anderton boat lift

This is an incredible piece of Victorian engineering lifting canal barges up and down from one waterway to another (The River Weaver to the Mersey Trent Canal). What an amazing contraption that only the Victorians could invent.And it is FREE to enter the museum and grounds. Tip: If you would like to experience the lift and or canal trip (for which there is a fee) then check in advance on the Anderton Boat Lift website as they list the dates and times of operations in advance for the year ahead. Note: There is a car park fee (£2 per 3 hours) which you need to pay in the public car park next to the Anderton Boat Lift ...... but you can idle away the hours on the canal path as well which is very pretty with lots of canal barges. ...... A very pleasant day out can be had here ...... and if traveling a bit further you will enjoy the old town of Knutsford .... not far away. Oh and by the way there is a nice cafe overlooking the lift which is ennjoyable

Called in before Christmas when the craft fair was on. The displays are good and the shop and cafe are excellent. Very friendly helpful staff and the craft folks were a good choice of interesting people. Had a really nice afternoon.

We really enjoyed our visit here although wrong time of year as it is out of season so not operating but we got the gist of how this wonderful piece of engineering worked or so they tell us eventually, well worth a visit in season or out.

Anderton Boat Lift is a lovely restored piece of local history. The exhibition is interesting and the boat ride a fun activity for all the family.

This is well worth a visit. We took the grandchildren and thy weren't very enthusiastic about it. When we got there and saw it they loved it and were amazed

Quick visit, simply because we have never been before, and had an hour or so to kill.Quite shock to see a visitors centre, then to be told by a member of staff it was FREE...Yorkshire man in heaven !!Spent best part of an hour looking around museum, and outside in the grounds photographing the wonderful piece of Victorian Engineering, Not sure if a charge applies in the main season, but for us a great visit - Thanks

As I live quite close by I do visit on a regular basis if only to call for a cup of tea when passing, but there is a nice cafe and information centre and you can buy tickets for a boat trip which will take you, as part of the boat ride, up and down the lift. Anderton park area also leads to Marbury Park - both are good for walking and not too far

This is an attraction that is well worth a visit. The staff are friendly and very informative.The indoor apart is spotless, it has a nice section for those little take home gifts.Good for children as they can learn all about canals and rivers with lots to see and doThe trip on the boat down the lift and a cruise along the River Weaver is fascinating.Lots of wildlife to see as well.For those with a head for heights a behind the scenes tripto the top of the world tour is a must. good idea to book for thisThe boat is fully covered so it makes for a great day out for all the family

We visited here as a family ((children 13-10) & we were all kept entertained for a good few hours. We chose to stay on land & look around the visitor centre - which had lots of hands on exhibits. We sat in the cafe (quite good) whilst looking over the boat lift & we actually saw it lifting boats which was fascinating. We ventured outside & found lots of seating & space for the children to run & play including in the maze. There are no safety barriers between land & water so children need to be watched. I can't comment on the boat trip as we didn't go but a friend of mine did & found it very interesting. There are toilet facilities here too. The only downside... The huge factory on the other side of the river, which ruins the view somewhat although it is an industrial area & the lift was built to connect the 2 rivers. Don't let this put you off its still worth a visit. I'm sure you have to pay to park to at the very nearby nature park, which is also a nice place to have a walk around.

Brilliant, disabled friendly great narrative from helmsman during the ride on an engineering masterpiece on the UK Canals.I was in my chair as having a bad days on the old legs and they are geared up for such which was a pleasant surprise. Was late in the day so cafe was closing otherwise would have treated us to a cuppa and cake afterwards.

Having lived in the Northwich area for over 50 years, It was only earlier this year that I had cause to use the boat lift to take my Narrowboat to her home mooring. Staff efficient and friendly. Be prepared to wait at times. Visitor centre is also well worth a visit.

When I first moved to Northwich I was keen to do some "touristy" things, so one of the first on my list was the Boat Lift, I took 4 family members (middle age to elderly). The place is reasonably accessible for disabled visitors and we all had a great day, especially on the boat trip itself.

After a walk along the canal we went to the visitors centre at the Anderton Boat Lift. There is a gift shop (naturally) and cafe. We ate in the cafe and there are some good offers to be had. We both ordered the toasted turkey and stuffing baguette and a pot of tea each; the total of which was less than £15.The staff are most friendly and one chap clearing the tables struck up a conversation with us about canals and the boat lift.Downstairs is an exhibition about the boat lift and then its outside to see this magnificent feat of engineering. The landscaped outdoor area is very tidy and when we visited there was a small craft fair in the marquee.All in all a very good attraction to visit.

We were on an organised visit and took the trip in the lifts vessel and had an excellent commentary and explanation of the workings of the lift and surrounding sights. Only drawback for photographers is that the vessel is enclosed so photos of the "inner workings" of the lift aren't possible, but there are lots of opportunities for to take pictures around the site. The Cafe and general facilities are excellent

If I were a tourist, of course, I would rate it as excellent. Beautiful grounds, spotlessly clean, helpful staff, an informative museum, nice café, pleasant surroundings and steeped in history, right next to a nature park. This place has everything, not to mention the absolutely fascinating and impressive marvel which is the boat lift. Not only that, the entrance is absolutely free. There is also a tour boat that takes people up and down in the lift.As boaters, we went up and down the lift, which for us, provided you are prepared to wait in a queue is also absolutely free (part of the license fee), unless you want to book to guarantee yourself a time. So what is the down side?Not much, but very important to us as boaters. This is to do with mooring down on the river side. There is no problem on the Trent and Mersey as there are short term moorings east and west of the Lift. However once you are down the lift onto the River Weaver, mooring is a different story. The problem is this, that there are no short term or overnight moorings provided by the lift itself, (security reasons). The only way you can get back to the museum, or nearby pubs and facilities is to either climb a nasty nettle and bramble infested steep path up to the car park, or take the long way round through the nature reserve and the car park. That is, provided you have managed to find yourself a mooring. No rings or bollards are provided on the nature park quite away around the corner. Canal and River Trust is losing money as some boaters will choose to have there tea on the boat, rather than walk all that way back to spend it in the café or museum.The upshot is this, what happens if there is a disabled person on the boat? How do they get back to the café, pub, etc, up the top. There is no cut through as the gate which could provide access is thoroughly locked, and there is no access with even a boater’s Watermate key. Why cannot they provide access with a special card when you come down? As boaters we provide entertainment for the tourists, as without us, only the tour boats would go up and down! Not very interesting. Surely CRT could provide some berths around the corner on the other side of the lift, or even allow boats on the holding moorings overnight! In fact, you cannot even moor there overnight even though you have booked to go up in the lift first thing the next day. This seems paranoia in its most extreme!So, in view of this very important aspect from a boaters perspective, I cannot give it a full five star rating!Needless to say, we did have a lovely time there and enjoyed our cruise up and down the lovely River Weaver.