Tom Gabrielsen

Disembark....of course LadyG. Thank's for the tip IanD. I will check out the Stourport Ring more closely. Sounds nice.

Hi. I think a week or something! Best is if we could embark one place and disbark(if that's a term) in the other end so we don't need to see the same places twice. The challenge is of course to find a place with good communications from/to Norway.

Hi all Due to Covid, the trips was postponed to may 2022. We had a wonderful time. Two days in Oxford for seightseeing, and then 4 days on the Oxford canal. Very nice staff at the College Cruisers, nice boat, nice surrounding, nice pubs, nice nice nice. Even the weather was nice. Not a drop from the sky. Absolutely something we will do again. We will off course try another canal for something else. Oxford have very nice landscape view, so next time we like maybe something with more of old industry buildings. We are fascinated by abandoned factorys, run down coal mines etc. But it MUST be typical british pubs along the canal....obvisually. Any suggestions ?

Hi Thank you cp140405. I had that trip as an option, but it was too complicated with planes and connections from Norway. Anyway, we are off in may, the weekend with Ascension day and bank holiday. Probably crowdy that weekend. What do you think, should I order a table in advance on the pub's along the canal (we plan to do all our eating and drinking on the pubs...the trip is a present to my oldest son on his 30 year birthday so I wont hold back on the budget this time :)

Hi Rose Thanks for contacting me here on the forum. I used the form on your page. However, I have decided to go for a short break on the Oxford canal. It has much to do with transfer to and from Norway. It make no sense with flight change somewhere in europe and 3 hours by car for a short weekend. If this is something we will do again, your trips is definitively interesting. Best Regards Tom

Hello OldGoat. Thank you for the tips. Both the music venue and the bus tip. We will arrive late at Stanstead, and the coach use too long time. It's a big difference arriving the hotel 0100 than 0300 in the middle of the night. The train is also out of the question. Faster than coach but insane expensive. And the last train leave Stanstead at 2200(we land at 2220). A return ticket with train for 5 is the same as I pay for the narrow boat rental. Train commuters in UK must be very rich people...and I'm from Norway if you know what I mean. The trains are know outsourced to private company's in Norway these days, so it will not be long before we are in the same place as you regarding prices and a chaotic ticket order situation. Side streets of-course...wont be taken for a tourist I have watched a few videos on youtube from the Oxford Canal. Looks nice, a bit overgrown though.

Hi. Ohhh, a lot's of good tip. The Chester sound nice OldGoat. Last night I watched one episode of the "Great Canal Journeys" with Tim & Pru navigating the Leeds to Liverpool. That's something I would like. Old mills and occasionally city locations AND beutiful rural landscape. But, and I have really been working this, the transfer from Norway to the westcoast or the middle of England is difficult without change of planes and/or long drives. I can go directly to Liverpool from Oslo, but that is with SAS, and very expensive. For a short break it make no sense to spend 12 hours each way travelling. So, when all come together, I think I have decided to try the Oxford option(it's a trade-off regarding my hang to industrial history). And, it's not really my trip, it's a 30-year present to my oldest son. I can fly directly to Stanstead (Ryanair), take a Limo service (1h40m) to Oxford. Two nights in Oxford with a full day between(always wanted to visit that city). We can enter the boat a short walk from the hotel and sail up and down the Oxford canal. Deliver the boat at 0930 and have just enough time for breakfast before heading to the airport for our 1400 flight home. Thanks everybody. By the way, the Shire have just given me an answer on my inquiry (same company as Tim&Pru used in the program I noticed) And, after seeing another two episodes, I realize that I'm not totally without canal experience. I have sailed both the Crinnan and the Caledonian on our way back from crossing the atlantic on our sailboat a few years ago.

Hi. Strange, I have sent inquiry's to Rose, Shire and UK Canal Boat Holiday but no one answer! That's a bad sign. Either they have too much business (forget a good price) or their out ! On the net, I have seen so many places along the canals I like to visit, but they are of course not near each other. Not even along the same canal. I love the surroundings in the Bath City area, the authentic 1800 docs in Gloucester, the dramatic aqueduct Pontcysyllte and the pumpstation at Hawkesbury Junction. One thing I'm a bit confused about. People tend to be worried about an extra hour here and 30min extra there. In my world (Sailing), we talk about 2-3 days more or less from one destination to another Keep me posted with good tip.

Hi. Two very good tip so far. I can see it will be difficult to find a short ring, but the shirecruisers look promising with the one way routes. As Capt Pegg suggested, a trip north from Heyford and then return is also a possibility. The problem is, of course, that the information and possibilities on the net is so overwhelming that i struggle to find easy answers.

Hello. We are 4(5) adult (more or less) people from Norway looking for a short holiday in may. We would like to hire a narrow boat on one of the canals in UK, preferably close to an airport. Since we are from Norway, we are a bit fed up with desolate scenic passages.....but of course, we can withstand a little of that if it's not avoidable We are fascinated by industry buildings(old), castles, aqueducts, picturesque villages and of course old-style pub's. Since the time available is short, we don't need too long stretches between sights, and preferable a one-way route. It must be pubs with food along the route so we can tie up beside one in the evening for a stroll and dinner nearby the boat. I would appreciate a few tip what canals I should go for, and maybe a rental company you can recommend. Thank's