From rural retreats to vibrant city centres, narrowboat holiday-makers can use their boat as a floating holiday home to explore Britain’s beautiful 3,000-mile network of inland waterways, with the choice of hundreds of waterside destinations and historic canalside pubs to stop-off at along the way.
Drifters Waterway Holidays (drifters.co.uk) offers over 550 boats for hire from 45 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. 2023 hire prices start at £590 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four, £815 for a week. Tuition is included in all Drifters’ holiday packages. Drifters’ operators are currently offering early-bird booking discounts.
Here are Drifters’ Top 9 canal boat holidays for 2023:
- Cruise through the Cheshire countryside to Wrenbury Mill – from Drifters’ canal boat hire base at Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal, it’s a peaceful 10-mile cruise through the Cheshire countryside to Wrenbury Mill. The route, which passes through 11 locks and takes around six hours, starts on the Shropshire Union Canal and transfers onto the Llangollen Canal at Hurleston Junction. At Wrenbury Mill, boaters can moor up for country walks and a choice of pubs, including the popular Dusty Miller. ***The 65ft ‘Carina’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a weekend break 28 April to 1 May 2023 for £1,040, saving £115. Price includes boat hire, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen towels and first pet. There’s a compulsory extra non-refundable £50 damage waiver and diesel is extra – a £50 deposit is taken for short breaks (three or four nights), £90 for a week. Charge based on use, circa £15 per day.
- Navigate the Black Country Ring – on a week’s holiday from Drifters’ base at Kings Orchard in Staffordshire, canal boat holiday-makers can navigate the Black Country Ring. The journey takes in a mixture of urban and rural scenery, and travels sections of the Coventry, Trent & Mersey, Staffordshire & Worcestershire, New Birmingham Main Line and Birmingham & Fazeley canals. Travelling 75 miles, and passing through 79 locks, the route takes around 43 cruising hours. Highlights include: the quiet waters at Tixall Wide; Gas Street Basin in the centre of Birmingham; and Fradley Pool Nature Reserve at Fradley Junction. ***The 66ft ‘Flappet Lark’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a week’s break 5-12 August 2023 for £2,210, saving £189. Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition. A fuel deposit of £50 for a short break, £90 for a week is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs are approx. £15 per day.
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath – on a mid-week break from Drifters’ base at Devizes in Wiltshire, boaters can travel along the Kennet & Avon Canal to reach moorings at Sydney Wharf, on the edge of Bath City Centre. The journey travels 19 miles, passes through eight locks and takes around nine hours. On the way, the route passes through the village of Seend with its popular canalside Barge Inn, and the historic town of Bradford on Avon, with a choice of independent shops and restaurants. Once at Sydney Wharf, boaters can moor up and take a 15-minute walk into Bath City Centre. ***The 50ft ‘Tibetan Fox’ narrowboat for up to five people is available for a mid-week break from Devizes 5- June 2023 for £930, saving £233. Price includes diesel, gas, damage waiver, bed linen, towels, canal map, life jackets, parking and tuition. Pets are extra, charged at £30 each.
- Explore the Llangollen Canal UNESCO World Heritage site – on a week’s holiday from Drifters’ base at Whitchurch in Shropshire, boaters can travel to Llangollen and back, navigating along the 11-mile section of the Llangollen Canal designated a World Heritage site. Beginning at Gledrid, the World Heritage Site comprises a series of embankments, tunnels, viaducts and aqueducts, including the stunning Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The whole length, described by UNESCO as ‘a masterpiece of creative genius’, has also been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument of National Importance, and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The journey from Whitchurch to Llangollen and back travels 61 miles, passes through four locks and takes around 27 hours. ***The 47ft ‘Rock Wren’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available from Whitchurch 8-15 September 2023 for £1,360, saving £39. Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition. A fuel deposit of £50 for a short break, £90 for a week is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs are approx. £15 per day.
- Complete the Stourport Ring – on a week’s break from Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Stoke Prior in Worcestershire, narrowboat holiday-makers can complete the Stourport Ring. The route includes sections of the Worcestershire & Birmingham Canal, River Severn and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. It travels 84 miles, passes through 117 locks and takes around 51 cruising hours. Highlights include: the Tardebigge Flight of 30 locks; Gas Street Basin in the centre of Birmingham; and the Cathedral City of Worcester. ***The ‘Princess 4509 Signature’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available to hire from Stoke Prior for a week 16-23 June 2023 for £2,070, saving £230. Price includes boat hire, damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. Fuel is extra, charged on return based on use, circa £15 per day.
- Cruise to Fenny Compton and back – on a weekend break from Drifters’ base at Stockton in Warwickshire, canal boat holiday-makers can cruise to the pretty village of Fenny Compton. The journey begins on the Grand Union Canal, transferring onto the Oxford Canal at Napton Junction. Winding gently through 15 miles of countryside, the route passes through 12 locks, and takes around eight hours. Pubs to stop-off at along the way include the King’s Arms at Napton-on-the-Hill, and The Wharf Inn at Fenny Compton. ***The 47ft ‘Madeleine’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a weekend break from Stockton 7-10 July 2023 for £895. Price includes diesel, gas, damage waiver, bed linen, car parking, buoyancy aids and tuition on arrival. Pets are extra, charged at £25 each.
- Visit Skipton and its medieval castle – on a weekend break from Drifters’ base at Barnoldswick, boaters can head east along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Skipton. The journey there and back travels 26 miles, passes through 30 locks (15 each way) and takes around 20 cruising hours. This breath-taking route winds along the contours of the side of Airedale, with extensive views of sheep country – farmhouses, barns, stone walls and the occasional village or town. Once in Skipton, boaters can moor in the centre of the town, visit shops and restaurants and explore the 900-year old Skipton Castle, one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England. ***The 56ft ‘Huntingdon 4’ narrow boat for up to four people is currently available for a weekend break from Barnoldswick 5-8 May 2023 for £1,116.25, saving £58.75. Prices include damage waiver, pre-holiday information, comprehensive instruction, fuel, gas, parking, buoyancy aids and bed linen.
- Travel slowly through the countryside to Hawkesbury Junction – on a weekend break from Drifters’ base at Braunston, boaters can cruise slowly through the Northamptonshire countryside to Hawkesbury Junction. The route begins on the Grand Union Canal, transferring onto the North Oxford Canal at the Braunston Turn. Travelling 23 miles to Hawkesbury, passing through four locks and Newbold Tunnel along the way, the journey takes around seven hours. Pubs to stop off at include: the Bell Inn at Hillmorton; the Barley Mow at Newbold; and the Greyhound at Hawkesbury Junction. ***The 65ft ‘Arbury’ narrowboat for up to six people is available for a weekend break from Braunston 21-24 April 2023 for £1,030. Price includes diesel, gas, damage waiver, cancellation protection, parking, buoyancy aids and tuition. Pets are extra, charged at £25 each.
- Cruise along the Shropshire Union Canal to Market Drayton – from Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Autherley in Staffordshire, on a mid-week break canal boat holiday-makers can cruise to the historic town of Market Drayton and back. This rural route, perfect for beginners, takes boaters along the Shropshire Union Canal through over 26 miles of peaceful countryside. It passes through seven locks and a series of pretty villages with canalside pubs, including the Bridge Inn at Brewood and the Hartley Arms at Wheaton Ashton. ***The 64ft ‘Gemini’ narrowboat for up to eight people is available for a mid-week break from Autherley 24-28 July 2023 for £1,355. Price includes VAT, cancellation protection, gas, diesel, bedlinen, car parking, life jackets and boat inventory. Pets are extra, charged at £35 each.
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0344 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk.
For information about visiting the canal network go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk