Fuzzy Canadian

Thanks for the advice, everyone - I think I get the picture! John

We are planning a narrowboat holiday for next April, including cruising on the Severn (as far south as Gloucester) and Avon. As Canadians we don't really have a feel for the weather at that time of year. What are the chances of highwater levels, to the point where it would not be advisable to be cruising. And if so, typically how long would we need to stay moored until the rivers are again safely navigable? Thanks, John

Thanks for all the responses. While no one has directly answered my question I think I can conclude that, yes, Viking / UK Hire has gone to the dogs, and that I should consider other better run outfits. Thanks, John

Over the last 10 years we have hired a Viking boat three times, for 2-3 weeks per occurence, and were very satisfied. The last time was 4 years ago. We are now considering another trip to the UK, including hiring a boat for 4 weeks. I naturally looked at Viking boats, and made contact with them. Three issues immediately surfaced: - their prices seem to be significantly higher than most other outfits. - they have dropped the 5 star rating system, while most of the others still use it. This makes me believe that their fleet is aging, and they are trying to hide it. - communicating with the UK Boat Hire order desk certainly is not as satisfactory as it used to be with Viking. They are clueless and somewhat rude. While I don't mind paying a higher price - in return I expect a superior boat and decent service. However, I suspect that they've may have gone to the dogs big-time. But before totally ignoring them I thought I'd get some views from other people that have recently been customers. Any comments? Thanks, John