canal boat rental ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

canal boat rental

Replies: 18 - Last Post: 01-Aug-2007 06:43 Last Post By: wandering_fox

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Posted
23-Jul-2007 15:31
by: chuckandleen

Posts: 4
Registered: 13/03/03

canal boat rental

Has anyone rented a canal or "narrow" boat for cruising waterways in England? Can you tell us something about your experience, good or bad?

Thanks.

Lee

Posted
24-Jul-2007 00:58
by: scaryant

Posts: 4,755
Registered: 12/12/04

1

Hi,

I did this Easter before last up in the midlands, we had a 4 birth canal boat. Basically it was fantastic, slow going of course, but a great time and a lot of fun. The boat's we hired were very well maintained, we were surprised at how good the facilities on-board were. Good kitchen (gas cooker, over/grill), small bar fridge, dining area, TV, radio, flushing toilet and shower with very good supply of hot water.

We did a 3 day trip and "attempted" the Caudlon Canal, which is supposed to be one of the nicest in the area. Unfortunately we didn't count on how slowly we would cover ground, so we didn't get far along before we had to turn back - so be careful about how far you think you might get as it not only depends on how fast you can go, but how many boats are out on the canals because you may get stuck behind a long trail of them and congestion can form quickly at locks. Locks take about 15-20min to pass through, even if there are no boats in front of you.

It's nice though, to pull up at night out front of a nice country pub, have a good pub meal and a few pints and then walk to your boat to sleep it off.

"Sailing" the canal boat is pretty easy (even the girlfriends were into it in the end) and no previous experience is necessary. The company we hired through took us through the first two locks and showed us the ropes, before letting us on our way. If one or more in the party have sailed a small boat with a tiler/rudder extension before (rather than wheel) it will make it easier to get the hang of and correct/recover if someone gets into trouble. A little skill and gentle patients is sometimes required when entering locks as other boats and the angle of approach can make it tricky. However as the boats are generally made of steel, a few bumps and scrapes doesn't hurt too much!

There are rules to the waterways which you should abide by (and will be told before you depart). One of the more important is speed and unless you want to get irate boat owners shaking their fist at you, keep the speed down. Basically you should not approach moored boats at speed, the canal boats can only really cruise at a max. of 3-4 mph so going through a mooring area requires a speed of about 1-2 mph or less. Otherwise you'll rock their tea and biscuits right off the table! There's other rules about closing locks and stuff, but there's not too much to remember.

A great source of information is Waterscape.com - Have fun! Cheers.

Oz - Darwin & About > FAQ #175-177

Posted
24-Jul-2007 01:34
by: wapsy

Posts: 12,532
Registered: 23/10/02

2

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Posted
24-Jul-2007 02:12
by: morag

Posts: 1,120
Registered: 03/03/01

3

This year, as well as the extensive canal network, it is also possible to cruise right down the high street of many picturesque towns and villages - which are devoid of the usual crowds of tourists. Nice.

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Posted
24-Jul-2007 03:58
by: peterscot

Posts: 2,175
Registered: 21/08/03

4

Once boated down the Severn and up the Avon (connected by canals around Birmngham). Wonderful, but wouldn't fancy it this week!

Good things are - everything moves at the same time, so you don't have to wait for sleepyheads or babies to be fed. Energetic members of a group can jog/cycle ahead and know they wont lose teh boat.

Canalside pubs - almost all are good.

Fellow boaters are friendly.

Bad things - not good if in a rush or choose busy area/time. Assume 3 miles an hour and 20 minutes per lock.

Need to get on in confined spaces and eat communally. Anyone who is allergic to farting (see canalside pubs) should not be allowed on board, imo.

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Posted
24-Jul-2007 05:05
by: nona1

Posts: 1,055
Registered: 22/07/04

5

Went on the Thames a couple of times years ago.

Once in a little modern cruiser boat, and once in a narrow boat. The narrow boat was much better - more stable (didn't get sea-sick laying in bed at night unlike the cruiser which bobbed about all the time), more fun, more space. And you can sunbathe on the roof.

Thames is good - lots to see, can stop off at towns and villages and lots of pubs, you don't have to do the locks yourself as they all have keepers, obviously the further from London the more peaceful it is. I went swimming in the river at one point.

“Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.” Leonardo De Vinci

Posted
24-Jul-2007 05:27
by: strawberri

Posts: 137
Registered: 14/07/04

6

used to do these a lot with my parents when I was a kid and went with them again a couple of years ago which tells you something. Can be a bit expensive for boat hire and make sure you always stock up on water where you can but a really lovely, chilled-out way of spending your holidays, can't reccommend it enough.

Pilot's wisom:
In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminium going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.

Posted
24-Jul-2007 12:38
by: tomnwill

Posts: 4
Registered: 27/05/07

7

although man made and not canals, the norfolk broads are endless and amazing and littered with pubs to moor at. Of special mention is Salhouse Broad close to Wroxham. Has its own beach and is timeless. Loved it.

If you want an itinary let me know.

mcbeardsley

Posted
25-Jul-2007 09:49
by: chuckandleen

Posts: 4
Registered: 13/03/03

8

Thank you to the seven (so far) people who responded so readily and informatively to my question about canal boat rentals. Special thanks to scaryant for the extensive input provided. I did look at Waterscape and was unfortunately--and perhaps naively-- shocked at how much the smallest boat would cost per week for two Americans. Thanks also to tomnwill for their suggestion about the Norfolk broads--you may be hearing from us. And if anyone knows a company with somewhat less expensive boat rentals, let us know!

Lee and Chuck

Posted
25-Jul-2007 19:39
by: ohwell

Posts: 2,792
Registered: 13/12/05

9

Its a fantastic way to unwind. There are many fond memories of a trip taken 20 odd years ago on the Ashby Canal. - no locks which is great for just two people - one mildly physically handicapped, the other petrified of falling in the water. Some days tied up in fabulous spots we walked further than we cruised. Bite the financial bullet - and go with it. Its worth it. Choose the canal carefully and see rural England from a different perspective. Op 1s advice is excellent.

Posted
26-Jul-2007 01:14
by: wapsy

Posts: 12,532
Registered: 23/10/02

10

www.canalworld.net has a forum for people wanting to hire boats.

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Posted
26-Jul-2007 02:24
by: scaryant

Posts: 4,755
Registered: 12/12/04

11

Unfortunately it is rather expensive, we did our trip in Easter which is really low season so the weather wasn't great, it was cool and rained lightly some of the time, but we had some sunny days which made it warmer. But choosing low season meant we got a 4 birth boat for ~£450 for the weekend (3 days) and that was about the cheapest I could find.

We went through a company in Stone which is in the midlands, you can get a train up there from London and then catch a cab to their door for £10, there's a big Sainsbury's nearby the train station where you can buy all your supplies and then get the cab to pick you up (there's a special cab/taxi phone in the supermarket).

If you go to this area, stay away from the Stoke-on-Trent area, it's awful. Unfortunately if you want to go down the Cauldon Canal from Stone then you have to pass through Stoke-on-Trent so you may not have a choice. Otherwise you can try the downstream route, but I don't know what that's like.

Oz - Darwin & About > FAQ #175-177

Posted
26-Jul-2007 03:08
by: yozzer

Posts: 297
Registered: 24/11/00

12

we did it near Rugby a few years ago - 3 narrow boats and 28 lads on a stag party, ruthless. We respected the other vessels and were not too raucas in the pubs. Was frustratingly slow moving at times with queues at locks etc but you shouldnt be in a hurry on a holiday like that, we only had the weekend and a designated drop off point for the boats so had to keep a reasonable pace going. The farting was fairly aggressive.

Posted
26-Jul-2007 07:27
by: megaera

Posts: 10,383
Registered: 05/09/01

13

It's not specifically expensive because you're American, you know!

Charles Harden, on the Shroppie, has a couple of cheapish small boats. Kate Boats, at Warwick, aren't too bad. Rose Boats, near Rugby, are also reasonable. Travelling out of high season will keep the cost down too.

It'll be hard, btw, the get a boat for any time this summer, you've left it a bit late. However, if you are, this site has late bookings, often
at a reasonable price.

If you mean next year, and can spring for more than a week, a number of companies will cut you a much better deal than their official prices suggest for 10 days or a fortnight.

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Posted
26-Jul-2007 16:14
by: Ravings

Posts: 17,912
Registered: 12/11/02

14

We did the Norfolk Broads some years ago, brilliant if you are into nature & stuff. We also did Reading Festival, by renting a boat on the Thames, and mooring it under Caversham Bridge. Generally a river cruiser will be fine, and has hot water, showers etc. It may not be brand spanking new though. Canalside pubs are usually great, and the locks, etc, are quite fun. You get the hang of the boat pretty quickly. Great way to spend a week with a bunch of friends

If she asks, don't I'll tell her that I'm living hand-to-mouth. Don't tell her I've been sleeping on your couch. If she asks just tell her that we opened for the Stones, It's her favourite band except for the Ramones.

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