Long boat canal holidays

I have never done this but a friend has done it regularly over the years on about all the U.K. canals. The one thing she did say was that they (4 adults) always book a bigger boat - one for six or eight. She thought that otherwise there was just not enough room for everyone and their kit.

We used to do them regularly until I got spinal problems and DH was diagnosed wth RA. We loved it, and yes Welshwife we always got a boat for 3-4 when there was only 2 of us, always have more than one WC. We used a few companies, dependent on which area you are looking at. Black Prince have lovely boats, but pricey.

We have been on canal holidays. It depends which part of the country and canal you wish to go along. It is very slow, part of the attraction, but you don’t get very far in a week. Also remember you have to turn round at a basin.
If it’s your first time, I’d avoid too many locks. Sometimes you have to queue at busy times to get through them.
I’d also plan a route that allows for night stops at canalside pubs, so there’s not a lot of cooking or storage of food required.
You have to moor at dusk, so going in late spring or early summer gives you more daylight hours and the canal will be less crowded.
The Shropshire Union and Leicestershire canals (grand union) are very pretty.

We did this on the Broads a several years ago.
I will say choose your area carefully. Also time of year may be a factor but the week we were on the boat July I think, all we could see along the banks were reeds ! No views over the countryside. Obviously locks are something to consider as is stopping to take on water.
Having said that, we did enjoy it. We have talked about going on the Thames but it's a pricey holiday.

I ve had a few canal holidays when the kids were young They were lovely holidays and the kids loved working the locks and calling in the local pubs for lunches if I had a partner I d love to do it again but no fun on your own we went on the Grand Union

We had a boat holiday on the Thames, when our youngest was about 15. Too many chiefs and not enough indians, but thoroughly enjoyable. We had our mishaps, not many and not too serious, but we did meet up with a little family who were a bit of a nightmare. Wrong fuel in the tank, pulling away from a mooring without untying, and dropping the keys in the river. Our little dog refused to 'walk the plank to the bank, and had a fit one morning to be confronted by cows looking in the window. I think we got away fairly lightly. You should have a go, and enjoy yourselves.

I've had quite a lot of experience with canals.
We spent a year going through the French canals and rivers down to the Mediterranean.
Me and a girlfriend ( with our 2 children) did the Leeds Liverpool canal.
We have done the Dutch inland waters.
In September we (6 of us) are doing the Calidonian canal.
I'm not sure what you want to know Wendyg
It's like ' how long is a piece of string'
PM me if you want.

I did several canal trips when I was much younger and had a great time. My son now has shares in a narrow boat for two weeks a year, so recently I joined him for a day. The pace is slow, so don’t be too ambitious in your plans.
Choose a company that gives you tuition and accompanies you for a bit to start off. You need a reasonable level of fitness to climb on and off the boat and to manage the lock paddles and gates, but it is not too hard work. Great if you have willing teenagers. Ours took a couple of bikes too.
I have done the Grand Union, Oxford, part of the Tames, Shropshire Union, Llangollen. All lovely.
I agree with the advice to hire a bigger boat than you need. A 60- 65 footer has plenty of room for four. Check out a few companies and floor plans.
You can holiday on a hotel boat if you really want to. You can help nas much or as little as you like with the locks.

Get a good guide book, oxford is a nice area but remember although the novelty of locks is fun they get very tedious so check the number you will have to do.

We've done it once, starting in Worcester. We travelled down the Severn, then turned left and went up the river Avon, as far as Stratford. We then turned round and went back the way we'd come. There were six of us in a ten berth boat - husband, our offspring (two young adults), daughter's boyfriend, son's schoolfriend and me. That gave us enough room to 'spread out'. Especially important as the three lads were all over six feet tall.
There was an instructional video on operating the locks, someone talked us through steering, stopping, what to do if the engine cut out and that was it. They showed us photographs of the dire consequences of misoperating the locks which frightened me witless. And off we went.
What we learned
1. The first lock is daunting, especially in a ten berth boat which JUST fits into the lock. But you soon get the hang of things.
2. We were very lucky that there hadn't been much rain in the weeks before our holiday. If it had flowed much faster, I don't think we'd have made the left turn up the Avon, would have ended up in the Bristol Channel!
3. Some 'helpful people' will try to operate the locks for you and they aren't always particularly good at it, resulting in some rocky experiences. We took to saying ' thanks for offering to help but we need the practice and want to do it ourselves".
4. Pick a route that doesn't have too many locks - you could end up slaving away and also queuing at busy times.
5. Try to plan where you'll moor each night and maybe book a table for a meal if in peak season.
6. Don't expect views of the countryside all along the route - you will be down too low some of the time.
7. Taps for filling up water tanks aren't as plentiful as you'd like on the river routes- top up at every opportunity.

Everyone enjoyed the holiday and would do it again.

We had a narrowboat for about 10 years and before that we hired. We found the best company to hire from at the time was "black prince" .Their boats were always nearly new and always spotlessly clean and everything you needed on board was supplied. We always went for 2 consecutive weeks as you got 50% off the second week .
Get the brochure or look at the website for routes and plans of boat layout and see what is best for you . We always hired the duchess 4:2 which is a 4 berth with 2 fixed double beds and a sofa and chairs at the front of the boat. Also on their boats you can sit at the front while the fellas do "the driving"
Some companies have boats which you cannot open the fronts up .I'd be claustrophobic in those.
Make sure you do some driving yourself it's great fun once you have got the hang of it. Also the best tip I can give is to laugh at the mistakes as you will get into some right pickles but omg you will have some fun tales to tell folks when you get home.
If you are not reasonably mobile you may find it difficult getting on and off the boat as you have to lift legs and climb small steps and climb right over the front of the boat at times.
Hope this helps a little
Ask away if you want any more info.

We stayed with some friends years ago on a barge (is that the same thing).
I cannot say it was good experience in fact we certainly wouldn't have this type of holiday again.
Four people in a narrow boat, you could hear everything that was said even though the bedrooms were at different parts of the barge.
I found the canal boring very little to see, I'd expected wonderful villages to visit. Thing is it takes so long to get from one place to another and you after factor in the getting back to base that you don't get to many places in a weeks holiday.
The guys did the steering which seemed like the easiest thing to do and we had to do the locks which was incredibly hard work. I lost count of the ones we did, not what I call a holiday.
The only good thing was the weather is was amazingly warm.

jeanie99
How right you are. And that comes from someone who lived on a boat for 20 yrs, see post above Re French canals etc. People don't realise how boring it can get.
You have to be very careful who you share a boat with
Even some of my dearest friends I wouldn't go sailing with.

Thank you so much ladies for your input....you've certainly given us plenty to think about. Menopaws - My book arrived this morning from Amazon 'Narrowboating for Novices'. petra, your experiences around French canals and Med sound amazing but I think we need something simple to start with. Anything else useful anyone can think of please let me know. eg. easiest canal.

Petra
I think the saying goes you don't know what someone is like until you live with them.
I never realised just how much my friends husband talked he nearly drove me insane and we could still hear him when they went to bed.

Some canals are 'narrow' some 'wide'. Narrow take one narrowboat in a lock at a time and you only have one lock gate at each end. Wide can take 2 boats side by side and 2 gates at each end, meaning you sometimes share with another boat. We have our own boat and my favourite canal is the Oxford. When you know in which area you intend to sail I'd recommend getting a Nicholson's Guide for that area. We have the full set on board and most I picked up on ebay. Not the latest edition but have never found that matters too much.

My DH and I are now home after spending a couple of weeks on a narrow boat. I agree with some of the comments about chosing your companions carefully. Earlier this year we were joined by another couple for a few days. I was truly glad when they left us in peace although we had a few laughs with them. However, when our DC were younger, we had such a lot of fun as a family.

There is very little space on a narrow boat but you will need a complete change of clothes and prepare for sun, rain and cold. Other GNs have advised you to plan your days around trips to pubs for eating but we tend to moor up in interesting places (tow path side of canal) that we see as we go along and eat in (basic, simple food, accompanied by wine, beer or cider - much better than the huge, over-seasoned meals that most pubs just plonk down in front of you). TV, radio and mobile reception are flaky, you can't rely on them at all for entertainment.

Doesn't sound too good so far, does it? However, there is a lot to enjoy if you are all reasonably fit and willing to make an effort to work together. I regularly swap with DH, steering the boat and working the locks. Locks can be hard work but are also where you chat to other boaters, find out what is going on and get all sorts of snippets of information. I sit at the back with DH when he is steering. Because the back of a narrow boat is quite high, we have views over the countryside and the water, wildlife and other boaters provide us with constant entertainment. If there are more than two of you, a 'cruiser stern' provides more room for company.

Oh, you can turn narrowboats around other than in a basin. Look on the maps for 'Winding (holes)', they are often placed close to lock flights and are areas provided for boats to 'wind', the maps show the maximum length of boat that can turn, usually 70 feet.

The Ashby Canal has 22 miles of lock-free cruising, that may be a good starting point.

I think narrow boating on UK canals is a bit of a 'marmite' experience, you may love it or hate it. DH and I have enjoyed it for many years and go out in all seasons. We own a share in our boat.