bestboatingholidays

Once you have booked your narrowboat holiday you might be wondering what to take with you?  Well first find out what is included in the boat hire.  Most hire companies include bedding – duvets and sheets, but not towels.  So you will need bath and hand towels.  All the pots pans crockery and utencils are always included in your hire, so no need to bring these things.  It is more the little extras that will make your holiday go that much better, that you need to think about.

If you think about the items you might need when travelling along the canal.  Binoculars, for seeing wildlife close up or spotting other craft coming towards you on the canal.  Passing the binoculars around the family gets them involved too.  A camera is a good item to pack. Although most of us now carry a mobile phone will camera included, a digital camera on its own still gives better landscape pictures, in my opinion. Having mentioned the mobile phone, obviously bring it along as well. Texting people back home and sending interesting photos as you travel along the canal can be fun. Fishing rods are not usually included in your boat hire but may be rented from the narrowboat company.  Better still, why not bring your own. There are plenty of shops along most canal systems that sell fishing equipment.  Two rods for the family to use whether it is raining or bright sunshine, will keep the family busy! 

If it does rain or in the evening when you are tied up alongside then playing cards or dominoes are  great family games to play. So pack some cards and dominoes.  Other compact board games could also be brought along with you.  The kids will want to bring more hi tech games as well, so make sure they have actually got them packed! Almost every boat hire company will have a TV on board their narrowboat, so bringing the Wii Fi plus games is also an option. For very young kids, colouring books and plenty of drawing materials will keep them occupied.

A range of outdoor clothes will help your enjoyment. It is very unpleasent putting on wet clothes the next day if you have not brought a few to change into.  So a good waterproof jacket should be packed.  Some boat hirers include a waterproof jacket for the helmsman (helmswoman) but not for all the crew.  Wellies for wet tow paths is also a good idea. Trainers for dry weather.  Avoid flip flops as they are a menace on boats! Umbrellas for rainy days and for sunny days are useful. 

If you have not booked your narrowboat for travelling along the canals this year, why not find out just how little it will cost.  For a short break or a longer holiday, follow this link for more information.

Most people who usually holiday abroad will stay in Britain this summer. Instead of flying off to Europe why not go on a boating holiday? Why not boat hire this summer?  Treat the family to two weeks on a boat.  Believe me it will bring you all closer together. It will have two main effects.  You will feel younger, because you will end up doing things you probably did when you were younger and your kids will respond by seeing you as you used to be, and identify with your actions!  The kids will realise you are OK!  The whole experience is more than just a holiday, its a family getting back to supporting each other and appreciating each others point of view.  It is really benefical! OK Iam being a bit heavy with the benefits of a boating holiday, but everything I have said is true!

Boating holidays whether on a canal boat, cabin cruiser or sailing boat brings out the team work in people.  The crew support each other through difficult times.  Everyone pulls together.  This means when the chips are down everyone tries their best to overcome the problem and works for the benefit of the team.  On board a boat this means all the crew work to ensure they get to their destination as easily as possible. Working as a team means everyone can enjoy the passage to the maximum.  The adults take pleasure in seeing the youngsters working together and learning new skills.  Everyone enjoys themselves! The process of travelling from A to B is pleasant.

If you would like to spend this summer with your family on a boating holiday, click this link to find a suitable venue.

A canal cruise this summer could be exactly the type of holiday you and your family need.  With the recession still well and truely with us, less people are flying off to foreign destinations this year.  More people are choosing to holiday at home.  So instead of looking and hoping for that last minute package holiday, why not think differently and choose a boating holiday?  Of course, many of you are used to spending time on a narrowboat during the summer. 

Some readers may be considering a canal boat hire for the first time and are wanting to find out more about what is on offer.  Well the answer is lots!  There is lots to do on a canal cruise.  You would be surprised just how much there is to see and do as you potter along at 4 mph.  Not only is there the surrounding countryside to admire but also the whole process of travelling through the locks and canal.  You and the family will be kept busy, if that is what you want.

Of course, if you just want to sit and catch up with the next chapter in your new book, then you can do that too.  Sit and watch the world go by.  Breath that fresh country air, listen to the ducks and other wildlife busy going about their daily routine.  Plenty to do.  So why not book your canal cruise today and begin planning how you are going to spend your time on your floating holiday home!

A short cruise along the Shropshire Union Canal from Middlewich to Nantwich and back will take you about 3 nights. This is a delightful area of England with very few people living near the canal. It is a fairly narrow canal travelling southwards towards Nantwich, one of the last canals to be built, in 1835. As you move along the ‘Shroppie’ you see rolling hillsides over towards Wales. At other times the canal has heavy wooded areas on either side, so the scenery changes all the time which keeps you engaged and entertained at the same time!

Why not boat hire from Andersen Boats at Middlewich, as all their narrowboats are well equipped and ideally suited for boating holidays with either a couple or all the family.

Along this stretch of the Shropshire Union canal there are several canals which branch off, for example at Barbridge Junction you can go onto the Trent and Mersey canal. Further south, about a mile, you have the opportunity to go along the Llangollen canal at the Hurleston Junction. So plenty of choices!
 
At Nantwich you will immediately notice the old style building made from timber and painted black and white. It is an old market town typical of the type found around the English countryside. The town contains over a hundred listed buildings, with the largest collection of historic buildings outside Chester.  The oldest building in the town is St Mary’s Church, which dates from the 14th century. All throughout the town are many timber-framed or “black-and-white” buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. These interesting houses can be found in the centre on Barker Street, Beam Street, Churchyard Side, Hospital Street and High Street. They also can be seen across the River Weaver on Welsh Row. Two particularly important examples are Churche’s Mansion, an Elizabethan mansion house dating from before the fire, and the Crown Hotel, a former coaching inn built immediately after the fire. There are also many fine Georgian town houses and some examples of Victorian corporate architecture to view as you wander through the town.

Your short canal cruise should take you about 3 nights and during that time you will negoiate 8 locks and cover 27 miles.  You should during that time experience the English countryside and small town life which has not changed too much over the years. If you would like to find out more about boat hire on a canal holiday, click here.

Taking a canal boat hire through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside along the Leeds and Liverpool canal is a wonderful way to relax.  Why not boat hire from Silsden Boats, a family run boat yard and cruise westward along the canal towards Skipton.  This lovely village is on the edge of the Dales and has at least 3 wonderful places to visit.  Firstly, the 900 year old Skipton Castle which is the only remaining most complete castle from that era.  You could easily spend a whole day wandering around this castle, from the watch tower at the top to the dungeons deep below the ground! 

Secondly, there is Craven Museum in the town hall, which has many interactive exhibits for all the family to get involved in.  Exhibits from Roman times right up to the Industrial Revolution can be viewed.  These give you an idea of how life was for the local inhabitants all those years ago.

Thirdly, there is a very old church, Holy Trinity, dating back to 1300 A.D.  It has had its fair share of bad luck over the years, because it was partly destroyed during the English Civil War and then it has been struck twice by lightening! It stands at the end of the high street, so is easily found.

Once back on the narrowboat you could travel further on to Gargrave, another lovely small village on the edge of the canal.  Why not find out more about hiring a boat on the Leeds and Liverpool canal by going here.