cruise past Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and through the historic village of Rugeley. Once at Fradley, you’ll find a café, two pubs and the award-winning Fradley Pool Nature Reserve with woodland walks to explore.
7. Travel on the Llangollen Steam Railway
From Trevor on the Llangollen Canal in North Wales, it takes around two hours to cruise to Llangollen. You’ll pass the canalside Sun Trevor pub along the way. Once in Llangollen, you can moor up in Llangollen Basin to explore the historic town on the edge of the Berwyn Mountains. And you can experience a journey along the Llangollen Steam Railway.
