Planning a 2-3 week trip for summer 2020 for our 30th wedding anniversary. We only recently discovered narrowboats and love the idea. One week doesn’t seem to be enough but two weeks, since we’ve never done it before and don’t really know if we’ll like it (does anyone not like it??), might be too much of our total vacation time. A 10-day trip sounds ideal but those don’t seem to be an option. We can only travel in the summer because husband is a teacher so unfortunately we can’t avoid the summer crowds. We want a route that is scenic with enough sights/pubs/stops/stores to be entertaining and sufficient for water and groceries but not a route with lots of tourists like us haha. When thinking about a 2 week trip, we were seriously considering the Four Counties Ring with Caldon Canal but that now seems too ambitious for 1 week (or even 10 days if that were even an option). I’ve already purchased and am reading “Narrowboating for Beginners” and Nicholson’s “Four Counties & the Welsh Canals.” I’m finding a ton of info on the internet but need some advice and suggestions re: choosing the right route/area. We’re open to any possibilities.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23642 posts
No information. Just tagging the question so I can find it later. This is on our bucket especially for France so will be very interested in your responses.
Posted by
Reno, Nevada
1025 posts
Although my experience with canal boats was in France, I think some comments might be helpful.
The beauty of a canal trip is the pace of discovery and travel, not the miles covered. It is a relaxing and entertaining adventure that covers a mode of vacationing of which Americans are generally unaware. Traveling slowly down the canals, sipping wine (or a decent ale) allows for a relatively stress free vacation.
I have done it twice, each time with other couples, and have done it both one way and round trip. It is easier to plan round trip cruises (go out three days, come back three days) but there was also a freedom in picking up in one place and depositing in another. Breakfasts on the canal are leisurely and lunches are generally the restaurant meal of the day, meaning that you tend to eat lunch at a place you are spending time visiting. Dinners were festive affairs, with cocktails on deck and simpler, more relaxed times for reflection on the day's events.
Since the canals really aren't used for transporting many supplies from point to point any more, canal trips really are mostly done by tourists, albeit by tourists who are not "peak bagging" major sights and events. The folks you meet will be equally laid back in their approach to this mode of travel, and we toasted the health of many others who were enjoying the serenity. The only frantic moments I recall were in close proximity to moored or moving vessels as I tried to finesse a 45 foot canal boat around a tight corner.
I don't know the Four Counties Ring, but would suggest that unless you want to be driving a boat for most of your waking hours, you may want to plan something more modest. Wikipedia says that it is 110 miles, and 94 locks, so would think it to be too demanding, unless you are a Type A personality with dreams of an Admiralty appointment. To each his own, however.
What we loved about the trips we have taken was the freedom to do nothing (the "dolce far niente") or as much as we were comfortable in undertaking. Try to avoid setting goals; you'll be delayed, sometimes for extended time periods, by congestion at the locks. A Zenlike appreciation of the beauty and the serenity of the voyage will go a long way toward your happiness.
Anchors aweigh!
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you, wbfey1. It is exactly the slow-pace wandering trip you describe that we are after. The 4-counties ring I think is too much for 1 week but seemed perfect for 2 weeks. So I'm looking for something comparable (4 hours/day cruising with time to stop in pubs for lunch/dinner/shopping/sites) for 1 week (or 10 days if anyone knows of place that rent narrowboats for 10 day trips).
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you, emma. Good to hear the reality that not everyone loves narrowboating. I think a week is a good start for us. I also posted my question in canalworld and several have suggested I check out the Pennines. Anyone here have experiences in that area?
Posted by
Ozarks of Arkansas
286 posts
My wife and I on a narrowboat and friends on different narrowboats cruised on the Llangollen canal in 2016 and 2017. The first trip was 10 days, the second was 7 days. We did two trips because I was grossly optimistic as to how fast we could travel on the canal in July. Emma is correct, 2 miles an hour is a better working number than 4 miles an hour. In July there are queues at the locks and lots of boats moored on the side of the canal that you slow down when passing.
We had a great time! However our second trip was in June and the canal was much less crowded.
An important logistical consideration is to spend the night prior to picking up your boat somewhere near the marina so you can complete your grocery shopping.
Contact me by private message and will give you as much info as you would like!
Below is the start of my trip report.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you, Mike. I have already found and read all of your posts on this forum re: your narrowboating trips. They have been tremendously helpful in getting me started (and excited). I think your posts were one of the very first resources I found on narrowboating. I have built in a night in the hire town before we pick up the boat based on your suggestion. I have pretty much settled on 7-10 days and have abandoned doing a ring as too ambitious. So good to hear that travelling in June is not as crowded as the rest of the summer. I really want to avoid crowds and touristy spots. I have read "Narrowboating for Beginners" and that was fabulous. My next big task is to choose a route and hire company. I have narrowed it down to between the Leeds and Liverpool in The Pennines and a route on the Shropshire Union Canal to include Chester (though every time I think I've narrowed it down I get a suggestion for another good route). If you have any route suggestions I'd love to hear them. Thank you for taking the time to share your journeys with all of us!
Posted by
Ozarks of Arkansas
286 posts
Thanks for your very complimentary comments!
We chose the Llangollen canal because of the opportunity to cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and traverse a couple of tunnels.
Good luck on your trip. It will definitely be an opportunity to avoid crowds of other tourists!