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As a family of 4 we are looking to hire a narrowboat for a week, can anyone suggest a suitable "Ring Route"? we dont want to be travelling all day and would enjoy a morning /afternoons stop to explore. Are there Owners who hire out their boats or smaller comapanies that we could use rather that be catered for by the mass like Hoseasons?

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Most of the popular cruising rings just so happen to be a week or a bit more, thus appealing to the hirers who hire for a fairly active week. But I'm sure there are some which are slightly less than a week long, so that if you did short days then it would be done in 7 days.

 

The main ones I can think of (Black Country Ring, Avon Ring, Stourport Ring, 4 Counties Ring, Cheshire Ring) are like this. Then there's others like Pennine ring which is 2-3 weeks, and bigger ones which are combinations of other rings or further south so more like down the Oxford and up the GU.

 

BUT it depends what you call a "ring". In its literal sense, then you could look at the map of the BCN canals and come up with hundreds of variations of trips which would be called a ring, and could take from 15 mins to 2 weeks.

Also, don't discount an out and back trip, they somewhat take the pressure off having to cruise, and seeing half the stuff twice isn't so bad after all, especially if part of the fun is doing interesting navigational features like locks and staircases, because doing them up is different to doing them down.

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Chas Hardern Boats www.chashardern.co.uk is a small family run firm that has been established for over 40years and we are one of the very few family firms still run by the original family.

The easiest ring route from us is the 4 Counties ring but this still requires 9 hrs a day. This is fine during the summer although still pretty active.

Most ring routes are quite large and require a commitment to a lot of boating. There are shorter rings within the B.C.N which may not be for everyone and usually have plenty of locks.

 

As we say -it always looks different from the other way if you do a there and back route!

 

We can advise you on the most interesting route depending on what you would like to see & do.

 

 

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As a family of 4 we are looking to hire a narrowboat for a week, can anyone suggest a suitable "Ring Route"? we dont want to be travelling all day and would enjoy a morning /afternoons stop to explore. Are there Owners who hire out their boats or smaller comapanies that we could use rather that be catered for by the mass like Hoseasons?

There are few, if any, private owners who hire out their boats, because the extra (necessary) safety regulations and insurance requirements make it financially unfeasible for a private boat owner to do this. If you are attracted by such an operator, I would urge you to be incredibly wary, and thoroughly check their credentials/insurance cover, whether they are registered with CRT as a business, and whether they have the commercial Boat Safety Scheme certification.

 

There are plent of smaller hire companies, and some are extremely good - - but first - what part of the country are you looking to explore - are you looking to cruise through cities, or would you rather explore countryside?

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I booked a boat in May from Cheshirecat Narrowboats based in Audlem on the Four Counties ring. Their prices are really good and even includes diesel. So far i've had good relations with them and get a good feeling it will be worth it.

 

Four Counties ring is 9hr days, but there are other options such as doing the Llangollen, the shroppie itself, etc

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  • 3 weeks later...

Most of the popular cruising rings just so happen to be a week or a bit more, thus appealing to the hirers who hire for a fairly active week. But I'm sure there are some which are slightly less than a week long, so that if you did short days then it would be done in 7 days.

 

The main ones I can think of (Black Country Ring, Avon Ring, Stourport Ring, 4 Counties Ring, Cheshire Ring) are like this. Then there's others like Pennine ring which is 2-3 weeks, and bigger ones which are combinations of other rings or further south so more like down the Oxford and up the GU.

 

BUT it depends what you call a "ring". In its literal sense, then you could look at the map of the BCN canals and come up with hundreds of variations of trips which would be called a ring, and could take from 15 mins to 2 weeks.

Also, don't discount an out and back trip, they somewhat take the pressure off having to cruise, and seeing half the stuff twice isn't so bad after all, especially if part of the fun is doing interesting navigational features like locks and staircases, because doing them up is different to doing them down.

Thanks Paul... I might consider the out and back again as I don't want to be on a timer. Good thinking. :)

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