With Britain\u2019s inland waterways in better shape than ever, canal boat holidays are becoming increasingly popular and there are now more boats on the canal network than at the height of the Industrial Revolution.<\/p>\n
Each year, around one fifth of canal boat hirers are newcomers. A licence isn\u2019t required to steer a narrowboat and all our operators provide boat steering tuition as part of their holiday packages, so it\u2019s easy to get afloat.<\/p>\n
Here are our Top 10 canal boating tips for beginners to help smooth the waters:<\/p>\n
1. Keep to the right<\/strong> – unlike cars on our roads, boats travel on the right side of our canals and rivers so when you meet another boat, keep to the right<\/p>\n 2. Steering basics<\/strong> – push the tiller right to go left, and left to go right and put the engine in reverse to stop<\/p>\n 3. Use your horn<\/strong> \u2013 to warn boats coming towards you when approaching sharp bends and as you enter a tunnel<\/p>\n 4. Tunnel prep<\/strong> \u2013 switch on your headlight before entering a tunnel, if it\u2019s a one-way tunnel, make sure there\u2019s no boat inside and if you have to wait your turn, stay well clear of the entrance<\/p>\n 5. Don\u2019t speed<\/strong> \u2013 stick to the 4mph speed limit (you are going too fast if you are creating too much wash) and slow down before passing moored boats<\/p>\n 6. Mooring etiquette <\/strong>\u2013 when mooring up at busy spots, make sure you don\u2019t leave a big gap and never moor opposite winding holes, on bends, near to bridges, at water points (unless filling up) or on lock landings (unless waiting to lock through)<\/p>\n 7. Share locks<\/strong> \u2013 always share a lock with other boats if possible to conserve water and always wait your turn<\/p>\n 8. Keep the boat forward of the cill<\/strong> \u2013 the word \u2018Cill\u2019 and white lines are marked on the lock walls and warning signs are placed on lock gates to remind you to keep the boat forward of the top lock gate cill (step)<\/p>\n 9. Close the gates behind you<\/strong> \u2013 take time to check all paddles and gates are shut after you\u2019ve used a lock, unless you see another boat approaching, in which case leave the gates open to help them and don\u2019t prepare locks ahead of you unless there\u2019s nobody coming the other way<\/p>\n 10. Get the Boater\u2019s Handbook<\/strong> \u2013 the Canal & River Trust offers a free handbook to read and video to watch before going boating for the first time, offering advice on how to navigate the inland waterways safely https:\/\/www.drifters.co.uk\/boating-video.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Britain\u2019s inland waterways in better shape than ever, canal boat holidays are becoming increasingly popular and there are now more boats on the canal network than at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Each year, around one fifth of canal boat hirers are newcomers. A licence isn\u2019t required to steer a narrowboat and all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5,7,8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n