The UK's LARGEST inland waterways publication

Get cruising with our great holiday offers

WITH more than 4000 miles of navigable waterways to choose from, a boating holiday offers you the chance to savour the beautiful British countryside at your own pace.

As well as stopping to enjoy some of the UK’s most picturesque rural locations you can also cruise right into the heart of cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Your choice of destination will depend on the time you have available – travelling at 3-4mph, you can cover up to around 100 miles in a week. It also depends on the size of your crew – two couples or a family sharing the lock workload helps especially on the more demanding routes.

Narrowboats come in different lengths, the larger ones comfortably accommodating up to 12 people while barges offer even more space although are limited to the wider canals. For the waters such as the Thames and the Broads, many choose cruisers which also come in a variety of sizes.

If you don’t want to pilot a canal boat yourself, hotel boats offer a relaxing holiday without having to worry about cooking and or working locks unless, of course, you choose to give a hand.

With many people choosing a ‘staycation’ instead of travelling to foreign climes, a canal or river boat holiday could be just the change you are looking for this summer.

Click on the highlighted links for some great holiday offers.

Away 4 a While

Take a hotelboat cruise on a canal boat that provides everything you need to sample the experience without the effort of doing it yourself. Away4awhile offers canal hotelboat Weekend or Mid Week Breaks and Full Week Holidays all season. Exploratory cruises are returning to Chester and Llangollen in May and a chance to visit the re-opened Droitwich Canals towards the end of the season.

A one centre hotelboat cruise that allows you to leave your car and we guarantee a no fuss return to it at your starting point. Fantastic Hotelboat cruises to choose from starting in, Birmingham, Worcester, Stratford upon Avon, Warwick, Stoke Bruerne, Market Harborough, Sawley, Hinckley, plus our new departure points at Banbury and includes a complete tour of the Ashby Canal, and includes a comprehensive choice of holidays. Winter Breaks in Birmingham’s regenerated modern city with so much to see and do.
Checkt he website for the latest offers www.away4awhile.co.uk or call: 0845 644 5144, email: enquiries@away4awhile.co.uk 5% off if you quote Towpath Talk.

Beacon Park Boats

We are a family run canal boat holiday hire business, located on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, set within the Brecon Beacons National Park. This is arguably the most beautiful and scenic canal of all. We offer canal boat holiday hire at competitive prices with no hidden extras. The exceptional quality and imaginative layouts of our fleet of canal boats sets Beacon Park Boats apart from other canal boat holiday hire companies, confirmed by 100% booking levels over the past four years.
15% off second week apart from 5th July - 30th August when 10% applies 01873 858277 www.beaconparkboats.com

Braidbar Boats

Based on the Macclesfield canal in the rolling Cheshire countryside at the edge of the Peak District, Braidbar Boats have been building narrowboats for the discerning boater at historic Lord Vernon's Wharf for more than twenty years. We enjoy building just 8 luxury boats each year and we take great pride in our flexibility regarding steel work (thanks to the talents of Tim Tyler) and interior craftsmanship which is both traditional and timeless.

We have now built more than 125 narrow boats at Braidbar, all unique in their own right, and more recently incorporating new technologies and innovations as they develop. We have gathered an invaluable amount of knowledge over the years, particularly where practicality and economy of space are concerned.
Check the website for the latest offers www.braidbarboats.co.uk or call: 01625 873471. susan@braidbarboats.co.uk
5% off if you quote Towpath Talk.

Canal Cruising Co.

Welcome to Canal Cruising Co. Ltd., the boat hire company that has been operating longer than any other on the canals. In fact, well over 60 years. Now the oldest narrowboat hire company on the canals, the company is still operated by the Wyatt family and our staff. We offer a wealth of experience and give a warm and friendly service. Our picturesque boatyard is in Stone, a small and compact market town that is easily accessible by road and rail, and that is at the centre of the canal network, offering a wide choice of routes. Offering a range of narrowboats, fully equipped for all your needs. We have ample open-air parking and we take every precaution to ensure the security and safety of your vehicle. All vehicles are left at the owners' risk.
For latest offers check the website: www.canalcruising.co.uk or call: 01785 813982

Kate Boats

Whether you’re looking for a family holiday with a difference or just want to unwind and take life at a more tranquil pace, each boat in our luxury narrowboat holiday fleet provides a level of comfort and convenience that is normally associated with privately owned narrowboats. Don’t forget the boat is the holiday, you don’t need to allow for those expensive days out during the week! Kate Boats are Tourist Board inspected and star ratings for each narrowboat are displayed on the relevant pages, and online availability and reservation is now also a feature, but please feel free to phone or email if you would like to discuss your canal holiday plans. For more information check the website: www.kateboats.co.uk or call 01926 492968
5% off if you you quote Towpath Talk

Pennine Cruisers

Skipton in Yorkshire, "Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales," is also close to the summit of one of the country’s most beautiful canals, the Leeds and Liverpool canal. Here in the Leeds /Liverpool canal basin we find Pennine Cruisers, a family run company with an enviable stock of well equipped craft for you to hire. Short break, holiday or extended holiday on board one of Pennine Cruisers' narrowboats includes a top class, fully equipped and specially built boat with full headroom throughout. What could be better than sailing slowly along this picturesque waterway, stopping off at one of the many waterside inns, but knowing that you are never more than a few yards from dry land AND with 10% off your second week with Towpath Talk.
For more information check the website: www.penninecruisers.com or call 01756 795478

Saisons

Saisons was originally started in 1990 by Richard and Lesley Saillet when they decided to hire out their first canal boat “Claret”. Over the years since then they have developed a small fleet of interesting and attractive holiday narrowboats. For several years they hired boats as Coronet Canal Carrying Company, a company name previously used on the old working boat they operated. Following the sale of that boat, the name Saisons was reintroduced as many people still associated this name with good value, interesting hire and holiday narrowboats. Explore the canals of Northamptonshire, in the centre on one of our high quality canal boats which feel more like private boats than hire boats.You can be choose the start day, finish day and length of hire. Check the website for the latest offers; www.saisons.co.uk or call: 01327 844442. 10% off if you quote Towpath Talk.