Southsea Wanderer, 24 October 2020
The Southsea Wander published a list of ‘5 Winter Canal Cruises’.
Tag Archive for: narrowboat hire
The Sunday Post, 18 October 2020
Liz Kavanagh reviews her first narrowboat holiday, travelling along the Union Canal in Scotland in her article ‘Who needs wheels! Boats for beginners’.
The Times, 17 October 2020
Helen Ochyra picks the ’25 best autumn breaks in the UK’ including ‘Canal cruising in Warwickshire’
Mudpie Fridays, 14 October 2020
Clare at Mudpie Fridays offers ’10 Tips for your first narrowboat break with kids’. She and her family took a canal boat holiday on the Kennet & Avon Canal.
https://mudpiefridays.com/2020/10/14/10-tips-for-your-first-narrowboat-break-with-kids/
The Saturday Express Magazine, 10 October 2020
‘A new world on the waterways’ reviews a Drifters canal boat holiday on the Kennet & Avon Canal
A Narrowboat Holiday in Northamptonshire
Countryman editor Mark Whitley describes his holiday on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire
The Grand Union Canal celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. A good reason to enjoy its many delights by on a week’s narrowboat holiday.
So on a sunny Saturday, I and three friends (my crew for the week) met up at Napton Marina. There we were warmly welcomed by Howard & Ann Davies of Napton Narrowboats. Napton Narrowboats are part of the Drifters group of canal boat hire operators.
They introduced us to our home-from-home — ‘Caroline’, a Regency 4 class narrowboat. She is luxuriously fitted out with all the mod cons, including a rear deck folding table (perfect for alfresco dining).
The boat yard staff give us an informative overview and tour of the boat.
The cruise to Braunston
Then we were off, beginning with a short section of the Oxford Canal. A couple of hours later we reached the pretty canal village of Braunston for our first overnight stop. We moored up alongside the Admiral Nelson pub, the perfect spot for a post-cruise drink or two on our first day.
The next day, after a leisurely breakfast, we were soon entering Braunston Tunnel. We kept a wary eye out for the Braunston boggart. This ghostly figure of a Victorian canal worker is said to haunt the tunnel.
A night at Weedon
Six miles, seven locks and three hours peaceful cruising later, we moored up near Weedon Bec for the night. Jon, our resident chef for the week, rustled up a wonderful meal for us all to enjoy. We ate while admiring the sunset with a glass of wine in hand.
On to Stoke Bruerne
Monday morning we cruised leisurely on and then through the 2800-metre long Blisworth Tunnel. Then we moored up at Stoke Bruerne for lunch. It’s a lovely spot to while away an hour or two. I enjoyed an ice cream while watching the canal traffic. It’s official, I’m a gongoozler!
In the afternoon we set off again, travelling through the flight of six locks at Stoke Bruerne. We then went on through the Northamptonshire countryside to Cosgrove. And then we cruised across the Iron Trunk Aqueduct, an exhilarating experience.
A night at Wolverton
Late afternoon, we moored up for the night near Wolverton. A couple of us headed off along the towpath to the local supermarket to replenish our supplies.
About turn
Tuesday, we turned around and headed back along the Grand Union Canal through Stoke Bruerne and Blisworth Tunnel. Then, shortly after we headed up the Northampton Arm. This is a lovely stretch of canal, though with 17 locks we get plenty of lock practice!
Overnight at Bugbrooke
Wednesday, we headed back re-join the mainline of the Grand Union again, and then cruised on overnight moorings at Bugbrooke. Here The Wharf pub has a lovely beer garden overlooking the canal.
Exploring Braunston
Thursday, we had another glorious day of boating and arrived back at Braunston by mid-afternoon. That left plenty of time to explore Braunston itself, where we found a couple of pubs, a village shop, a fish and chip take-away and a butcher’s.
Overnight at Napton
Friday, we re-joined the Oxford Canal for the final leg of our journey, to overnight at Napton Bridge. This was the perfect spot to reflect back on a wonderful week exploring the Grand Union Canal.
Saturday, as we left the boat, we were already planning our next narrowboat adventure. We’ve got the boating bug, that’s for sure!
8 ways to reduce plastic waste on your narrowboat holiday
Programmes like Blue Planet II have highlighted the damage plastic is wreaking on our oceans and the animals that live there.
More recently, David Attenborough’s BBC ‘Extinction’ programme gave a stark warning that 1 million species face extinction, unless we take urgent action now to protect biodiversity.
Our beautiful inland waterways are also affected by plastic waste. This poses a threat to our native biodiversity. And, as a staggering 80 per cent of marine debris comes from inland sources, to ocean life too.
To help combat the blight of plastic pollution in our canals and rivers, we’ve put together a list of easy ways to reduce the plastic waste you might generate on a canal boat holiday. And to prevent plastic from entering our waterways:
- Don’t use products with microbeads – much of the plastic polluting our waterways and oceans is microplastics which derive from bigger items breaking down. Also from consumer products like face wash and toothpaste. Avoid items with ‘polypropylene’ or ‘polyethylene’ on the ingredients list and go for natural biodegradable alternatives.
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products – make sure your washing up liquid and other cleaning products are eco-friendly. The water you’ve used to clean and wash-up with will drain directly into the canal.
- Bring a refillable thermos and reusable plastic bottles – So if you stop off to buy a coffee somewhere on your narrowboat holiday you won’t need a disposable cup and you won’t have to buy bottled water. You can use boiled water from the boat’s tank to make a cup of tea or coffee, and we suggest bringing one large bottle or canteen to top up at water points for drinking water.
- Bring your own shopping bags – remember to pack your re-useable bags every time you shop and avoid products with excess packaging.
- Make use of recycling facilities – there are an increasing number of boaters’ recycling points available and the rubbish you put in the Canal & River Trust’s canalside Biffa bins will be sorted at the depot, with suitable waste sent for recycling.
- Bag all rubbish – make sure the bags are tied securely so they don’t spill open. Only dispose of your bagged domestic rubbish inside bins marked domestic waste, and don’t forget to close the lid. If the bins are full, keep your rubbish securely on board until the next available waste disposal point.
- Control your fenders – A frightening number of plastic boat fenders end up at the bottom of locks. Don’t leave them dangling when cruising – except bow and stern fenders. And when your fenders are in use, make sure they are properly secured.
- Help clean up – take part in the Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge campaign. You can pledge to pick up and safely dispose of at least one piece of canalside litter a day while on your narrowboat holiday. For more information, go to https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/plastic-and-litter-in-our-canals
Travel to Bath by Narrowboat
Clare Minall and her family travelled to Bath and back on their first narrowboat holiday.
They set off for a weekend away from our canal boat hire base on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Hilperton. This is near Trowbridge in Wiltshire.
Clare describes their boat, saying it was “well appointed and had everything we needed for our stay”.
She says they had a full induction prior to getting onto the boat. Although they were daunted by what lay ahead after pulling out of the boat yard, they did get the hang of navigating quite quickly. They used a map from the boat yard to give them “prior warning of places to moor, bridges…locks and…turning points.”
They travelled through Bradford on Avon lock and over Avoncliff and Dundas Aqueducts. They stopped at the George Inn at Bathampton and enjoyed at cream tea at the Lock Café in Bradford on Avon. Clare describes Bradford on Avon as “reminiscent of Bath but without the crowds.”
To read Clare’s full review, go to https://mudpiefridays.com/2020/09/15/our-first-stay-on-a-narrowboat/
A family holiday on the Kennet & Avon Canal
Nichola from Globalmouse Travels and her family took a Drifters canal boat holiday on the Kennet & Avon Canal. They travelled from our Bath base.
They enjoyed watching ‘the beautiful Georgian architecture of Bath’ as they set off on their family adventure afloat. Nichola says ‘the children immediately loved it’, watching the ducks and swans from the bow of the boat.
They travelled over Dundas Aqueduct, enjoying ‘wonderful countryside views’. They stopped at Bradford on Avon and enjoyed Sunday lunch at The Boat House pub alongside the canal.
Nichola says, ‘The canal is at its most beautiful in the quiet of the morning’. And they loved listening to the sounds of the wildlife around them.
They found steering the boat ‘tricky’ at first. But they were impressed with the help and support they received from the boating community. Particularly when mooring up and going through Bradford on Avon Lock.
Summing up, Nichola says ‘there’s something very special about time on the waterways’. She describes canals as a ‘beautiful, peaceful escape’.
To find out more, visit https://www.globalmousetravels.com/summer-days-drifting-along-the-kennet-avon-canal-from-bath-to-bradford-on-avon/
Cruise through the countryside this October Half Term
Canal boat holidays are great for families – offering the chance to ship out together on an adventure afloat, learning how to navigate the canals, work the locks and watch out for waterway wildlife along the way.
A licence isn’t required to steer a canal boat and all our operators provide hirers with boat steering tuition as part of their holiday packages.
Here are Drifters’ top five canal boat holiday destinations for this October Half Term:
1. Cruise through the Warwickshire countryside to Packwood House – from our narrowboat hire base at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, it’s a peaceful seven-hour cruise through the countryside to the village of Lapworth. With locks along the way, it’s a great short break for beginners. Once moored up in Lapworth, you can take a short walk to the National Trust’s Packwood House, with magnificent gardens, and enjoy the Packwood Welly Walk for families, or the longer Packwood House to Baddesley Clinton walk through the Arden countryside.
2. Navigate the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation to Brighouse – on a short break from our boat yard at Sowerby Bridge, canal boat holiday-makers can travel to Brighouse and back along the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation. This historic town, famous for its Brighouse and Rastick Brass Band, offers glorious Pennines walks, places to eat and shops. Along the way, you’ll pass through the historic market town of Elland and the village of Mirfield, with medieval stocks and ducking stool. The journey there and back travels 12 miles, passes through 20 locks (10 each way) and takes around eight hours.
3. Glide across ‘The Stream in the Sky’ to Whitchurch – on a week’s holiday from our narrowboat hire centre at Trevor on the Llangollen Canal in North Wales, you can travel to Whitchurch and back. The journey there and back takes around 44 hours, passing through just four locks (two each way). Along the way, you’ll travel across the incredible UNESCO World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which carries the canal 38 metres high above the Dee Valley. The journey continues on through Ellesmere in the heart of the Shropshire Lake District. Before reaching historic Whitchurch, where there are plenty of places to moor and explore the town with independent shops, pubs, restaurants and way-marked walks.
4. Potter through the Shropshire countryside to Market Drayton – from our canal boat hire base at Brewood on the Shropshire Union Canal, it takes around 10 hours to reach the historic market town of Market Drayton, home of the gingerbread man – perfect for a mid-week break afloat. Along the way, you’ll pass through miles of beautiful Shropshire countryside, six locks and a series of villages with canalside pubs.
5. Wind your way to Castle Quay in Manchester – from our canal boat hire base at Anderton on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Cheshire, it takes around 10½ hours to reach Castle Quay, cruising along 31 miles of inland waterways and passing through just one lock. This route, which begins at the site of the incredible Anderton Boat Life, AKA ‘The Cathedral of the Canals’, is perfect for a four-night mid-week break afloat. It includes three tunnels, miles of quiet countryside, the pretty village of Lymm and an urban section passing the Manchester United football ground, Salford Quays and the Old Trafford Crick Ground, before reaching moorings at Castle Quay.
To check availability, go to www.drifters.co.uk.
For more information about visiting the canal network go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk