Hire a canal boat for the day to celebrate Father’s Day Drifters offers day boat hire at 19 locations in England and Wales, so why not treat your Dad to a day out on the water. Full tuition is included so its a great way to get the hang of steering and working the locks. […]
Explore our top leafy canals to cruise this autumn Britain’s 3,000-mile network of inland waterways meanders through some of our best-loved countryside, including anicent woodlands and forests. To celebrate the beautiful autumn colours in our trees and hedgerows, we’ve listed our top five leafy canals to cruise this autumn: 1. The Calder & Hebble in […]
Cruise to one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways The list of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ was compiled over 70 years ago by Robert Aickman. He was the co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA). These amazing structures make great canal boat holiday destinations. If you’d like to head to one of […]
Ashley Gibbins of the International Travel Writers Alliance reviews his holiday on the Llangollen Canal Setting off from our Blackwater Meadow narrowboat hire centre on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, Ashley Gibbins has reviewed his experience of cruising across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Ashley and Ann travelled from Blackwater Meadow, close to the historic market town […]
Olivia Ellis has reviewed her first canal boat holiday experience Taking a canal boat break from Wrenbury on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, Olivia has reviewed her first narrowboat holiday experience in Urban & Beyond. Maria & Olivia have also published a review of their holiday on their youtube channel. Travelling with her partner Maria, […]
Love Travelling’s Four Counties Ring Itinerary Marion Collinson from Love Travelling has shared her Four Counties Ring Itinerary. Setting off from our base at Stoke on Trent, in total the Four Counties Ring journey covered 111 miles, 94 locks and took close to 63 cruising hours. Marion and her family took their time and did […]
Drifters Canal Boat Holidays press and media coverage in 2026 January H&N Magazine, 14 Jan Drifters New Narrowboats for Hire in 2026 – HN Magazine The Howarths, 26 Jan Llangollen Canal Open for Boating Holidays – The Howorths February The Times, 12 February ’21 of the best family holidays – by age group’ 21 of […]
There are over 3,000 miles of beautiful inland waterways to explore by canal boat in Britain Take to the water this August bank holiday weekend for an adventure afloat. We still have plenty of narrowboats available to hire in August, many at a discounted rate. To celebrate, here’s our guide to our top 6 weekend […]
First canal boat holiday experience described Setting off from our canal boat hire base at Whixall Marina on the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal, The Globetrotter has written about their narrowboat holiday. It was their first experience of a narrowboat holiday so they chose a nice and easy short break route. On a three-night […]
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 […]
Canal boat holidays offer the chance to escape into the countryside for a nostalgic outdoor family adventure To help plan your next adventure afloat, we’ve published a guide to our best family canal boat holiday escapes this summer. There are over 3,000 miles of historic navigable waterways to explore in Great Britain, passing through some […]
Drifters offers canal boats for day hire at 19 locations in England and Wales Spring is a great time of year to get family and friends together for a day out boating. Britain’s 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers in England and Wales wind through some of the nation’s best-loved countryside. You can pack a […]
Cruising at 4mph aboard a canal boat is often described as the ‘fastest way to slow down’. Many of our operators are offering early booking discounts, so we’ve published a guide to our top 10 narrow boat holidays for 2026. Britain’s 3,000-mile network of peaceful inland waterways wind through the countryside and into historic waterside […]
Drifters guide to the best spring canal boat holidays in 2026 Cruising Britain’s beautiful inland waterways aboard a canal boat is a great way to see the spring countryside bursting with new life. Travelling at just 4mph, you can enjoy watching out for nesting birds, waterfowl chicks, spring lambs and blossom on the trees and […]
There are hundreds of destinations to visit on a bank holiday canal boating break Britain’s beautiful 3,000-mile network of inland waterways takes canal boat holiday-makers through the countryside and into historic towns and cities. There are places to moor up in quiet backwaters for the perfect rural retreat, as well as moorings close to attractions […]
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If you see the same holiday elsewhere at a lower price, we will match it. It would be good to flesh out this offer a little more to balance out
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.
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https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Braunston-canal-web-res.jpg 1664 2500 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/drifters-green.jpg Debbie Ludford2026-05-27 16:08:192026-05-27 16:08:19Celebrate Father’s Day afloat
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Great_Haywood_Day_Boat_Phoenix_Oct24_LowRes_67.jpg 1200 1804 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/drifters-green.jpg Debbie Ludford2026-05-27 08:02:542026-05-27 15:28:08Top leafy canals to cruise this autumn
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Anglo-Welsh-Aqueducts-3-web-res.jpg 1333 2000 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/drifters-green.jpg Debbie Ludford2026-05-20 09:26:472026-06-01 13:25:41Head to one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways
https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Anglo-Welsh-Aqueducts-13-low-res-2.jpg-1.webp 1333 2000 Debbie Ludford https://www.drifters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/drifters-green.jpg Debbie Ludford2026-05-05 10:16:322026-05-05 10:16:32Cruising across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct