New to all this

[John_Knights]

Hi all,

I am new to the world of Canal Boating. 

My wife and I are looking to holiday on a Canal Boat next year. We have looked at website after website and we are none the wiser. We live in Plymouth, Devon and yes before anyone tells me I know there aren't any canals in Plymouth. We are looking to holiday around the Bristol/Bath area.

Any help and advice would be fantastic.

Thanks,

[Rob-M]

Hi and welcome to the forum. There are a few hire companies on the Kennet and Avon canal which you would be able to boat to Bath and Bristol from. Examples are Alvechurch Boat Centre, Whitehorse Narrowboats, Sally's Narrowboats (I think), I'm sure there are a few more.

 

[John_Knights]

18 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Hi and welcome to the forum. There are a few hire companies on the Kennet and Avon canal which you would be able to boat to Bath and Bristol from. Examples are Alvechurch Boat Centre, Whitehorse Narrowboats, Sally's Narrowboats (I think), I'm sure there are a few more.

 

Thanks for the help. That will be this evenings research.

[NB Lola]

Welcome to the forum.  How long do you have for your holiday?

[mross]

48 minutes ago, John_Knights said:

Hi all,

I am new to the world of Canal Boating. 

My wife and I are looking to holiday on a Canal Boat next year. We have looked at website after website and we are none the wiser. We live in Plymouth, Devon and yes before anyone tells me I know there aren't any canals in Plymouth. We are looking to holiday around the Bristol/Bath area.

Any help and advice would be fantastic.

Thanks,

 

why not go to somewhere like WH Smiths and buy all the canal/narrowboat magazines?  They are great resources and carry lots of ads from hire companies.  You might be inspired to go somewhere you had never considered.

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, John_Knights said:

Hi all,

I am new to the world of Canal Boating. 

My wife and I are looking to holiday on a Canal Boat next year. We have looked at website after website and we are none the wiser. We live in Plymouth, Devon and yes before anyone tells me I know there aren't any canals in Plymouth. We are looking to holiday around the Bristol/Bath area.

Any help and advice would be fantastic.

Thanks,

Off topic - well only slightly - you didn't specify how / why you are none the wiser... but here are some ideas -

• Waterways World's 2017 annual - available direct or at some newsagents has a reasonable gazeteer
• Have a look at Canalplan - looky here for the K&A http://canalplan.org.uk/waterway/7l8a You can click on a location and see what it looks like, or you can select to motor through the route.
• Have a look at the recent 'celebrities on the canals' programmes (somebody will come back with the correct title and channel) - The K&A was quite illuminating...
• From information on this forum I get the impression that either end of the canal is wall to wall boats - so not hugely pleasant.
• The locks are heavy and swing bridges more so - OK if you have a good number of stout fellows in the crew...

[John_Knights]

1 hour ago, NB Lola said:

Welcome to the forum.  How long do you have for your holiday?

We were looking at a Mid-Week break, so 4 days and 3 nights.

[Captain Pegg]

On 3/5/2017 at 16:16, John_Knights said:

Hi all,

I am new to the world of Canal Boating. 

My wife and I are looking to holiday on a Canal Boat next year. We have looked at website after website and we are none the wiser. We live in Plymouth, Devon and yes before anyone tells me I know there aren't any canals in Plymouth. We are looking to holiday around the Bristol/Bath area.

Any help and advice would be fantastic.

Thanks,

 

If that is your chosen area you will realistically be limited to the Kennet & Avon canal below the Caen Hill locks near Devizes. That's assuming you don't want the challenge of 29 locks up and then 29 locks back down again as newbies.

Consider Foxhangers who have their hire base at the bottom of these locks and head for Bath from there. In four nights you should be able to get there and back with no more than 6 hours cruising on each of the three full days assuming you can get a bit of a start on the first afternoon.

I haven't hired from them but I have hired from ABC at Hilperton and seen many Foxhangers boats on the west end of the K&A. At face value it seems to be a decent operation and they have many boats doing this trip all the time so will be able to give the right advice on where to moor and turn and such like.

There are a lot of boats around - mostly moored - and the K&A isn't necessarily representative of the canal network as a whole. However it is beautiful and there are plenty of hire boats enjoying the section so take advice from the base and follow it.

If having had a look you don't fancy it come back and I can give you some tips for options further up the M5.

JP

Edited March 6, 2017 by Captain Pegg

[Guest]

Hi, as suggested Foxhangers just below Caen Hill flight of locks is a good option for hiring, you then have the choice of going up the flight and on to the long pound (no locks for 15 miles, just some swing bridges). If you hire in season there are usually boats to share locks with up the flight and volunteer lock keepers, it's a good experience. You then have the bonus of Devizes a nice market town to stop in. You can then continue eastwards through some very beautiful countryside with canal side pubs along the way. Despite the gossip mooring is not usually an issue. 

If you wish to travel eastwards towards Bath and Bristol it is a lot busier but manageable and certainly loads of people to talk to. During the season it will be more hectic as there are several hire companies based below the flight and a large marina. Bath is a beautiful city with Georgian architecture, the cruise over the Dundas aqueduct and on to Bath is very scenic. If you do carry on to Bristol the harbour is a great stop off as Bristol has plenty to offer.