Inger

Thanks for all the tips and advice. We've booked a boat from Twyford. Looking forward to the trip:)

We're a family of four (two grown-up kids) who are planning a one-week trip on a narrowboat in July this year. We have a bit of experience (it'll be our sixth or seventh narrowboat holiday) and are looking for a semi-energetic one-week trip (appr 6-8 hours cruising a day). We do enjoy locks and swing bridges (but not twenty-seven of them in one day;). We're looking for beautiful countryside with plenty of nice little villages and towns, and pubs (very important!). We definitely don't want to be stuck between a railroad and a motorway, and want avoid big cities with vast industrial estates on the outskirts. What's the Oxford Canal like? Would that be a good choice of canal? Seems beautiful and rural and quiet. Where would be a good place to start from if we want to get as far south as Oxford, before turning back? Anyone who can recommend a hire company? /Inger

Yes, we did. Nice boat

Last week, we did the Leeds and Liverpool canal, from Barnoldswick to Saltaire and back, then on to The Foulridge tunnel and back to B'wick. We 're teally happy with our choice of route, and of narrowboat operator. The scenery was absolutely stunning. The Yorkshire Dales are truly pretty, what with all the green hills, white sheep and grey stone houses and drystone walls. The number of locks and bridges were perfect to keep us occupied bur not overworked. Only downside was that many of the paddles were broken, and the Clough paddles were nearly impossible to open. We moored in some wonderful spots and went to several really good pubs, where we had good food, and very good beer:) We particularly liked the Narrowboat Inn in Skipton, Cross keyes at East Marton, and the Fisherman's in Bingley. We missed out on the Bollywood Cottage, but had a lovely Indian meal at the Agrar in Skipton. One thing we absolutely cannot understand is why Foster's is the biggest seller in English pubs (according to a pub owner we talked to). Why drink Foster's or Stella or Heineken, when you have such wonderful, locally brewed ales and bitters? We thouroughly enjoyed the trip, and our friends who were on a narrowboat for the first time also loved it! The only problem was that it was far too short. We'd hardly got on the boat when it was time to disembark. And, admittedly, the weather could have been a bit better. But, then again, you don't go to England for a holiday in the sun;) So thanks for all the tips. And also a great many thanks to Karen and Richard at Canalboat Escapes

We will be going with Canal Boat Escapes, so we hope to see you in july, Janet:-)

Thanks for all the good advice and lovely pictures:-) We decided on the Leeds-Liverpool canal and will start and end in Barnoldswick. We're very axcited about it and are looking forward to a (hopefully) great holiday in the Pennines. Anything we shouldn't miss?

We're planning on a one-week trip on the Rochdale canal or the Leeds-Liverpool canal, this summer. There will be four of us, all adults, and we have some experience of narrow-boating. This will actually be our sixth narrow-boat trip in the U.K (we're from Sweden.) We are primarily looking for a quiet trip with beautiful scenery, nice towns and villages and plenty of pubs serving good ale along the way. We have little interest in canal history and are very keen to avoid industrial areas (be they historical or modern) and big cities (having had some bad experiences of that previously). Having done some research on the internet, it seems that the best choices would be doing the Rochdale canal from Sowersby bridge and westwards, or the Leeds-Liverpool canal starting in Skipton. Given our preferences for beautiful scenery and good pubs - which one would you recommend? If the Leeds-Liverpool canal would be the best one, what route would you recommend, starting and ending in Skipton?