Canal Boat Holidays Facts and Figures
- There are over 35,000 canal boats on our inland waterways, more than at the time of the Industrial Revolution.
- Drifters offers self-drive hire boats from 40 bases across England, Scotland and Wales, with day boat hire offered from 19 boat yards.
- Drifters Waterway Holidays is made up of nine hire boat companies: ABC Boat Hire; Anglo Welsh; Black Prince; Countrywide Cruisers; Foxhangers; Kate Boats; Napton Narrowboats; Shire Cruisers; and Union Canal Carriers.
- There are around 1,000 holiday hire boats in the UK, and Drifters’ members operate over 500 of those boats.
- The popularity of narrow boating has been fuelled by the waterways renaissance which has swept across the UK in the last 25 years, with over 220 new miles of waterways re-opened and over £2billion invested.
- Around 450,000 people go canal boating each year in the UK (Source: British Marine’s ‘Watersports Participation Report 2018’).
- A licence isn’t required to drive a canal boat and tuition is included in all Drifters’ hire prices.
- There are over 3,000 miles of navigable canals and rivers to explore in Britain, 2,200 run by the Canal & River Trust.
- The main hire boat Season runs from March to October, narrowboats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate from two to 12 people.
- 2025 short break prices start at £630 on a boat for four people, and £875 for a week.
