After binging all of Robbie's Canal Boat diaries on the BBC, my wife and I have felt the veil fall from our eyes as we've realized there are better ways to see the UK. So! We are looking into an early spring trip (beginning of March), and our plan is to rent a canal boat for a week and then head to London for a week and stay at the Strand close to the National Gallery (our fave) and the theatre district (sublime).
We have never rented or driven a narrowboat but are keen to try. We love the idea of meandering, exploring, docking, pubbing, and of course, floating our way through a small section of the UK waterways, but the options are endless. I know there are some seasoned narrowboaters on here so please give us naive but excited Canadian newbies your best suggestions on what route you'd recommend and which company you recommend we hire from. We like the looks of the Llangollen Canal (I love heights so THAT Aqueduct is a big selling point haha) but we also love routes with lots of pubs and historical buildings of interest to stop and get out and tour along the way. We're fine with locks, obviously, but maybe not 78 haha. Anyway, thanks for your suggestions.