8 reasons why canal boat holidays are great for pets

Canal boats provide a floating holiday home so it’s possible to take all sorts of pets on the canals.

And as well as hundreds of dogs each year, Drifters’ canal boat hire operators have accommodated many other kinds of pets aboard their canal boats, including rabbits, hamsters, caged birds, goldfish and tortoises.

To celebrate, here are our top 8 reasons why canal boat holidays are great for pets:

The majority of canal boats for hire allow pets on board, so you don’t have to allocate extra holiday budget to pet care
No extra vaccinations or pet passports are needed for your pet to cruise the canals
Many Drifters narrowboat hire operators allow the first pet to travel free, while others charge a supplement of between £25 and £35
Narrowboat holidays are especially great for dogs, with plenty of towpath and woodland walks, alive with interesting sights, smells and sounds, plus other dogs to meet along the way
Travelling through the countryside and waterside towns and villages at just four-miles-an-hour, canal boat holidays are the fastest way to slow down – if you’re more relaxed, your pets will be too
Narrowboats with open cruiser-sterns at the back offer extra room ‘on deck’ for pets and the family to enjoy the ever-changing view
You can buy a doggy life-jacket with wide belly-strap and easy-to-grab handle for a quick retrieval if your dog accidently goes swimming
Most of the pubs along the canals allow dogs in their bar area and gardens, and some even offer doggy treats at the bar, so you can enjoy visiting waterside watering holes together.