georgekatkins

FYI - The Wife and I rented a narrowboat for a short week this past September from K&A Canal Boat Hire. Their boats are, indeed, moored along the towpath in Bathampton. Richard and Sue Warren run the family business and, with only 3 boats, I reckon that is not enough to have their own marina. Still, we had a very nice time. Richard was our instructor and was very helpful and friendly. The boat ran without any mechanical or nautical problems. Aside from my own poor seamanship, we had no problems with the hire. We would happily use them again. George

Hi, Paula! My wife and I rented a 26' narrowboat for a short break (3 nights) this past September. The Kennett &Avon Canal Boat Hire is a small, family-run business. They have 3 boats (we hired the smallest), the last time I looked, so they do not have their own marina. They have a mooring in Bathampton. Richard and Sue Warren run the business. Richard provided instruction and went with us through the first lock out of Bathampton. He was willing to spend as much time with us as we needed. Truth be told, as the pilot I probably should have taken him up on the offer and worked through a few more procedures! Don't be afraid to ask Richard to go over anything in the training a second time. We found Richard to be friendly, supportive, and reputable. My seamanship will not be heralded in the pubs along the canal, but we had a grand time, all the same! Upon arrival back in Bathhampton, Richard was even nice enough to give us a lift back into Bath. In summary, we had no problems involved with renting or returning the boat. We'd have no problems working with them again. Richard will advise you to make your major potty trips at pubs along the way. Very good advice. Even then, I also advise making at least one stop at an Elsan point, going and returning, to empty the cassette toilet. You definitely do not want to wait too long! One final tip: It's not how far you go, it's how much you take the time to enjoy the trip! George

To LadyG, ScholarGypsy, Terry Brooks, Peter X, and MachPoint005, et al., thanks for your input! The Wife and I are really looking forward to our Midweek Break on the K&A. We've watched lots of YouTube videos and read what we could. But I was stuck on this small (but otherwise obvious) point.

Mike, Thanks for the response. I'm afraid the question was question was badly framed, as I was unconsciously thinking of my 26' hire boat, rather than the normal larger-sized narrowboats. But I appreciate the confirmation about mooring to whichever side is required, in the direction I'm moving.

Greetings! When mooring up on a canal, can you moor on either side? I presume the answer is "yes" if both shores are capable. If only one shore is available and you are on the other side, do you just cut over and moor, or do you have to turn your boat around and then moor, going in the opposition direction? George

Thanks a lot for the beer recommendations, CutHound. I'll look for them in our travels. And I hope you and your boat are getting along famously. We've been watching tons of narrowboat videos on Youtube, by the way; not only the owner videos, but also "the great canal journeys" series and the so-called "Slow TV" videos that have no added music or narrative. For that matter, I've come to dislike soundtracks on boating videos. They are usually annoying and mask the natural sounds.

Hello, Patrick! Thanks once again for your advise. I thought I'd check back in with you, as we've more or less firmed up our plans for the area. We'll be doing an overnighter in Bath on 23 Sept. On the morning of the 24th we'll go over to the tow path and then it's shank's mare to Bathampton and the boat launch (if the weather is good). Should take about an hour. I'm not sure which side of the canal the boat hire is on, but I trust there is some kind of bridge thereabouts. Our check-in time is 11. Then it's a 3-hour training before we set out. I reckon our "day 1" is really just about half a day! So, it would likely be on the return trip that we could stop and say 'howdy', as our boat is not due back until 4 PM. Could you send me the location and name of your boat? Looking forward to meeting you in September. George

Thanks for the response. However, they seem to be the cheapest ones available for the time and place we selected! Plus, the fuel cost is inclusive. We'll be on the Tinka 2. It's the tiny 25' boat. This is our first venture, so The Wife and I (there are just the two of us) thought we'd start off modestly, having never piloted a narrow boat before. And we'll make it a point to stop by, if not on the outbound, then the inbound. George

Thanks for the response. Well, that's interesting.... it is a family-run business and they hire out three boats. The owners are Richard and Sue Warren. We've only talked with Richard by phone and via email. Seems a decent enough fellow. To Magpie Patrick, Well, we'll be there on Sep 24. Maybe we'll see you and your boat (juno) on our way out! George

Hello! However, my wife and I are going on holiday in England and hope to hire a narrowboat for a short break. It is a new experience for us. We ran across one company known as "Kennet & Avon Canal Boat Hire" and wonder if anybody knows anything about the company (experience, boats, etc.) they could share with us. George