On Mother’s Day we headed to Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich for a short walk and lunch. The Anderton Boat Lift is a two-caisson lift lock. It provides a 50-foot vertical link between two navigable waterways: the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal. Anderton Nature Park is right by the Boat Lift and is perfect for a walk.
From the carpark (CW7 2QE) head to the canal tow path. Heading right we walked along the canal heading towards Uplands Marina, staying on the canal path we walked about 1.5 km till we reached a stone bridge.
We then came away from the canal and got on to the path in the Nature Park which lead us back to the boat lift.
This walk was 3.5km but it’s easier to do a longer or shorter walk around the Park as there are quite a few different routes and paths. The paths are flat but can get muddy so suitable shoes are a must.
After our walk we went to the visitors centre. Inside there is a cafe, a gift shop and toilets. On the lower level of the visitor centre there is a small exhibition where you can learn all about the history of the boat lift and there are some vintage arcade machines.
The room has a few interactive areas and videos to watch. For young kids, there is a dress up area and a table where they can do colouring and activity sheets.
Back on the top floor is the cafe with a viewing terrace so you have a great view of the boat lift while enjoying your food in the cafe.
We had lunch in the cafe. It had a good variety of food on the menu including, pizza, jacket potatoes, burgers, toasties and a child’s menu. Between us we ordered baked bean jacket potatoes which came with a side salad. Baked beans OK toast which came on lovely thick toast and I had a homemade soup and roll. The cake selection on the counter was good and I was very impressed by the number of gluten free cake options too.
There’s a lovely little playground too which all adds up to being a fun day out with the kids near Northwich.
- Car park £2 for 3 hours or £3 for all day (March 2023)
- Playground
- Free to Visit
- Interactive exhibition in visitors centre
- Bookable boat trips
- Cafe
- Suitable for Pushchairs
Find more great places for a family day out in Cheshire
