UKC

The wife and I are looking at doing a week of canal boat holiday with some friends, and I'd be appreciative of some pointers.

Are there any particular areas or week long trips that people can recommend? We'd be looking for something scenic rather than spending too much time in towns. We'd be coming from Germany as it is, so it wouldn't really matter where we'd go to (although Scotland might be a bit of a trek). Any particularly good or bad experiences with specific companies? Is there anything else that we should look for/be aware of - I presume that there's no sort of license required?


I'm mostly imagining lots of relaxed pootling along and beer gardens, mixed with plenty of good books and board games...

Thanks

In reply to Green Porridge:

Do one of the lops that can be made by linking up several canals, there are several that work well and it gives the trip a sense of purpose.

If you do an out and back trip you see the same stuff twice and it seems a bity pointless, you just chug along until you decide to turn around.

There are a couple of great ones in the Midlands and you get to see some fantastic post industrial scenery as well as time in the countryside.

In reply to Green Porridge:

Llangollen in North Wales, a world heritage aquaduct, great views and Clwyd Limestone to climb on....

In reply to Green Porridge:

No license required if you are renting (only license is for the boat) - no drink driving laws as well, although sensible precautions need to be maintained.

If you post on here http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showforum=7 you should get a good response.

Loops or rings are good for not repeating stuff but often have the disadvantage of a schedule to meet, especially for a one week trip.

In reply to Green Porridge:

Been with Anglo-Welsh three times and always had a great time. LLangollen canal was very scenic but would have to be an out and back jobby. Also very busy, been referred to as the m25 of canals. Also did the four counties ring in a week. That is a lot of effort for one week, something like 117 locks and boating for around 10 hours every day. That said it's very rewarding with lots of memories but not much time for books and games.

There is no license required etc they basically give you a five minute run through of the boat and off you go.

In reply to Green Porridge:
I moor on the Llangollen and would really recommend it outside of school holidays. Jul and Aug It's very busy.

If it was me, I'd hire on the Shropshire Union. It's very rural, an abundance of great pubs and some interesting lock flights. Plus the anchor at high offley rates as one of my favourite pubs. You could also go down the middlewich branch and go up the Trent and Mersey to the boat lift at Anderson. I'd go down as the river weaver is lovely, but at least do the boat trip, otherwise.

The Llan does beat it it for dramatic scenery, but in school holidays it can be too busy to enjoy yourself. Having said that, if you time your trip so that you are hiring over a Saturday (when most boat yards "turn round" their hire fleet) then that Saturday is the day to head into Llan. If you moor near the sun Trevor pub, you are in walking distance of the Trevor limestone, but the pub itself is not the best.

In reply to Green Porridge:

I'd go for the Norfolks Broads (okay no climbing) or the Caledonian canal over any "normal" canal trip.

The boats are way more comfortable , the scenery is way better and when I've done it works out way cheaper! The Caledonian especially is a great trip .... in fact i'm doing again this september.

In reply to Green Porridge:


Add plenty of fornication and I'd come with you !

In reply to Green Porridge:

Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately, two of the party are teachers, so we might have to go in school holidays - although I'll compare the UK and German holidays to see if we can do it outside of UK holidays.

I do actually have a couple of boating licenses here in Germany, which should be valid anyway. I'm pleased to hear there's no drink-boating rules in the UK (unlike Germany!), it seems right and proper to have a jug of real ale near at hand when enjoying a spell at the tiller!

Something that occurred to me last night though - are there rules about where you can moor up for the night, and do you generally need to pay or not? Just wondering if it's something I should factor in to the trip.

In reply to Green Porridge:
+1 for the Four Counties Ring. It can be hard work, but with 4 people and long summer days it should be manageable. (We did it as a 2 after the clocks changed in October.) Get a system going, with one person setting locks on a flight (if needs be) and it'll be okay.

Otherwise the Leeds-Liverpool canal, which is really good too. If you'd been before, I'd suggest the Huddersfield Narrow, but I wouldn't recommend it for a first trip. You can do a one way on the Leeds-Liverpool as hire firms will arrange minibus drop off/ collection.

Obviously avoid the peak holiday season if you can but remember that boats tend to be 'tired' towards the end of the season and often there are more would-be hirers than boats on the more popular canals and boats can sell out quickly. Hire costs have gone up a lot in recent years, far outstripping inflation, and you don't necessarily get what you pay for. There are big, multi-base companies such as Anglo-Welsh as well as smaller independents. Pros and cons with both. Be wary of hidden extra costs - e.g an en-route pump out.

Hoseasons.co.uk might be a good starting point.

You can generally moor up anywhere unless there are signs saying not to. No boating after dusk or pre-dawn, but you'll usually see this rule broken by folk who've mis-timed a leg and need to reach a particular mooring. Use common sense when drinking alcohol, especially when working locks.

In reply to Green Porridge:

You can freely moor along the towpath for up to 14 days, apart from short stretches (meaning a few hundred yards) which might have signs to the contrary.

On the non-towpath side of the canal, there are often private moorings.

Edit: i.e. you don't pay for moorings

In reply to Green Porridge:
In terms of canals, I've been on the Kennet and Avon, Macclesfield and Leeds-Liverpool and they're all really pretty. Any canal that goes through countryside is going to be pretty I've always avoided the Llangollen because it's meant to be rammed in holidays.

In reply to Green Porridge:

It's very unusual to pay for moorings anywhere if it's for a few days. . Notable exception is centre of Llan or centre of Birmingham. The pre / post dawn boating restrictions aren't a definitive restriction (though running your engine between 8 and 8 when moored up IS!) but might be a condition of your hire agreement.

Thinking on, the South Oxford is also a lovely canal - Napton Boats are nice looking boats, but I don't know about prices. Avoid mid August as there are a LOT of boats going to the Cropredy festival. There's some good "fringe" gigs for free, but you'll be lucky to get moored anywhere nearby.

Also, if you did look at the Shroppie, You can always aim for Chester, there are good (ie safe) moorings or you can moor in Christleton and get the park and ride bus in