Grand Union Narrowboats has joined Drifters
We have a new canal boat hire base on the Grand Union Canal at Weedon
Grand Union Narrowboats, based at Weedon in Northamponshire, has joined the Drifters boating holidays group.
Now made up of 10 canal boat hire operators, Drifters aims to share best practice and promote canal boat holidays to newcomers.
Drifters offers the choice of over 500 canal boats for hire from 40 locations across England, Wales and Scotland. The group now represents over half the number of holiday hire boat available across Britain’s 2,000-mile canal network.
The Weedon hire fleet was been operating since 1963. The Furniss family bought the business in 2015, and Grand Union Narrowboats currently offers the choice of 14 narrowboats for hire. Boats range in size from narrowboats for two to eight people.
Grand Union Narrowboats owner Steve Furniss explains: “We’re pleased to be part of the Drifters group, helping to bring newcomers to our holidays. The tuition and reassurance we provide to newcomers is a key part of the service we provide to our customers. During our boat handovers, we show people how all the controls on the boat work and we ensure all our novice customers get practical steering tuition along with instruction through their first locks.
“From Weedon, we offer a great choice of routes on the Grand Union Canal, Oxford and Ashby canals, as well as the River Thames. Our most popular short breaks routes for beginners, include cruising south along the Grand Union Canal to Wolverton and back. This journey takes boaters through the historic canal villages of Bugbrooke, Stoke Bruerne and Cosgrove. Canal features include the Blisworth Tunnel, the flight of locks at Stoke Bruerne and famous Iron Trunk Aqueduct, and there are plenty of canalside pubs to choose from.”
Drifters 2025 hire prices start at £715 for a short break, £970 for a week on a boat for up to four people. Day hire prices start at £99 for a boat for up to 10 people.
