A Steamship Experience

8th July

Running From: - 12:00 PM

This is a two-and-a-half-hour cruise on the Weaver, taking in the beautiful scenery and history of this magnificent waterway from Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge to our berth below the Acton Bridge.  Full details of  what you will see on this cruise can be found on our ‘view our routes’ page where you can download a fact sheet by following this link 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PARKING AND TRANSFERS - full details will be on your ticket/confirmation

PLEASE NOTE:  due to NO PUBLIC PARKING availability at Sutton Weaver, on cruise days we provide a Park & Ride service from the Anderton Boat Lift car park (CW9 6FW) to take you to the Danny. When your cruise finishes, our transport will be waiting for you to return you to your car.  The transfers are included in your ticket price, but there is a parking charge of just £3.00 for the day for your car. 

Please be aware that if you choose to make your own arrangements to be dropped off at  Sutton Weaver, you will also need to make arrangements to be collected at Acton Bridge as there is no transport returning to Sutton Weaver. 

9th July

Running From: - 11:00 AM

Anderton Boat Lift to Ellesmere Port - National Waterways Museum Cruise details here

The Weaver Navigation as it is officially known, is one of the UK’s hidden gem’s and your cruise through some of Cheshire’s most stunning countryside won’t disappoint.

First made navigable to small craft in the 1700’s the Weaver grew on the back of the salt and chemical industry in Northwich and Winsford. It has seen many alterations and improvements over the years with ships of up to 1,000 tons still using the river to convey cargo as recently at the 1990’s.

This cruise departs from Anderton Boat Lift, where you can park and then takes you to Ellesmere Port, by the National Waterways Museum at Telford Quay where our coach will pick you up and return you to your car - coach transfer is included in the price. Full details will be on your ticket confirmation.

10th July

Running From: - 11:00 AM

This cruise offers a stunning route from Ellesmere Port all the way to Anderton Boat Lift. We ask passengers to park at car park for the National Waterways Museum and our coach transfer will then return you to your car.

We sell guidebooks to support all our cruises for £5 which will give you full details on what you will see during your cruise. Some details can be found below or more details can be found here. 

Anderton Boat Lift opened in 1875 to transfer narrow boats the 50ft between the River Weaver and the Trent & Mersey Canal - today the traffic is mainly pleasure craft. The area is a scheduled monument and award-winning visitor destination.

 Anderton Basin - where barges and small sea-going ships carried chemicals, coal, and salt as well china clay, and pottery via the canal. • Winnington works - still operational, but under major re-development.

 Winnington Swing Bridge - the smallest of the river’s five swing bridges, and electrically operated since 1909. 

Wallerscote Island the site of the former soda ash plant recently demolished to make way for housing. The course of the original river is behind the island. •

Barnton Sluice and Weir • Barnton Cut and the tree lined Weaver Valley. • Saltersford Locks (1877) - the old course of the river meanders south of the Weaver Navigation between here and Winnington.

Acton Bridge – where the river forks at Acton Bridge island. To the south are the moorings of Acton Bridge Cruising Club, and the original stone bridge. The Danny passes the site of the old swing bridge which was replaced by the present Acton Swing Bridge in 1934.

Dutton Locks (1880) and the large flood control sluices, close to the site of the old locks. • Dutton Horse Bridge a unique twin span timber bridge and Grade 2 listed structure built in 1919 - one of the few remaining laminated greenheart bridges in the country. • Dutton Viaduct which carries the West Coast main railway line over the river. Dating from 1836 it has 20 arches.

 Pickering’s O’ the Boat, a small village which was the limit of navigation until the first lock was built in 1758. • Frodsham cut - now silted up led to the disused Frodsham Lock.

Sutton Level locks closed in the 1950’s and now largely overgrown. • Weston Canal which joined the Weaver Navigation to Weston Point Docks (Runcorn) • Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge (1926), which carries the A56, adjacent to the Danny's Sutton Weaver berth.

Frodsham - railway viaduct (1850) and M56 viaduct (1970). • Rocksavage works – owned by Ineos/Inovyn but under industrial redevelopment.

Marsh lock (1895) - provides access between the Weaver Navigation and the Manchester ship canal.

 Manchester Ship Canal (1894)– passing farmland and grassy salt marshes with great bird life with views of Frodsham and Helsby Hills to the south. • Stanlow Refinery built in 1924 and now owned by Essar Energy has its own berths where ocean going tankers are quite likely to be seen. • Ellesmere Port - Our berth at Telford’s Quay is close to the National Waterways Museum. The Danny was built in 1903 for the Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company, who owned the docks at Ellesmere Port