Even if you have no previous narrowboat hire experience you will be surprised just how easy it is to become a confident skipper of your narrowboat. All our hirers are taken for a free tuition cruise by one of our experienced pilots at the start of your boating holiday and shown through a lock. Instruction continues until you are confident of how to handle the boat. This will insure a most enjoyable and memorable boating holiday. We also send hirers our comprehensive 20 page cruising guide and a VHS video which covers all aspects of good canalboating and cruising.
Canals are unique in many ways.
Since their construction in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries they have mellowed and matured into a heritage of beauty, framed by every bridge and changing at every bend. Another intriguing feature is that unlike a river canals pass along and over the side of hills, often making the scene a great panorama of country. Locks A series of locks punctuate the different levels of waterway, each with its own particular charm. The locks are simple to operate and provide pleasant breaks in the cruise with some gentle exercise. All novices are given practical instruction through their first lock on the day of departure from one of our experienced instructors.