‘Wandering Duck’ , a new budget hotel boat aimed at younger people has just won Tourism Experience of the Year at the Manchester Tourism Awards 2014. The judges were captivated by the innovative and highly original experience on offer and the team’s devotion to the customer.
Wandering Duck offers multi day canal boat tours aboard its 69ft narrow boat, for individuals and groups to experience the canals between Manchester and the Peak District, and the beautiful Cheshire countryside of the Macclesfield Canal.
Two night Adventure and Escape tours are hosted by owner-operators Mark Bratt and Ruth Seneviratne-Bratt, who take care of narrow boat “Rakiraki” and all the cooking plus show their guests how to steer the boat and work the locks. Wandering Duck is a member of the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators, the association within the British Marine Federation that sets professional standards, enabling passenger navigation and safe guarding the inland waterways.
Up to eight guests can be accommodated on the ingeniously designed boat with its two showers and plenty of room for socialising. Day trips and longer or special interest tours are also available, as are opportunities to canoe and walk – or to simply relax with a drink from the boat’s honesty bar whilst the Wandering Duck team show you the hidden gems of the inland waterways.
Mark Bratt was delighted to receive the award for the Tourism Experience of the Year from Marketing Manchester’s Director of Tourism, Nick Brooks-Sykes. Mark said, “We invite guests to come on their own and join in with like-minded adventurers, or to travel as a group of friends on our unique canal boat experience. We provide great home-cooked meals on board, and know all the best pubs, walks and sites along our routes. Wandering Duck are really pleased to be the only tour of this kind, introducing people from all over to the unique world of the UK’s canals.”
Wandering Duck will now go forward to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2015
Thanks to APCO for this report and image. See more about Wandering Duck on their website.
