Experience a family adventure afloat making memories together With thousands of miles of inland waterways to explore on a boating holiday in England, Scotland and Wales, canal boat holidays are great for families. There are hundreds of exciting waterside destinations to choose from. So whether you are looking for a rural retreat or a city break […]
There are dozens of National Trust properties within easy reach of our canals and rivers, making them great places to visit on a canal boat holiday. Here’s a guide to our top 10 National Trust properties to visit, and our nearest bases: 1. The Rock Houses at Kinver Edge on the Staffs & Worcester Canal […]
Canal boat holiday cruising rings offer journeys along several different waterways, taking in a huge variety of urban and rural landscapes. Some canal boat holiday rings are seriously challenging with steep flights of locks and long dark tunnels to negotiate. Here’s a guide to our top 9 canal boat holiday rings and circuits: 1. The […]
Britain’s canals and rivers host hundreds of exciting events each year, bringing people to the waterways and celebrating the things that make them special. Here’s our pick of the best canalside events to head to on a canal boat holiday in 2024: 1. Easter Boat Gathering, Friday 29 March to 1 April The annual Easter […]
With Britain’s inland waterways in better shape than ever and providing havens for wildlife, narrowboat holidays are becoming increasingly popular. You don’t need a licence to steer a canal boat and all our operators provide tuition as part of their canal boat holiday hire. Today’s narrowboats are fully equipped with essential home comforts, including central […]
The ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ was compiled by Robert Aickman, co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association, and published in his book ‘Know Your Waterways’ over 70 years ago. Here at Drifters, we’ve added the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland (which opened in 2002) to make the perfect Canal Boat Holiday ‘Bucket List’ guide for 2024: […]
Canal boat holidays are fantastic for families – offering the chance to set off on an adventure together, learning how to work the locks and speak the boating lingo, as well as spotting wildlife, exploring traffic-free towpaths and visiting waterside attractions along the way. Drifters’ prices this Easter start at £710 for a short break […]
Britain’s beautiful inland waterways are a great place to visit in the Spring time, when the countryside is bursting into new life, with blossom on the hedges and waterside trees, birds busy rearing their young, spring lambs playing in the fields and bluebells in waterside woodlands. To celebrate the beauty of Spring-time on the canals, […]
You don’t need to be an expert to hire a canal boat, and each year around one fifth of narrowboat hirers are new to the waterways. With Britain’s 3,000-mile network of inland waterways in great shape, there’s never been a better time to try a narrow boat holiday. To help you get the most out […]
by Mark Whitley, editor of The Countryman magazine Friday It’s a sunny afternoon at Drifters’ Rugby Wharf narrowboat hire base, as I meet up with friends Jude, and John & Lynne. We’re here for a week-long exploration of the local canal network – our ultimate destination, the Ashby Canal. But first, an introduction to our […]