Shropshire Union Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: approximately 66 miles main line (Autherley Junction near Wolverhampton to Ellesmere Port on the Mersey)
• Locks: 46 (with major flights at Audlem, Tyrley, Adderley and Bunbury)
• Connects: Autherley Junction (Staffs & Worcs Canal, Birmingham Canal Navigations) → Nantwich → Chester → Ellesmere Port (junction with the Manchester Ship Canal). Branches: Llangollen Canal at Hurleston, Middlewich Branch to the Trent & Mersey, Montgomery Canal at Frankton.
• Build period & engineer: completed 1835, the main line surveyed by Thomas Telford as the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal — one of the last great narrow canals.
• Boat dimensions: 72 ft long by 7 ft beam (narrow) on the main line south of Nantwich; broad on the Chester Canal section north of Nantwich (locks accept 14 ft beam to Chester)
• Typical cruise time: 5–7 days end-to-end Autherley to Ellesmere Port

What's it like to cruise?

The "Shroppie" is fast, deep, straight cruising through dramatic cuttings and embankments — Telford's late, civil-engineered approach to canal building rather than Brindley's contour-hugging. Long open pounds, dramatic embankments through Shelmore and Grub Street, and a series of well-spaced lock flights make it one of the most efficient canals to cruise. The southern section through the Shropshire countryside is particularly handsome; the northern broad-canal section through Cheshire is gentler and connects to Chester city centre via its medieval walls.

Highlights along the route

• Audlem Locks — 15-lock flight dropping the canal 93 ft over 1.5 miles in a beautifully kept rural setting.
• Pontcysyllte/Llangollen junction at Hurleston — gateway to the Llangollen Canal.
• Tyrley Locks — 5 locks at the southern end of the main flights.
• Norbury Junction — historic canal village with the workshops and the former Newport Branch.
• Chester — the canal runs along the medieval city walls with central moorings.
• Ellesmere Port — the National Waterways Museum at the lower terminus.
• Shelmore Embankment and Grub Street Cutting — Telford's heroic earthworks.

Connections & cruising rings

Branches off the BCN at Autherley, joins the Llangollen at Hurleston, the Trent & Mersey via the Middlewich Branch, the Montgomery at Frankton, and the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port. The southern Shroppie + Trent & Mersey + Staffs & Worcs forms the Four Counties Ring (~110 miles, 94 locks).

Suitable for

Excellent for intermediate boaters. The lock flights are well-spaced, the channel is deep and forgiving, and the route is well-served by hire firms. Audlem and Tyrley are big lock days but rewarding.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: standard winter maintenance. The deep channel reduces summer water issues.
• Water and elsan: Autherley, Norbury, Audlem, Nantwich, Chester, Ellesmere Port.
• Mobile signal: generally good.
• Pump-out: at the major marinas — Norbury, Nantwich, Chester are the main options.

Best time to cruise

April to October. Spring and early autumn are the best for lock queues; the rural sections are stunning in late May/early June.