Top 10 canal boat holidays for 2025
The best boating breaks on Britain’s inland waterways in 2025
To help plan your next boating adventure, we’ve published a guide to our top 10 canal boat holidays for 2025.
With boats travelling at a maximum speed of 4mph, and over 3,000 miles of navigable inland waterways to explore across Britain, canal boat holidays really are the fastest way to slow down.
You can use your canal boat as a floating holiday home to set off on an adventure afloat. From rural retreats to vibrant city centres, there are hundreds of routes and destinations to choose from.
Drifters’ offers over 550 boats for hire from 45 locations across England, Scotland and Wales.
2025 hire prices start at £630 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four, £875 for a week. Tuition is included in our holiday hire price.
There are hundreds of routes and destinations to choose from. :
1. Visit the iconic Piece Hall in Halifax
From Sowerby Bridge, Salterhebble Basin on the Halifax Branch of the Calder & Hebble Navigation is a two mile cruise away. From there, it’s a two mile walk to Piece Hall, one of the most iconic heritage buildings in Britain. Once the centre of the global woollen trade, this monumental Georgian structure has an immense open air piazza. At Piece Hall you’ll find a mix of independent bars, shops and cafes, and a seasonal programme of events.
2. Travel round the Droitwich Ring
At just 21 miles long, the Droitwich Ring is the smallest canal circuit and can be done on a short break from Worcester. The restoration of the Droitwich Canals was completed in 2011, reconnecting them to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal and the River Severn. To complete the circuit, you’ll pass through 33 locks and it takes around 16 cruising hours.
3. Marvel at the Caen Hill Flight at Devizes
The spectacular 16 locks in a row climbing Caen Hill on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Devizes is one of the most impressive sights on the canal network. It’s part of a flight of 29 locks stretching for two miles and raising the canal up by 237ft. The Caen Hill Locks were the final section of the canal to be completed in 1810. And they were one of the final sections to be restored before the re-opening of the Kennet & Avon Canal in 1990. It takes around five hours to go up or down the flight. Canal & River Trust volunteer lock keepers are on hand to help and there are restricted opening hours. Our Devizes boat yard is at the base of the Caen Hill flight and you can also reach it on a short break from Hilperton, Bradford on Avon, Monkton Combe and Bath.
4. Follow the Lime Kiln Trail on the Mon & Brec
Isolated from the main canal network, the beautiful Monmouth & Brecon Canal runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park. The canal is home to a series of historic lime kilns. Stretching 35 miles from Brecon to Cwmbran, this peaceful waterway offers canal boat holiday-makers incredible mountain views. It also offers a fascinating insight into the history of lime production with historic lime kilns to visit Goytre, Gilwern and Llangattock. On a short break from Goytre Wharf, near Abergavenny, you can cruise lock-free to Llangynidr and back. On a week’s break you can continue on the Brecon.
5. See the ancient topiary at Packwood House
From Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal, it’s a seven-mile, 31-lock and 10-hour journey through the Forest of Arden to Lapworth Lock No 6. From there it’s a half-mile walk to the National Trust’s beautiful Tudor manor house Packwood House. Here, according to legend, the famous 350-year old trees in Packwood’s iconic Yew Garden represent Christ’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’.
6. Float across ‘The Stream in the Sky’
From Chirk on the Llangollen Canal, the awesome World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct can be reached on a short break. Standing at 38 metres high above the Dee Valley, this incredible structure consists of a cast iron trough carried on 19 enormous hollow pillars. With not even a hand rail on the south side of the aqueduct, you’ll literally feel like they are floating above the earth!
7. Discover the story of the Staffordshire Hoard
From Alvechurch on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, it takes five hours to reach Gas Street Basin in the centre of Birmingham. From there, it’s a short walk to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. There you can see the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found and learn about its warrior history. Hundreds of pieces from the Hoard are on show, along with hands-on displays exploring how these intriguing items were used, before they were buried 1,400 years ago.
8. Cruise the Cheshire Ring for some stunning Pennine views
On a 10-day or two-week break from Anderton on the Trent & Mersey Canal, you can cruise the mighty Cheshire Ring. The journey travels 97 miles, passes through 92 locks and takes around 48 hours. You’ll travel along six different waterways. Highlights include: spectacular views of the Pennines from the Macclesfield Canal; gentle rolling Cheshire countryside on the Trent & Mersey Canal; and Manchester city centre on the Rochdale Canal.
9. Climb Edinburgh’s extinct volcano for stunning views of the city
From Falkirk, on a four-night or week-long break you can travel through the Scottish Lowlands to Edinburgh and back. The journey starts with trip through the iconic Falkirk Wheel, the world’s first and only rotating boat lift. The wheel lifts boats 100ft from the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal above. The 32-mile journey along the Union Canal to Edinburgh passes through three locks and takes around 11 hours. Once at there, you can moor up at Edinburgh Quay, and walk through Holyrood Park to the top of Arthur’s Seat for stunning views of the city below.
10. Pass through Blisworth Tunnel to reach the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne
On a week’s break Stockton on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire, you can cruise through the countryside to Stoke Bruerne. The journey will include passing through the 2,813-metre long Blisworth Tunnel, the third longest on the network. Once in Stoke Bruerne, you can enjoy a choice of canalside pubs and woodland walks. And browsing the intriguing waterway history collections at the Canal & River Trust’s Canal Museum. The journey to Stoke Bruerne and back travels 57 miles, passing through 32 locks and takes around 24 hours.
