We will be in England early next September and want to rent a narrow boat near Oxford for a week's adventure on the Thames or one of the nearby canals. We have hiked the Thames Path a couple of times and love watching the narrow boats go by. Any suggestion as to narrow boat rental companies that are reliable? Has anyone done this and have a report to share with us? Thanks so much!
Deb
hey hey deb
check out bookahouseboat or black-prince.com
aloha
Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like Black Prince has a boat in the area we want to visit. Have you used this company before?
hey hey deb
no we didn't, had site saved, decided to travel to amsterdam and rented a houseboat as our "hotel"
aloha
GO NINERS!!
My wife and I have “hired” narrowboats twice in the last three years. We plan on doing it again this year. We have had a great time.
The best resource for narrowboats info and help is this forum:
https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/forum/7-waterways-holidays/
The contributors are very helpful.
For myself, I would not take a narrowboat onto a river. They are not very maneuverable for such an environment. Stick to a canal.
Mike, thank you very much for the website and your insight re rivers. I appreciate your assistance!
Mike beat me to it. Unless you are experienced - several trips - with running a narrowboat it is not recommended by most hire companies or publishers, or experienced narrowboaters (I've taken several over the years and I don't think I'm sufficiently qualified) to take a boat on a tidal river like the Thames. Even that far upstream. The river behaves completely differently than a canal after a rain, during a dry spell, and during tide movements. The banks are very different, and there are invisible currents due to the everchanging bottom. Canals are much more predictable and can be operated by most people with a modicum of instruction and attention.
I've never worked boats on the Oxford Canal or the River Cherwell but I'd love to one day. I can recommend wholeheartedly the Stratford Canal (Stratford-upon-Avon to Braunston) but be careful if somebody wants to sit up top - those bridges are LOW..
Black Prince is well respected, as are several others including Alvechurch. Sometimes a small operation with only a few boats can do a good job. Look at their webpages and look carefully at the fitout of the boats.
Hard work, narrowboating, but ever so relaxing and pleasant. (gets a bit wet from time to time, most marinas include waterproofs but probably best to bring your own if you aren't one-size-fits-all).
Thanks everyone! I'll keep our focus on canals and check out the companies listed. This has been a dream of my husband for several years (not MINE!) but I am trying to make it come true on our upcoming trip.
Deb
