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Ideas/Advice for a last minute week - possibly Caldon?


Jenn068

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Hi, 

We have just decided to try and get a last minute narrow boat holiday for next week and would really appreciate some advice. I understand that the availability is going to be very limited however due to family circumstances, this is a last minute decision so we just want to do the best we can.

I have done a bit of googling and the Caldon Canal seems to be popular, there would be myself, my husband (who loves pubs!!) and our 13 yr old son (oh...and our dog!). We have only ever done one narrow boat holiday before which was Cambridgeshire way and was only a short break.

From what I can make out, Stone would be a good starting place although I have not been able to find any availability at present. Are there other places we could start from and do this canal over 7 days?

If not, are there any other suggestions for a nice family week, we are novices and would like to be able to get on and off the boat, have a look around etc., rather than do 8/9 hours cruising a day.

I would really appreciate any help and advice, as I said, we are not expecting much at this late notice - but, it will just be nice to get away for bit!!

Many thanks,

Jenny

 

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4 minutes ago, Jenn068 said:

Hi, 

We have just decided to try and get a last minute narrow boat holiday for next week and would really appreciate some advice. I understand that the availability is going to be very limited however due to family circumstances, this is a last minute decision so we just want to do the best we can.

I have done a bit of googling and the Caldon Canal seems to be popular, there would be myself, my husband (who loves pubs!!) and our 13 yr old son (oh...and our dog!). We have only ever done one narrow boat holiday before which was Cambridgeshire way and was only a short break.

From what I can make out, Stone would be a good starting place although I have not been able to find any availability at present. Are there other places we could start from and do this canal over 7 days?

If not, are there any other suggestions for a nice family week, we are novices and would like to be able to get on and off the boat, have a look around etc., rather than do 8/9 hours cruising a day.

I would really appreciate any help and advice, as I said, we are not expecting much at this late notice - but, it will just be nice to get away for bit!!

Many thanks,

Jenny

 

I would see exactly what is on offer and avoid the hot spots like the plague. As a for instance don't go anywhere near the Llangollen in august if you want a nice peaceful holiday. The caldon is fab as are most midlands areas. The Oxford is one of my faves but not many pubs waterside. Different canals mean differing things to different people so I would see what the best deal is you can get and research the towns/villages in a short cruising range of the hire base and go for it. You are absolutely right in not wanting to charge about for 8/9 hours a day a couple or three pottering hours is the way to go.

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The Caldon is terrific, and I would say not very popular for some reason, we've done it a few times and never seen more than a handful of moving boats.  It's great for dog walking, there's a few decent pubs and of course you have the Churnet Valley Railway - I can't think any 13 year old boy isn't going to be fascinated by that.  

One or two of the locks are a bit of a challenge but the hardware is pretty good compared to some.  

The first few miles used to be a bit grim but have been tidied up a lot with new canalside developments.  

Parts of the Caldon are almost like going back in time 50 years, it's one of my favourite canals.

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Seconded regards latelink, you will get best deals from there, and there web pages show you all hire bases available, so you can see all the cruising options, I always used them before I bought a boat.

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2 hours ago, Timx said:

Seconded regards latelink, you will get best deals from there, and there web pages show you all hire bases available, so you can see all the cruising options, I always used them before I bought a boat.

Another recommendation for Latelink, our last hire before buying was a last minute decision and we saved about 40% booking through them. I think 40% was unusually good but 15 to 20% should be achievable. 

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Many thanks for all your replies - I've had a look at latelink and there are quite a few still available. There wasn't any availability from Stone or Stoke for the Calden canal but there was some from Gailey, however having checked, it is 7.5 hours cruising a day for one week which I think might be a bit too much. I will google all the other marinas though and see what else there is on offer. Last question, some of the boats seem huge (69ft) etc, as we are novices and there are only 3 of us, are we better to get something a lot smaller?

Thanks again for all the replies and the help.

 

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  Well if you have your heart set on stone, fair enough, I just decided on best boat for best price, everywhere is good fun, there are no bad hire boat places, and I think I hired at most of the great places at great prices, but you do need to be flexible to have that. The caldron canal is good, after the first two hours or so, it would be in my top ten but not top five.

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As far as size goes, you will be fine with any size for moving, just a bit restricted on moorings available, I hired from 45' to 70' and always found somewhere to moor without being stressed about it, but when it came to mooring time, doubt I was ever sober.

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Supporting Exturnaroundman's post, look at www.canalcruising.co.uk (phone on 01785 813982). Very good family firm, based in Stone right near a Morrison's supermarket for supplies. Nice boats which we often meet out on the cut with happy hirers who return year after year. It will place you well for the Caldon. It looks like there would be availability so get on the phone quickly!

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