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Visit a Christmas Market by canal boat
/in News /by Debbie LudfordDrifters offers winter cruising* on the canals from a number of its bases, with boats ranging from snug narrowboats for two, to larger vessels for twelve. It’s free to moor almost anywhere on the network, so a narrowboat could provide the perfect base for a self-catering rural retreat with stops at historic waterside pubs and […]
Multi-generational Narrow Boat Holiday Diary
/in News /by Debbie LudfordTowpath Talk editor Janet Richardson recently enjoyed a four-night family break on a Drifters boat, hired from our Stockton base. Here’s what Janet had to say about her ‘Far from the madding crowd’ multi-generational narrowboat holiday: Day 1 – from Stockton to Napton Junction (3 miles, 3 locks) In these days of staycations, families have […]
Explore the waterways by canal boat this October Half Term
/in News /by Debbie LudfordCanal boat holidays are great for families! They offer the chance to set off together on an adventure afloat, learning how to steer the boat, work the locks and stop at canalside attractions along the way. A licence isn’t required to steer a canal boat, and all Drifters operators provide hirers with boat steering tuition […]
Exploring the Kennet & Avon Canal from Hilperton
/in News /by Debbie LudfordCountryman Magazine editor Mark Whitley describes his recent Drifters narrow boat holiday, cruising the Kennet & Avon Canal from Hilperton to Keynsham, via Bradford on Avon and Bath. Created in the white heat of the Industrial Revolution, canals are nowadays places for pleasure and relaxation. One of the most popular canals is the Kennet & […]
Top 5 narrow boat holidays for the August Bank Holiday
/in News /by Debbie LudfordNarrow boat holidays provide a floating holiday home. Cruising along at just four miles per hour, watching out for wildlife along the way, you can take all the supplies you need for an adventure afloat. A licence isn’t required to steer a canal boat, and all our narrow boat hire operators provide boat steering tuition […]
Cruising the Avon Ring
/in News /by Debbie LudfordThe Avon Ring is one of a dozen or so popular circular routes for narrowboat holiday-makers. It covers a distance of 108 miles, passes through 130 locks and takes around two weeks to complete. Sections of the Stratford Canal, Worcester & Birmingham Canal, River Severn and River Avon make up the route. Drifters has canal […]
Tips on how to have good narrowboating manners
/in News /by Debbie LudfordThe waterways look set to be very busy this summer, so it’s more important than ever to have good boating manners. Tuition is included in all our holiday packages. During your boat handover, as well as showing you how to operate your boat, our boat yard staff will explain the rules and how to navigate […]
Top 9 Canal Boat Holidays for Autumn 2021
/in News /by Debbie LudfordA canal boat holiday is a great way to enjoy the splendid colours of autumn in the hedgerows and trees that line our waterways. And there’s plenty of wildlife to spot along the way during the autumn months, including flocks of fieldfare and redwing searching for hawthorn berries. Here are Drifters’ top nine narrowboat holiday […]
Tips for narrowboat holiday-makers, come rain or shine
/in News /by Debbie LudfordNigel and Kathryn Crawford of MrandMrs50Plus.com recently enjoyed a Drifters narrowboat holiday, setting off from our canal boat hire base at Worcester. The UK weather is a fickle thing. A May weekend on the canals can throw just about everything at you in just three days. On our recent Drifters narrowboat holiday we bounced from […]
Visit Coventry on a canal boat holiday
/in News /by Debbie LudfordThis year’s City of Culture – Coventry – is a key destination on the midlands canal network, so it’s a great place to visit on a canal boat holiday. The city, which led the way in the cloth and textiles trade, has its own canal. The Coventry Canal runs 38 miles from Coventry Basin, up […]