The view from the deck of a narrowboat is a perfect way to observe the British Countryside. The articles below detail some of the most popular narrowboat holiday areas, and outline what you should look for when looking at narrowboat hire.

Canal Cruising Rings
Canal cruising rings have always proved popular to those people who are looking for particular narrowboat holiday routes or narrowboat holiday ideas that gives them a wide degree of variety. Most cruising rings can be completed inside a fortnight but (click here for more)

Disabled Narrowboat Hire
I have been asked on a number of occasions about disabled canal boat hire, whether a narrowboat or widebeam for a day or longer periods. Is a narrowboat a suitable place for less able people, in particular, those who are wheelchair bound? (click here for more)

The Seven Wonders of the Waterways
Just over 50 years ago, Robert Aickman, the co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association published his book ‘Know Your Waterways’. Within its covers, he compiled what became to be known as his Seven Wonders of the Waterways. I list seven below which I regard (click here for more)

Day Boat Hire on the Canal
Hiring a day boat – to many people, this is their first introduction to narrowboating, perhaps as a prelude to taking their first narrowboat holiday. Many narrowboat hire companies offer the chance for a group of people (typically up to a dozen) to experience day boat hire on (click here for more)

Narrowboat Holidays – The Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal (it’s a lot shorter than having to say its full name of the Caldon Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal) was opened in 1779. It was originally built to bring limestone down from the quarries at Caldon Low – which lies a few miles away to the east – and starts its journey at Etruria Junction. If you have a little time, Etruria is an interesting place for (click here for more)

Narrowboat Holidays
Most narrow boat owners started their initial experience with the canal and river network on one of the many UK narrowboating holidays available across the UK. So what makes a good narrow boat hire company, and where should you cruise? (click here for more)

Narrowboat Holiday Hire
Narrowboat holidays are one of the most peaceful and relaxing ways of seeing the canal system of Great Britain. A number of companies offer boating holidays from a widely spaced network of boat hire centres dotted all around the country, and each offers its own attractions (click here for more)

Narrowboating on Urban Canals
Talk to people about canal cruising and the picture that springs to most minds is a lazy summers evening on a boat outside a country pub, miles from anywhere. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that (I’ve even been known to try a pint or two myself), but the narrowboater who never ventures into an urban environment is missing a trick. (click here for more)

Boat Hire on the Norfolk Broads
One of the big attractions for people who wish to use a hire boat to explore the Norfolk Broads is the fact that the extensive Norfolk Broad system offers the first time boater a virtually lock free cruising environment (click here for more)

Where can a narrowboat go?
Everyone has a view of what constitutes their ‘favourite’ waterway – and your choice may well depend upon what interests you about the canal and river network. Some narrow boaters prefer to escape to the more remote parts of the network, and I have a particular liking for the Caldon Canal (click here for more)

Canals, Pubs and Walking
There are literally thousands of miles of towpath that run alongside the canal network of Britain, and despite some of it falling into poor repair (particularly in sections of the South Oxford canal!) most is suitable for walking by people of all ages. One of the big advantages for the more sedentary walker is the fact that (click here for more)

Canals Throughout the Countryside
Although Britain’s canals were designed to link industrial cities across the country, they had to cross a lot of countryside to do it! For example – you could start your journey in Gloucester and navigate all the way to Yorkshire. Although there are some isolated canals such as (click here for more)