Top dog-friendly canal holiday destinations for 2022

CANAL boat holidays offer great pet-friendly staycations, with more than 3000 miles of navigable inland waterways and towpaths to explore, as well as hundreds of dog-friendly canalside pubs.

Anglo Welsh is one of the largest canal boat holiday operators, with the choice of 160 boats for hire from 11 bases in England and Wales. Reservations manager Emma Lovell explained: “Narrowboats are like floating holiday cottages, so it’s possible to take all sorts of pets on the canals.

“As well as hundreds of dogs, we’ve accommodated many other kinds of pets aboard our narrowboats, including cats, rabbits, hamsters, tortoises, lizards, caged birds and goldfish. First pets are free as part of all our holiday packages, and the second is charged at £25 for a short break, £35 for a week.”

She added: “We recommend dog owners choose our narrowboats with open cruisersterns at the back, as they offer extra room on deck. And we ask them to bring their dog’s own bed for them to sleep on.

“To celebrate the popularity of our holidays for dog owners, we’ve published a guide to our Top 7 short break destinations for dogs in 2022.”

1. Cruise along the Trent & Mersey Canal to Cannock Chase Forest. From Anglo Welsh’s canal boat hire base at Great Haywood in Staffordshire, boaters can visit Cannock Chase Forest, with miles of walking trails to enjoy and a special dog activity trail. Once a Royal Forest, Cannock Chase is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with more than 6800 hectares of landscapes to explore. The Wolseley Centre and Nature Reserve is next to the Trent & Mersey Canal at Wolseley Bridge and offers a great gateway to Cannock Chase.

2. Navigate the River Thames to Lechlade. From Anglo Welsh’s narrowboat hire base on the River Thames at Oxford base, boaters can cruise west to the pretty market town of Lechlade on the edge of the Cotswolds. Along the way, the routes passes through miles of peaceful Oxfordshire countryside, with plenty of dog walking opportunities. In the village of Radcot, there’s a dog-friendly bar in the Ye Olde Swan Hotel, and at Lechlade there’s a choice of dog-friendly pubs, including the Swan Inn.

3. Float along the Kennet & Avon Canal to Caen Hill. From Anglo Welsh’s base at Monkton Combe near Bath, narrowboat holidaymakers can travel to Fox Hanger Wharf, at the bottom of the Caen Hill flight of locks at Devizes. Along the way, the route passes through miles of peaceful Wiltshire countryside, with a series of villages and dog-friendly country pubs to visit along the way, including The Cross Guns at Avoncliff, the Barge Inn at Bradford on Avon and the Barge Inn at Seend. Once at Caen Hill, boaters can moor up and take a walk up the Caen Hill flight of locks, one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.

4. Cruise the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Saltaire. From Anglo Welsh’s canal boat hire base at Silsden in West Yorkshire, boaters can reach Saltaire, near Bradford. This World Heritage Site was founded on the banks of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in 1851 by Sir Titus Salt, as a place for his woollen mill to operate and workers to live. Today Salts Mill has a number of galleries, including the David Hockney Gallery with portraits of the artist’s beloved dachshunds, Stanley and Boogie.

5. Navigate the Llangollen Canal to Ellesmere. From Anglo Welsh’s narrowboat hire base at Trevor in North Wales, boaters can cruise to the Shropshire Lake District. Along the way, the route takes boaters over the UNESCO World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and past a series of dog-friendly pubs, including the Bridge Inn at Chirk Bank. And at Ellesmere, there are lots of walking trails to choose from, including waterside routes at The Mere.

6. Take the Stratford Canal to Packwood House. From Anglo Welsh’s canal boat rental base at Wootton Wawen in Warwickshire, boaters can cruise to the National Trust’s beautiful Packwood House. Packwood’s magnificent gardens include herbaceous borders, a kitchen garden, memorial orchard, wildflower meadows and 350-year old yew garden. Dogs are welcome at Packwood on public footpaths across the estate, on the café terrace and in the barnyard.

7. Cruise the Shropshire Union and Llangollen canals to Wrenbury. On a short break from Anglo Welsh’s base at Bunbury in Cheshire, boaters can reach the historic village of Wrenbury. The South Cheshire Way passes through it, so there are lots of countryside walks to enjoy. And there’s a choice of pubs to visit, including the dog- friendly canalside watering hole Dusty Miller.

For more information visit www.anglowelsh.co.uk or call the bookings team on 0117 304 1122.