A Steamship Experience

15th April

Running From: - 10:00 AM

This is a very special cruise in our calendar as The Danny leaves the iconic Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool (Canning Dock) to set sail across The River Mersey for Ellesmere Port. 

We ask passengers to park at Liverpool and then our coach transfer will return you to Albert Dock - all details will be on your ticket/ booking confirmation. Cruise route details are here

This rare cruise runs between Canning Dock in Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock complex and Ellesmere Port where the Shropshire Union Canal joins the Manchester Ship Canal at what is now the National Waterways Museum.

This means going through two sets of locks to cross the Mersey, as well as  passing the Cammell Laird shipyard and the Tranmere Oil terminal en route.

 

 

16th April

Running From: - 9:30 AM

On THE LORD STALBRIDGE - Please park at The National Waterways Museum and our coach will return you (full details will be on your ticket/confirmation) 

On this cruise you will see:

MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL • Ellesmere Port Docks, established in the 1790’s, developed / enlarged in the 1840’s. • Manisty Wharf the site of the Bowater Paper mill which closed around 2010, after which the berth was used to tranship coal. • Mount Manisty small hill opposite, named after canal engineer Edward Manisty. • Eastham refinery which has the capacity to meet almost 50% of UK bitumen demand. • Eastham Locks - the terminus of the canal where it meets the River Mersey. The Danny uses the large western 80ft wide lock which has two opposing sets of outer gates, the outer ones face outwards and are knows as “storm gates” and used to prevent the River Mersey spilling into the Manchester Ship Canal on large, spring tides. The other locks are out of use, with the smallest being converted into a hydro-electric scheme. • Queen Elizabeth II Oil Dock opened in 1954, handles tankers up to 40,000 tonnes via its 100 ft wide entrance lock. RIVER MERSEY • Eastham Channel from where Garston Docks can be seen opposite, then upstream, Liverpool airport, Hale Head and light house. In the distance down stream, Liverpool's Cathedrals, St John’s beacon and the Pier Head should be visible. • Eastham Ferry – only a stone outcrop remains - plus two pubs, a country park and Eastham Woods. • Bromborough River wall – still used by coasters to discharge general and bulk cargo. • Bromborough Buoy – the black and yellow “east cardinal” buoy marking the seaward entrance to the Eastham Channel. • Rock Ferry **tank cleaning jetty (disused) and old slipway – home to Royal Mersey Yacht Club. • Tranmere Oil Terminal **opened in 1960 and used by tankers up to 300,000 tonnes. • Brunswick River Entrance – on the Liverpool side of the river - now the entry point to Liverpool Marina and eventually through to the Royal Albert Dock. • Garston Channel – which takes us upriver near the eastern bank of the Mersey. • Otterspool Promenade and the site of the 1980's Liverpool Garden Festival • Grassendale Esplanade – with its smart row of former merchants houses overlooking the river GARSTON DOCKS • As we approach the lock into Stalbridge Dock, we sail past North Dock (1853), then a disused river entrance, and then Old Dock (1876). Depending on tides, we may have to stop in the lock and allow the gates to close behind us and we will then lift to the level of the dock. If the tide is high enough, we may sail straight through into Stalbridge Dock and hopefully into the Old and North dock also depending on traffic and conditions. • Stalbridge Dock (1909) was named after (and opened by) Lord Stalbridge, chairman of the L&NWR who by then owned Garston Docks. A sister tug/tender to the Danny was built in Dublin in 1909 and named Lord Stalbridge. ** how far north we are able to sail between the Eastham and Garston channels depends on timing/conditions on the day of the cruise.

This cruise may also operate in the opposite direction so if starting from Garston the sights mentioned will be passed in reverse order.

 

17th April

Running From: - 11:00 AM

RIVER WEAVER CRUISE – ELLESMERE PORT TO ACTON BRIDGE

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.

Departure time from National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port will be 1100 hrs, giving you an hour to visit the Museum before we set sail. We will steam for approximately one hour to reach the entrance to the Weaver at Marsh Lock, the location of which is dominated by the vast Castner Kellner chemical plant, a reminder of the local industrial heritage.

Within a mile of leaving Marsh lock we pass through the recently refurbished Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge near to the historic market town of Frodsham, and on through some of the rivers most stunning scenery for nearly an hour, winding our way towards Dutton Locks.

Shortly after leaving Dutton we arrive at our destination just before Acton Swing Bridge. This bridge dates from the 1930’s and although of impressive size, the bridge swings with just the use of a few Horse Power due to its weight being borne by a floating pontoon, although on this occasion we do not pass under it.

 The coaches will collect you at 1600 hrs for your return journey to Ellesmere Port.

PARKING: The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port have very kindly agreed for our passengers to use their car park so there is ample parking for everyone. For trips including coach transfers, these will depart from near the car park and our stewards will be on hand guide you on the day. Please show your support for the museum by visiting them before or after your cruise