 A
good canal holiday for families?
On a canal holiday there is something for every member
of the family to enjoy, together! Everyone can help with
operating the canal boat, with supervision of course.
Children love taking part in all the activities, and
there is always something different to see, tunnels,
castles, other boats. They get to see their Heritage at
close hand, canals have changed little since they played
such a large part in the Industrial Revolution. There's
beautiful countryside and nature close up, and always
the chance to sneak back inside the cabin and enjoy that
ever changing view from the windows and each other's
company.
A
good canal holiday for groups
It's the best! Best because you can spend quality time
with your friends. Get together with friends you've not
seen for ages, with old school friends or work mates.
Leave all the hassle behind and take some time out. Best
of all, it’s an opportunity to travel slowly, see the
fine details of life, enjoy old and new friendships and
take some slow, deep breaths for a change!
 A
good canal holiday for singles?
If you are looking for a holiday where you can meet new
people and enjoy their company in pleasant surroundings,
think about going on a hotelboat holiday. It is possible
to to boat alone, and we've a page all about
single handed canal cruising, but most
hire firms will not hire to a single person, because of
the difficulties involved in working locks on your own.
A hotelboat cruise is much more convivial!
A
good canal holiday for older people
It’s an excellent holiday because you get to see
the real countryside and meet people in a safe and
fairly self contained environment that still leaves room
for a little adventure. Although there is some physical
work involved if you are operating the boat yourself it
should be well within the most capabilities provided
someone in your party is reasonably fit. Anyone with any
physical disability can still enjoy watching the world
float by, meeting new people and going new places.
Wheelchairs can present problems because of getting on
and off the boat and negotiating the restricted confines
of the boat but some hotelboats and hire boats can cope.
Hotelboats do all the work for you and you can just sit
back and relax!
What
if we enjoyed it so much we want to work on the canals?
Hotelboat firms do recruit crew at this time each
season. You don’t get paid much, have to get up very
early every morning and stay very late in a different
canalside pub every evening! We don’t know why people do
it, but email us if you are that strange! We will
forward your mail to those firms we know who may be
looking for crew. |
What
activities are available?
Most people find they sleep fairly well after a day’s
canal cruising, especially if they’ve been helping with
locks. However if you’re interested in sightseeing,
history, walking, the environment and nature, different
cultures, folk art and eating and drinking this is a
good holiday for you! Cycling is possible on most
towpaths alongside the canals, though not all hire firms
let you take bikes along because of lack of room on the
boats. Fishing is the most popular sport in the UK, much
of it in canals which are normally well stocked with
fish. Permits are needed in most cases, your hire boat
or hotel boat firm will advise. Swimming is not allowed,
canals are fairly clean but fairly shallow and often
muddy and can contain underwater objects.
What
will it cost?
Prices are highest during the summer months (June, July
& August) when a fully catered and organised Hotel Boat
week for one person will cost between £500 and £600. A
hire boat will range from about £300 to £1200 for a week
depending on the facilities on board, the size of the
boat and most importantly, the time of year. To this
must be added your food costs. These costs are
illustrative only and will vary with standard of
accommodation and service, time of the year etc. However
they obviously compare very favourably with hotel prices
which can cost between £300 and £1000 per person per
week for average hotel accommodation without food or
activities! The per head cost can be a little as £50 per
week for a hire boat.
What
if we enjoyed the holiday so much we want to buy our own
boat?
New fully equipped narrowboats can cost between £20,000
and £100,000. Second hand boats are also available. New
boats are built to order, see our
list
of boatbuilders. We also list
Boat
Brokers and
boatyards who sell used boats. You are
strongly advised to use a
marine surveyor
when looking for a boat.
You can buy a part share in a boat which entitles you to
a certain number of cruising weeks and shares
maintenance costs.
Mooring at a boatyard or marina can cost from about £10
per week to £60 or more depending on length of boat,
facilities and location. You will also need to pay for a
cruising licence, £300 to £600 annually and insurance
charges. Boats must be inspected every 4 years to ensure
that they are safe and regularly dry-docked to check and
repaint the hull etc. Most people decide that renting is
a preferred option unless they are able to spend
extended periods cruising. Extended cruising is
increasingly popular amongst people who find they have
time to ‘take a year or two out’.
What
if we enjoyed it so much we want to live on the canals?
Lots of people do live on canalboats. We've a full
section about
becoming a 'liveaboard'. |
