Threading their way through six beautiful English shires from Tewkesbury to Stafford, this network of waterways offers a splendid variety of canal boat holidays. And you can moor near a huge array of attractions as varied as Cadbury World at Bourneville, Worcester Cathedral, Tamworth Castle, Drayton Zoo, Stratford-upon-Avon and the Wedgwood Pottery Visitor Centre.

Leaving the winebars and museums of Birmingham's lively waterfront behind you, take your canal boat into the lovely rural landscape of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, negotiating the breathtaking lock flight at Tardebigge and joining the River Severn at the historic city of Worcester. A journey on the Stourport Ring can take in a visit to the Black Country Museum, a fascinating reconstruction of Victorian working life.

From the fringes of Stafford down to its junction with the River Severn, the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal carries canal boats through valleys and rolling farmland – enchanting countryside where you'll find a warm welcome at numerous waterside inns and restaurants.

The picturesque Shropshire & Union Canal is a testament to the vision of its creator, Thomas Telford, and its deep sandstone cuttings, spanned by elegant high bridges, will carry you through the deep peace of the beautiful Shropshire countryside. The two longest lock flights canal boats encounter are at the pretty canalside town of Audlem and at Tyrley, near historic Market Drayton (a town famous for its gingerbread).