Canal / Narrow Boat Holiday

[LSainsbury]

Evening,

We've been talked into a canal boat holiday for a few days sometime in June / July time with some friends. I was wondering if any of you lot have been on one before.

Got any tips on what to take, navigating, locks etc?


I've been on a narrow boat before for a day trip (with us doing the work) so I kinda know what to expect.

Cheers!

Lee

[WHISTLED]

Not been but would love to, just my thing that pottering along for a week.

[Cobbydaler]

Get the relevant Nicholson guide (http://www.waterwaysguides.co.uk/nicholson.htm)

Invaluable for places of interest, pubs & restaurants to eat in etc....

[tweetypie/8]

Evening,

We've been talked into a canal boat holiday for a few days sometime in June / July time with some friends. I was wondering if any of you lot have been on one before.

Got any tips on what to take, navigating, locks etc?


I've been on a narrow boat before for a day trip (with us doing the work) so I kinda know what to expect.

Cheers!

Lee

i would love to give it a go,sounds very relaxing.lol.;)

[Angua]

Colleague does this every holiday (even planning to spend a year doing this when her husband retires). I will ask her for tips when she is back on Wednesday.

[greencreeper]

I'll be watching the thread with interest. My mate has mentioned a holiday he had when he was younger - Norfolk Broads on a boat. I was planning to investigate logistics and costs. I can't swim, so I'm a bit worried about sinking. Then there's mechanical failure, fire, vicious dogs, and food.

[Nidge]

Evening,

We've been talked into a canal boat holiday for a few days sometime in June / July time with some friends. I was wondering if any of you lot have been on one before.

Got any tips on what to take, navigating, locks etc?


I've been on a narrow boat before for a day trip (with us doing the work) so I kinda know what to expect.

Cheers!

Lee

It's easy as anything mate, once you've done one lock all the others will come naturally.

I did a canal holiday some years ago and it was the best holiday I'd had in ages, there's nothing better than waking up in the morning at the side of the river bank with other boats around you cooking bacon, there's also the benefits of stopping at one of the hundreds of pubs that are dotted round the canal network.

You'll enjoy it mate.

[Scarlett]

One thing I saw some time ago was a strong magnet on a rope, usefull especailly when you watch you car keys sinking into the canal...

[Valerie]

Canal boat holidays are great fun! My tips:


take lots of books to read - it's so relaxing sitting on top of the boat as it gently makes it's way
moore up for the night early to get the good places. pubs will often be happy for you to moore at their gardens as long as you stop for a drink!
Check the toilet is empty when you pick it up! forgot to check once and only discovered when full & smelly
Moore up well - sat admiring the scenery changing once before realising I was supposed to be tied up
It is possible to 3 point turn a narrow boat in a wide enough place (my husband did it using the flow of the river) but it's better to plan your journey well instead!Hope you have a great holiday

[Vlad_Dracul]

One thing I saw some time ago was a strong magnet on a rope, usefull especailly when you watch you car keys sinking into the canal...

Youcan b a commercially made floating keyring in yachty type stores. Otherwie,just tie you keys to sonething that floats or puch a hole on a tennis ball and thread some string through it..

[Jules]

Sounds like a great idea for a holiday :tu:

[papa smurf]

never been on a narrow boat , but i go boating on the norfolk broads every year[cabin cruiser] its great ,its so peacfull its a whole new world ,my sons love it its a great adventure i go at the end of july ,cant wait. top tip take loads of booze and loads xtra in case you run out, things can be expensive riverside we allways take ample food n drink .

[greencreeper]

Expensive though - I was doing a bit of research this morning, and it's definitely a save-up job

[Angua]

Tips from my colleague (a regular boater)

Take more clothes than you think & layer. You can work up quite a sweat doing locks but be cold otherwise & not your best stuff (very easy to get muddy hopping on & off the boat).

Good non slip walking shoes (preferably 2 pairs in case one pair gets wet).

Always keep enough food for emergencies (she takes 4 days worth for a 7 night trip) as relying on shops which may be a long walk from the river (and then closed when you get there). You could end up moored far from anywhere if you time it wrong once it gets dark. Or the pub you manage to get to is not doing food that evening.

Make sure you get some training on how to use all the controls and are sure of what you should do in various situations.

Take a well charged mobile & keep a regular check of landmarks & bridge numbers as you travel (in case of emergencies).

Pay attention to signs especially ones which warn you not to leave your boat unattended (one like this near the Cadbury factory).

Otherwise have fun :tu:

[papa smurf]

Tips from my colleague (a regular boater)

Take more clothes than you think & layer. You can work up quite a sweat doing locks but be cold otherwise & not your best stuff (very easy to get muddy hopping on & off the boat).

Good non slip walking shoes (preferably 2 pairs in case one pair gets wet).

Always keep enough food for emergencies (she takes 4 days worth for a 7 night trip) as relying on shops which may be a long walk from the river (and then closed when you get there). You could end up moored far from anywhere if you time it wrong once it gets dark. Or the pub you manage to get to is not doing food that evening.

Make sure you get some training on how to use all the controls and are sure of what you should do in various situations.

Take a well charged mobile & keep a regular check of landmarks & bridge numbers as you travel (in case of emergencies).

Pay attention to signs especially ones which warn you not to leave your boat unattended (one like this near the Cadbury factory).

Otherwise have fun :tu:

good tips i allso take my sat nav it follows rivers and you can see poi such as post ofices etc which arent allways visible from the boat, and where thers a po theres usualy more shops

[krad]

I'll be watching the thread with interest. My mate has mentioned a holiday he had when he was younger - Norfolk Broads on a boat. I was planning to investigate logistics and costs. I can't swim, so I'm a bit worried about sinking. Then there's mechanical failure, fire, vicious dogs, and food.

We were thinking of going for a trip on a canal boat and from what I've read, the best place seems to be the Norfolk broads. Is anywhere else good? I checked out this site: http://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk. They only do the Norfolk area. Can anyone recommend any other companies?

Thanks

[joel]

Hi Guys

Hope you find this link helpful.

www.boatsandcanals.co.uk

[papa smurf]

We were thinking of going for a trip on a canal boat and from what I've read, the best place seems to be the Norfolk broads. Is anywhere else good? I checked out this site: http://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk. They only do the Norfolk area. Can anyone recommend any other companies?

Thanks

i holiday from here every year, Richardson's are very friendly,they only do cabin cruisers no narrow boats [that's a canal holiday] there is a tesco 2 mins away from the staithe ,handy to stock up on booze n food , it is the most relaxing thing i have ever done, life at 4 mph is so laid back and the broads are beautiful, Norfolk people are so friendly, they make you so welcome, and will always help you if they can .its like a whole new world.

[punky]

The enemy and I are thinking of having a short narrowboat break (around 3 days or so) for our anniversary (its romantic apparently).

I've been looking at some prices and they really defy logic/reason/sanity. Does anyone have any good leads for cheap deals? Looks like the cheapest, most bog-standard so far is around £500 and will need to haggle down.

[Angua]

The enemy and I are thinking of having a short narrowboat break (around 3 days or so) for our anniversary (its romantic apparently).

I've been looking at some prices and they really defy logic/reason/sanity. Does anyone have any good leads for cheap deals? Looks like the cheapest, most bog-standard so far is around £500 and will need to haggle down.

Where you might be stuffed on price is only wanting a short break. Most of these companies cater for one week bookings so you might get a better deal booking a week and then returning the boat after 3 days. ;)

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

The enemy and I are thinking of having a short narrowboat break (around 3 days or so) for our anniversary (its romantic apparently).

I've been looking at some prices and they really defy logic/reason/sanity. Does anyone have any good leads for cheap deals? Looks like the cheapest, most bog-standard so far is around £500 and will need to haggle down.

Short?? for short people, needs to be them damn boats are small. ooohhhh short cos its romantic and your punky lmao

[punky]

Where you might be stuffed on price is only wanting a short break. Most of these companies cater for one week bookings so you might get a better deal booking a week and then returning the boat after 3 days. ;)

Doesn't have to be 3 days as such (annual leave shouldn't be a problem), but thought the shorter, the cheaper. Will try wrangling a week and see how I go for there. Thanks for the tip :tu:

Did see a 5 day one for £525, dunno how much I can haggle off it.

---------- Post added at 13:26 ---------- Previous post was at 13:18 ----------

ooohhhh short cos its romantic and your punky lmao

I'm romantic! I always treat my birds right. And I always adhere to ladies first principle. Especially when I hear a noise outside at night.

[Chris]

Canal holidays are the family business - what exactly would you like to know? :)

---------- Post added at 13:27 ---------- Previous post was at 13:26 ----------

... oh hang on, this thread's quite old :erm:

[punky]

Canal holidays are the family business - what exactly would you like to know? :)

---------- Post added at 13:27 ---------- Previous post was at 13:26 ----------

... oh hang on, this thread's quite old :erm:

Yeah, but I bumped it because I want to go on one, Aug 09.

[Chris]

So you did.

Well, you're going to have a hard time getting less than a week during the school summer holidays. All the hirers know they can sell full weeks at that time of year so most don't offer short breaks.

If you're set on a short break, the only way to do it is to book last minute. Most would rather have the boat out for three days than not at all, once it's obvious to them that they are unlikely to sell the whole week.

However you will have a hard time haggling whatever you choose to do. For starters the price of UK holidays is tending to go up this year as they are in greater demand (fewer people going abroad). And on the canals, most of the hirers are small companies that don't want the bad PR they get when different people who have hired from the same company moor up next to each other in the evening, compare experiences and discover they paid different prices for the same holiday.

[punky]

So you did.

Well, you're going to have a hard time getting less than a week during the school summer holidays. All the hirers know they can sell full weeks at that time of year so most don't offer short breaks.

If you're set on a short break, the only way to do it is to book last minute. Most would rather have the boat out for three days than not at all, once it's obvious to them that they are unlikely to sell the whole week.

However you will have a hard time haggling whatever you choose to do. For starters the price of UK holidays is tending to go up this year as they are in greater demand (fewer people going abroad). And on the canals, most of the hirers are small companies that don't want the bad PR they get when different people who have hired from the same company moor up next to each other in the evening, compare experiences and discover they paid different prices for the same holiday.

Cheers for that :tu: I was hoping that the recession made business scarce and along with tight competition with other holiday companies meant I could wrangle a deal. I guess not as it seems recession-proof. Med holidays are much cheaper than the prices i'm seeing.

Note to self: Start dating women during term-time in future.