Two years on the marina has become a tranquil green oasis nestling into the local Warwickshire countryside. Facilities include diesel, pump out, elsan, coal, wood, bottled gas. There are also sparkly new showers, disabled facilities, a laundry and a welcoming marina office. The state-of-the-art rise and fall pontoons have been designed for a once in a hundred years flood so moorers can be reassured that their boat's safe from rising river levels.

The marina accommodates all shapes and sizes of boats and is particularly popular with wide beams as it offers the most northerly secure moorings for bigger boats on the Avon. The marina will shortly be welcoming the arrival of a Nationwide boat brokerage company selling new and second hand boats as the demand for narrowboats continues to rise and what better place to showcase the lifestyle than here at Shakespeare Marina.

what light through tender pontoon breaks?

The unique selling point of this Marina is its location – just a hop skip and a jump away from the centre of historic Stratford upon Avon. Many of our moorers are choosing to use their boats as weekend holiday homes rather than heading out to explore the waterways and who can blame them? With a sun-drenched drinks terrace boaters are planning parties and BBQs to run the length of the summer. To the marina operators Geomac it has always been about people not boats and they wanted to create an environment that boaters would flock to and enjoy tinkering around on their boats.

It may be close to the action but the marina has become a tranquil oasis in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside. Moorers have been delighted watching otters, kingfishers, deer, foxes and rabbits, but with Stratford famous for its ubiquitous swans, the marina is visited daily by families of swans acquainting themselves with those friendly faces offering food.

It is expected that when full the 250-berth marina will contribute millions into the local economy and the local residents who have been clamouring to take a look at the progress appear to be extra keen for cafes, restaurants and other facilities to be built on site.

"All we can say to these people is that hopefully these will be included in Phase 2 of the development with our plans to develop this into a real destination location," says Ruth Noon the new Marina Manager. "In the meantime, we’ll be hosting a number of events on site including a monthly pop-up supper club, bespoke weddings, car rallies and marquee parties on the wider site. We’re open to all sorts of suggestions and ideas and local companies have approached us to host launches, training sessions, meetings and exclusive evening gatherings here in the marina office and who can blame them with the most enviable views in Stratford."

"We hope that we’ll be providing a new and exciting venue for the people of Stratford, and making the marina even more attractive to visiting boaters who will no doubt be spending their hard-earned ducats in the historic town itself."

Ruth Noon joined the Marina in November. With a lifelong love of narrow-boating combined with senior level experience at the Canal and River Trust, she is delighted to join the team as Shakespeare Marina Manager. Having previously established and run the hugely popular Stratford River Festival, Ruth is excited to develop the marina's potential. Her immediate priority is to encourage new moorers and offer great customer service.

Shakespeare Marina is in walking distance of the picturesque town of Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire. Perfectly placed for boating enthusiasts , the marina will have easy access to four cruising rings centred on the charming River Avon. The marina offers 250 new canal boat berths within an elegant landscape that mirrors its rural and historic surroundings.

Tel: 07714 095 005.   Email.   Website.

We are only too aware of the country's economic problems. Prices continue to rise, and belts are being tightened all round. It seems the UK only avoided being technically ‘in a recession’ by the skin of its teeth (zero growth). Despite the glimmer of optimism, money is in short supply for most people - or is it? In our sector of the leisure marine industry, boat prices are holding up well, as is demand. Enquiries for engineering and other maintenance work are where they should be for this time of year, which begs the question, where is the recession? Have we not yet reached the cliff’s edge? If the Bank of England is to be believed, we have. Will the wider economy turn the corner before our sector suffers a downturn? Or is our industry seemingly immune - I doubt it.

We at Aqueduct have certainly seen costs across the board increase over the past 12 months, so I’m not going to suggest that a recession is some kind of conspiracy theory. The evidence is there for all to see. What seems to be the case is that the boating community are a resilient lot. Almost no matter what the economy throws at them, they continue to enjoy their boats, look after them, and in some cases, buy and sell them. If our caravan site bookings are any indication, holiday bookings would also seem to be holding up well, which may prove the fact that while it is true that some sections of the population are struggling, some very badly, others are prioritising leisure pursuits quite highly.

I don’t wish to be complaisant about this; I simply question the view that a downturn need not encompass all sections of the economy. But what it is doing is putting a huge amount of pressure on the likes of CRT, whose CEO, Richard Parry, has recently voiced dire warnings as to the future of the waterways in their present form unless the Government, at the very least, provide some indication as to the Trust’s budget from 2027 onwards.

two new certified marina managers receive their awards

Phil Langley, from Aqueduct Marina, and Angus Maughan, from Overwater Marina, were presented their Certified Marina Manager qualification from Tony Dye, Global Marina Institute’s Chair of Europe and the Middle East. GMI is a partnership between British Marine and the Marina Industries Association, the industry body covering Australia, with the aim of delivering global marina training and certification.

Upon the successful completion of their course, which required the submission of comprehensive portfolios of their experience, credentials and references, Phil and Angus have boosted the number of inland marina staff who currently hold the CMM qualification. The majority of those who have successfully applied and been awarded have historically been employed at coastal marinas. Phil and Angus can now fly the flag for inland marinas while demonstrating their professional competence.

The two recipients are based a few miles apart at their respective marinas, a short distance from Nantwich in Cheshire. After receiving their awards, Phil said, “ he is delighted to be accredited as a CMM following his attending the advanced Marina Managers course early in 2022”.

Aqueduct Marina’s MD Robert Parton added, “The CMM/CMP network is a very strong international network of marina professionals and managers. It is excellent to have two more inland waterways representatives joining. Well done to Angus and Phil”.

Tony Dye, GMI Chair Europe and Middle East, presented Angus Maughan and Phil Langley with their certificates, having gained their CMM qualification.

SBS BoatLife 2023 hailed a success by Aqueduct Marina

The SBS BoatLife 2023 exhibition at the NEC was hailed as a success by the Aqueduct Marina team, who described the event as “positive”. The Cheshire-based marina received a number of strong enquiries for moorings, together with interest from brokerage buyers, those considering selling their boat and owners interested in boat repairs. Much of this interest was generated by Aqueduct’s offer of a free week's mooring or a slipway use.

Aqueduct display and meeting area at SBS BoatLife 2023

Robert Parton, Aqueduct’s MD, said, “I believe we had a decent few days because the show had grown from last year, the weather was better, so the trains ran and most importantly, the inland sector had a much greater presence, with a decent number of boats to view. All this created just enough footfall. I also think it is excellent for the inland sector to be in an exhibition such as this which combines both inland and coastal leisure boating."

Robert echoed the views of many other exhibitors in saying, “The timing in February is excellent, with customers just starting to think about the summer ahead, and because the main season hasn’t started yet, marine business and their staff are able to get to the show.”

The team are looking forward to a busy season and next year's show which, it is hoped, will continue to go from strength to strength.

"In a world that is getting faster, where time is more precious, Aqueduct Marina stands for something. Imagine more - more time to enjoy, relax, laugh - more time for you."
A modern, award winning marina on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union near Nantwich.

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