A Beginners
Guide to Canal Boating
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"The 200 year old canal cruising
network in Britain, a remarkable asset from its industrial past, has now been developed
into a wonderful leisure activity! These unique UK waterways offer superb canal holidays
and canal boat hire on comfortable traditional narrowboats.
They are narrow ribbons of water winding almost unnoticed between the hedgerows, passing
through the woods, fields and pretty villages of our finest countryside, and into the
heart of our historic cities. These waterways are full of trees and flowers and abundant
with wildlife, passing over soaring aqueducts and through amazing tunnels, past old
wharves and cottages and numerous canal side pubs! UK waterways canal holidays are unique
and from a slow canal boat you can really appreciate all you see - a remarkable and
unforgettable way to experience Britain."
So starts the website of Middlewich Boats. I for one would not disagree with them. It took around ten minutes of my first boat holiday to become totally enthralled. Whether you have come to these pages to see what the canals may have to offer, or to to get a little reassurance before your first venture onto the "cut" I hope you find something here to encourage you to try the canals. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
What do canals have to offer? Why would anyone want to holiday on them? Where are the canals? How do I go about getting afloat? Will I be able to cope with the steering and the locks? - These and many other questions may well be going through your head if you have reached this page. Some I will be able to answer easily, others maybe never at all, but I will try!! Navigation around this section of my site can be made via the GREEN PANELS at the top and bottom of the pages. The YELLOW PANELS connect with main site areas. Colored text text within the pages is also often a hyperlink and so may be worth clicking on in case . Since I started my website in November 1998 I have had many visitors to my pages, and made many e-mail friends with those who have been moved to make an entry in my Visitors Book or who have e-mailed me personally. The biggest topic of the e-mails has always been "I want to get afloat, but I have a couple of queries I wonder if you could help me with?" It is to answer the more common of these queries that I have added this section to my website. This guide will be an evolving one and I hope you the people for whom it is intended will let me know what you have found of help, what you found missing, and indeed what you found to be WRONG!! |
How do I get afloat?
There are several ways to get afloat, but most people start either by hiring a boat themselves or knowing someone who invites them along on their boat or even lets them borrow it. Some brave individuals just up and buy their own boat straight away!! Others once bitten find they want more time afloat for their money than hiring will allow, and want to go every year - I warn you CANALS ARE ADDICTIVE!! - they like me, may try shared ownership, and having looked at all the main schemes available, I still believe I am with the premier provider OWNERSHIPS
Whichever way you chose, usually it is a case of having to do the "driving" yourself. If this sounds too off-putting for a first attempt, (and I can assure you, you need have no fears) there are a couple of other ways which will enable you to dip your toes in without having to go it alone. An idea which is becoming more common is a "Hotel Boat" where as the name suggests you book a room aboard a boat and the crew deal with the running of the boat, provide meals, and narrate your voyage. To find out more about "Hotel Boats" CLICK HERE.
A welcome addition to the type of holiday available on narrow boats is offered by Middlewich Narrowboats where they offer a short break holiday coupled with training to obtain the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman's Certificate. The course part of the holiday can be tailored in length to suit your individual requirements. If you are at all concerned about your first hireboat holiday, this is a good way to get some practice in with expert tuition prior perhaps to hiring a 70ft boat to take the wife (or husband before I'm accused of being sexist :-) ) and six children away for a week.
And Finally......
If you don't find the answer to your query here please feel free to contact me for assistance. While I do hope that these pages will answer many of your queries, I don't have enough faith in my writing skills to believe they will answer them all. Nor do I believe that I am infallible, so I do not accept any responsibility for inaccuracies or omissions.
EMAIL ANY QUERY YOU MAY HAVE!!