To cruise on a horse drawn boat is unlike any other form of travel as Sian slides silently through the water. With boat horse Buddy clip clopping in the distance you have effectively stepped back 200 years in time. Small farm bridges, once busy village wharfs and the occasional aqueduct mark Sian’s passage through the countryside. Our journey is punctuated by the occasional lock which allows Buddy time to rest and us to enjoy morning coffee or afternoon tea.

One afternoon of your Bywater Break is spent at leisure when you have the opportunity to visit Powis Castle and Gardens or enjoy a ride on the Llanfair and Welshpool Steam Railway.

Your Bywater Break begins when you arrive at your hotel on the Monday afternoon and ends after breakfast on the following Friday.

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Bywater Break 4 Days (3 nights)

You enjoy two days travelling at the pace of life enjoyed by our Great Grandparents when speed was not an essential part of life and journey times were measured not in minutes, but in days.

Your Bywater Break begins on Friday afternoon and ends after breakfast on the following Monday.

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Our popular Waterwheels Holidays are unique to Bywater. We combine the pleasures of a horse drawn holiday cruise with sightseeing tours in a comfortable mini coach able to negotiate remote country lanes and byways. Hence the title “Water wheels”.

Two and a half days of your holiday are spent cruising aboard our horse boat Sian. Two full days are spent sightseeing in our mini coach and one afternoon we arrange a visit to either Powis Castle and Gardens or Glensevern Gardens. One day of your holiday is spent at leisure.

On one of your sightseeing days we drive westward from Welshpool deep into the Cambrian Mountains. Keeping very much to the backroads and byways we pass the brooding heights of Plynlimon Fawr, which rises to a height of 752metres and is the source of the River Severn. We drive along the banks of LLyn Clywedog to Llanidloes and then make our way to Gigrin Farm just outside Rhayader. Here we watch the magnificent aerobatics of Red Kites as they come to be fed.

Victorian engineers tamed the rushing waters of the Elen River to supply fresh water to Birmingham and created four huge reservoirs. The scenery as we drive through the hills is some of the finest to be found anywhere. Our journey home takes us over Red Lion Hill and through Newtown on the banks of the River Severn.

For your second day sightseeing we drive deep into the Clun Forest following the course of Offa’s Dyke as it meanders though remote rolling uplands. Clun is a timely stop for coffee and there is plenty of time for you to visit the remains of the twelfth century Norman Castle. Driving over the steep roads onto the Long Myndd it is hard to realise that we are still in Shropshire as heather covered hills stretch away in all directions. We lunch in Church Stretton.

In the afternoon we visit Acton Scott Working Farm Museum which nestles in the beautiful South Shropshire Hills. On this 19th Century farm you can watch heavy horses at work, help make butter, talk to the Bailiff and perhaps watch a blacksmith, wheelwright or “bodger”. We enjoy a cup of tea in the Old Schoolroom and the journey home via Michells Fold.

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Two and a half days of your Bygone Times break are spent with Buddy and Sian cruising quietly through the Welsh Marches. Spend an afternoon taking a ride on the delightfully quaint Llanfair and Welshpool Steam Railway, opened in 1903 this narrow gauge railway passes through quiet countryside as it follows the Banwy Valley.

On another day of your holiday you will be driven to Llangollen for a return journey on the Llangollen Steam Railway. To reach Llangollen we drive via the bustling market town of Oswestry and then get off the beaten track along quiet country lanes along the foothills of the Berwin Mountains. We arrive in Llangollen in time for lunch. At 3.00pm you board the train for a return journey to Corwyn. This standard gauge railway, which at one time formed an important part of the Cambrian railway system, follows the turbulent waters of the River Dee.

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What can be more relaxing than to combine the restful reflections of water with the therapeutic opportunity to paint or draw? Painting Bywater Holidays are designed for people who seek a relaxing and informal holiday and the opportunity to practice their hobby in interesting surroundings under the watchful eye of a professional artist. The maximum number of people in the party will be limited to ten.

To present these holidays Stephen Rees-Jones has teamed up with Sandra Mead, BA(hons) Fine Art. One of the first contestants of “Watercolour Challenge”, Sandra has been involved with Inland Waterways for over thirty years. She has worked as an artist and designer and is an experienced tutor. Her inspirational approach is guaranteed to make your Painting Bywater a memorable holiday whatever your artistic ability.

Each day of your holiday you will be driven a short distance to a suitable location chosen by Sandra for its interest and artistic merit. Subjects may include the Llangollen Canal at Blakemere, St. Winifred’s Well near Oswestry or perhaps the staircase locks at Frankton Junction on the Montgomery Canal. Each day of your holiday will be divided into two sessions with a picnic or pub lunch supplied each day. There will be plenty of time to discuss colour theories, perspective and other technical details with Sandra.

In the event of poor weather arrangements will be made to paint under cover.

Good quality paper will be supplied, but guests are asked to bring their own paints and brushes etc.

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For our first walk we join the Llangollen canal a few miles before the historic market town of Ellesmere. The canal passes through an area known as the Shropshire Lakelands because of the large number of lakes or meres left behind by the receding Ice-Age. Our walk around Blake Mere is on one of the most scenic sections of canal anywhere and is a convenient place for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon we stroll via Ellesmere Castle and Church to see Ellesmere’s Mere-one of the largest at over one mile in circumference.

Our second day begins on the Montgomery Canal near Oswestry. Starting from Maesbury we follow the tow path to the Queen’s Head Inn where we take lunch. The afternoon walk takes us to Frankton Junction crossing the Perry Aqueduct. At Frankton Junction you can sit and watch the boats working through the staircase locks. (You can ride to Frankton Junction in the mini bus if you prefer).

Your third walk begins with a stroll across the Pontysyllte aqueduct on the Llangollen canal. Opened in 1805 this magnificent structure carries the canal high over the River Dee. As one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways the aqueduct has recently been nominated as a World Heritage Sight. As we stroll the final few miles to Llangollen the views over the River Dee are breathtaking.

In the afternoon there are several choices: - You can continue your walk to the Horse shoe Falls, take a ride on the Llangollen Steam Railway, or visit Plas Newedd House.

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Judy Hill and ten friends from Cheshire chartered Sian for a weekend break in June 2007 and wrote the following:

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Perhaps we can help with our special Friends and Family Cruises that run throughout August. These cruises are designed very much with families in mind. Children travel at half price and families can choose to stay either in a Self Catering Cottage, Farm Guest House or Hotel. If you have your own equipment why not consider a camping cruise and pitch your tent beside the canal.

Please call for further details.

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Interested in horses?

Want to know more about horse boats and boat horses?

Then this is your opportunity to do just that. Under they eye of a professional horseman you will learn how to look after a boat horse and how to harness the horse ready for a days work.

You will finally be allowed to try your hand at horse boating.

Please call for further details.