Spend Christmas or New Year on a narrow boat

Drifters offers Christmas and New Year holidays from six narrow boat hire bases

You can spend Christmas or New Year on a narrow boat with the choice of six departure points.

All our boats have central heating and hot water, and some of our boats also come with multi-fuel stoves.

Prices start at £635 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for up to four people. £875 for a week.

Please note, some routes are affected at times by the Canal & River Trust’s winter maintenance programme.

1. Travel along the Stratford Canal to Stratford upon Avon

From Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal at Wootton Wawen in Warwickshire, it’s a six-hour cruise to Stratford-upon-Avon. The journey takes you through the Warwickshire countryside, passing through 17 locks along the way. Christmas in Stratford-upon-Avon is magical with Christmas lights adorning ancient streets, picturesque pubs and restaurants with festive decorations, and the Stratford Town Walk which runs all year round, including Christmas Day.

2. Cruise the Trent & Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction

Heading south from our base at Great Haywood, boaters can reach Fradley Junction in around five hours. The journey passes through five locks and 12 miles of Staffordshire countryside, including the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At Fradley you’ll find a choice of places to eat, including The Swan pub, and woodland walks around Fradley Pool Nature Reserve.

3. Boat along the Llangollen Canal to Ellesmere

From our base at Whixall in Shropshire, it takes around four hours to reach the historic town of Ellesmere. The journey travels through the Shropshire Lake District, past Whixall Moss Nature Reserve, Lyneal Moss and Colemere Country Park. The pretty town of Ellesmere has a great choice of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, woodland walks around the Mere, sculpture trail, cycle paths and hire, a castle and Victorian gardens.

4. Navigate the Shropshire Union Canal to Chester

From Bunbury near Tarporley, you can cruise through the Cheshire countryside to Chester. This ancient city has so much to offer visitors, including Roman city walls to walk, shopping at the Chester Rows, many historic pubs and vibrant restaurants and an award winning Zoo. The journey to Chester and back takes 14 hours and passes through 18 locks (nine each way).

5. Travel along the Llangollen Canal to Llangollen

From Trevor in North Wales, it takes around two hours to cruise to Llangollen. There you can moor up in Llangollen Basin and enjoy visiting this historic town nestled in the Berwyn Mountains. Llangollen has great places to visit, including the magnificent Horseshoe Falls and the National Trust’s Plas Newydd House.

6. Cruise the Kennet & Avon Canal to Devizes and the Caen Hill flight

Beginning your journey at Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, it takes around eight hours to cruise through the Wiltshire countryside to Foxhangers Wharf at the base of the Caen Hill flight. There you can moor up and walk up the flight and into the vibrant market town of Devizes. The journey from Bradford on Avon to Foxhangers passes through seven locks.