Hundreds of pubs can be found alongside Britain’s inland waterways, many of them historic rural locals offering the perfect place to eat, drink and relax on a canal boat holiday. With names like the Lock, the Navigation, the Narrowboat and Bridge, canalside pubs often date back to the construction of the canals over 200 years […]

  Day boat hire on the canals offers the chance to treat Dads with a fun day out on the water, nourished by a pint and a pub lunch along the way. Drifters offers day boat hire from 18 canal boat hire yards, from less than £10 per person. Full tuition is included so if […]

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. Waterway events make great destinations for canal boat holiday-makers, so we’ve put together a list of the top 10 events for 2018, along with information on our nearest canal boat hire […]

To celebrate the approaching May bank holiday holidays, Drifters has put together its top five short break narrowboat holidays: 1. See the pop-up art installations on the Droitwich Ring – as part of the Canal & River Trust’s Arts of the Waterways programme, the charity has commissioned artists to produce dynamic temporary artworks and live […]

From March, a series of events and art installations will take place to celebrate the 21-mile circle of historic waterways which make up the Mid-Worcestershire Ring. The route, which reopened seven years ago following the restoration of the Droitwich Canals, flows through the urban and rural landscapes of Worcester and Droitwich, via the Droitwich Canals, […]

There are now over 30,000 canal boats on our inland waterways, more than at the time of the Industrial Revolution, and half a century after the 1968 Transport Act officially recognised Britain’s canal network as a major leisure resource, the popularity of canal boat holidays continues to increase. Today’s canal boats for hire are fully […]

Celebrate Mother’s Day by treating your Mum to a relaxing day afloat, nourished by a picnic afloat or a pub lunch along the way. Drifters offers day boat hire at 18 boat yards, from less than £10 per person. Full tuition is included so those new to canal boating can get the hang of steering, […]

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 £495 for a short break […]

With Britain’s inland waterways in better shape than ever, narrowboat holidays are becoming increasingly popular, and there are now more boats on the canal network than at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Each year, around one fifth of canal boat hirers are newcomers. A licence isn’t required to steer a narrowboat and all our […]

Cosy double berths, quiet moorings and historic canalside pubs with roaring log fires make canals the perfect Romantic hideaway. Drifters offers winter cruising* and romantic boats for two from a number of its bases, giving couples the chance to escape on board their very own ‘love boat’. Today’s canal boats are fully equipped with all […]