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NARROWBOAT HOLIDAYS AND NARROW BOAT HIRE

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A wide choice of self-drive narrowboat holidays throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

Welcome to the UK canals. An outstanding network of navigable waterways for you to enjoy and explore.

Great value and choice

We can give you access to all of the top operators of narrowboat holidays throughout the UK and France giving you a fantastic choice and the opportunity to select the perfect holiday for you.

Choice of routes

With over 40 companies to choose from, the choice of routes throughout the UK and France is superb.

Find the perfect route and plan your idea holiday here

Short Breaks

We can offer you the choice of taking three or four night breaks as well as one week, ten day, two-week or even longer holidays.

Find your perfect boat, area and break here.

Flexible start days

We offer the widest choice of start days for your holiday.You can depart on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday; whichever suits you best and our prices are highly competitive and are fully inclusive of fuel, gas and VAT.

First time afloat?

Newcomers are taught how to handle the boats and how to operate the locks. All of our operators maintenance levels are outstanding, so you can be sure that your boat will be perfectly prepared for your arrival.

On the water you are your own master, this is a holiday where you dictate the pace.

Discover a secret world

Your holiday will introduce you to one of England’s best kept secrets, the network of waterways that meanders across some of the most beautiful countryside. You also cruise past pubs, cottages and warehouses. On the water you are your own master, this is a holiday where you dictate the pace.

Discover new skills

Learning how to handle a narrowboat and work a lock is a good deal easier than learning to ride a bike! What’s more the boats are surprisingly responsive and easy to control, after all they travel at a very leisurely 4 MPH.

A holiday that is fun and active for all the family.

Discover a freedom from routine

On a boating holiday, shopping and cooking seem less of a chore and more of an adventure. But when you want a break, there are plenty of waterside pubs and restaurants for eating out. Plus there are never any problems with parking: canal towpath moorings are free!

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• Stourport Ring
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• Warwickshire Ring
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Canal Narrowboat Holidays

Book 2024 and 2025 holidays now with amazing savings, we offer the widest range of canal narrow boats in the uk. search over 2000 canal holiday options and book online at best prices any time.

Cruise the canals around London, moor in historic Bath, Oxford or Chester. Travel from Edinburgh via the stunning Falkirk Wheel. Cross the amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales.

The narrowboat is the modern version of the cargo vessels that travelled the canals before the railways.

Now these boats contain every creature comfort and are available for hire across the UK and in Ireland.

These canal boats have modern kitchens, beds which can be left made up, heating, showers and toilets. They can sleep from 2 to 12 people.

Canal Boat Hire

A canal holiday lets you experience the locks to go up or down hill and travel through exciting tunnels. You can cross aqueducts over valleys and rivers - the most famous is 120 feet above the ground.

At 4 miles per hour a canal narrow boat holiday is often described as 'the fastest way to slow down'.

Widest Choice

On this website there is the widest choice of canal boat holidays in the UK. We offer weekend and midweek breaks, week hire or longer. And all at the boat operator's price.

Search and Book

On our website you can search for a boat by size, by date, by canal route, or by cruise area. Then book online for best prices.

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As you find boats and routes you like just add them to your Shortlist (Shopping Basket). Review and compare at any time!

For boating holidays in Europe see our Boating Holidays website

Popular routes for narrowboat holidays.

Canal Holidays, Bowers Wharf, Skipton, BD23 2PD, United Kingdom

• Arthur Owl 57′ Sleeps 2-4
• Ollie Owl Electric Hybrid 58’6
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Cafwin Cruises The 5* Eco-friendly Boutique Canal & river Boat Holiday Company Luxury Narrow Boat & Electric-Hybrid Narrow Boat Hire in Worcestershire, warwickshire & gloucestershire

A luxury holiday like no other.

Inspire romance and indulge in the idyllic waterways of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire in 5* rated luxurious style on truly beautiful narrowboats unlike any others seen on the water.

A holiday aboard a rental boat on a historic stretch of the British canal network is one of the greatest pleasures boating has to offer. While various sun-chasing holidays abroad can leave you even more exhausted than you were at the start, a good canal holiday has you sucking in restorative air, smiling at people you would usually ignore and marvelling at how your heart rate appears to have halved. After just a couple of hours, you find yourself sidestepping the ferocious pace of modern life, and easing along at a couple of knots with nothing on your mind but the water, the scenery and the thought of that pub that awaits you just around the next corner.

New to Narrowboating?

Pet friendly, luxury cruising, locations & routes.

We loved our first week on Arthur Owl so much that we came back a month later and loved it even more!  It’s a great feeling cruising along knowing you’re on the best boat on the water!  Can’t recommend Cafwin Cruises highly enough.

Debbie Welsh

Everything’s Luxury Except The Price

1 week arthur .

Starting from

1 Week Ollie 

Holidays over 2 weeks, contact us directly for a price, returning guests - 10% off week 1 & 15% off a second consecutive week, no extra costs.

Unless you’re travelling on the River Avon, there are no extra costs at all !  Many narrowboat companies charge for extras, but the price you see here is inclusive of everything, be that VAT, fuel, bedding, dogs (refundable deposit), WiFi, river licence, plus 1 toilet pump out per week, etc. You’ll be paying an exceptionally competitive price for the very highest of standards.

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Drifters standards.

All our canal boat hire operators uphold standards of excellence, find out more here

Welcome to Drifters

Drifters brings you Great British Boating

Drifters is made up of nine professional canal boat holiday operators, handpicked because they uphold the highest standards .

With over 550 narrowboats for hire from 45 bases across England, Scotland and Wales, Drifters offers the choice of hundreds of narrowboat holiday routes and destinations.

Our operators invest more in new canal boats each year than all the other UK operators put together, ensuring we offer high quality holidays afloat.  We are all independently assessed and accredited by the trade federation for the boating industry British Marine, so you can embark on your canal adventure with confidence.

We work with the Canal & River Trust for the good of Britain’s canal network – and to promote the enjoyment of canal boat holidays.

To find out more about Drifters Standards offering excellence afloat, please  Click here

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Try out our canal boat holiday destinations Interactive map

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Drifters’ monthly e-newsletter offers subscribers updates on:,  offers, special events, competitions, destinations, boating tips and holiday reviews., click here for details, drifters price promise, means our prices are always competitive., if you see the same holiday elsewhere at a lower price, we will match it..

If you’ve never been on a narrowboat and canal boating holiday before, it’s easy to learn how to drive a boat and all our operators include tuition in their holiday packages.

You don’t need a licence and it’s easy to learn how to drive a boat.

We’ve got lots of advice for beginners, including the best routes, what to pack and how to prepare for a holiday afloat.

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Castles to visit on a narrowboat holiday

Best canal boat holiday cruising rings

Bank holiday rural retreats on a canal boat

New electric day boat for hire at Hilperton

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Canal Holidays in the UK

The widest choice of canal narrowboat holidays in the uk.

Visit the best UK website with live online availability and booking, in-depth canal guides, detailed boat information to help you plan your canal holiday. We offer over 2000 canal holiday options, available to book online, all at the best prices with exclusive discounts.

Hire a canal narrowboat from a wide range of bases throughout the UK, with the best selection of 2-12 berth boats to suit all budgets. Explore scenic canals, moor at canalside pubs and enjoy traversing dramatic aqueducts and negotiating locks.

We also offer a range of boats on the River Thames, Norfolk Broads and Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness in Scotland.

For the best in UK Canal Holidays and Boating Holidays in the UK, visit our Canal Holidays Collection now.

Canal Boat Holidays in England

Exploring england from the water.

Your narrowboat holiday in England will offer you the opportunity to experience this beautiful country from a truly unique vantage point. On holidays in the UK canals and rivers, you can hire a narrow boat and meander your way through the beautiful English countryside, breathing in the revitalising air and soaking up the history of the region. A self drive boat holiday with a difference!

Boating holidays in England, particularly on the inland waterways, are hugely popular. The canal network was originally created to transport industrial goods to and from towns and cities by boat, which means that as well as the countryside there is a great network to explore on your canal holiday that takes you right into the centre of our main cities as a holiday location.

Hire canal boats for a weekend  or  midweek break on a boating holiday in England and you can cruise into the centre of cities in southern England such as Birmingham, Oxford and Bath on holidays routes like the Kennet and Avon. A canal holiday certainly beats taking the car or battling on the underground!

Black Prince offers canal boat hire in England hire in seven locations, from the north-west in Cheshire , central England in Staffordshire , the Midlands area of Worcestershire and the Warwickshire Ring , in the east in Cambridgeshire , and in the south of England in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire .

Each of these locations offers beautiful scenery, historical places to visit and some great attractions that will appeal to all the family. You can hire boats for a weekend break, a midweek break or a longer duration holiday, from a 7-night canal boat holiday to 21 nights. If you are looking for a more bespoke UK canals trip, then please give our reservations team a call and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Whatever you are looking for, we are sure you’ll find your perfect narrowboat holiday with Black Prince !

TOP TOWNS TO VISIT IN ENGLAND

CHESTER | You can enjoy a canal boat holiday to the beautiful town of Chester. From the moment you step on the Grade I listed Roman wall that circles this historic town, you can feel yourself heading back in time. Moor up your narrowboat close to the city centre and enjoy the leisurely walk into the heart of this beautiful city which dates back to the year 79 AD, when it was established as a Roman fort. The city centre has a small town feel with major sights such as the the gothic design Town Hall and a Norman cathedral all within easy walking distance. The traditional black and white shop fronts give a quintessentially English feel, and there are plenty of fascinating gift shops and nice eateries to thoroughly enjoy. This town is English history come alive – don’t forget your camera!  

You can enjoy Chester on a short break boating holiday or longer holiday.  

STRATFORD UPON AVON | What is so famous about Stratford-Upon-Avon? Shakespeare of course! This town is one of the UK’s most important cultural areas, and is mainly celebrated as the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare. It’s also one of the best places for boating holidays in England thanks to the wealth of historic heritage here.

Enjoy a canal boat holiday along the Stratford Canal and you can moor up your narrowboat close to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The town also offers stunning riverside views to enjoy from your narrowboat hire and perfectly preserved architecture. A must visit.

OXFORD | Boating holidays in England wouldn’t be complete without a cruise along the South Oxford Canal to Oxford – a canal boat holiday cruise there followed by a punt along the River Thames in the city!

You’ll probably experience ‘deja-vous’ in Oxford. This historic city often feels familiar because it is used as the backdrop for so many films and TV programmes, most famously Inspector More and Harry Potter. The city is small and packed together so the main sights are easy to get around. The world famous university buildings include Christ Church College, Wadham College and Magdalene College. Other interesting sights are the Ashmolean Museum, Carfax Tower, Botanic Gardens – the oldest in Britain – and Sheldonian Theatre. You can even swap boat styles and try a spot of punting in flat-bottomed hire boats on the River Cherwell.

CAMBRIDGE | Cambridge is of course famous for being the ‘other’ university and is a very popular place for boating vacations in England. Enjoy a weekend canal boat break on the River Ouse and head to Cambridge. Top of the agenda when you arrive at this beautiful city would be to head to the world-famous Cambridge University, founded in 1209, and discover King’s College Chapel, which began construction in 1446 during the reign of Henry VI and was finally completed in 1515 by King Henry VIII. With its gothic architecture and stunning great windows, the chapel is one of the traditional symbols of the city and was described by the architect Nikolaus Pevsner as “the most exquisite piece of Italian decoration surviving in England”. After visiting the chapel, you can enjoy a walk through the historic back streets of the city, which offer a contrast between beautiful Roman and Medieval architecture and the vibrant designs of modern England.

LEAMINGTON SPA | Head out on the Grand Union Canal to Royal Leamington Spa on your narrowboat holiday in England and discover a beautiful town that was built on the Victorian belief in the medical properties of mineral spring water. A largely Regency town, it was very popular in the 18th-19th Century and the top attraction now remains the Royal Pump rooms. This Grade II listed building was the most famous of several spa baths opened in Leamington between the late-18th and mid-19th centuries. It also contains the art gallery and museum.

TOP HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS IN ENGLAND  

CHESTER | The Roman Wall at Chester gives you a real sense of stepping back in time. An easy walk, accessible from your canal boat, it leads you into the centre where you can take in the sights of this beautiful city. It’s also part of the famous Four Counties Ring.

BATH | The Roman Bath’s at BATH offers a fascinating insight into the history of this ancient city. Moor up your canal boat on the outskirts of town and it’s an easy walk into the centre. Take the official tour and when you’ve seen the sights and tasted the water, head to The Pump Room for a special lunch in lovely surroundings.  

COVENTRY | For a bit of art history on your canal boat hire trip, take a look at the COVENTRY Canal Art Trail for a great way to spend time on your boat. As you journey along you can take in 39 works by 31 different artists, inspired by local history and contemporary culture.  

The trail starts at the Coventry Canal Basin and ends at Hawkesbury Junction.  

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UK Canal Boating

Nationwide canal boat hire specialists.

Find out what makes our canals and rivers such special places.

We have a good choice of recommended routes, or you can do your own.

See inside the boats, and view the locations with our virtual tours.

Canal Boats

These boats have one cabin with a dinette double.

One or two cabins with a dinette double.

These boats have two cabins with a dinette double.

These boats have two to three cabins with a dinette double.

These boats have two cabins and two dinette doubles.

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"The stag do was fantastic thanks! We were very happy with the service and everything to do with the boat went very well. A great weekend was had by all. Honestly we can't think of anything to change. Thanks for your help organising it. Cheers. Chris "

Canal Boat hire is ideal for couples, families, groups of friends and stags and hens. Our boats are fully equipped with all the comforts of home. Want to learn more?

Check out our canal boat holiday articles.

We know how important your dog is to you and your family and that is why we welcome pets at all of our canal boating holiday locations.

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Find Your Boating Holiday

Canal boat holidays & narrowboat hire across the uk.

Whether you fancy working the locks aboard a narrowboat or widebeam barge on the UK canals or a modern sports cruiser or traditional sailing yacht on the Norfolk Broads, Canalia offers you one place to check live availability and online booking on over 1,800 boats for hire throughout the UK waterways on the canals, rivers and Norfolk Broads. Simply enter the dates you wish to hire your boat plus the details of which waterways you wish to explore and your party details and you will be able to search over 150,000 self-drive boating holidays throughout the UK. If you need any help or advice, please see our online route guides or call our boating holiday team on 0845 127 1020 (+44 1252 796400).

Featured Waterways & Destinations

• Norfolk Broads

The Norfolk Broads offers 125 miles of easy boating. Hire a motor cruiser or sailing yacht.

Northern England

Go narrowboating across the Pennines and explore the Yorkshire canals or Cheshire Ring.

Central England

The 'Heart of England' canal network offers so much to explore on your family boating holiday.

Canals in Scotland

Hire a narrowboat & experience the stunning Falkirk Wheel, & visit Edinburgh & Glasgow.

Canals in Wales

The Welsh Canals offer boating holidays on the Llangollen, home of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Southern England

Boat hire on the Southern Canals & Thames, including city breaks to Bath, Oxford & Windsor.

The kids loved helping to steer our narrowboat... Fantastic canalside pub food & the dog had a great time too!...

Waterways holidays reviews, sign up for our uk canal boat holiday news.

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UK Canal Boat Holidays

• English Canals
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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

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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.

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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 🙂

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

7 of the best holidays in italy in september.

• Our Top 10 narrowboat holidays »

Our Top 10 narrowboat holidays for 2022

Britain’s peaceful 3,000 mile network of inland waterways provides the perfect staycation destination for 2022.

Emma Lovell, reservations manager for Anglo Welsh, says:

“Pottering slowly through the countryside at just four miles per hour, watching out for wildlife, is a great way to relax.

“Narrow boat holidays offer a self-contained floating holiday home experience, and the chance for hirers to navigate their very own adventure afloat.  It’s free to moor up almost anywhere, so boaters can stop off at canalside pubs, villages and waterside destinations along the way.”

Here’s a guide to our Top 10 narrow boat holidays for 2022:

1.    Cruise to the World Heritage Site at Saltaire – from our narrowboat holiday base at Silsden on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, you can reach Saltaire on a short break.  The journey to Sir Titus Salt’s famous Victorian industrial model town takes seven hours and passing through 11 locks.  Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salt built the textile Mill and entire village for his mill workers, all in a beautiful Italianate style.  Places to visit at Saltaire include the magnificent Salt’s Mill, displaying many examples of the work of Bradford born artist David Hockney.

2.    Complete the Four Counties Ring – on a week’s break from our canal boat hire base at Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire, you can access the fabulous Four Counties Ring.  The journey takes you on a 58-hour waterway odyssey, passing through 96 locks.  The four counties travelled through are Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Cheshire and Shropshire.  Highlights include: the 2670-metre long Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal and views of the rolling Cheshire Plains on the Shropshire Union Canal.

3.    Step back in time at the Black Country Museum – on a short break from our Tardebigge base on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal you can reach the Black Country Museum.  It’s an eight-hour, three-lock journey to moorings outside the 26-acre open-air site.  Here you can meet costumed characters explaining what it was like to live and work in one of the world’s most heavily industrialised landscapes.  There are period shops and homes to explore, the ‘Bottle & Glass Inn’, a 1912 school lesson and traditionally cooked 1930’s-style fish and chips.  There are also vintage tram and bus rides and the chance to take a trip ‘into the thick’ to experience life in an 1850’s coal mine.

4.    Glide across ‘The Stream in the Sky’ – from our boat yard on the Llangollen Canal at Trevor in North Wales, you’ll soon encounter the incredible World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  One of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’, this incredible structure transports canal boats 38 metres high across the Dee Valley.  On a short break from Trevor, you can travel cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Chirk Aqueduct, and on to Ellesmere, in the heart of the Shropshire Lake District.  The journey to Ellesmere and back takes around 14 hours, passing through two locks each way.

5.    Take a Thames cruise to Henley – on a week’s break from our canal boat hire base close to Oxford, you can enjoy a Thames boating holiday to the historic town of Henley and back.  The journey to Henley passes through 19 locks and takes around 16 cruising hours.  Places to stop off at along the way include: the City of Oxford, packed with architectural treasures, including the magnificent Bodleian Library.  You can also visit Abingdon with its popular riverside pub, the Nag’s Head.  And Wallingford with its Castle Gardens dating back to Saxon times, and Agatha Christie Trail.  Henley is home to the River & Rowing Museum and a choice of riverside pubs.

6.    Navigate to the Eisteddfod town of Llangollen – on a week’s break from Anglo Welsh’s canal boat rental base at Whixall Marina, you can cruise through the Shropshire Lake District and the Welsh mountains to Llangollen and back.  The journey to Llangollen takes around 12 hours and passes through just two locks.  It includes an 11-mile section of the Llangollen Canal, running from Gledrid Bridge to the Horseshoe Falls in Llangollen.  Here stand the incredible Pontcysyllte and Chirk aqueducts and the section was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2009.  Once in Llangollen, you can moor up to enjoy exploring this beautiful Eisteddfod town, nestled in the Berwyn Mountains.

7.    Float through the Avon Valley and up the Caen Hill Flight – from our base at Monkton Combe on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Bath, it takes around 19 hours to reach Pewsey Wharf.  The route, which is perfect for a week away, takes you through 37 locks each way, including the 29 locks of the Caen Hill Flight at Devizes.  This journey also takes you across two dramatic Bath stone aqueducts at Dundas and Avoncliff. And through the historic market town of Bradford on Avon and the beautiful Vale of Pewsey, part of the West Berkshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

8.    Travel through the Warwickshire countryside to Fenny Compton – on a short break from our base at Stockton, boaters can cruise through the countryside to the pretty canalside village of Fenny Compton.  The journey begins on the Grand Union Canal, soon transferring onto the Oxford Canal at Napton-on-the-Hill.  Here, there’s a good choice of pubs, including the Kings Head and Napton Village Stores selling produce from the nearby buffalo farm, including Buffalo burgers, sausages, meatballs, steaks and ice cream.  From there, the route winds gently on through the countryside, with a series of locks to negotiate along the way.  The journey to Fenny Compton and back takes around 20 hours, passing through 24 locks (12 each way).

9.    Cruise into the Peak District – on a week’s break from our base at Great Haywood near Stafford, you can travel into the Peak District.  It takes around 20 hours to reach Froghall Basin, passing through 35 locks.  The route takes you along the Trent & Mersey Canal to Stoke on Trent, where it transfers onto the Caldon Canal.  Beautiful stretches of unspoilt countryside soon open up as you chug gently out of Stoke, with moorlands, woodlands and an abundance of wildlife to enjoy.

10. Navigate the Avon Ring – on a two-week break from our base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, you can navigate the Avon Ring.  This epic journey covers 108 miles and passes through 130 locks.  You will navigate sections of the River Avon, River Severn, Worcestershire & Birmingham Canal and the Stratford Canal.  Highlights along the way include: Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare; Tewkesbury and its 12th-century abbey; and the 30 locks at Tardebigge.

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Your holiday (13677)

Hi Susan: Now we’re all back in the US, we want to thank you and all the people involved at Shire Cruisers for your friendly services and flexibility during our trip. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on the Suffolk (a great boat, just the right size for us) and wish you all the best in the future. - Keep well, Dave

Holiday Booking 13600

just a big thank to Susan and Nigel, and all at Shire Cruisers, also to Sam at Barnoldswick for looking after us and seeing us on our way and helping us on our return. We really enjoyed our canal trip last week on the Cambridge.

Best wishes,

Philip and Tina Isle of Man

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Canal and River Cruises - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Canal Boating Holidays in Northern England

From the quiet remoteness of the leeds & liverpool canal where it crosses the pennines, to the regenerated waterfronts of exciting cities like manchester, leeds and liverpool, britain’s northern waterways offer canal boat holiday makers a fantastic choice of routes with many iconic canal structures..

Once the transport arteries of the Industrial Revolution, today Britain’s northern waterways offer canal boat holiday-makers the chance to explore mill towns, unspoilt countryside, National Parks and vibrant historic city centres.

At 127 miles long, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is the longest single canal in the country.  It crosses the Pennines and offers dramatic scenery, as well as exciting destinations like Leeds and Liverpool. Two of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ waterways can be found along its length – the famous Bingley Five Rise Locks near Bradford and the magnificent mile-long embankment at Burnley.

The Calder & Hebble Navigation meets the Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge, and the Aire & Calder Navigation at Wakefield. It’s dotted with small mill towns like Brighouse and Cooper Bridge and offers boaters the chance to explore a popular area of Yorkshire with an abundance of natural beauty.

The Shropshire Union Canal travels through the ancient City of Chester, with Roman walls, dazzling shopping arcades and the award-winning Chester Zoo.  The canal ends at Ellesmere Port, where the National Waterways Museum offers visitors the chance to step back in time to discover the way people lived and worked at the port 100 years ago.

The Trent & Mersey Canal stretches from the River Trent in Derbyshire to the River Mersey in Runcorn, passing through the Potteries, the Cheshire Plains and the incredible Anderton Boat Lift along the way.

The peaceful Caldon Canal takes boaters from Stoke on Trent in the heart of the Potteries into remote moorlands, dense woodlands and tranquil water meadows. And the beautiful tree-lined Macclesfield Canal passes along the most westerly of the Pennine Hills with breath taking views, and connects with the Peak Forest Canal, where magnificent scenery unfolds as it passes along the edge of the Peak District National Park.

Please use the Key to the left of the map to view recommended Attractions and Places of Interest

A typical short break

On a short break (three or four nights) narrowboat holiday-makers can travel along the peaceful shropshire union canal to the ancient city of chester and back, passing through beautiful english countryside with historic local pubs to enjoy along the way..

Short Breaks

Short breaks are great way to test the waters if you are booking a canal boat holiday for the first time. There’s a great choice of relaxing ‘out and back’ destinations with very few locks, all perfect for beginners.

But if you are a more experienced boater, there are also plenty of more challenging short break destinations to choose from as well, involving tunnels, lift bridges or flights of locks.

Our short breaks are usually three-night weekend holidays, starting on a Friday or Saturday and finishing on a Monday or Tuesday. Midweek breaks are four nights, usually starting on a Monday and finishing on a Friday.

To find out more about our fantastic choice of short break canal boat holiday options available, simply click on any ‘Starting Location’ on our map, then click on ‘Local Routes’ and information about the routes available from that departure point will pop-up.

Example of a one week trip

On a week’s holiday, boaters can travel one-way across the pennines, enjoying stunning scenery, the leeds waterfront with its fascinating royal armouries museum, the dramatic five rise of locks at bingley and sir titus salt’s world heritage status model town at saltaire., one week trips.

One Week Holidays

If you have seven nights to devote to your adventure afloat, we have hundreds of week-long holiday routes to choose from.

Weekly breaks usually start on a Friday or a Saturday. You can choose an ‘out and back’ option or plan a journey around one of the canal boat holiday circuits. We also offer one-way seven night breaks across the Pennines, setting off from either Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire or Barnoldswick in Lancashire.

To find out more about the fantastic choice of week-long canal boat holiday options available, simply click on any ‘Starting Location’ on our map, then click on ‘ Local Routes’ and information about the routes available from that departure point will pop-up.

Take two weeks or longer

On a two-week break, boaters can travel the mighty cheshire ring, travelling 97 miles, through 92 locks, and enjoying 55 hours of cruising. the route uses sections of six canals and passes through manchester city centre and rural cheshire, with stunning views of the peak district beyond., two weeks canal holiday.

Longer Holidays

If you have 10 days, two weeks or more to explore Britain’s beautiful inland waterways, you can plan to travel some of the longer circuits, including the epic Pennine Ring.

Or choose one of the shorter rings, for example the Four Counties or Cheshire rings, but allow more time for sight-seeing along the way.

To find out more about the fantastic choice of 10 or 14-day long canal boat holiday options available, simply click on any ‘Starting Location’ on our map, then click on ‘Local Routes’ and information about the routes available from that departure point will pop-up.

Things to see & do

From quiet country pubs and village churches, to exciting historic attractions where history and culture come to life, you’ll find plenty of places to visit on your canal journey.

Royal Armouries

The royal armouries in leeds has thousands of objects from across the world to admire, including henry viii’s ‘horned helmet’ and a 15th century ming dynasty jian (sword)..

Anderton Boat Lift

The anderton boat lift, also known as ‘the cathedral of the canals’, lifts or lowers narrowboats 15 metres between the river weaver and the trent & mersey canal in two huge water tanks..

The Victorian industrial model town at Saltaire is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here Sir Titus Salt built the textile Mill and entire village for his mill workers, all in a beautiful Italianate style.

Skipton Castle

The 900-year old skipton castle is, one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in england, with extensive woodland trails to explore as well as the castle itself..

Bingley Five Rise Staircase

The bingley five rise staircase locks on the leeds & liverpool canal near bradford, raise (or lower) boats 18 metres in five massive chambers. the locks open directly from one to another, with the top gate of one forming the bottom of the next..

Hepworth Wakefield Gallery

The hepworth wakefield showcases the extraordinary work of the british sculptor barbara hepworth, as well as works by other artists, including henry moore and david hockney. the yorkshire sculpture park is also a short bus ride away from wakefield..

National Waterways Museum

The national waterways museum’s impressive historic boat collection, docks, warehouses, forge, stables and workers cottages all bring the past vividly to life..

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

The incredible world heritage status pontcysyllte aqueduct in north wales, carries the llangollen canal 38 metres high above the dee valley in a 300-metre long iron trough, supported by 18 titanic brick pillars., want to get started , start planning your trip., find your perfect holiday with great british boating. simply select your preferred start location and date and click on “check availability”. , you can further refine your search by selecting holiday length and berths ., or you can book directly now by calling us on:,  +44 (0) 1252 796 402.