British inland waterways

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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.

Can it fit into a bigger vacation or even business trip?
Of course! It’s the ideal way to slow down after jetting through 7 European countries in 7 days, whether that was meant to be for business or pleasure!

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 about £600 7to £700 (uk pounds). A self drive boat will be about £200ukp per person per week to which must be added food costs which are unlikely to be more than another £200ukp giving a total cost per person per week of about £400ukp. 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 UK hotel prices which can cost between £300ukp and £1000ukp per person per week for average hotel accommodation without food or activities! see the rental boat websites or hotelboat websites for exact figures.

How do we organise our canal vacation?
One reason that canal holidays have been such a well kept secret is that the firms who rent self drive boats or offer hotelboat cruises are mainly family owned and run businesses who sell direct to the customer. A few larger boat renters do exist who work through travel agencies but the Internet now means that you can deal directly with the family firms who we think tend to be much more helpful. Their web sites show the boats they have and the routes you can cruise. They usually sell guide books to help you plan your cruise in more detail. See family run self drive boat firms here and fully inclusive hotelboat cruises here.

When is the best time to come?
Self drive boats are usually available from mid March to late October which is often referred to as the ‘cruising season’. Some rent year round but you should check that the route you want is available because maintenance works can close locks and bridges etc. out of season. Your renter will have details. Hotelboats usually cruise late April to late October.
The canals are busiest during the school holidays from late July to early September and prices for rented boats are highest then. ‘Busy’ in canal terms means that some locks on popular canals may have queues of boats waiting an hour or more to get into the locks and popular mooring spaces outside pubs etc. may fill up mid afternoon. You can choose quieter canals or just relax and enjoy the surroundings and conversations!
The weather is better from June to September normally, but British weather is a law to itself and can change many times in a day, although it is rarely extreme, blustery showers being counted as ‘bad’ weather. Most people don’t see canal cruising as just a ‘fair weather’ holiday, there’s lots to do whatever the weather.

How do we get to the canals?
Britain is a fairly compact country and has efficient transport systems. The northern most English canals are no more than 3 hours by train from London and if you fly into Manchester or Birmingham airports for instance you could be at any one of dozens of canalside boatyards by taxi or bus in under an hour. If you rent a boat or join a hotelboat cruise you will get detailed joining information.

How safe is a boating holiday?
Water can be dangerous and boats are heavy moving objects. You should always take care of course, and children and those who can’t swim should wear lifejackets, especially if they are getting on and off the boat frequently. However canals are usually shallow and slow moving and all operators will give safety instructions and training.
Personal safety and crime are not major problems on the canals provided normal sensible precautions, like locking boat doors when unoccupied, are practised. There are a few inner city areas where additional precautions are advised, your operator will give details.

So how do we get afloat then?
You have three choices. You can hire or rent a self drive boat for a week or longer from one of over 100 ‘Hire Boat Firms’. Or you can join a fully inclusive skippered Hotelboat cruise. Or you can buy your own boat!

Where will we get to?
The main canal system is very extensive, stretching from the South of England to Ripon in the North East and into Wales. We have over 30 canal cruising guides and help to choose a canal route. Whichever sort of cruising holiday you choose one thing is certain, you will be moving slowly! The maximum speed limit on the canals is 4 miles per hour, about 6kph! Going faster creates wash which erodes canal banks. Boats don’t have speedometers but 4mph is about a good walking pace. Also you should never be making a breaking wave behind the boat. Even this speed is too fast when passing moored boats, you should slow right down to avoid pulling out their mooring lines. Going through locks slows you down more, it can take 20 minutes to get through one lock and they often come in flights of ten or twenty or more! we have advice about how to handle a narrowboat and about working locks.
So canal cruising is not a holiday to hurry, that is its beauty! Don’t plan to do more than 20 miles in a day unless there are very few locks around or you don’t mind long hours. You should not plan to travel after dark and some locks on some canals may be closed after 4 or 5pm until 8 am to save water supplies. After a few days going slowly you’ll be feeling the benefits!

What Boating Skills are needed, do we need any qualifications to hire a boat?
You don't need any boating experience of qualifications to hire (rent) a self drive canal boat. Hire firms will give you instructions and often take you through the first lock. However training courses are available. We have essential information about handling a narrow boat and working locks.

What if we enjoy the vacation so much we want to buy a boat?
New fully equipped narrowboats can cost between £20,000 and £100,000ukp, $32,000 to $160,000usd. 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.
Some boatbuilders and boatyards do special arrangements for overseas clients where they look after the boat when it is not being used.
Mooring at a boatyard or marina can cost from about £10ukp per week to £60ukp 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 I enjoy it so much I want to work on the canals?
Hotelboat firms do recruit crew 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 are looking for crew.