Boating holidays on the UK canals & inland watersways UK
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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 500 narrowboats for hire from 40 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

Read More

Try out our Interactive map

Try out our canal boat holiday destinations Interactive map

Click here

Hire Boat Survey

The Canal & River Trust’s annual Hire Boat Survey is now live.

The national waterways charity wants to know about your experience of hiring a boat on the canals and rivers in its care, to help make the experience better.

If you take a canal boat holiday this year, please do share your feedback here

Drifters price promise

If you see the same holiday elsewhere at a lower price,
we will match it.

Sign-up for our free Newsletter

Drifters’ monthly e-newsletter offers subscribers updates on:

 offers, special events, competitions, destinations, boating tips and holiday reviews.

Click here for details

New to the

Canals?

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.

Read More
Latest news from

The Blog

Top 5 canals on screen

May 21, 2025
Read more
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Narrow-Escapes.jpg 448 800 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x62.png Debbie Ludford2025-05-21 13:26:542025-05-21 13:26:54Top 5 canals on screen
Going off grid on the Grand Union Canal

Off grid on the Grand Union Canal

May 20, 2025
Read more
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Angela-HN-Magazine.jpg 1500 2000 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x62.png Debbie Ludford2025-05-20 11:21:082025-05-20 12:56:34Off grid on the Grand Union Canal
Drifters Canal & River Trust Staff Discount

Top of the Locks 2025

May 20, 2025
Read more
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Caen-Hill-Locks.jpeg 1333 2000 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x62.png Debbie Ludford2025-05-20 08:40:212025-05-20 13:01:11Top of the Locks 2025
Electric day boat hire on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire

Hire an electric canal boat for the day

May 17, 2025
Read more
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Perfect-Day-8-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/logo-300x62.png Debbie Ludford2025-05-17 08:14:362025-05-17 08:14:36Hire an electric canal boat for the day

Popular Pages

  • Day Boat Hire
  • Map of the Canals
  • Canal Boats

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