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First time boating holiday, circular, Southern-ish?


Bumble Beard

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Hi All,

 

First time poster here! :)

 

The missus and I together with another couple (and our dog!) are planning on going on a week long boating holiday this year, possibly around June/July, so we're busy researching the canals and getting ideas on where to go.. Hitherto my boating experience has been limited to an inflatable with outboard in the Lake District, and a bit of experience driving my brothers 35' narrowboat on the Leeds Liverpool a few years ago.

 

So what we're looking for in an ideal world:

 

1. Canal 'down south', being a Northerner I am acutely aware that the climate gets better the further one goes down the M6, A1/A14. :)

2. Nothing too complex in terms of Locks, rivers, etc. As we're first timers we'd like a gentle introduction. :)

3. We'll be only looking at probably 5 or 6 hours cruising a day, we'd like to get out and explore pretty villages, abandonded windmills, and the like, plus I'm under no illusion as to the gravitational effect a good canalside tavern would have on us.

4. Nothing too 'built up', so we don't really want long stretches through cities (I'm thinking Birmingham or The Big Smoke).

5. A circular route would be great, but I know point (3) may limit this. :)

 

I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to where might be suitable? We're also looking into The Broads, I've been to Suffolk a few times and absolutely love the place, so this is another option.

 

Thanks for your time and looking forward to some pointers. :)

 

Rob

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As you say your point 3 limits doing any rings. Assuming the Midlands is ok, my thought as you don't want too many locks you be to Hire from Napton/Braunston/Rugby and go to Market Harborough and back. If you really did not want many locks at all, then Napton to the end of the Ashby is only 4 locks each way, but for me that gets a bit boring!

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OP - - we had a similar thought process for our very first boat holiday (7 years ago), we wanted quiet, picturesque countryside, canalside pubs, gentle boating.

 

We chose the Llangollen canal

 

Fabulous!

 

Got us hooked on boating - we now live on one (so be careful!) :rolleyes:

 

 

Yes. I would also recommend that as meeting your requirements ideally.

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Hi All, and thanks for the replies so far,

 

@Baghdad Boatman: Yes we'll certainly look into the Oxford Canal, actually I was watching Great British Railway Journeys the other day and it had Tooleys Boatyard in Banbury on, that's certainly the sort of thing that's good to see en-route.

 

@John thanks for the reply, that's another vote for the Oxford Canal then, looks promising. :)

 

@Grace & Favour: Llangollen would certainly be scenic, in fact as a youth me and a friend walked the Offas Dyke path, part of which walks over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. My only slight concern is that it's a bit closeby, we live near Preston so I think if we were going away for a week I'l like to be a bit further away. :)

 

What about The Broads? How do they compare to Canals? I guess the boats and water are wider, is it as pleasant as bumbling along a canal though or is it a bit more tidal?

 

Rob

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Hi All, and thanks for the replies so far,

 

@Baghdad Boatman: Yes we'll certainly look into the Oxford Canal, actually I was watching Great British Railway Journeys the other day and it had Tooleys Boatyard in Banbury on, that's certainly the sort of thing that's good to see en-route.

 

@John thanks for the reply, that's another vote for the Oxford Canal then, looks promising. :)

 

@Grace & Favour: Llangollen would certainly be scenic, in fact as a youth me and a friend walked the Offas Dyke path, part of which walks over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. My only slight concern is that it's a bit closeby, we live near Preston so I think if we were going away for a week I'l like to be a bit further away. :)

 

What about The Broads? How do they compare to Canals? I guess the boats and water are wider, is it as pleasant as bumbling along a canal though or is it a bit more tidal?

 

Rob

 

Aye Rob, the Oxford's lovely too - - (though you'll soon learn that just "being a mile away" can be just as much fun as travelling 300 miles to get there . . . . . . . dry.gif)

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I have often hired on the broads & really enjoy it down there but the broads is just like one big holday park to be honest. You have to have your whits about 247 with the rise & fall of the tides etc. some very nice places.

 

I no you say the Llangollen isnt far but its by far the most beautiful anal.

 

On the other hand you have the mouthshire & brecon canal in south wales but again its not a ring

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@Grace & Favour: Llangollen would certainly be scenic, in fact as a youth me and a friend walked the Offas Dyke path, part of which walks over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. My only slight concern is that it's a bit closeby, we live near Preston so I think if we were going away for a week I'l like to be a bit further away. :)

 

I was guided by your "southish" remark, but in reality the Llangollen is great. Before we had our own boat we did if from Anglo Welsh at Bunbury to Llangollen and back in the week. Fantastic trip. We went to Llangollen this year in our own boat, and enjoyed it even more.

 

I don't think that it matters being near home, not that I would really call the Llangollen near to Preston (not in boating terms anyway). We often go for a trip out on the boat from where we moor which, is 40 mins by car, to near home. It takes 3 days in the boat (it's 62 locks!), from the marina to home!

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[ soapbox mode ON]

 

Don't dismiss (some) cities as being unpleasant - B'rum has a lot to offer and if you like walking, you'll see a lot of history and get a chance to see some Quite Interesting collections of "stuff". OK parts of our second city are grotty, but you quickly pass them by. Mooring overninght in the centre is a surprisingly pleasant experience.

 

Don't also dismiss rivers most Dahn Sarf are short of water ('cos the locals drink / wash/ bathe the water !!) and they can be easy to navigate.

 

The Oxford canal is popular, mostly rural - perhaps a bit too rural, being mostly agricultural there's not a lot of variation.

 

Here's a wacky (i.e. not mainstream) suggestion How's about:-

Hiring a boat on the southern Oxford. Visit the City, a lot to see, especially if you take the City run walking tour of the colleges (NOT the commercial tour) There are museums and churches to explore. A chance to see the ruins of HMV....

 

If the weather is clement then, venture onto the Thames and go upstream. All bar one are manual in operation and a dream to work. These locks are also staffed (most of the time) so you don't have to work them if you don't want. Plenty of footpaths and some sites to visit for example - Kelmscott manor. The River is much narrower above Reading (bear with me) and more so above Oxford. Provided the weather is not as horrendous as it has been this past year, it behaves like a very wide canal.

 

Contrarywise you could go downstream to say to Wallingford (very ancient capital of England) via Abingdon. Both places have sites to see and footpaths to walk.

 

Oxfordshire Narrowboats at Heyford (raiway station next door) have nice boats if doi9ng the canal and river.

 

[soapbox mode OFF]

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[ soapbox mode ON]

 

Don't dismiss (some) cities as being unpleasant - B'rum has a lot to offer and if you like walking, you'll see a lot of history and get a chance to see some Quite Interesting collections of "stuff". OK parts of our second city are grotty, but you quickly pass them by. Mooring overninght in the centre is a surprisingly pleasant experience.

 

Don't also dismiss rivers most Dahn Sarf are short of water ('cos the locals drink / wash/ bathe the water !!) and they can be easy to navigate.

 

The Oxford canal is popular, mostly rural - perhaps a bit too rural, being mostly agricultural there's not a lot of variation.

 

Here's a wacky (i.e. not mainstream) suggestion How's about:-

Hiring a boat on the southern Oxford. Visit the City, a lot to see, especially if you take the City run walking tour of the colleges (NOT the commercial tour) There are museums and churches to explore. A chance to see the ruins of HMV....

 

If the weather is clement then, venture onto the Thames and go upstream. All bar one are manual in operation and a dream to work. These locks are also staffed (most of the time) so you don't have to work them if you don't want. Plenty of footpaths and some sites to visit for example - Kelmscott manor. The River is much narrower above Reading (bear with me) and more so above Oxford. Provided the weather is not as horrendous as it has been this past year, it behaves like a very wide canal.

 

Contrarywise you could go downstream to say to Wallingford (very ancient capital of England) via Abingdon. Both places have sites to see and footpaths to walk.

 

Oxfordshire Narrowboats at Heyford (raiway station next door) have nice boats if doi9ng the canal and river.

 

[soapbox mode OFF]

 

I would agree with all that.

 

A couple of points about the Thames though. The licence is very expensive if you just want a couple of days on there, if you want 2 weeks it's fine. Secondly we found that the pubs by the Thames above Oxford were not in general welcoming to dogs.

In reality everywhere is good though!

 

 

 

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Some great replys thanks everyone. :)

 

Will reply properly to you all tomorrow, must admit at the moment I'm watching a 1991 programme I downloaded off thebox.bz about the southern section of the Oxford Canal, if half the places and museums are still open now I think it will be high up (read top) of our list. ;)

 

PS if anyone wants an invite to thebox.bz (loads of British TV, railways, history, canals etc.) just send a pm but you'll need to watch your ratio. :)

 

Rob

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I would agree with all that.

 

A couple of points about the Thames though. The licence is very expensive if you just want a couple of days on there, if you want 2 weeks it's fine. Secondly we found that the pubs by the Thames above Oxford were not in general welcoming to dogs.

In reality everywhere is good though!

 

 

 

 

 

Good points. Strange that pubs don't like dogs as it is mostly a rural area and hounds are the usual accompaniment!

EA do a deal where you get in effect 3 days for the price of two and if you spend your last day between Eynsham and King's before turning left, nobody's going to pick you up.

 

Alternatively, if you hire from Anglo Welsh at Eynsham the Thames licence is included - I assume they have a Gold which covers the canals as well. Need to check.

 

The museum of bygone age at Claydon is closed (has been for a while), Banbury is still open (I think) and all the Oxford ones are - but I didn't see the video, so don't know which museums were listed.

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Quite like the idea of starting in Oxford, be a bit of a pilgimage for me as I'm quite a fan of the Colin Dexter Morse novels.

 

How much extra is the Thames Licence? Is that a bit like the Windermere one, you have to pay them to stick a number plate on your boat? Also (sorry for sounding thick here) but why does the Thames river have locks on? I thought the idea of a river was it flows gently down by gravity, is it to make it easier to navigate?

 

Rob

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Bumble beard, believe me no matter where you go you will feel far away from home in no time! For our 1st week long trip we did Preston Brook to Ellesemere Port, we actually live inbetween Chester and Ellesmere Port. To be honest half the time i couldnt recognise where we where as being local! The views you get are completely different once on the canal and even the very local bits were different as you see it through more touristy eyes! The big bonus was when we got to Ellesmere Port we called my other halfs parents to take us for a quick trip to the supermarket to replenish stocks!

Edited by little duck!
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Quite like the idea of starting in Oxford, be a bit of a pilgimage for me as I'm quite a fan of the Colin Dexter Morse novels.

 

How much extra is the Thames Licence? Is that a bit like the Windermere one, you have to pay them to stick a number plate on your boat? Also (sorry for sounding thick here) but why does the Thames river have locks on? I thought the idea of a river was it flows gently down by gravity, is it to make it easier to navigate?

 

Rob

 

The cost of the licence is based on the area of the boat, but for our 50ft narrowboat it was a bit more than £50 of 2 days, which as has been said basically gives you 3 days use. It is by the day, or a 2 week license so once you get to more than about 4 days you may as well have a 2 week one, which was about £110 for our boat I think, so if you can use the 2 weeks, it is not bad price wise. Just something to be aware of, as it you hire a boast from the canal network you will be responsible for paying the additional licence.

 

 

All (or at least most of) the navigable rivers have locks on them. Basically there are weirs that regulate the flow/depth of the river, without them the river would flow faster and would probably be shallow in places. Of course once you have a weir you need a lock to get a boat past it.

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

 

Good points. Strange that pubs don't like dogs as it is mostly a rural area and hounds are the usual accompaniment!

EA do a deal where you get in effect 3 days for the price of two and if you spend your last day between Eynsham and King's before turning left, nobody's going to pick you up.

 

Alternatively, if you hire from Anglo Welsh at Eynsham the Thames licence is included - I assume they have a Gold which covers the canals as well. Need to check.

 

The museum of bygone age at Claydon is closed (has been for a while), Banbury is still open (I think) and all the Oxford ones are - but I didn't see the video, so don't know which museums were listed.

I am on the Oxford at the moment and having a Google to try to find out what happened to the museum I have come up with lots of links to it. Is it open again by any chance?

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If you hire from AngloWelsh, they have a hire base at Pinkhill on the river Thames (a few miles above Oxford). That takes care of the EA Thames licence complication.

 

From there, a nice trip up the river to Lechlade (1.5 days there, 1.5 back, at 5 hours per day). Come back down the Thames to Oxford and then go up the Oxford canal - may be to Heyford or there abouts.

 

Your Morse bit can be satisfied as you'll go through Thrupp. Episodes were filmed at The Boat Inn and the Wide on the canal. The dining room at the pub has many photographs from the series.

 

Edit - The episode - "The Last Enemy" was the one that showed a lot of the canal at Thrupp. Drinking at the Boat Inn, talking by the lift bridge and on the Wide itself.

 

There are some snippits of the canal in "The Wench is Dead"

Edited by Proper Job
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Hi there,

My tuppence worth is to hire from Black Prince at Napton and then explore - you have three options as you come out of the marina - left, right and straightahead.

Left takes you south down the Oxford to Cropredy (beautiful historic village with great walks) and Banbury and Lower Heyford (lovely walks here both sides of the cut).

Right takes you to Braunston where you can head (after the tunnel) up the Leicester section of the Grand Union or on down to Stoke Buerne.

Straightahead from Napton takes you up through Calcutt and Stockton Locks on through Leamington Spa and Warwick to the wonderful Hatton flight of locks.

If you just want to pootle around there is no reason why you can't do bits of them all in 3 little out and back trips.

We have hired from Black Prince many times over the years and find their boats are excellent for hirers - not fancy, well priced, well maintained, well kitted out and excellent service. They make sure you are well briefed about the boat's features and safety, as well as instructions/teaching for steering, mooring and locking (some hire companies do NOT do this.) Also, they give you a 50 quid discount voucher for your next hire and they have good specials, along with having a number of easy to get to bases.

Paraphrasing what others have said - be careful, as you could easily get hooked! David and I have bought our own boat after hiring many times since our first trip back in 1990 - decided a fortnight at a time wasn't enough ...

Another idea to help you decide is to read some of the blogs. Two I would suggest are blogs of nb Holderness and nb Valerie - very informative about the things to see and explore from the cut. You can find them via google.

Cheers, Marilyn

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I forgot to say (and was reminded in another thread) that Bletchley Park in the environs of Milton Keynes is a full day visit that is absolutely wonderful, if you come down the Grand Union, as per my post above.

Cheers, Marilyn

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