Recommend a Narrow Boat Holiday

[snappyfish]

Hi,

 

As you may or may not have seen I'm fairly new to this. Can anyone recommend a narrow boat holiday maybe close to me to start with (I live in Dorset) that I can spend a week to try this lifestyle.

 

Thanks

Edited November 20, 2015 by snappyfish

[john6767]

It depends on your definition of close. From the Midlands it is only a few hours to the south coast, and for a weeks holiday I personally would not consider a few hours each way too far. If that sort of travel time is ok you have lots of choice available, you could look at bases in the Napton/Braunston area for example, which is easy to get to from the M40.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Or a bit further south: Oxfordshire Narrowboats at Heyford, just north of Oxford.

 

http://www.oxfordshire-narrowboats.co.uk/index.html

 

Go north from there for a few days, and then back. If that does not convert you to canal boating, then nothing will.

[snappyfish]

Or a bit further south: Oxfordshire Narrowboats at Heyford, just north of Oxford.

 

http://www.oxfordshire-narrowboats.co.uk/index.html

 

Go north from there for a few days, and then back. If that does not convert you to canal boating, then nothing will.

 

Thanks, they dont have dates for Nov - Dec?

 

http://www.oxfordshire-narrowboats.co.uk/assets/images/prices/DayboatCalendarRates2015-Heyford.pdf

[Fender151]

Last year we hired from Foxhangers, Devizes, on the Kennet and Avon.

 

Spent a great 8 days cruising down to Bristol, via Bath.

Highly rated the hire company, we had a nearly new boat and the trip was perfect, many pubs, great scenery.

All good really.

Not cheap, but for us it was money well spent.

 

Have fun.

[matty40s]

There are only a few of the hire companies do Winter hire, but yes it is the best time to hire so you know you can hack it.

[Southern Star]

 

Thanks, they dont have dates for Nov - Dec?

 

http://www.oxfordshire-narrowboats.co.uk/assets/images/prices/DayboatCalendarRates2015-Heyford.pdf

Rose Narrowboats do Winter hire.

 

http://www.rose-narrowboats.co.uk/winter_cruising.htm

[Scholar Gypsy]

Just to add a statement of the obvious: if you want to do a winter hire then you need to plan around the winter stoppage programmes.

 

I suspect one of the reasons Rose do winter hire is because they are on quite a long pound.

[Timx]

_{Check out '' latelink'' they have boats in different areas.}

[zimzim]

For Winter hire, you might want to consider whether you want to find a boat with a stove - there are a few.

[metanoia]

Friends of ours who were contemplating life aboard a few years ago approached one of the hire companies and negotiated a 3 month deal to take one of their (otherwise unused/unhired/stashed away for a while) boats over the winter to give them a real idea of living aboard in the worst conditions.

 

Everyone got a good deal, I believe, and it will definitely give you a real taste of life on a boat which a week away couldn't do. Makes sense in lots of ways - after all, how many countries have we all "relocated to" in our heads after any idyllic week/fortnight away?

[snappyfish]

_{Check out '' latelink'' they have boats in different areas.}

 

Interesting, thanks.