Mar 12
30
Drifters Day Boats
Day boats are a great option for those thinking of a waterway holiday but wanting a taster session first, or for people just looking for peaceful day out on the water.
Drifters offers day boat hire at a number of its bases, from as little as £11 per person.
Boats are equipped with cutlery, crockery and a kettle so boaters can enjoy a picnic afloat or head for a waterside pub. Most day boats also have a toilet, cooker and fridge. Full tuition is included.
Here’s a list of Drifters’ day boat hire centres:
- Visit ‘The Stream in the Sky’ – from the Drifters’ base at Trevor on the Llangollen Canal in North Wales it’s just 20 minutes cruising to the awesome Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. At over 38 metres high (126ft) and 305 metres long (1000 ft), the World Heritage Status Aqueduct offers a fantastic waterway adventure. You may be travelling at just four miles an hour, but with not even a hand rail on the south side of the aqueduct to obscure your views of the stunning Dee Valley 126ft below, you will literally feel like you are floating above the earth! Day boat hire for up to 10 people from Trevor costs £110 Monday to Friday and £140 at weekends/bank holidays.
- Take a cruise in Bath – from Drifters’ base at Sydney Wharf in the World Heritage City of Bath you can sample a scenic cruise on one of Britain’s most popular waterways, the Kennet & Avon Canal. Head east to Bathampton and make the historic George Inn, a vision of Olde England and once a 12th century monastery, your lunchtime destination. Day boat hire for up ten people from Bath costs £120 on a weekday and £165 at weekends/bank holidays.
- Wend your way through Wiltshire – from Drifters’ base at Hilperton Marina in Wiltshire, also on the Kennet & Avon, cruise east through unspoilt countryside to Seend where you’ll find The Barge Inn or head West to Bradford on Avon and the Cross Guns pub at Avoncliffe Aqueduct. Prices here are £105 midweek and £130 at weekends/bank holidays for boats which carry up to eight people.
- Experience the rural North Oxford Canal – from Drifters’ base at Stretton-under-Fosse near Rugby, cruise north through open farmland to the pretty village of Ansty with its pottery and its well known Rose & Castle pub. Or head south and travel through quiet woodland, through Newbold Tunnel to the village of Newbold with several pubs to choose from. Day boat hire from Rugby starts at £130 for a boat for eight on a weekday, £170 at weekends and on bank holidays. Or try a boat for 12 for £150 on weekdays and £190 at weekends/bank holidays.
- Glide through the Brecon Beacons – from Drifters’ base at Goytre Wharf on the beautiful Monmouth & Brecon Canal near Abergavenny, enjoy beautiful countryside and diverse scenery and cruise to the Horse & Jockey pub with children’s play area in less than three hours. Goytre means ‘place in the woods’ and the wharf was once used to supply coal to the nearby estate. You can find out more about the history of the wharf through interactive displays on site. Day hire for a boat for 12 starts at £90 for a weekday, £115 for a weekend/bank holiday.
- Explore Shakespeare’s country – from Drifters’ base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal near Stratford Upon Avon, you can choose between an easy day cruising to Wilcote and back (2.5 hours each way), or a more challenging cruise to Lowsenford and back, negotiating a total of 16 locks, with the opportunity to stop for an hour at the Fleur de Lis pub (3.5 hours each way). A day boat for ten people from Wootton Wawen costs £99 on weekdays, £120 at weekends & bank holidays.
- Staffordshire delights – from Drifters’ base at Great Haywood on the Staffs & Worcs Canal near Stafford, the recommended day boat cruise is a six hour journey to the historic market town of Rugeley and back through several locks, past Shrugborough Hall and over an aqueduct. There are many pubs to choose from in Rugeley itself or stop enroute at Bridge 70 at the delightful Wolseley Arms in Wolseley Bridge. Day boat hire from Great Haywood for ten people is £99 on weekdays and £120 at weekends & bank holidays.
- Sightseeing along ‘The Shroppie’ – from Drifters’ base at Bunbury on the Shropshire Union near Crewe cruise south past Barbridge and Nantwich to Baddington Bridge. With no locks to negotiate and plenty of pubs enroute, it’s a delightful way to spend the day afloat. Day boat from for ten people from Bunbury is £99 on weekdays and £120 at weekends & bank holidays.
- Visit rural Worcestershire – from Drifters’ base at Tardebigge on the Worcs & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, cruise north to Kings Norton Junction, a pretty rural route with pubs along the way including The Crown at Alvechurch and the Hopwood House at Hopwood. The route is lock three but three tunnels form part of the navigation. Day boat hire for ten people from Tardebigge is £99 on weekdays and £120 on weekends & bank holidays.
- Enjoy the beautiful Leicestershire countryside – from Drifters’ base at North Kilworth on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal near Welford, cruise north to the top of the impressive Foxton Locks staircase with stunning views of the surrounding Leicestershire countryside and Foxton Locks pub. Or, if you’ve packed a picnic, you could head south through a totally rural and peaceful section of the network. Day hire from North Kilworth for ten people costs £110 on weekdays and £140 at weekends & bank holidays.
Mar 12
25
The East Anglian Fen District
For a totally different experience, Drifters are offering boating holidays from a brand new base this year in the East Anglian Fens. At Ely, on the River Great Ouse, there is now the chance to sample some new waters.
The River Great Ouse is navigable from Bedford to Denver, and passes many delightful towns and villages. For example, Godmanchester with its exquisite Chinese Bridge, Ely with its unique and wonderful cathedral, and Hemingford Grey church has a story to tell involving hurricanes.
The tributaries of the Great Ouse are also wonderful places to visit.
Brandon Creek passes through completely unspoilt countryside, far from any roads, and the wildlife is correspondingly special.
Cambridge has a wonderful array of old colleges and other buildings to see and is easily accessible by way of the River Cam.
These are all quiet cruises, with few other boats to be seen, but travelling through lovely pristine countryside punctuated by lovely old water mills and historic villages.
Bedford is a bustling town at the head of navigation, and well worth a visit, as are St. Neots and Huntingdon.
As these waters are all rivers rather than canals, locks are less frequent, but there are pubs and villages scattered along the banks at regular intervals.
At Ely, the unique wooden lantern tower of the cathedral is not to be missed at the start or end of your holiday.
Public transport is available to Ely, which is on a direct line from London, despite being at the heart of the Fens.
Ely, who name mean ‘Isle’, stands out from the surrounding landscape and was once home to the Fen Tigers, fiercely independent residents of this part of East Anglia. Now, the locals are much more friendly.
Nov 11
23
Canal and River Trust
Creating a new waterways charity
The calm waters of our inland waterways are currently experiencing their biggest shake-up for 60 years, as the UK Government prepares to entrust the waterways of England and Wales to the nation.
From April 2012, a new charity, the Canal & River Trust will take on the guardianship of not just British Waterways’ 2,200 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs, but also the waterways, museums and archives of The Waterways Trust. Subject to funding the Government intends to transfer a further 600 miles of rivers from the Environment Agency to the new Trust in 2015.
The Canal & River Trust will be a new, independent guardian of the historic waterways of England and Wales and will hold the waterways in trust for the nation in perpetuity. The new body is backed by waterway supporters and businesses. It will give local people a greater role in the running of their local canal or river, and a chance to put the funding of the network on a more stable footing. This can only be a good thing for the many millions of people who enjoy holidaying on our inland waterways, live on or next to a canal or river or regularly walk or run on a towpath..
The Canal & River Trust will be backed through a long-term contract with Government and a major property endowment. Excitingly it will also be able to grow new sources of income such as donations and legacies, with 100% of voluntary income being ploughed back into improvements on the canal bank.
There is still much to be done between now and April next year, and the Transition Trustees are deep in negotiation with Government to ensure the new Trust is given a viable funding package from the start. All in all, these are exciting times for the waterways and a chance to build a really bright future.
In the last century the hire boat industry was at the forefront of the rehabilitation of our wonderful waterways, from national disgrace to national treasure. The countless individuals and families who have discovered canal boating – the ‘fastest way of slowing down’ – have helped to give the waterways a new lease of life and made them what they are today. We all look forward to the playing our part in the next chapter of the waterways remarkable history.
Nov 11
9
Cruise the canals over Christmas
…frosty towpaths, cosy fires and traditional pubs make the canals a festive destination
Britain’s canals can offer a great antidote to the hustle and bustle of Christmas. A number of Drifters’ (www.drifters.co.uk) canal boat hire bases offer winter cruising giving people the chance to crank-up the on-board heating, light the stove, stop-off at cosy country pubs with roaring log fires and wake up to frosty towpaths and crisp clean air.
Today’s canals boats are fully equipped with all the essential mod cons, including central heating, hot water, TV, DVD players, showers and flushing toilets, so whatever the weather, it’s always nice and cosy on board.
As its low season, not only are the canals even more peaceful than usual, but boat hire prices are cheaper than in the summer.
Whether it’s a cosy boat for two or jolly boat for six, celebrating Christmas or New Year afloat offers a great getaway. And it’s free to moor almost anywhere on the network, so a canal boat could provide the perfect place to lay your head after enjoying new year celebrations in waterside towns and villages like Bath, Chester, Devizes, Bradford on Avon, Stratford upon Avon, Braunston, Banbury and Ellesmere.
Here’s a list of Drifters bases offering winter cruising:
- Visit historic Stratford Upon Avon…Short breaks from Drifters’ base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal in Warwickshire, not far from Henley-in-Arden, can take you to historic Stratford and back, with its famous theatre and pubs a plenty. While a week’s cruise can easily take you on to Warwick and back, cruising through the heart of rural England and Shakespeare’s country. Or head north into the cosmopolitan City of Birmingham with its fantastic shops and restaurants. Take a boat for four from Wootton Wawen for Christmas week for £895 (23-30 Dec) or for just the weekend for £575 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for six for Christmas week for £1,195 (23-30 Dec) or a boat for six for £837 (23-26 Dec). Take a romantic boat for two for £895 for a week (24-31 Dec) or £627 for short break (24-27 Dec). A boat for four over New Year starts at £895 (26 Dec to 2 Jan) and a boat for six is £1,195 (26 Dec to 2 Jan). A boat for two is £895 (27 Dec to 3 Jan). Mid week breaks are also available.
- Travel to Bath along the Kennet & Avon Canal...stretching 86 miles from Bath to Reading, the beautiful Kennet & Avon Canal travels through the southern tip of the Cotswolds, the stunning Wiltshire countryside and West Berkshire’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Drifters’ base in the historic town of Bradford on Avon is currently offering 20% off winter cruising. A short break could take you east to the bottom of the Caen Hill Flight at Devizes and back, while a week’s cruise gives time to navigate the marathon of locks! Or head west to the World Heritage City of Bath with lovely country pubs to enjoy along the way, including the George Inn at Bathampton. Once a 12th-century monastery, this watering hole is packed with character and boasts priest holes, low ceilings, creaking beams and real fires to snuggle up to. The Cross Guns at Avoncliffe, one of Wiltshire’s oldest and most popular pubs, has panoramic views of the foothills of the Cotswolds and John Rennie’s Avoncliffe Aqueduct, plus a large central inglenook fireplace in the same style as those at Hampton Court. Take a week’s cruise over Christmas on a boat for six from Bradford on Avon for £1,120 (23-30 December) or a short break for £800 (23-26 Dec). Or take a boat for four for a week for £796 (24-31 Dec) or a short break for £560 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for six over New Year for £1,120 (26 Dec to 2 Jan) or a boat for four for £856 (26 Dec to 2 Jan).
- Wending through Worcestershire…A week’s cruise from Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove can take you to Warwick and its fascinating castle or to Worcester and its magnificent cathedral. Or cruise the Stourport Ring, one of the most popular circular routes and mix rural idyll with city lights. The journey will take you to three cities – the newly recognised City of Wolverhampton, industrial Birmingham, including Brindley Place, Gas Street Basin and Broad Street at the heart of its rejuvenated waterfront and the ancient City of Worcester. On a short break, take a lock free journey to the City of Birmingham and back or keep it rural and head to the pretty village of Lapworth with its highly recommended Navigation Inn. Take a short Christmas break on a romantic boat for two from Tardebigge for £627 or a boat for four for a week for £975 (24-31 Dec). A short break on a boat for four over Christmas is £683 (24-27 Dec), a week on a boat for six is £1,195 (24-31 Dec). A boat for four over New Year is £975 (27 Dec to 3 Jan) and a boat for six is £1,195 (27 Dec to 3 Jan). Mid week breaks are also available.
- The Llangollen Canal in North Wales…the beautiful 46-mile Llangollen Canal is one of the most popular on the inland waterway network, and navigating the awe-inspiring 1000ft, 19-arch long World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, soaring 126ft high above the rushing waters of the River Dee is tantamount to free flight. From Drifters’ hire base at Trevor, right next to the aqueduct, a short break to Ellesmere and back, offers the chance to explore the Vale of Llangollen and the Shropshire Lake District. Pubs to enjoy along the way include The Bridge Inn at Chirk, AKA ‘The last pub in England’ with glorious views and numerous fire places, and The Narrow Boat Inn at Whittington, visited by Hollywood legends Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, as part of their canal boat holiday on the Llangollen in 2004. Take a boat for four over the Christmas week for £895 (24-31 Dec) or just for the weekend for £627 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for six over the Christmas week for £1,060 (24-31 Dec) or just for the weekend for £742 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for four over New Year for £895 (27 Dec to 3 Jan) or a boat for six for £1,195 (26 Dec to 2 Jan).
- Cruise the Shropshire Union Canal from Bunbury…offers a number of routes, including a short break to the ancient City of Chester and back along the Shropshire Union Canal. Alternatively, head south to the Llangollen Canal and historic Whitchurch. A week’s cruise could take you to Llangollen and back, via the awesome Pontcysyllte Aqueduct or tackle the Four Counties Ring, including 96 locks and the world famous 2670 metre long Harecastle Tunnel. Take a boat for six from Bunbury for Christmas week for £1,100 (23-30 Dec) or just for the weekend for £770 (23-26 Dec). Or hire a romantic boat for two for a week for £820 (24-31 Dec) or just for the weekend for £574 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for six over New Year for £1,100 (26 Dec to 2 Jan) or a boat for two for £820 (27 Dec to 3 Jan). A short Christmas break on a boat for six is £770 (24-27 Dec). Take a boat for four over New Year for £975 (26 Dec to 2 Jan) or a boat for two for £895 (27 Dec to 3 Jan). A boat for six over New Year is £1,100 (27 Dec to 3 Jan).
- Explore the Potteries in Staffordshire…Drifters’ base at Great Haywood at the junction of the Staffs & Worcs and Trent & Mersey canals in Staffordshire offers a huge array of routes. On a week’s cruise, head north on the Trent & Mersey and join the pretty Caldon Canal to Froghall or travel to historic Market Drayton, home of the gingerbread man along the Shropshire Union. For a cruising challenge, tackle the Four Counties Ring, taking in 94 locks and the world famous 2670 metre long Harecastle Tunnel along the way. On a short break, head to historic Stone or to pretty Fradley at the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals. Take a short break over Christmas on a boat for four for £683 (23-26 Dec) or a week for £975 (23-30 Dec). Take a romantic boat for two for £627 (24-27 Dec) or a jolly boat for six for £1,100 (24-31 Dec).
- The Oxford Canal at Rugby…A week’s break from Drifters’ base at Stretton-under-Fosse near Rugby could take you to historic Warwick and back along the Grand Union Canal, via Braunston and Napton Junctions, with plenty of time to visit the Regency centre of Lemington Spa and Warwick with its castle and lovely antique shops. The journey takes a total of 30 hours cruising, with 26 locks along the way. Or head south along the beautiful Oxford Canal, one of England’s most peaceful waterways which meanders slowly through classic scenery, much of which hasn’t changed for centuries. A week can easily take you as far as the historic town of Banbury and back, cruising a total of 40 hours and negotiating 25 locks. Take a romantic boat for two for a week for £715, a boat for four for £1,145 or a boat for six for £1,295 (24-31 Dec).
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0844 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk
Reputedly playing host to hundreds of ghosts, with bats and frogs aplenty, creepy tunnels, spooky locks, misty towpaths and thousands of historic buildings along the way, Britain’s 200-year old canal network provides the perfect backdrop for a haunting Halloween afloat.
Drifters Waterway Holidays offers over 500 boats from 35 bases across the country (www.drifters.co.uk).
Here are a few of the spookiest places to go:
- The Shropshire Union Canal is said to be Britain’s most haunted canal with five ghosts along its length, including ‘The Monkey Man’ at Bridge 39 near Norbury. The hideous black, shaggy coated being is said to be the ghost of a boatman drowned there in the 19th century. And at Betton Cutting near Market Drayton a shrieking spectre has been seen and heard. See if you can spot them by heading north from Drifters’ base at Brewood on the Shropshire Union Canal in Staffordshire near Stafford. A short break for four costs £454 (28-31 October).
- Get the chills in Chester by visiting the city’s old Northgate where the canal was dug into part of the town’s moat and a Roman centurion can sometimes be seen guarding the entrance to the city. You can also visit Chester’s The King’s Inn, an old coaching inn believed to be haunted by three separate spirits. Hire a boat from Drifters’ base at Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire and you can easily make it to Chester and back on a short break, cruising for a total of 14 hours and negotiating 18 locks. Try a boat for four from just £396 or a boat for six for £487 (28-31 October).
- Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire has spooked a number of boaters over the years. At 3,076 yards (2.81km) it’s one of the longest on the canal system. When construction began in 1793, the tunnel was a major feat of engineering. Teams of navvies worked with picks and shovels for three years until they hit quicksand and the tunnel collapsed, killing 14 men. A new route for the tunnel was found and it finally opened on 25 March 1805. Over the years, a number of boaters travelling through the tunnel have reported seeing lights and a fork in the waterways. But the tunnel runs straight through the hill so people have seen the flicker of candlelight at the spot where the first tunnel would have intersected with the main canal tunnel, showing the ghostly navvies are still working there! Hire a boat from Drifters’ popular base at Gayton on the Grand Union Canal close to the Blisworth Tunnel and travel to Crick and back on a short break, which includes a trip through the tunnel. A boat for six for the Halloween weekend costs £665 (28-31 October).
- At the Union Canal tunnel at Falkirk in Scotland, two walkers and their dogs were terrified by an apparition of a man who had been lured to the tunnel in the 1940s and viciously murdered after he had been unable to pay his gambling debt. And there are plenty of ghostly goings on in the historic city of Edinburgh, including the ghost of the Great Lafayette at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, a magician who was killed in fire there. From the Drifters hire boat base at Falkirk, you can travel the 32 rural and peaceful miles to Edinburgh along the Union Canal in just two leisurely days, arriving at Edinburgh Quay, just five minutes walk from Princes Street. Take a boat for four from Falkirk for £536 (28-31 Oct) or a boat for six for £665 (28-31 Oct).
- The Trent & Mersey Canal’s Harecastle Tunnel at Kidsgrove is said to be home to a shrieking boggart – the ghost of Kit Crewbucket who was murdered and whose headless corpse was dumped in the canal. Hire a boat for four from Drifter’s base at Stoke on Trent on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Staffordshire for £523 (28-31 Oct).
- The Llangollen Canal in Wrexham is haunted by an eerie figure that can sometimes be seen on moonlit nights gliding along the towpath by the incredible Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hire a boat for four for a week from Drifters’ base at Trevor, right next to the Aqueduct for £670 (28 Oct to 4 Nov) or £469 for short break (28-31 Oct).
- At 3.25 miles long, The spooky Standedge Tunnel in Yorkshire is the longest, highest and deepest canal on the UK canal system and certainly not for the feint hearted! Take a boat for a week from Drifters’ base at Sowerby Bridge on the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation in West Yorkshire and cruise through the stunning Calder Valley, then onto the Huddersfield Broad Canal to Huddersfield. There you can moor the boat and switch to a train for a scenic rail trip to Marsden and the Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre which is running special haunted Halloween boat trips (22-30 October). A boat for six for a week from Sowerby Bridge costs £890 (28 Oct to 3 Nov).
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0844 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk
Aug 11
31
A narrowboat escape
By Tim Moore.
Financial Times, 26th August 2011
Think of a canal holiday and you think of ploughman’s lunch-fuelled bucolic puttering, of trim little lock-keepers’ cottages and humpback bridges. You probably don’t think of the Grand Union in west London, particularly if you’re me and punctuated your adolescence watching this neglected trans-urban waterway clog with the rusted trappings of antisocial behaviour.
As a commercial entity, the Grand Union met a suitably bitter end in 1981, when a final narrowboat consignment of lime juice left Brentford Wharf bound for the Rose’s depot in Hemel Hempstead. By then, London had long since turned its back on this stagnant legacy of low-tech, horse-drawn sloth. Like almost every civic canal in Britain, the Grand Union was hidden away and fenced off, a secret realm where bad things happened: Narnia for tramps and vandals. Associated misgivings pile up as my car’s sat-nav steers me towards the Willowtree Marina in Yeading, west London, through an unpromising hinterland of distribution centres and self-storage depots.
But the Willowtree, which began renting canal boats to holidaymakers earlier this year, is not the Grand Union as I remember it. Couples are sipping Pimm’s on a decked terrace, and the sparkling waters around them are full of swans and gaily-painted narrowboats, among them mine for the next three days – the four-berth, two-loo, billion-yard Caroline.
Presently I’m joined by my friends Ian and Simon, the most constant crewmates in a rolling roster that at various points over the weekend will include several family members, my wife’s cousin-in-law and her daughter, and an assortment of other people’s children. Jump-on, jump-off flexibility is one advantage of a 4mph speed limit. The wide-ranging appeal of this aquatic mini-break seemed to stem from its inherent incongruity, not least in regard to the ambitious finale: our circular barge tour of the capital’s waterways will be completed with a mad east-west dash right down the Thames, from the tidal lock at Limehouse to its counterpart at Brentford.
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Many years ago I skippered my family on a narrowboat trip in north Wales, and as we chug waywardly out of the marina my knuckles whiten around the tiller in remembrance. The messily aborted U-turns, the head-on collisions, the shaming, dread cry that lives on in household folklore: “Oi, mate, yer kid’s in the water!” Manipulating these unwieldy and enormous things feels like driving a railway carriage from the back end, with a steering wheel that goes the wrong way.
But the rival traffic down this end of the Grand Union is forgivingly non-existent, and the late afternoon sun applies a soothing golden balm over the endless black roof that bisects the water ahead of me. It also helps that there’s a drink to suit every nautical mood: pear cider anchor-weighers, grog-pattern yard-armers, the manly, fuel-fingered downing of real ale around the clock.
At any rate, I soon find myself able to share my bargemates’ appreciation of London as we’ve never seen it before. Even at walking pace, our surroundings seem to evolve in a blur. Dappled leafy silence suddenly gives way to concrete darkness and the overhead roar of an unseen rush-hour. Modest light-industrial dishevelment, garishly balconied new-build apartment developments, a haunted Victorian wharf stained with yesteryear’s soot and yesterday’s aerosol. We putter serenely across the last aqueduct in London, outpacing the North Circular road’s Friday evening gridlock beneath.
The towpath population at this stage comes directly from canalside central casting: joggers, mountain bikers and red-faced men gripping cans, typically hunched by a fishing rod whose line I take immense pains to avoid. When at length we encounter another moving barge, its exuberant young crew are climbing up from their roof on to the bridge above, then vaulting back down on the other side. I manage to overtake when they run aground trying to do something stupid by a cemetery.
As west London blends into north, the mood mellows. A young woman sits on the roof of her moored narrowboat in the lotus position, facing the sunset with a beatific smile and closed eyes. Two north Africans at a window acknowledge us with a tip of their hookah pipes. In the dying light I hang a 10-point left turn and bump awkwardly into the gracious gloaming of Little Venice, London’s first venture in exclusive canalside living, and until very recently its last. Simon and Ian hop on to the deck of an unoccupied barge and lash Caroline to it. We’ve double-parked in what we later deduce, while climbing out over a locked gate en route to the nearest pub, to be a private mooring zone. Oh well. Climbing back in a couple of hours later proves a more demanding procedure.
Belatedly I explore Caroline’s innards. For me, the joy of a canal holiday is its marriage of the great outdoors with the extremely bijou indoors. Caroline is a representative study in extruded cosiness, with a dolls’ house galley and ablution wardrobes that coerce the user into unusual postures. As skipper I commandeer the double bunk, whose dimensions uniquely permit rolling over without rolling off. This privilege must be weighed against my responsibilities, most especially the grim ritual with which I begin the following day. Defouling the propeller means unclamping a hatch and lowering a forearm deep into the dieselly murk thus revealed. We’ve seen some terrible things floating past and most of them recur to me as I unbind and extract binliner shreds, fishing yarn, sub-aquatic weed and – with horrid, pulpy foreboding – a black towelling sock. How happy I am to have undertaken this task before priming the propshaft and tackling Simon’s fry-up.
We throb through the cobwebbed confines of Maida Hill tunnel, and emerge beneath the gaudily magnificent show mansions that border Regent’s Park. The Grand Union has now given way to the Regent’s Canal, and regentrification is well advanced. At Camden Lock we take aboard several new passengers and – with the most profound gratitude for my brother’s experienced hand on the sluice cranks – tackle our first lock. Standing at the tiller as water billows up inside this mossy tomb, I feel like Indiana Jones facing some desperate predicament. Then I look up and see a great weekend crowd of Goths and tourists peering down at us: our first gongoozlers, as canal-curious spectators are known in the barging community. There’s a strange celebrity in piloting a narrowboat through metropolitan waters. The last time passers-by waved with such frenetic regularity, the boot of my car was on fire.
The Caroline’s crew lunches at a waterside gastro pub in Islington, feeling the floor shift beneath legs now accustomed to gentle pitch and roll. Afterwards the sun comes out, luring hordes of sandalled Hoxton trendies to the towpath and a number of other recreational bargees to the water. We squeeze into a succession of locks side by side with a chatty old skipper, who fails to suppress consternation when I reveal our next-day itinerary. “The Thames? Seriously? You got the licence?”
No one is allowed out on the River Thames in a boat larger than a coracle unless they’ve passed an exam demonstrating familiarity with VHF short-range radio and the technicalities of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System. A couple of weeks before I had done precisely this, after a five-hour training day aboard a boat moored near Putney Bridge. The instructor had beamed when he handed back my exam sheet: I’d scored 21 out of 22, and could now let everyone within a 45-mile line-of-sight radius of my boat know that it was sinking, aflame or had been boarded by pirates. But though I knew how to respond to what mariners like to call “grave and imminent danger”, I had no idea at all about how to avoid that danger in the first place. The tutor’s smile withered as my farewell query tumbled out: “But which side of the river do I, you know, drive on?” (Navigator’s tip: it’s the right.)
Crew members are dropped off throughout the afternoon, as we pass through the construction cranes and old warehouses of King’s Cross, and head down to the East End. By the time the Caroline is tied up for the night in the marina at Limehouse, it’s just Simon, me and a creeping dread. We spend the evening in a Thameside pub, watching enormous, barge-eating cruisers and hydrofoils speed up and down. At one point in the night I awake with a start, abruptly certain that in failing to brim our freshwater tanks the Caroline carries insufficient ballast for the seesaw ordeal ahead.
The next morning we take aboard a cargo of wives and excitable young liabilities. At 11.25 sharp, the harbourmaster summons Caroline into the cavernous Limehouse Lock. The concrete wall before us parts; lifejackets are donned. We are about to “lock out” – a fearsome phrase, the verb of no return. I click the radio handset to Channel 14 and croak the compulsory announcement: “Thames VTS, Thames VTS, this is narrowboat Caroline entering the tideway at Limehouse. Over.” We await the howl of anguished protest this announcement deserves but there is no reply. Then the inrushing tide sweeps us helplessly away, like a pooh stick.
The contrast with our progress to date could not be more compelling. In place of sloth and stillness there is frenzy, a mile-wide choppy sea afroth with larger and much, much faster craft. We barrel under Tower Bridge, a bullying current sucking us towards the pillars. I have both hands on the tiller and still it threatens to buck out of my grasp. More bridges come at us in a rush: Simon stands before me with a Port of London Authority flip chart, tolling out the navigation notes for each. “Cannon Street Railway, span two, second from right … Vauxhall, keep well clear of MI6 headquarters to the left.” But the tideway narrows and empties as we plough westwards, and by the time Simon is alerting me to the rowers’ buoys by Putney Bridge, I’m very close to enjoying myself.
Soon after the Caroline nudges up to the gates of Brentford Lock. We’re off the rollercoaster Thames and, with some relief, back on the Grand Union kiddy ride. Our delightful slow-boat study of industrial history, human geography and environmental behaviourism picks up where it left off. Sunburnt middle-aged skinheads jump into the uninviting water, Sunday gongoozlers mass at every lock. There are plenty – six alone in the Hanwell Flight, the longest in London. My crew now works the gates like an oiled machine, but I’m still literally barging Caroline into every lock like a drunk man shouldering a ladder down an alley. “Don’t worry mate,” calls out a genial waiting boatman above our booming, hollow thunks, “it’s a contact sport”.
This winningly laidback outlook is the essence of a canal holiday’s appeal, and I’m very pleasantly surprised to have discovered that it holds good even when circumnavigating the busiest city in Europe. A couple of hours later I drive out of Willowtree Marina with a big, lazy smile, at walking pace on the wrong side of the road.
Aug 11
23
The Art of Slow
Caroline Coulton discovered that you don’t need meditation or medicationas a tranquilliser, you can holiday on a canal boat. Article from Beautiful Magazine
Being on a narrow boat is almost Zen-like. There’s something about being forced to go at less than four miles an hour that sends your brain into ‘go slow’ and your whole body relaxes. Even winding your way through more than 30 locks, which would in any other situation seem strenuous, here they add to the sensation of calm by the sheer repetitive action.
Opening and closing locks becomes a meditative ritual – like a Japanese tea ceremony on a much larger scale. Focus on the winding of the paddle gear, the water flowing in and the gentle lulling chug, chug, chug of the narrow boat and you’ll find it’s hypnotic. The locks themselves, a genius staircase of water, allow you to make your way up and down hill, at the same time forging friendly connections with other holidaymakers as you go through two boats at a time and work the locks together.
With everyone so civil and passers-by waving and smiling at you it’s not hard to realise that at one time this was commonplace and now sadly it’s reserved for narrow boat goers and people walking on canal towpaths.
We holidayed with long-running established family firm Shire Cruisers, making our way along the Rochdale Canal from Sowerby Bridge to Todmorden, covering 34 miles and 34 very social locks. We climbed through the magnificent waves of the Pennine moors, winding through deep dells, passing Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Heptonstall (Ted Hughes country).
Onboard our narrow boat, Hereford, we had central heating, hot water and comfortable beds; a living/dining area with a TV and a fully equipped kitchen including a microwave, and an impressive two bathrooms with shower and bath.
The lovely Josh, one of the Shire Cruisers staff, took us step by step through the first three locks. He was unfazed and patient with us as we learned how to navigate the winding of the paddles and the pushing of the gates open and closed. He then waved us of, leaving us to go on our way.
We loved our days and nights spent aboard the Hereford and we even got to take our beloved dog with us. Narrow boating is a snapshot of an old way of living – a way that most of us have lost. A way of life that feels a hell of a lot more right than the hustle and bustle of modern living.
We’ll definitely be back slowly cruising the Rochdale Canal again soon!
Short break on Yorkshire canals
This trip gives you time for walks, the pub or simply to sit and unwind – canal boat holidays are like that – they let you make the choice..
The cruise takes you on the Rochdale Canal, from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge & Todmorden.
On day one, you arrive in the historic canal basin at Sowerby Bridge to take over your Tourist Board graded boat. After a detailed briefing, a member of staff will take you up through the first three locks, including the deepest one in the country. You then sail off along the side of the valley, through two more locks, to Mytholmroyd, where you moor for the night. Here you have two pubs with food, an upmarket café and convenience stores.
Next morning, travel on to Hebden Bridge. This old mill town nestles in a fork in the hills, houses piled tier upon tier. Hebden is the original plastic-bag-free town, and has not succumbed to a big supermarket, so has an amazing variety of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. It’s full of
surprises – everything from horsey clothing to hand-made pottery, and not one but two bookshops. Keep on cruising through the town and gradually wind up the valley, with woods, crags and the Calder running alongside, and views of the moors high above. Pause perhaps at the Stubbing Wharf pub, but keep going in order to reach Todmorden, a town that can’t decide whether it’s in Yorkshire or Lancashire, famous for wool or cotton. Moor at the Fielden Wharf visitor moorings below Lock 19, just beside one pub (though you don’t have to neglect the other pubs, restaurants and the busy market). Don’t miss the Town Hall and many other fine Victorian – and much older – buildings, all dominated by a curving railway viaduct.
Next day, you turn the boat below Lock 19 and head back to Luddenden Foot (where there is a good pub and Indian restaurant). The valley looks quite different on the way down, and you’ll
see things you missed on the way up.
For the final morning, you need to get up early to be at the top lock for 8am, then cruise gently back to base.
It’s not exactly white water rafting, but there’s gentler, more contemplative adventuring to be had pottering along on a narrowboat on Britain’s 3,000-mile-long system of waterways. You’re on a voyage of discovery – a journey to lost parts of England through landscapes unchanged for centuries. But should you yearn for the comforts of civilisation, there’s terrific traditional pubs and restaurants along the way serving a surprisingly varied cuisine.
Rent a boat for the weekend from the pretty Warwickshire village of Napton-on-the-Hill and experience that unique combination of frenetic hard labour and indolence which characterises canal travel. You start with a stiff ascent of the nine attractive locks to Priors Hardwick,the windmill at Napton your backdrop. Afterwards the going gets easier as you navigate the 12 twisting miles which is the summit of the Oxford Canal. It’s a winding, tortuous route through a hauntingly beautiful countryside characterised by glorious views on all sides. Assuming you haven’t spent too long at the beginning of the cruise in The Folly in Napton (home-cooked pies and local faggots on the menu) or detoured at Priors Hardwick for Portuguese cooking at the 14th century Butchers Arms, then you’ll make Fenny Compton before nightfall.
There – what a surprise! – you’ll find the Wharf Inn serving a full menu in its landscaped garden. Unless you can resist the temptation to chuck in the job and turn water gypsy, head back to base and do the whole thing again.
Bookings Boats through Drifters (0844 984 0322; drifters.co.uk). Stay and eat at The Folly, Folly Lane, Napton-on-the-Hill (01926 815 185;the folly inn.co.uk). The Butchers Arms (booking recommended, 01327260 504; thebutchersarms.com), The Wharf Inn (01295 770 332; thewharfinnfennycompton.co.uk). STEVE HAYWOOD Steve Haywood is the author of three books describing his canal boat adventures .His latest is Too Narrow to Swing a Cat:Going Nowhere in Particular on the English Waterways (Summersdale , £8.99)
Aug 11
9
ON A SLOW BOAT IN OLDE ENGLANDE
How could I make that dream come true?
I’d heard lovely stories of England’s beautiful old system of canals, and longed to explore them. But as a single traveller, I couldn’t find out how I could visit this part of Great Britain.
I could have hired a boat to travel on, but the idea of having to steer and negotiate locks, as well as cooking and cleaning, seemed a little too strenuous. And you really can’t do that on your own.
However, I found that there is another way of seeing the canal system: where you are looked after in complete comfort, in the style of a luxury guest house. This most relaxing of canal holidays is to be had on a hotel boat.
The hotel boats travel all around the system of canals and rivers in style, and are admired wherever they go. Mine consisted of a motor boat towing an unpowered ‘butty’, just as in the days of cargo carrying. The boats have modern comforts and are beautifully decorated with traditional roses and castles, scrubbed ropework and gleaming brasses.
The boats I travelled on may carry up to nine guests at a time, usually for a week’s holiday travelling from one accessible point to another – maybe no more than fifty miles away.
And the holiday was just as relaxing as those images of the canals had led me to believe it could be.
We were met at the train station in Chester, and escorted to the boats. The looked so smart that I approached them with a feeling of pride already.
All meals were provided, including four course dinners and freshly baked cakes. All the food is prepared on board, where possible from local produce.
The young crew were there to look after my every need, and the expert skipper made sure the guests got the most out of the holiday by pointing out items of interest, as well as providing trips to local sights and events en route.
The boats offered single as well as twin or double rooms, some with en suite facilities: so they would also be suitable for singles or couples, and the atmosphere is always warm and friendly on board. Guests ranged in age between 40 and 90, and each one found a different way of relaxing – helping with the locks, watching the wildlife, the scenery and the heritage -and doing it in style.
A typical day started with a morning cup of tea in bed. Over breakfast, the skipper outlined the day ahead, so we were better able to look forward to the sights and highlights. The journey was flexible enough that any preferences guests had for walking or making a side trip could be discussed and usually accommodated. Since the boats travel at only three or four miles per hour, the movement is totally sedate, in capable and experienced hands.
Mid-morning coffee is served on the move, then we would make a stop for a leisurely lunch. The boats move off again for the afternoon, maybe travelling over an aqueduct of through a wooded cutting, and to crown it all – tea and cakes are served as you cruise. The boats ‘tie up’ for the day at perhaps 5 or 6 pm. There is then time to investigate your mooring spot, which may be some quaint old village, before sitting down to a sumptuous dinner. After dinner, there may be a local inn to visit, or it’s just enjoyable to sit and talk over the sights of the day.
The fresh air and gently lapping water completes the relaxation and probably prevents any thoughts of late nights. W were all too eager to be up in the morning for the day ahead.
These holidays cost no more than full board in a hotel – which, after all, stays in one place all week.
The boats are all run by their owners as small family businesses, so each guest receives the best personal attention. All the skippers are experienced boatmen, the hostesses excellent cooks, and the firms well established, so a marvellous holiday is guaranteed.
BACKGROUND
Rivers have been navigable in England since the time of the Vikings, and the Romans built several canals while they were there. By the nineteenth century, there were over 4000 miles of canals. They linked all the main navigable rivers and allowed speedy movement of goods between industrial centres, enabling the industrial revolution.
Their use diminished with the introduction of railways, and they finally lost their trade to road haulage. Today, the canals and navigable rivers are again something of a secret from most people. They run for some two thousand miles, mainly through the heart of the countryside, but retain the atmosphere of a time gone by.
There is little commercial traffic now on the canals, but the hotel boats help to keep the tradition alive.
For details of hotel boat holidays, visit their internet site at www.flagships.co.uk, where you can contact any of the companies, who will be glad to discuss your holiday with you.
