Suggestions please!

[Amy]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to know whether anyone had any suggestions about holidays in springtime on the canals i.e. best routes, bases, canal boat companies, length of holidays, etc etc. Oh and can anyone recommend a good value company? cheaper ones? lol.

It would be my 6th canal boat holiday (on a hire boat) we have just sold our boat last year. (it was old boat and didn't get anywhere really!)

 

I'd love to do another holiday and i'm persuading a couple of friends to come along so there'd be four of us. I wouldn't want to put them off with a route too energetic and boat too expensive!!

 

Suggestions/advice welcome!

 

Amy x

[journeyperson]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to know whether anyone had any suggestions about holidays in springtime on the canals i.e. best routes, bases, canal boat companies, length of holidays, etc etc. Oh and can anyone recommend a good value company? cheaper ones? lol.

It would be my 6th canal boat holiday (on a hire boat) we have just sold our boat last year. (it was old boat and didn't get anywhere really!)

 

I'd love to do another holiday and i'm persuading a couple of friends to come along so there'd be four of us. I wouldn't want to put them off with a route too energetic and boat too expensive!!

 

Suggestions/advice welcome!

 

Amy x

 

I would suggest a boat from Chas Hardern at Beeston and go up the Llangollen. It's not the most beautiful canal but it is very pretty and varied with some spectacular features. The locks are extremely light work too once you've negotiated the wide locks on the main line. If you wanted to avoid the wide locks you could consider Cheshire Cat Narrowboats who are based at Overwater now, a similar distance from Hurleston but with only two narrow locks before you get there. If you go outside school holidays it shouldn't be too busy in the Spring and if the last two years are anything to go by you could get glorious weather.

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to know whether anyone had any suggestions about holidays in springtime on the canals i.e. best routes, bases, canal boat companies, length of holidays, etc etc. Oh and can anyone recommend a good value company? cheaper ones? lol.

It would be my 6th canal boat holiday (on a hire boat) we have just sold our boat last year. (it was old boat and didn't get anywhere really!)

 

I'd love to do another holiday and i'm persuading a couple of friends to come along so there'd be four of us. I wouldn't want to put them off with a route too energetic and boat too expensive!!

 

Suggestions/advice welcome!

 

Amy x

 

Hi Amy,

 

As you haven't given any preferences re area you are going to get lots of varied suggestions.

 

One of our favourite trips remains the Leicester ring - it provides lots of variety broad canal/narrow canal/canalised rivers and proper (non tidal) river sections, towns rural areas and if you put in longish days the chance to make some optional detours up the likes of the Ashby. Easily doable over two weeks We did it with just 2 up, 4 will make it quicker particularly on the broad sections.

 

As to hire co.

 

My choice would be from the following all of whom are on or close to the Leicester ring itself-

 

Aqua Narrowboats at Mercia Marina,

Napton Narrowboats at Napton'

Valley Cruisers at Nuneaton.

 

They are not the cheapest but all very good companies with well turned out boats.

[Amy]

Thanks MJG & Journeyperson,

 

Yes I've done the Llangollen 3 times now and yes it was quite a doddle! I may end up doing that again but might like a change. We did the Four counties a couple times too - That was my favourite ring - So much variation. We attempted the leicester ring back in 2005, our last proper time away via boat(!) and it was not a good trip!! The local/surrounding areas had had heavy rain and some flooding - unbeknownst to us - and one of the locks after we got through leicester was on amber and so we decided to wait at the lock (by a weir) as instructed to do so! Thank goodness we did - in the morning there was no towpath on the other side of the lock! The river caused it to overflow and so we changed routes and went back. We explored the oxford canal for the remainder of our time. Perhaps it was just a one off, but it did put us off the river bit!

I didn't specify a particular area as I'm just not sure where to start and there is so much choice!!

 

We used chas hardern twice before and they were very good. We have also used Viking Afloat before and found their boats to be good and the people very helpful. Can anyone recommend any other boat companies? etc.

[Guest]

Hi Amy,

 

Yes potential flooding is the one down side to that particular ring - we did it April last year and happened to have excellent weather. Others have not been so lucky. I would still do it again though.

 

or about coming up north and exploring the Lancashire/Yorkshire waterways - away from the urban bits the Leeds Liverpool is superb and Snaygill boats at Skipton are a good company or Canal Boat Escapes based at Barnoldswick (A fellow forum member too)

Edited September 2, 2011 by MJG

[Amy]

Hi Amy,

 

Yes potential flooding is the one down side to that particular ring - we did it April last year and happened to have excellent weather. Others have not been so lucky. I would still do it again though.

 

or about coming up north and exploring the Lancashire/Yorkshire waterways - away from the urban bits the Leeds Liverpool is superb and Snaygill boats at Skipton are a good company or Canal Boat Escapes based at Barnoldswick (A fellow forum member too)

 

Funny you should mention that, we have just oved from Lancashire over the border to Grassington near Skipton. I used to walk the dog on the leeds liverpool - Lovely by johnton hillock locks and now down toward wigan.

Will have a look at the Skipton end.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Amy

[Guest]

Funny you should mention that, we have just oved from Lancashire over the border to Grassington near Skipton. I used to walk the dog on the leeds liverpool - Lovely by johnton hillock locks and now down toward wigan.

Will have a look at the Skipton end.

 

If the weather is good the section between Barnoldswick and Gargrave is just spectacular, on through Skipton through Silsden and Kildwick is really nice too.

 

As you referred to not being aware of the flooding potential in the other thread, to make you aware that on the Leeds Liverpool random remote mooring can sometimes be a problem due to the water levels and the edge often having a 'ledge' that keeps your boat away from the side.

 

Not a problem if you are prepared for it and your boat has a plank and sometimes it's not a problem at all - it's just that you can often think - "wow what a great place to moor" but just it's not as straightforward and you have to get the plank out....

 

It's not normally an issue at 'visitor' moorings in the towns and villages.

[JohnEW2912]

I'd recommend Shire Cruisers at Sowerby Bridge - an excellent friendly company, although it is years since we went with them as we now have our own boat. The one way trip from their base to Foulridge on the L&L is one of the great canal journeys, with a river navigation, a big city in Leeds, the Bingley 5 and 3 rises and the section through Skipton all manageable in a week. You're clearly ready for more of a challenge than the easy stuff further south and in Spring you will be almost by yourselves for much of the journey.

[Guest]

I'd recommend Shire Cruisers at Sowerby Bridge - an excellent friendly company,

 

We passed a couple and shared a lock or two with Shire Cruisers boats last fortnight and they certainly looked well turned out..

[muddywaters]

Was going to suggest shire cruises at Sowerby Bridge.

But might not fit in with your lock criteria as most of the locks on the Rochdale are heavy stiff and hard to work.

And the only time we planned going the other way down the Calder and Hebble then on up to Leeds yes you guessed it the rivers where in flood.

Although can't remember exactly where it is on the L&L but shire do have a second base up on the L&L.

Shires priceses have always been reasonable when we have gone with them, they have the best hand over we have had with any hire firm and their boats are always clean tidy and well turned out

[FredW]

Hi Amy,

Over the last three years we have hired on about eight times.

Just myself and partner hired from Shire Cruisers at Sowerby Bridge and

went up to short of the summit on the Rochdale.Excellent hire company who

also have a base at Foulridge on the L&L.We have hired a number of

times from Norbury Wharf,and cruised into Birmingham on one trip,up to

Ellesmere Port on another,and the four counties and the Caldon on

another.Again ,an excellent hire company.We hired from Hapton Valley Boats

on the L&L,also an excellent company.All are what we believe are good value

and no fuel surcharge.

As a family,four adults & two kids,we have hired from Claymoor at Preston

Brook and cruised the four counties.Chas Harding and cruised down to

Llangollen and back.Only Chas Harding had a fuel surcharge,but we still felt

it was good value.

We are booked on Bettisfield boats next May to go to Llangollen again and,

though we haven't tried them before,our dealings with them so far have been

very good and they meet all our requirements.

Hope this helps you a bit.

Fred.

[NickF]

We passed a couple and shared a lock or two with Shire Cruisers boats last fortnight and they certainly looked well turned out..

 

Shire cruisers are really excellent .. my only advice is choose a newer one with a quiet isuzu engine. Their older ones have lister air cooled diesel which are very very noisy by modern standards,we had one for 10 days a while ago and found the noise quite annoying.

Nick

[P R]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to know whether anyone had any suggestions about holidays in springtime on the canals i.e. best routes, bases, canal boat companies, length of holidays, etc etc. Oh and can anyone recommend a good value company? cheaper ones? lol.

It would be my 6th canal boat holiday (on a hire boat) we have just sold our boat last year. (it was old boat and didn't get anywhere really!)

 

I'd love to do another holiday and i'm persuading a couple of friends to come along so there'd be four of us. I wouldn't want to put them off with a route too energetic and boat too expensive!!

 

Suggestions/advice welcome!

 

Amy x

My personal choice would be clifton cruisers near rugby, very well presented boats, a lot of which are quite new, good value and good choice of routes including the Warwickshire and Leicester rings.