brecon canal boat trips

• Customers’ Photos
• Dayboats Brochure
• Book A Boat

Plan Your Day Trip

Enjoy a relaxing day out cruising the beautiful Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal as it winds its way through the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Choose from an easy-to-drive electric day boat, an even more eco-friendly two-person bike boat, or an Indian Canoe. All are available to hire from Beacon Park Boats.

Get up close to wildlife and enjoy spectacular views as one of Britain’s most scenic waterways meanders along the mountainsides lining the Usk Valley.

Our electric boats are very quiet, and you can glide along listening to the birds singing and the water rippling above the steady thrum of the propeller turning.

Even quieter is our bike boat and our canoes. Both are stable, easy to handle and use.

We have different-sized boats to suit all parties, and you can book more than one boat at a time. Dogs and children are very welcome on board.

Your day trip begins at 10 am when you are offered life jackets and given a safety brief aboard your boat. Our electric day boats are easy to drive, with a steering wheel and hand forward/reverse hand throttle. It’s great fun, and you’re sure to learn something new. And don’t worry, there are no locks to navigate on our section of the canal.

Turn left and head north out of Beacon Park Boat’s base in Llangattock and you can cruise along the tree-lined elevated section of the canal with views out to Table Mountain and Crickhowell. Stop for a picnic or, alternatively, a 2.5-hour ride will bring you to Llangynidr Locks. Moor up there, leaving room for the canal boats passing through the locks, and walk a short distance over the bridge to the Coach and Horses pub. Here, you can enjoy a selection of Real Ales and beautifully prepared locally sourced food, served in the canal-side garden or amongst the oak beams of this historic coaching inn.  Click on the button below to view the route North.

View Map going North

Turn right and head south along the canal and you will enjoy the more open countryside of the middle reaches of the Usk Valley, with spectacular views across open fields towards Sugarloaf Mountain. Pass a Giant Redwood tree, feed the ducks, spot the wildlife and stop for a picnic. If you fancy a pub lunch, the Towpath Inn at Gilwern is within reach. Here, they serve ales, coffee and tea, ice cream and a range of freshly cooked meals, served indoors or out, right next to the canal towpath. Click on the button below to view the route North.

View Map going South

Top speed on the canal is 2.5 miles an hour and cruising gently in either direction leaves enough time, and battery to get back in time for 5 pm when all boats must be returned. You can turn round moor up anywhere as long as you avoid private moorings and don’t cause an obstruction to the waterway.

All our boats are equipped with mooring pins and ropes in case you want to stop and wander and a pole for pushing off again. Our electric boats all have rain covers in case of inclement weather, but you should also bring waterproofs and warm clothing with you.

It’s a great day out, a new experience, a chance to relax, slow down and enjoy the scenery; electric day boat hire from Beacon Park Boats.

Please book online.  We also ask that you leave your car keys with us while cruising. We will keep them locked away safely until you return.

Things to take with you

Some of these things might seem really obvious but we know people who’ve forgotten them!

• Flask of tea/coffee, bottled water, cakes and snacks
• Warm clothing and waterproofs, in case it turns cold or wet
• Sensible footwear
• Sun cream and hats
• Cushions for anyone who wants a softer seat
• Money, if you intend stopping at one of the canalside pubs
• You’ll be given and Canal and River Trust key which gives you access to toilets along the route (look out for the signs).

Find Your Dream Narrowboat Holiday In The Brecon Beacons

We're one of Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice Best of the Best

Our 5-star narrowboats

Cruise along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in luxury. You'll find that Beacon Park narrowboats are extra special with our entire fleet awarded a 5-star grading by Visit Britain. Designed and made by us, each boat is unique in its own way, providing you with those additional touches that make for a holiday of a lifetime.

Looking for a day trip rather than a longer stay?

Quick links.

New to boating

Self-drive boats

Map & canal guide

The best pub spots on the Mon & Brec Canal

It’s all happening now…

We’ve got a very busy weekend ahead, it’s good to see the sun out, blue sky and we look …

Getting the canal ready for the new season

Repairing canals is a major civil-engineering task, as we have witnessed from Beacon Park …

“ There’s no single reason why we have returned to Beacon Parks 13 times. A week on one of their boats is a non-negotiable for us each year, but for SO many different reasons ”

Hire an electric dayboat, cycle boat or canoe from our wharf at Llangattock and explore at your leisure. Stop off for lunch at a canalside pub or visit picturesque villages with their independent shops and cafes. Available April to October.

Discover the romance of life afloat during winter and spring when the canal is at its most tranquil. Owl and Grouse are permanently moored as houseboats at our wharf in Llangattock from November to March.

Check out our brochure

For more great reasons to book your canal holiday with us simply download our brochure or request a printed copy.

• Features of Day Boats
• Public Trips

Enjoy cruising the beautiful Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

Self drive boats.

Self Drive Boats based at Brecon Basin on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

• Launches carry 8 people
• Plush Seating
• Picnic Tables Built-in
• Hire for up to 3 hours
• Easy Electric Start Motors
• Tuition Provided
• Rain Cover in case of poor weather
• 1 hour: £40
• 2 hours £50
• 3 hours: £60

Welcome to Dragon Fly Day Boats!

Spend a delightful few hours cruising through some of the most beautiful scenery in Britain, lying within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon canal hugs the mountainside above the valley of the River Usk. Through the four seasons there a fine views and an abundance of wildlife to be seen.

The launches carry up to eight people and can be hired for up to 3 hours to the lock and return, with landing points at both ends.

The boats have plush seating with picnic tables, the boats are steady in the water with easy to use electric start engines. In case you experience rain, they also have rain covers.

The boats travel through to the lock at Brynich and give a safe steady and relaxing ride, with easy controls. The deeper design also makes it safer for children. Tuition is given at the start of the hire and we are always close to hand in the event of problems.

So come and relax for a morning, afternoon or early evening boat ride and take in the historic beauty that the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal has to offer from our own personal dayboat!

Our gallery

Useful information.

Use the below to access further information

Request booking

To request a booking please click here!

About Brecon

To find out more about Brecon click here.

How To Book A Trip

Different Ways To Book Your Trip

Dragonfly Cruises

• See all photos

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

DRAGONFLY CRUISES (Brecon) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Jonathan & Camilla, Cambrian Cruisers, Ty Newydd, Pencelli, Brecon LD3 7LJ   |     Tel: 01874 665315   |        Email us

• How We Build Our Boats
• Prices & Availability
• How To Book
• The Mon & Brec In Pictures
• The Mon & Brec in motion
• Things to do on the canal
• Boating Tutorials
• Stay At The Marina

We are now taking bookings for our 2024 season!!! Check our online availability for prices.

Your holiday on the Mon & Brec Canal

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Mon and Brec for short) is arguably the most beautiful and unspoiled canal in Britain to experience canal holidays and is located within the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park. The canal is 35 miles long and runs from Brecon in the North, down the Usk Valley, to just South of Pontypool. It has six locks for you to enjoy operating, one on the way up to Brecon, and the others at the lovely and secluded stretch leading down into Llangynidr.

There are lift bridges for you to wind up and down and you can even make the traffic stop to give way to canal boats, when you operate the electric lift bridge in Talybont on Usk! The canal is surrounded by the most beautiful scenery and you can wake up with a new view everyday on your canal holiday.

There are many good pubs along the way and lots of interesting villages to explore on your canal holiday. The industrial heritage of the canal is still visible in many places with the remains of the lime kilns and old tramways that brought coal, iron and limestone down from the surrounding hills. In our complimentary canal guide book you will find short walks that help you explore the surrounding area.

The area abounds with all types of interesting plants, trees, wildlife, and especially birds. One customer spotted over 50 types of birds in one week.

Cormorant and Red Kite are frequently spotted whirling overhead at our marina, plus the rippling trill of the curlew – buzzards are almost mundane, using their favourite fence posts as look outs, and kingfisher, with their shimmering blue backs, are often spotted just ahead of your boat, poised ready to fish. The giant redwood tree in Llangattock has an amazing trunk girth, seeing is believing!

See the canal in pictures        See our boating tutorials

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Accessibility

Jonathan and Camilla Cambrian Cruisers

Ty Newydd Pencelli Brecon LD3 7LJ

[email protected]

Tel: 01874 665315

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Sweepstakes

The Best Way to See Wales Is by Canal Boat — Here's How to Plan Your Trip

On a watery journey through Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales, learn to let fate take the wheel.

Nina Ruggiero is Travel + Leisure's senior editorial director and the co-founder of Be A Travel Writer , an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. A New Yorker based in Los Angeles, she has a special interest in beach destinations, outdoor adventures, unique hotels, pet-friendly travel with her golden retriever, @travelswithcali, and all things Italy.

Courtesy of Country Craft Narrowboats

“Slower!” my partner, Alex, yelled from the footpath beside the canal I was barreling down. His warm Welsh accent and deliberate tone almost masked the panic in his voice. 

In response, I promptly pushed the wrong lever forward and ran our 45-foot-long narrowboat full speed into the metal underhang of the drawbridge Alex had just cranked open. Luckily, full speed on this vessel is about four miles per hour. Still, metal hitting metal produced a resounding bang, stopping a small crowd of passersby in their tracks. Nothing like an American taking the wheel in the U.K. 

“Really… slowly,” Alex repeated. Beside me, my golden retriever, Cali, eyed the shore as though she might abandon ship.

Courtesy of Nina Ruggiero

For our three-day canal trip through Brecon Beacons National Park , in South Wales, we had rented the boat from Country Craft Narrowboats in the village of Llangynidr. Alex grew up about 30 miles away, and often went fishing and camping in the area with his family. Our boat, Country Girl, had a double bed with plaid bedding, a full kitchen, a lounge and dining area, a bathroom with a shower, and a deck big enough for two camping chairs, where we would sit with our morning coffees while ducks paddled beside us. 

Our 20-mile round-trip took us along the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, from Llangyndir to the town of Brecon and back. We floated past rural villages, sheep-filled pastures, and the red sandstone peaks of the Brecon Beacons, the mountain range for which the park is named. We followed a map of canal-side pubs , mooring up overnight so we could easily retire to our boat after dinner for a game of cards or go straight to sleep in our cozy floating home. 

Our days were spent in blissful solitude. For hours at a time, we soaked in the sights and sounds of the park, sometimes stopping for a stroll or picnic.

After a wet, windy day of lifting and lowering canal locks and maneuvering out of mudbanks, no place embodies a cwtch (the Welsh word for a cuddle, hug, or small, safe space) quite like a warm pub. We often pulled up — hair drenched, clothes dirty, damp dog in tow — and were welcomed with open arms. After stopping at the Royal Oak , in the village of Pencelli, it wasn’t long before we received a call that our boat had come loose and was floating mid-canal; Alex ran out into the rain to fetch it. Sitting by the fire with a glass of Brecon Gin — a Welsh spirit that’s distilled with water from the national park — helped take the edge off.

More Trip Ideas: 16 Fairy-tale Castles in Wales to Inspire Your Next Trip

Naturally, we celebrated our halfway point in Brecon with to-go gins with all the trimmings — rosemary sprigs, grapefruit slices, and black peppercorns — from Hop In Beer & Gin House . Later that evening we docked near Three Horseshoes Inn , a hilltop gastropub in Groesffordd, and feasted on braised leeks, pork belly, and Cornish monkfish inside a wooden beach hut in the back garden.

Other than mingling with a few volunteer lock keepers — who graciously walked me through operating the locks along the rest of our path while Alex steered the tiller (we learn from our mistakes) — our days were spent in blissful solitude. For hours at a time, we soaked in the sights and sounds of the park, sometimes stopping for a stroll or picnic. When the rain came, as it did each day, we would comically jump into survival mode, grabbing our waterproof gear and shouting directions, our voices lost in the wind as we teamed up to haphazardly guide our ship to safety.

Somewhere within that contrast of peace and adrenaline, I gained a deeper understanding of the fondness with which Alex always speaks of his childhood trips to the Brecon Beacons. His deep-rooted positivity and enthusiasm for the everyday, which felt so refreshingly foreign to me when I first met him, suddenly made sense: if the Welsh didn’t learn to dance in the rain, they wouldn’t have much time to dance at all. 

Canal Cruising in Wales

The six barges offered by Country Craft Narrowboats have all the comforts of home. Available March–October.

Pubs to Visit

The coach & horses inn, llangynidr.

Find traditional ales at this 16th-century inn’ s casual bar and sophisticated, seafood-forward takes on pub grub in its dining room, including fish pie with saffron mash and roasted cod loin with pea and mint purée.

White Hart Inn, Talybont on Usk

Just off the Taff Trail, re-fuel after a hike or cycle with a traditional Sunday roast or a hearty steak and ale pie, lamb shank, or chili con carne accompanied by a wide selection of local cask beers and gins.

The Royal Oak, Pencelli

Home-cooked classics including gammon and eggs, fish and chips, and chicken curry are best enjoyed in this family-run pub's waterfront beer garden on sunny days and inside by the open fire on rainy ones.

The Three Horseshoes Inn, Groesffordd

Seasonal gastropub fare like venison haunch with turnip and crispy kale; pork belly with granny smith apple and braised shallots; and charred braised leek with nori seaweed emulsion is served in garden beach huts so patrons can enjoy the hilltop view in any weather.

Hop In Beer & Gin House, Brecon

Opened in 2020, Hop In serves craft beer from “progressive breweries” and gin from all over the world alongside tapas made with ingredients from local purveyors, including traditional lamb cawl with Welsh cheddar; mussels in white wine, garlic, and leek; and confit of duck leg with spring onion and ginger croquettes.

To explore Wales more deeply, contact Nicola Butler , a T+L A-List advisor who plans trips throughout the country, including hidden gems like the Pembrokeshire coast. Email: [email protected].

A version of this story first appeared in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of  Travel + Leisure  under the headline "Tales of the Riverbank ."

A beautiful canal

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal has, for two hundred years, wended its way through some of the most beautiful scenery in South Wales. Now its industrial life is over, it offers the opportunity to see the countryside from a unique perspective on your very own self drive narrow boat holiday.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal covers 33 miles of beautiful, rural, Welsh countryside from Brecon to Pontypool, much of which lies within the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park. With six locks, lift bridges, a tunnel and an aquaduct over the scenic river Usk you will need at least a week to experience everything this amazing canal has to offer.

Along the canal there are country villages to explore, good pubs to visit and scenic walks to enjoy. During your narrowboat holiday experience you will come across a wide variety of wildlife, especially birds including kingfishers, red kite and heron.

For local attractions and adventures why not take a look at our links page .

Theatre, Brecknock & Regimental Museums, leisure centre with indoor swimming pool, shopping centre, numerous public houses and eating places.

Offers convenient canalside store/post office, cafe and public houses. Superb walking area including reservoir.

Award winning flight of locks, general store, cafe and public houses.

Crickhowell

A delightful country town with much to offer the visitor. Well worth the walk from Llangattock.

Castle Narrowboats

Our base at Gilwern is ideally situated near to the centre of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. This enables our customers to travel in either direction and to have access to their cars mid-week if they wish to travel further afield.

Abergavenny

‘The Gateway to Wales’ situated a mile from the canal, the town has a good selection of shops, castle and museum. Market day is on a Tuesday.

Goytre has a heritage and activity centre with historic limekilns, visitors’ centre, cafe and children’s play area.

The town offers a shopping centre, museum and leisure centre with swimming pool, water slides and dry ski slope.

The Industrial Past of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

Together the two canals formed the motorway of the industrial revolution carrying agricultural produce to market and connecting with nearly 200 miles of horsedrawn tramroad to carry coal, limestone, iron ore and coal, for example iron ore from Bleanavon Ironworks and coal from the Rhymney Valley. The limestone was burned in the lime kilns along The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to produce lime for agriculture and building, many of these lime kilns can still be seen along The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal today. Ironically the iron ore carried along The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal was then transported around Britain, via Newport docks, and was used to provide rails for the transport system that eventually meant the end of the canals.

Set within the beautiful Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park

This drawing, courtesy of Michael Blackmore, shows Gilwern Wharf, where our hire base is situated on The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, circa 1830.

Set in some of the most beautiful scenery in Britain, The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal was reopened in 1970. The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal lies almost wholly within the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park and hugs the mountainside above the valley of the River Usk for much of its length. For 23 of its 33 miles The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is lock free, one of the longest lock free stretches in the inland waterway system.

You can find more information about the history of the canal from ‘The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal’ guide written by John Norris, provided onboard.

Things to do on dry land

If you would like to stretch your legs along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal you are spoilt for choice with the towpath itself being a good and well maintained option. A nearby alternative is to follow the river Usk which has good paths, particularly between Abergavenny and Brecon, and is never far from the canal. Being in the Black Mountains however it is hard to ignore the potential for hill climbing and seeing the area from a different angle.

Pen-y-Fan is the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons at 2970ft and for a real challenge can be tackled from canal bridge 158 via Llanfrynach. Allow a full days walking as reaching the summit takes around four hours this way. Tor-y-Foel at 1808ft is an easier but no less spectacular climb from bridge 134, allow two hours to reach the summit. Mynydd Pen-cyrn is another two hour climb to 1735ft, simply start from bridge 114 at Llangatock and follow the old Darren Cilau tramway. Another old tramway this time from under the aqueduct at bridge 95a in Llanfoist will take you up the Blorenge Mountain. The summit at 1834ft takes around an hour and a half to reach. If these sound too time consuming Sugarloaf Mountain at 1995ft has a handy car park not far from the summit just north of Abergavenny. Allow at least an hour to reach the top.

• Any Location
• Aldermaston Wharf
• Alvechurch Marina
• Anderton Marina
• Blackwater Meadow Marina
• Falkirk Canal
• Gailey Marina
• Gayton Marina
• Goytre Wharf
• Hilperton Marina
• Kings Orchard Marina
• March Marina
• Nantwich Canal Centre
• Springwood Haven
• Whitchurch Marina
• Worcester Marina
• Wrenbury Mill

Home / Our Routes / Featured Routes / Goytre Wharf / Brecon Return

Brecon & Return Featured Routes

Brecon & return from goytre wharf.

Duration: 7 Nights TOTAL LOCKS: 12 CRUISING TIME PER DAY: 4 HOURS (25 HOURS IN TOTAL)

Maps & Guides for this route:  P3, N4, L24 | Click here buy maps

With only a handful of locks, this is utterly lazy water. But don’t be fooled by the tranquillity, the tumultuous scenery is a heart stopper. The route twists under canopies of leaves and then, with an innocent bend in the water, it will thrust you into the sort of sublime panorama that only Wales can do. Revel in its peace, sweeping views and beautiful remoteness.

Featured Boats

Featured boats from goytre wharf, south wales, two to five berth boats.

Red Line Finch

Max: 5 People

Length: 47ft

Six to eight berth Boats

Red Swallow

Max: 8 People

Length: 56ft

Thanks You're all signed up

Sign up for latest news and offers

The charity making life better by water

Making life better by water

Brecon Basin

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is often voted Britain's prettiest canal. Much of it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park and follows the line of the lovely, wooded Usk Valley. Brecon Basin is a great place to start your journey, with lovely walks along the canal.

If you love your culture, look out for the poetry trail by Theatr Brycheiniog. There are 10 specially commissioned poems to celebrate the Cultural Olympiad of 2012 written by well-known Welsh poets, five in Welsh and five in English. The trail continues into Brecon town centre, where you'll find those nice little gift shops we all love. As well as the Theatr Brycheiniog, look out for the castle remains, the Brecon Mountain Railway and it would be remiss of us now to mention the Brecon Beacons National Park a short cycle away.

Discover how we conserved the lime kilns from Brecon, through Watton and Llangattock to Goytre

Things to do and see

• Walking and dog walking
• Cycling - part of NCN 8

Boat trips:

• Brecon Park Day Boats
• Dragon Fly Cruises

Picnic spot:

There are several benches and picnic benches around the basin

• Sculpture trail
• Taff trail - a cycling trail ending at Brecon
• Poetry trail

Wildlife spotting:

This is a lovely spot to feed the resident swans, coots and ducks

Getting here

By car - there's a pay & display car park

Nine regions to choose from - over 120 fantastic places to visit

Local news and events

• Cymraeg ( Welsh )
• Accessibility

THE MONMOUTHSHIRE AND BRECON CANAL

• Things To Do
• Where to Stay
• Eating & drinking
• Great activities to do in Spring
• Cycling and Mountain Biking
• Explore our towns and villages
• Great Days Out
• Attractions
• Easy Access
• Download our Visitor guide

If you prefer smooth water to rushing rapids, you’ll love our canal. Once an important transport route, it’s now a lovely place for lazy strolling and boating. Peaceful and rural, with a flavour of times gone by, it’s often voted Britain’s prettiest canal. It passes through a generous swathe of the Brecon Beacons National Park, with appealing towns and villages to visit on the way.

Fed by the clear waters of the River Usk, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, or the Mon and Brec as we like to call it, is clean and pleasant, muddy though it may look at times. The 35-mile stretch between Brecon Basin and Pontymoile Basin used to be called the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. Almost all of its original course has been restored and is navigable – the only bit missing is a short stretch at the top, beyond Brecon Basin.

At Pontymoile, near Pontypool, just outside our Park, the former Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal connects with the Monmouthshire Canal and is navigable as far as the Five Locks Basin in Cwmbran. It’s not connected to the remainder of the British canal network, but enthusiasts find plenty to enjoy on this single length of water.

It’s a little under three miles from Brecon Basin to the first lock at Brynich. There are five locks in quick succession at Llangynidr. The final 23 miles from Llangynidr to Pontymoile are lock-free. Most of the way, it’s leafy and peaceful. It’s gorgeous in spring when the trees are in bud, and superb in autumn when the colours are at their best.

The canal follows the contours of the hillsides for most of its route, giving lovely views. It passes through the pretty villages of Pencelli, Talybont and Llangynidr before reaching the interesting little town of Crickhowell with its lovely waterside Bullpit Meadows.

After continuing through Llangattock, Gilwern, Govilon and Llanfoist near Abergavenny , eventually you reach the splendid Goytre Wharf  which is not far from the end of the canal at Pontymoile Basin. At the wharf, there’s a marina with boats for hire and a Canal and River Trust visitor centre, restaurant and picnic area. It’s a special place, closely connected to the Blaenavon World Heritage Site , one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution.

Messing about on our canal

All craft using the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, including canoes, must have a British Waterways Boat Licence, which is included in membership of the British Canoe Union or the Welsh Canoeing Association, or can be purchased from the Canal and River Trust. The funds raised help support this wonderful waterway.

Canoes, narrowboats and small motorboats can be hired at several points on the canal including Brecon Basin, Llangynidr, Gilwern and Goytre Wharf.

Travelling by narrowboat, it takes a couple of hours to get from Brecon to Brynich Lock and back, or seven hours to get from Brecon to Llangynidr, taking into account the Ashford Tunnel and the Llangynidr locks.

If you’d rather let someone else man the tiller, you can climb aboard a narrrowboat at Brecon Basin for a scenic cruise to Brynich Lock. This stretch of water has magnificent views of the Central Beacons with the sparkling River Usk just below. Canal trips also operate from  Goytre Wharf .

Towpath walks and bike rides

All 35 miles of our towpath are yours to explore, with wildlife-watching opportunities, pubs and picnic spots along the way.

From Brecon Basin, there’s a short, all-ability walking route which passes information boards, community art projects and a picnic area with a reconstruction of a horse-drawn tram on a short length of track.   Find our Canalside walks here. 

Brecon Basin is the start of the Taff Trail  (National Cycle Route 8). The first part of this long distance cycle touring and walking route takes you along the towpath, past the remains of old lime kilns. The three mile ride from Brecon to Brynich Lock is easy-going and thoroughly pleasant. Whenever you’re cycling on the tow path, remember to give way to pedestrians.

Wildlife-watching

There’s all sorts of wildlife to be seen as you explore the canal. Mallards, moorhens, swans, butterflies and dragonflies are often around and if you’re lucky you may spot a frog or a kingfisher. Look out for shy, elusive mammals, too, such as otters, water voles and bats. To find out more, visit our pages on Wildlife-watching, birdwatching and nature trails .

Canalside restaurants, cafés and pubs

There are several convivial spots on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal where you can enjoy tea, a pint or a tasty lunch, right beside the water, while watching the narrowboats, cyclists and ducks go by.

At Brecon Basin, you can enjoy the views of the narrowboats and ducks as you relax over something to eat and drink at at Brecon’s Theatr Brycheiniog Cafe.

Traditional pubs with canal side beer gardens along the canalised villages.  There's also a café and restaurant at Goytre Wharf .

Kayaking • Canoeing • Stand up paddle boarding

Come to the Brecon Beacons National Park and you can have fun paddling a kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard, raft or…

Sailing • Boating • Windsurfing

There are plenty of enjoyable ways to get afloat in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Dinghy sailing and windsurfing on…

Walks along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

Where to walk abergavenny.

Subscribe for latest news, updates & special offers

Error: Contact form not found.

The Roost is a popular spot, not…

Very much an Ambassador for the Bannau Brycheiniog…

Staying Safe while on the Bannau Brycheiniog Contributed…

Choosing somewhere in the Bannau Brycheiniog that keeps…

National Park Online Shop

Find exclusive range of maps, guides and books to help plan your visit to our National Park

• Places to stay
• Places to eat
• Walking routes
• Towns and villages
• Stargazing sites
• Experiences

• Private hire
• Public Trips

Enjoy cruising the beautiful Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

200 years of history.

Travel on this historical waterway, a fantastic feat of engineering, built before roads and railways. Cruise through a canal lock and over an aqueduct carry the canal over the River Usk,

• Public Outings
• Private Charter Trips
• School Trips
• Group Outings
• Corporate Outings
• Celebrations
• Saloon seating for 50
• Refreshment bar
• Catering available
• P.A. System
• All Weather
• Wheelchair Lift (2 chairs maximum)

Private Cruise Boat Hire for Brecon & Monmouthshire Canal

For larger groups, corporate events, schools and larger family outings we can provide a tailored cruise to fit your requirements. Options include catering, on-board commentary by the local historian Peter Morgan-Jones, who gives an excellent insight into the industrial past that formed the canal.

To discuss your requirements please contact us today or request a quote via our online form .

Our gallery

Useful Information

Use the below to access further information

Request booking

To request a booking please click here!

About Brecon

To find out more about Brecon click here.

Seating plans

To view the seating plan click here.

21 best canal boat trips in the UK

Watching the world go by from a narrowboat or barge may not be the fastest way to travel, but it’s a wonderful way to discover some of the UK’s most beautiful and interesting landscapes. Rolling countryside, quaint market towns, historic mill villages and UNESCO-listed industrial heritage – along with some truly cutting-edge modern additions to the canal network; you can see it all when you take these canal boat trips on Britain’s amazing inland waterways.

• Northern England
• Central England
• Southern England

Canal boat holidays

This post contains affiliate links – all that means is that if you buy something as a result of clicking on a link in the post, I’ll receive a small commission that helps me with the costs of running this site. Thanks!

Canal boat trips in northern England

Standedge tunnel, west yorkshire.

Let’s start this list of the best canal trips with something truly extraordinary. Standedge Tunnel, on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal is the longest, highest, deepest canal tunnel in the UK, and you can take a guided canal boat trip inside its astonishing depths.

Boat trips into the Standedge Tunnel start from Tunnel End near the village of Marsden in West Yorkshire. They’re operated, like a few of the boat tours on this list, by the Canal and River Trust , a charity which looks after 2000 miles of inland waterways in England and Wales.

After your 30-minute journey into the tunnel, you can explore a small museum which describes the arduous building of the tunnel in the late 18th century, its decline when the railways came, how it was abandoned for decades and was finally brought back to life in 2001 thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers.

Read more about visiting Standedge Tunnel

Skipton, North Yorkshire

Skipton is a gorgeous market town at the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. The Leeds and Liverpool canal arrived in Skipton in 1773, carrying coal, cloth and other cargo across the country from the ports at Liverpool and Hull (via the Aire and Calder Navigation).

Skipton is surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside, and gliding through it on a canal boat trip is the perfect way to see it. From Skipton’s pretty marina in the centre of town, you can take a 1 hour trip to discover the canal, or 2 hour trips to enjoy an afternoon tea on the water.

If you’re thinking you might like to skipper your own boat for a canal boat holiday, a day cruise on the wide, lock-free stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool canal south of Skipton is a good place to perfect your skills. There’s even a handily-placed canalside pub for lunch.

The team at Skipton Boat Trips will give you all the tuition you need to take the helm of your hire boat with confidence, even if you’re a complete novice. If you love it, you can hire a boat for a short break canal holiday or a full week or more, depending on how many miles of waterways you want to explore.

Saltaire, West Yorkshire

15 miles south east of Skipton on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, you’ll find Saltaire. Saltaire is a picturesque model village built by Sir Titus Salt to house the workers from his enormous mill in hygienic, morally sound and intellectually improving surroundings.

Salts Mill and the village surrounding it are a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of my favourite places to visit; the mill now holds an art gallery, interesting shops (including the most amazing bookshop) and cafes. Across the river, there’s a lovely park, and down on the canal you can buy ice creams from a barge and take 30-minute boat trips on the narrowboat Titus . Trips run from the end of March to the end of October.

Read more: visiting Salts Mill and Saltaire

Manchester owes a lot of its existence to canals. Canals allowed Manchester’s industrialists to bring raw materials into the city, along with coal to power the machines that would turn raw cotton into finished cloth.

At first, products were transported out of Manchester by barge on the Bridgewater Canal or later by rail, but this didn’t provide enough capacity for Manchester’s factories and mills.

This all changed when the Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, providing a wide channel all the way to the sea at Liverpool. Manchester became Britain’s 3rd busiest port, despite being 40 miles from the sea.

Taking a guided canal boat trip is a great way to understand the history of Manchester. Boat trips run along the Manchester Ship Canal and the navigable parts of the River Irwell, passing Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry, plus the old Pomona docks. You can book your Manchester river and canal tour here .

Burscough, Lancashire

After the drama of the route across the Pennines, the Leeds and Liverpool canal spends its last few miles before arriving in Liverpool meandering across the west Lancashire landscape. This part of northern England is full of small towns and huge skies, and spending a couple of hours on the water is the perfect way to see it.

Lancashire Canal Cruises operate two cruises from Burscough, a small town near Ormskirk and Southport.

Ashton under Lyne, Greater Manchester

Ashton under Lyne is just to the east of Manchester, and the town’s Portland canal basin marks the point where the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the Peak Forest Canal meet and the Ashton Canal begins its journey to Manchester city centre.

The 1800s canal warehouse at Portland Basin has been turned into a lively family museum with recreations of a 1920s street and the interior of a normal family home. There are also exhibitions on the history of Ashton’s three canals. Outside the museum, the Tameside Canal Boat Trust operate seasonal trips on the Ashton Canal on their narrowboat Still Waters .

Northwich, Cheshire

Together with the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, the Anderton Boat Lift is one of the most impressive sights on Britain’s canal network and is the world’s oldest working boat lift. The boat lift was built in 1875 to lift cargo boats 15 metres up in the air from the River Weaver to the Trent and Mersey Canal and is still operational today.

You can experience the “cathedral of the canals” for yourself with a canal boat trip on the Edwin Clark , named after the engineer who built this amazing structure. The Anderton Boat Lift is having some refurbishment work done at the moment but boat trips are expected to resume after Easter 2023.

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

The transhipment dock at Ellesmere Port, where the River Mersey, Manchester Ship Canal and Shropshire Union Canal all meet, used to be a noisy, bustling spot at the height of the Industrial Revolution, but it’s now a peaceful spot for a family day out. The warehouse is now home to one of the Canal and River Trust’s three museums. The museum is a fascinating place to visit, with regularly-changing exhibitions, special events and themed “Canal Sundays” during the summer months.

Wirral Community Narrowboat Trust run occasional canal boat trips from the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port. If there’s a group of you, you might want to hire one of their barges and skippers for a longer trip – they have a range of full day and short day options from £125, some of which stop off at canalside pubs for lunch.

Canal boat trips in central England

Cromford, derbyshire.

Cromford is a village on the edge of the Peak District and home to one of the great wonders of the industrial revolution, the huge Cromford Mills complex. Built in 1771 by the inventor and industrialist Sir Richard Arkwright, Cromford Mills was the first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill.

Like Sir Titus Salt in Saltaire, Arkwright built a village to house his workers, and today Cromford is a lovely place to visit, with shops, cafes, a large mill pond and quaint streets. The UNESCO-listed mill has a museum about the mills, plus craft workshops and more shops and cafes.

The 14.5 mile long Cromford Canal was critical to the success of Arkwright’s mills, but it also carried people! An enterprising man named Nathaniel Wheatcroft started the first “fly” boat service from here, carrying passengers to Nottingham twice a week.

Boat trips from Cromford Basin run on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and take a 2 hour route from Cromford Wharf to Leawood Pumphouse and back on board the narrowboat Birdswood . There’s also an occasional option for a premium cruise which includes refreshments and a guided tour of the historic places to visit along the route, including Leawood Pumphouse and High Peak Junction, where you can see the oldest extant railway workshop in the world. You can book both the regular and the premium tour on the Friends of Cromford Canal’s website .

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

The oldest canal in Britain is the Fosse Dyke Canal, which was built by the Romans to link Lincoln to the River Trent, and from there to the North Sea. Lincoln is a beautiful cathedral city, and spending a relaxing hour on this historic canal is a lovely way to see the wider area.

You can take a guided boat trip along the Fosse Dyke on the Brayford Belle which operates between Easter and October each year. The Brayford Belle has two decks, the lower one with central heating and the upper one with outside seating and a fantastic view.

Birmingham famously has more miles of canals than Venice or Amsterdam – over 35 miles of them. The canals arrived in Birmingham in 1768, and grew to a peak of 160 miles of canal across the city. Canals were essential to fuel Birmingham’s growth during the industrial revolution, bringing in raw materials and coal, and sending out finished goods.

You can explore Birmingham’s history by taking a canal boat trip with Brindley Cruises or Sherborne Wharf . Routes cover part of the original James Brindley Canal, a section of Telford’s New Main Line (revolutionary for its time) and Gas Street Basin. If you’re visiting Birmingham at Christmas, you can even take a “Search for Santa” canal trip.

Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire

The Stratford-upon-Avon canal runs from the outskirts of Birmingham to the heart of historic Stratford, Shakespeare’s home town. The canal was built to transport coal from the Midlands down to Oxford and London, without needing to use the network through Birmingham. The route was near-derelict by the 1930s, but was rescued thanks to the efforts of the Inland Waterways Association, the National Trust and local volunteers.

Today, the 25 miles of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal is navigable again and visitors to Stratford can take 40 minute canal boat tours along the canal and the River Avon . Stratford’s resident swans often follow the boat, and there’s a good chance you’ll also see tufted ducks, herons, coots and perhaps a kingfisher too.

Dudley, West Midlands

Just as at Standedge, the main attraction for canal boat trips in Dudley is going underground. The Dudley Tunnel is the UK’s second-longest tunnel, but unlike Standedge, it isn’t continuous and instead emerges at points into canal basins.

The rock in this area is particularly rich in fossils and other geological features. The area was once heavily mined for its limestone, creating amazing caverns that the boat trip passes through. One of these, named the Singing Cavern, is even available for weddings!

Canal boat trips into Dudley Tunnel are run by the Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust . You can just turn up for the regular 45 minute trips or book online for longer trips. While you’re in the area, don’t miss a visit to the nearby Black Country Living Museum , which has a canal area featuring a collection of historic boats.

Banbury, Oxfordshire

The Oxford Canal meanders 78 miles from just north of Coventry, down through Rugby and Banbury and on until it meets the River Thames at Oxford.

While there are lots of river cruises on offer in Oxford itself, you’ll need to go to Banbury for canal boat trips on the Oxford Canal, unless you want a self-drive boat. Tooleys Boatyard Trust in Banbury offer regular, 40-minute canal boat trips on their day boat the Dancing Duck . Their Facebook page is the best place to check for boat trip times and dates.

Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

The Cotswolds are more famous these days for picturesque villages and trickling streams in a rolling, rural landscape, but there are canals here too. The Stroudwater Navigation opened in 1779 to link Stroud to the River Severn and from there to the sea. Ten years later, the Thames and Severn Canal opened, extending the route to the River Thames at Lechlade and providing a cross-country route.

Both the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn Canal fell into decline, with sections being filled in, but the Cotswolds Canal Trust have worked tirelessly to bring parts back into use. It’s expected that the Stroudwater Navigation will join up with the national waterways network again in 2025.

The Cotswolds Canal Trust run canal boat trips on the navigable parts of the Stroudwater Navigation at the Saul visitor centre, Ebley Wharf and the Wallbridge Lock visitor centre. At Lechlade, you can take a boat trip on the River Thames from St John’s Lock to see the start of the old Thames and Severn Canal.

Canal boat trips in southern England

The Regent’s Canal in London is an 8.6-mile link between the Grand Union Canal near Paddington Station to the Limehouse Basin and River Thames near Canary Wharf.

The canal weaves its way prettily through some of North London’s most attractive and interesting areas, including Little Venice, Regent’s Park, Camden Town and the Coal Drops Yard area of Kings Cross.

Canal boat trips on the Regent’s Canal tend to run between Little Venice and Camden Town. On a tour with the London Waterbus Company you’ll be entertained by a commentary, which points out key sights along the route, including London Zoo, Maida Hill Tunnel and the homes of the rich and famous.

Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

The Kennet and Avon Canal is one of the UK canal network’s most popular waterways. Stretching from the Bristol channel, through the beautiful city of Bath then on through Devizes, Hungerford, Newbury to the Thames at Reading, it’s an outstanding route, passing through quintessentially English countryside.

One of the most beautiful towns on the Kennet and Avon is Bradford-on-Avon. Bradford-on-Avon is 10 miles from Bath and the tow paths are a popular walk between the two. At Bradford-on-Avon you can take a canal boat trip on the impressively large Barbara McLellan , a 65ft wide-beam boat that seats 40 and is operated by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust.

From Bradford-on-Avon, the Barbara McLellan sails west to Avoncliff Aqueduct and east to Widbrook winding hole. There are also a range of themed cruises throughout the season.

The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust have four other boats along the canal and also offer canal boat trips in Devizes , Hungerford , Newbury and Reading .

Canal boat trips in Wales

Llangollen, denbighshire.

The Llangollen Canal in North Wales is one of the most scenic canal trips in the UK, but you’ll need a good head for heights! The amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct soars over the valley of the River Dee and is the longest and highest canal aqueduct in the world. It was designed by the famous engineer Thomas Telford, who was also involved in building Standedge Tunnel.

You can walk along the tow path to see the view from the aqueduct, but for the full Pontcysyllte experience, complete with checking out the sheer drop from the side of the boat on the canal side, Llangollen Wharf offer both motor and horse-drawn canal trips over the aqueduct.

The 5 mile route can be done in either direction, starting at Llangollen or Froncysyllte (near the aqueduct). The journey takes two hours; for an extra cost you can enjoy afternoon tea onboard. At the end of the trip, a courtesy bus will take you back to where you started.

Brecon, Powys

The peaceful Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (also known as the Mon and Brec) is one of the UK’s most scenic routes. 35 miles are currently navigable, and many of those are within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Things weren’t always so quiet and serene around here though; the canal transported coal, stone and iron ore from the Welsh hillsides down to the iron works at Blaenavon (now a museum and UNESCO World Heritage site ) and other industrial sites in the area. Cruising along the canal today you can still see traces of its heritage including wharves and lime kilns.

If you’re visiting this lovely part of Wales, Dragonfly Cruises have public canal boat trips departing from Brecon canal basin and including a journey over the Brynich Aqueduct which takes the Mon and Brec over the River Usk. They can also provide a skipper and guide for a canal trip through the area’s picturesque villages.

Canal boat trips in Scotland

Inverness, highlands.

The Caledonian Canal runs for 60 miles across Scotland, from Inverness to Corpach near Fort William, connecting the lochs of the Great Glen; Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. The man-made connections between the lochs were built by Thomas Telford and opened in the early 19th century.

You can take a combined cruise of the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness by joining a boat trip at Dochgarroch Lock. The trip will take you through the locks and on to Loch Douchfour, past the old Bona Lighthouse and into Loch Ness as far as Urquhart Castle. You can book online through online ticket seller Get Your Guide .

The Falkirk Wheel is one of the most impressive feats of engineering on the whole UK canal network. Opened in 2002, the Wheel is a rotating boat lift, the only one of its kind in the world. It connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.

The best way to see the Falkirk Wheel is to take a spin on it. Canal boat trips on the Falkirk Wheel take around 50 minutes. First you’ll go into the canal basin, then enter the Wheel’s gondola, ready to be lifted into the air as the Wheel rotates.

At the top, you’ll sail along the aqueduct, through the Roughcastle Tunnel and to the start of the Union Canal. The boat will turn round and take you back to the Wheel for another spin, this time back down to the canal basin.

If day trips aren’t enough for you, there are lots of companies offering canal boat hire, either to stay put and use the boat as a base, or to explore the UK’s miles of navigable waterways at your own pace on a narrow boat holiday.

VRBO has narrow boats, house boats and barges for rent with all the comforts of home, while specialist hire firms like Waterways Holidays have canal boat hire across the country. There are lots of local companies as well; if you’re interested in a particular starting point, you might like to talk to a local specialist who can advise you on canal routes and the best places of interest to see along the way.

Have you taken one of these canal boat trips, or have I missed out your favourite? Let me know in the comments.

Related posts

If you enjoyed this post, you might find these other posts interesting:

• Visiting Jodrell Bank, the UNESCO-listed radio telescope near Manchester
• 5 of my favourite heritage railways you can take a ride on
• Things to do in Whitby, a historic fishing town on the Yorkshire coast
• Visiting Thermae Bath Spa, the UK’s only naturally-heated thermal bath

Pin 21 best canal boat trips in the UK for later!

Save for later or share with a friend

2 thoughts on “21 best canal boat trips in the UK”

A Great shame you did not include The Horse-Drawn Barge in Tiverton Devon as it is now one of the last Horse-Drawn Barges in Great Britain and operates Trips along the very beautiful Grand Western Canal.

Thanks Philip, that sounds amazing, I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the south west 🙂

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

About Helen

9 fun things to do in Ischia (plus 5 amazing day trips)

7 of the best holidays in italy in september.