Booking your canal boat holiday.
You need to first check the availability of our boats and then choose the one you wish to book.
Booking your canal boat holiday can be done by either using the search facility at the top of every page, or you can use our Interactive Map.
Interactive Map
With the interactive map you can view the areas and canals and if you click on any base, you can see all the routes and recommended holidays from that location. In addition we have added a search option to these pages to help you find a boat based there.
Whichever method you use, once you find the holiday you are looking for, you can then click on the button, and we will deal with your request and contact you,
We will take the booking details and payment (have your credit card handy) over the phone so there are no security issues using your credit card etc. over the Internet. You will be contacted shortly afterwards by the Drifters member company you are booking with, so that they can confirm all the minor details and issue your paperwork etc.
Or you could just call us to discuss what would suit you best on 0344 984 0322.
(Overseas +44 1252 796404) Our friendly Helpline is open seven days a week. Finally you can always just email us info@drifters.co.uk
Office Hours:
Mon – Sat: 0900 hrs to 1730 hrs.
Finding your perfect Drifters Boating Holiday.
Choose a location:
This allows you to narrow down the results to the principle area that you wish to visit. It is usually preferable to make a selection here to reduce the number of options presented.
You can choose by general geographical area, or by county, or by waterway, or by starting location. You can also search on City breaks or cruising rings.
In England and Wales, we have canal boat (narrowboats) and barges on the canals, rivers and most of the inland navigations.
In Scotland, we have canal boats (narrowboats) on the Forth & Clyde canal and the Union Canal
Select dates:
Select the period containing the date you would like the holiday to start.
You should bear in mind that if the search comes back with lots of pages of results, they will be listed in date order so you can skip to your ideal dates quickly.
Holiday Duration:
This section is self-explanatory, but if you do not select a specific period, it will return all the boats available within the selected date range, which can be a bit daunting!
How Many people:
This obviously is in order that you find a boat with sufficient beds to accommodate everyone. However, there are times of the year when there is a shortage of boats still available, so although you may only require say, a two berth boat, it might be best to select a larger boat so may then find that there is a slightly larger boat available at a suitable price.
You may want a boat with plenty of space for your group and so you can simply select a larger number.
Advanced Search:
This optional section lets you choose your preferred start day and various other criteria.
Search Results:
Once the results of your search have been displayed (in date order), there are two clear additional options to help you further refine your choices.
Filter Your Results:
Another chance to use the Advanced Search options on your results.
Sort Your results:
Another self-explanatory set of helpful options to allow you to further refine your selection.
Drifters boating holidays are also available in German and Dutch language versions at Great British Boating