Accessible canal holidays and trips

Accessible boating on Britain’s canal and river network

There are a number of charitable trusts and organisations that offer boats for hire that are specially adapted to accommodate people with limited mobility.

Accessible boat trips in the south west of England

• The Bruce Wake Charitable Trust operates on the River Severn.
• The Bruce Charitable Trust has boats on the Kennet & Avon Canal.
• The Willow Trust operates on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.

Accessible boat trips in the south east of England

• Waterways Experiences operates on the Grand Union Canal from Hemel Hempstead.
• The Accessible Boating Association has boats on the Basingstoke Canal.
• CanalAbility operates on the River Stort in Harlow.
• The National Community Boats Association has members operating accessible boats, including on the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes.
• The River Thames Boat Project operates from Kingston, Richmond and St Katharine Dock.
• The Rivertime Boat Trust operates on the Thames between Windsor and Oxford.

Accessible boat trips in the Midlands

• The Coventry Rainbow Canal Trust operates a boat on the Coventry Canal.
• South Staffordshire Narrowboat Company operates from Wolverhampton.
• The Nottingham Narrow Boat Project operates on the River Trent.
• Canal & River Tours operate on the River Avon from Stratford-upon-Avon.
• Willow Wren on the North Oxford Canal in Rugby has a narrowboat for hire designed for people with limited mobility.
• Peter Le Marchant Trust has a boat in Loughborough.

Accessible boat trips in the north west of England

• The Canal & River Trust operates a wheelchair accessible trip boat at the Anderton Boat Lift.
• The Lyneal Trust has a boat on the Llangollen Canal near Ellesmere in Shropshire.
• The Stockport Canalboat Trust runs day cruises on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals.
• The Wirral Community Narrowboat Trust has boats on the Llangollen, Shropshire Union and Trent & Mersey canals.
• All Aboard Manchester operates on the Bridgewater Canal.

Accessible boat trips in the north east of England

• The Swinton Lock Activity Centre has an accessible boat on the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation.

Accessible boat trips in Scotland

• Seagull Trust Cruises run trips on the Union Canal from Ratho in Scotland.
• Scottish Canals operate a wheelchair accessible trip boat at the Falkirk Wheel.

Accessible boat trips in Wales

• The Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust (MBACT) operates a wheelchair accessible trip boat on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal from Goytre Wharf.
• The Heulwen Trust runs a trip boat on the Montgomery Canal near Welshpool.