Elaine Wilson – of the award-winning Eccentric England blog – enjoyed an autumn narrowboat holiday press trip from Drifters’ canal boat hire base on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal at Gailey https://eccentricengland.co.uk/home/canal-holiday-drifters/
A canal boat holiday is a great way to enjoy the splendid colours of autumn in the hedgerows and trees that line our waterways.
Narrowboats are like floating holiday cottages, with everything holiday-makers need on board for a self-catering adventure afloat.
Autumn 2022 hire prices start at £561 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four people, £865 for a week.
Here’s a guide to Drifters’ top seven canal boat holiday destinations for Autumn 2022:
1. Potter through the Shropshire countryside to Market Drayton
From our canal boat hire base at Autherley on the Shropshire Union Canal, it takes around 12 hours to reach the historic market town of Market Drayton, home of the gingerbread man. Along the way, you’ll pass through 26 miles of beautiful Shropshire countryside, seven locks, and a series of wooded canal cuttings, now havens for wildlife. The route passes through the historic villages of Brewood, Wheaton Aston and Gnosall. And a series of canalside pubs, including the Junction Inn at Norbury and the Hartley Arms at Wheaton Aston. There are nature reserves to visit at Wheaton Aston (Mottey Meadows), Norbury (Loynton Moss), and Brewood (Belvide Reservoir). The journey to Market Harborough and back takes around 24 hours, perfect for a relaxed week away.
2. Visit Georgian Bath afloat
On a four-night mid-week break from our Devizes base on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire, you can travel to the World Heritage Status City of Bath and back. The journey to Sydney Wharf takes around 10 hours, travelling across two magnificent aqueducts and passing through 10 locks. There’s a choice of canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Seend and the Cross Guns at Avoncliff. There are moorings a short walk from Bath City Centre at Sydney Wharf.
3. Explore Skipton and its medieval castle
On a short break from our Barnoldswick base, you can head east along he Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Skipton. The journey there and back travels 26 miles, passes through 30 locks (15 each way) and takes around 20 cruising hours. This breath-taking route winds along the contours of the side of Airedale. There are extensive views of sheep country – farmhouses, barns, stone walls and the occasional village or town. Once in Skipton, you can moor in the centre of the town, visit shops and restaurants and explore the 900-year old Skipton Castle.
4. Cruise to Manchester
On a week’s break from our narrowboat hire base at Acton Bridge, you can cruise to Manchester and back. The route, which passes through a mixture of urban and rural landscapes, travels 68 miles of waterway (34 each way) and passes through just one lock. Places to stop off at along the way, include Stockton Heath, with a choice of shops, boutiques, restaurants and pubs, and the historic village of Lymm. On arrival in Manchester, there are places to moor at Castlefield Basin, within easy reach of City Centre attractions. And to visit the Trafford Centre, you can return via Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal.
5. Travel along the Stratford Canal to Stratford upon Avon
From our base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, it’s a picturesque seven-hour cruise to Stratford upon Avon. The route, which is perfect for a short break, passes through 17 locks. Along the way, you’ll cruise through the Warwickshire countryside, with plenty of hedgerow foraging opportunities along the way. Once at the birthplace of the Bard, there are over-night moorings in Bancroft Basin. This is perfect to use as a base to explore the town’s many independent shops, restaurants, theatres and museums.
6. Glide across The Stream in the Sky
On a week’s break from our canal boat rental base at Wrenbury Mill on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, you can cruise through the Shropshire Lake District to the pretty town of Llangollen. The journey takes 19 hours, passes through 12 locks and two tunnels. It crosses the magnificent World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, also known as ‘The Stream in the Sky’, with amazing views across the Dee Valley and the Welsh Mountains.
7. Cruise through the Scottish lowlands to Ratho
From our base at the Falkirk Wheel boat lift, it’s a peaceful eight-hour cruise along the Union Canal to the historic village of Ratho. The route to Ratho travels 24 miles, passes through three locks, two tunnels and over two aqueducts. It also passes close to the historic town of Linlithgow, home to the ruins of Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.
‘Plan it, book it, love it’ Cruise through the Scottish lowlands
‘25 of the best boating holidays in Europe’ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/25-of-the-best-boating-holidays-in-europe-665r2lzn8
‘Take a boating holiday in 2022’ https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/take-a-boating-holiday-in-2022
Top 6 August Bank Holiday canal boat breaks
Narrow boat holidays provide a floating holiday home. Cruising along at just four miles per hour, watching out for wildlife along the way, you can take all the supplies you need for a stayction adventure afloat.
A licence isn’t required to steer a canal boat. And all our narrow boat hire operators provide boat steering tuition as part of their holiday packages.
Ahead of the 2022 August Bank Holiday long weekend, we’ve listed our top six short break narrow boat holidays:
1. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Status City of Bath
On a short break canal boat holiday from Drifters’ canal boat rental base at Hilperton, near Trowbridge in Wiltshire, you can to cruise to Bath and back. The route travels along 13 miles of the Kennet & Avon Canal, passing through three locks and over two aqueducts. Along the way, you’ll pass a series of canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Bradford on Avon and the Cross Guns at Avoncliff. There are moorings at Sydney Gardens, just a 15 minute walk away from the City Centre.
2. Cruise through the Shropshire Lake District
On a mid-week break from our canal boat hire at Wrenbury Mill on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, you can cruise to Ellesmere in the heart of the Shropshire Lake District. Ellesmere is a vibrant market town with a good choice of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. There are formal gardens and woodland walks to enjoy. The journey there and back travels 39 miles, passes through 20 locks and takes around 22 hours.
3. Cruise to Coventry Basin to explore the 2021 City of Culture
From our base at Kings Orchard on the Coventry Canal it takes 16 hours, travelling 34 miles and passing through 13 locks to reach Coventry Basin. The route takes you through the Staffordshire countryside, and past a series of canalside pubs, including The Greyhound Inn at Hawkesbury Junction. Once at Coventry, you can moor up to explore the City, including its magnificent Cathedral and the Coventry Transport Museu.
4. Navigate to Chester and back for some Roman history
On a short break from our base at Bunbury near Tarporley in Cheshire, you can travel to the ancient City of Chester. The route takes you along the Shropshire Union Canal through beautiful unspoilt countryside. Along the way, you’ll pass the ruins of Beeston Castle and the village of Christleton. Once at Chester, you can moor up to explore the Roman City Walls and amphitheatre. The journey there and back travels 24 miles, passes through 18 locks and takes around 14 hours.
5. Explore Birmingham by canal boat
With more canals than Venice, travelling by canal boat is a great way to explore Britain’s second city. From our base at Tardebigge on the Worcestershire & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, you can cruise into the centre of Birmingham. The route begins in the countryside, going through two tunnels and passing a series of rural canalside pubs. Gradually the scenery becomes more urban as you travel right into the heart of Birmingham City Centre. Moorings for visiting narrow boats are available in Gas Street Basin, close to Brindleyplace. The journey there and back takes around 10 hours. There are no locks, so it’s good route for beginners.
6. Travel along the leafy Calder & Hebble to Brighouse
On a short break from Drifters’ boat yard at Sowerby Bridge, canal boat holiday-makers can travel to Brighouse and back. This historic town, famous for its Brighouse and Rastick Brass Band, offers glorious Pennines walks, as well as great places to eat and shop. Along the way, boaters 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.
Britain’s 3,000-mile network of navigable canals and rivers is home to dozens of waterside museums and attractions, many of them linked to our nation’s industrial past.
To celebrate, we’ve published a guide to the Top 8 waterside museums to visit afloat in 2022:
Famous as a filming location for The Peaky Blinders, this 26-acre open air museum on the Birmingham Canal Navigations, gives visitors an insight into life in one of the world’s most heavily industrialised landscapes. From our narrow boat hire base on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Tardebigge, it takes around eight hours to cruise to the Birmingham Black Country Museum. The journey travels 23 miles and passes through three locks.
Next to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Canal Road in Leeds, this museum explores the inventions that shaped Leeds, from Scootacars to steam engines, and space food to Spirograph. It takes around 26 hours to cruise to the Leeds Industrial Museum from our canal boat hire base on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Barnoldswick. The journey travels 40 miles and passes through 38 locks.
On the banks of the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, this museum brings together a unique fleet of historic boats, docks, warehouses, forge, stables and workers cottages, with rich collections and archives, to tell the story of Britain’s canals. It takes around 11 hours to cruise to the National Waterways Museum from our boat yard on the Shropshire Union Canal at Bunbury. The journey travels 21 miles and passes through 16 locks.
This modern gallery on the banks of the Calder & Hebble Navigation showcases the extraordinary work by the British sculptor Barbara Hepworth. There are also works on display by Henry Moore, Antony Gormley, David Hockney, Bridget Riley and Anthony Caro. It takes around 22 hours to reach the Hepworth Wakefield Museum from Drifters’ canal boat hire base at Sowerby Bridge.
This incredible medieval castle on the banks of the River Avon offers a fantastic day out, with Flight of the Eagles displays, Horrible Histories Maze, Kingmaker exhibition, towers and ramparts to climb, the Castle Dungeon tour and Mighty Trebuchet firing spectacle. It takes around eight hours to reach moorings close to Warwick Castle from our canal boat hire base at Stockton on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire. The journey travels 11 miles and passes through 22 locks.
On the banks of the Grand Union Canal in Northampton, this quirky little museum in a historic tells the story of Britain’s canals through archive films, models and artefacts. It takes around one and a half hours to reach the Museum from our canal boat hire rental at Gayton. The route takes boaters through the Blisworth Tunnel, which at 3,076 yards long is the third longest on the canal network and takes 30 minutes to cruise through.
Connecting the River Weaver Navigation and the Trent & Mersey Canal, the Anderton Boat Lift and its museum, tell the story of this incredible Victorian structure, nicknamed ‘The Cathedral of the Canals’. It takes around 21 hours to reach Anderton Boat Lift from our base at Acton Bridge on the Trent & Mersey Canal. The journey cruises 21 miles and passes through eight locks. Drifters also has a hire boat base next to the Lift.
Part of Bristol’s Floating Harbour, ‘We The Curious’ is a science centre and educational charity with interactive displays, a planetarium and exhibitions. It takes around eight hours to cruise there from our canal barge rental base at Bath. The journey cruises 17 miles along the Kennet & Avon Canal and Bristol Avon, and passes through 13 locks.
Canal boat holidays are great for families! They offer the chance to set off together on an adventure afloat, learning how to steer the boat, work the locks and stop at canalside attractions along the way.
A licence isn’t required to steer a canal boat, and all Drifters operators provide hirers with boat steering tuition as part of their holiday packages. All our narrow boats are equipped with essential home comforts, including central heating, hot water, TV, showers, flushing toilets, and many now have WiFi too.
Here are Drifters Top 5 narrowboat holidays for beginners for the October Half Term holiday:
On a short break from Drifters’ boat yard at Sowerby Bridge, you can travel to Brighouse and back. This historic town, famous for its Brighouse and Rastick Brass Band, offers glorious Pennines walks, as well as great places to eat and shop. 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.
From our narrow boat hire base at Whixall on the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal, you can cruise to Ellesmere in the heart of the Shropshire Lake District. The journey to Ellesmere takes around four cruising hours and there are no locks to pass through. Once at Ellesmere, there’s a choice of independent shops and restaurants, as well as gardens, woods and castle grounds to explore.
From our narrowboat hire base at Braunston, it takes 12 hours to reach Coventry Basin. The journey travels 28 miles and passes through just four locks, perfect for a week away. You’ll go up the North Oxford Canal, transferring on to the Coventry Canal at Hawksbury Junction. The route will take you through the Northamptonshire countryside, and past a series of canalside pubs, including the Greyhound Inn at Hawkesbury Junction.
On a week’s break departing from our Gailey base on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, you can cruise to Market Drayton and back. The journey there and back cruises 68 miles, passes through 14 locks and takes around 30 hours. Highlights include: the historic village of Brewood; walks at Belvide Reservoir; and cruising through deep wooded cuttings. There’s a good choice of canalside pubs along the way, including the Royal Oak at Gnosnall.
On a short break from our Devizes base in Wiltshire, you can travel along the beautiful Kennet & Avon Canal to moorings at Sydney Wharf. The journey travels 19 miles, passing through eight locks and takes around nine hours. Along the way, the route passes through a series of towns and villages with canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Bradford on Avon and the Cross Guns at Avoncliff. Once at Sydney Wharf, you can moor up and take a 15-minute walk into Bath City Centre to visit the Roman Baths and other World class attractions.
The Avon Ring is one of a dozen or so popular circular routes for narrowboat holiday-makers.
It covers a distance of 108 miles, passes through 130 locks and takes around two weeks to complete. Sections of the Stratford Canal, Worcester & Birmingham Canal, River Severn and River Avon make up the route.
Drifters has canal boat hire bases on the ring route at Tardebigge, Alvechurch, Stoke Prior and Worcester on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, as well as Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal.
Starting from Tardebigge and travelling anti-clockwise round the Avon Ring, from abbeys and canalside pubs, to theatres and Tudor mansions, here’s a guide to the highlights:
With 30 locks in just 2¼ miles it’s the longest lock flight in the country. There are fantastic views of the Worcestershire countryside to enjoy as boaters descend, with popular Queen’s Head pub to enjoy between locks 29 and 28. Drifters’ Stoke Prior base is halfway down the flight.
The Eagle & Sun pub at Hanbury is a popular staging post for narrowboat holiday-makers. It’s on the junction where the Droitwich Junction Canal meets the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Opened in the 19th century to allow transhipment of cargoes between the River Severn and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. Two broad locks take boaters down into the River, operated by lock keepers.
With the distant outline of the Malvern Hills in overlooking this magnificent river takes boaters through miles of peaceful countryside. Upton on Severn is a good place to moor, with plenty of shops and pubs.
This historic market town with its 12-century abbey, half-timbered buildings and historic pubs is a great place to visit, and it’s here that the River Severn meets the River Avon.
One of the finest market towns in Worcestershire, Pershore offers lots of places to eat and shop, and a magnificent abbey to explore.
Site of another famous abbey and plenty of pubs and cafes too.
The seven arched medieval bridge at Bidford dates from 1482. Look out for signage, as only one of the arches is suitable for boats to pass through.
Shakespeare’s home town has a great choice of shops, pubs, cafes, museums and theatres. Bancroft Basin right opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is the perfect place to moor up and explore the town. The Basin connects the River Avon with the Stratford Canal.
The Stratford Canal is a narrow canal and the flight of 11 locks at Wilmcote take boaters up to the village of Wilmcote. This historic village is home to Mary Arden’s Farm, one of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s museums and where Shakespeare’s mother grew up.
The longest cast iron structure in England, the impressive Edstone Aqueduct offers great views of the surrounding Warwickshire countryside.
There’s another smaller aqueduct here, a Drifters canal boat hire base here and the Yew Tree Farm farm shop and Cowshed Cafe.
One of a series of quiet villages through which the Stratford Canal passes, Lowsonford is famous for its Fleur de Lys pub.
Fifteen locks at Lapworth take boaters up hill to Hockley Heath, passing close to the National Trust’s Tudor mansion, Packwood House. There’s a good choice of places to eat and drink at Hockley Heath, including a Chinese takeaway and the canalside Wharf pub.
After passing through Brandwood Tunnel and the stop lock with its guillotine-like gate hanging overhead, boaters reach the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at King’s Norton Junction.
Turning left at King’s Norton Junction, boaters soon encounter the 2,726 yard long Wast Hill Tunnel. The journey through the tunnel, which is wide enough for two boats to pass, takes around 30 minutes.
There’s a choice of canalside pubs here. The Crown and the Weighbridge at Alvechurch marina, one of Drifters’ narrowboat hire bases.
Just under an hour later, boaters will be back at Tardebigge.
A canal boat holiday is a great way to enjoy the splendid colours of autumn in the hedgerows and trees that line our waterways. And there’s plenty of wildlife to spot along the way during the autumn months, including flocks of fieldfare and redwing searching for hawthorn berries.
Here are Drifters’ top nine narrowboat holiday destinations for autumn 2021:
1. Visit Coventry UK City of Culture afloat
From Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Braunston, it takes 12 hours to reach Coventry Basin, travelling 28 miles and passing through just four locks. The journey takes boaters up the North Oxford Canal, transferring on to the Coventry Canal at Hawksbury Junction. Along the way, boaters travel through the Northamptonshire countryside, passing a series of canalside pubs, including the popular Greyhound Inn at Hawkesbury Junction.
2. Go blackberry picking on the Stratford Canal
From our canal boat hire base at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, it’s a seven-hour cruise to Stratford upon Avon. The route, which is perfect for a short break, passes through the Warwickshire countryside, with plenty of hedgerow foraging opportunities along the way. Once at the birthplace of the Bard, boaters can moor up in Bancroft Basin and use it as a base to explore the town’s many independent shops, restaurants and museums.
3. Complete the Stourport Ring
On a week’s break from our base at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, boaters can travel the popular Stourport Ring. This circuit travels 74 miles and passes through 118 locks in around 44 cruising hours. Highlights include: Gas Street Basin in Birmingham City Centre; open countryside on the River Severn; and the Tardebigge Flight of 30 locks.
4. Glide across The Stream in the Sky
On a week’s break from our base at Whixall on the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire, boaters can reach the pretty town of Llangollen. The journey takes 12 hours, passes through two locks, two tunnel and crosses over the magnificent World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. From there, boaters can enjoy amazing views across the Dee Valley and the Welsh Mountains.
5. Cruise to Manchester & back
On a week’s break from Acton Bridge, canal boaters can cruise to Manchester and back. The route, which passes through a mixture of urban and rural landscapes, travels 68 miles of waterway (34 each way) and passes through just one lock. Places to stop off at along the way, include Stockton Heath, with a choice of shops, boutiques, restaurants and pubs, and the historic village of Lymm. On arrival in Manchester, there are places to moor at Castlefield Basin, within easy reach of City Centre attractions. And to visit the Trafford Centre, boaters can return via Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal.
6. Drift through the Calder Valley
On a short break from Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, boaters can travel along the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation to the old mill town of Hebden Bridge. Climbing through woods, fields and small stone towns, the journey to Hebden Bridge covers seven miles, passes through 10 locks and takes around five and a half hours. Once at Hebden, boaters can moor in the centre of town to enjoy a good choice of places to eat, as well as hikes up to Heptonstall or Hardcastle Crags.
7. Cruise through the Scottish lowlands to Linlithgow
On a short break from Falkirk, boaters can experience a peaceful five-hour cruise through the Scottish lowlands to the historic town of Linlithgow. The route passes over the Falkirk Wheel (the world’s first rotating boat lift), goes through two tunnels and crosses two aqueducts on the Union Canal.
8. Potter through the Shropshire countryside to Market Drayton
From Brewood on the Shropshire Union Canal, it takes around 10 hours to reach the historic market town of Market Drayton. Along the way, boaters pass through miles of beautiful Shropshire countryside, six locks and a series of villages with canalside pubs. Pubs include the Junction Inn at Norbury and the Royal Oak at Gnosnall.
9. Cruise through the Bath Valley
On a short break from Hilperton on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire, boaters can travel to the World Heritage Status City of Bath and back. The journey to Sydney Wharf takes just six hours, travelling across two magnificent aqueducts and passing through one lock. There’s a choice of canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Seend and the Cross Guns at Avoncliff. Once in Bath, boaters can moor up a short walk away from the centre of Bath.