A few years ago I was taking a holiday on a canal boat with my family, slowly trudging our way around Britain. It was a most enjoyable holiday, apart from an unfortunate incident involving a low hanging tree, the family dog, and much discussion over whether or not the dumb mutt had actually jumped in on purpose.

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of holiday. There’s the sort where you decide to do something, and there’s the sort where you decide to do absolutely nothing. The wonderful thing about a canal boating holiday is that it can be both of these, even at the same time! If you feel like doing something, then navigating the boat is an interesting and engaging pastime, and very easy to learn. If you want some exercise, it doesn’t come much more intensive than working the locks! Or, you can let your significant other steer, and you can lay pack on the roof of the barge with a bottle of sun tan lotion and a book.

Scenes like this Will abound!

Of course, these options are only during the day! During the night there are many more things to consider. Those with a more youthful (Or alcoholic) bent, can pull the boat up and moor alongside a pub, then drink the night away. Many such places get a lot of business from the canals, and will tend to make extra sure that you are happy. Many more offer great deals to those who’ve arrived by boat. Best of all, you don’t need to worry about how you’re going to get back to your room- It’s parked right outside!

Perhaps you just fancy a quiet night in? Even the cheapest canal boats have all the facilities of a hotel room, from the basics such as a comfy bed and shower, all the way through to flat screen HD TVs and fully equipped kitchens. Those of us who’ve been on caravan holidays (A British tradition of masochism) can all attest to just how grotty many caravans are. But I can honestly say that the facilities you can get on the cheapest canal boat are comparable to those in a high end caravan, or even a three or four star hotel room. If you have the money, then the high end canal boats are almost like floating houses! Multiple bedrooms, separate kitchen, TV area, storage… the whole works.

This 57 foot narrow boat can hold an entire familly in comfort!

But of course, with all this brilliance comes a question… how much does it cost? Well, renting a narrow boat isn’t cheap, but it’s not all that much more expensive than going aboard. You can rent a 48ft narrow boat equipped with 2 double beds, 4 singles, a shower, separate toilet, on board gas and all the little extras and gubbins you need for £1,015. That covers you for a week, with a licence to take the boat ANYWHERE in the UK. Oh, and it covers parking for your car while you are gone too! With two double beds, a pair of couples can take this week long holiday for a little over £500 each.

If you’re willing to spend more, then for £1,265, you can rent a 60ft narrow boat, with 3 double beds, 6 singles, two separate toilets, a shower, gas, equipment, and 240volt electric system. Again, this is for a week, with parking.

So in summary, taking a narrow boat across the canals of Britain is a great way to spend time in the summer. There’s something to be had for everyone, from drinking out at night, to lazing around during the day. You can go where you want, do what you want, when you want, and all in comfort that puts many hotels to shame. Some friends of our family loved it so much that they sold their house and actually bought a narrow boat instead! Last we heard, they where loving every moment of it, and whenever they got bored of the area of the neighbours, they literally upped anchor and moved on a whim!