Pottering along a UK canal in a sedate narrow boat is heavenly. Photo / Getty Images
Pottering along a UK canal in a sedate narrow boat is heavenly. Photo / Getty Images
If you think that pottering along a UK canal in a sedate narrow boat is boring, think again, this is one of the best ways to spend a British summer, writes Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey
Once the best way to move cargo ranging from coal to fresh goods across the UK, there are some 8000km of canals and rivers that are navigable across the nation . Of those, 4345km are connected to form an inland waterways network flowing through cities and the inimitable English countryside.
Cruising the canals makes for a tranquil and slow trip, with the general maximum speed on canals set at a relaxed 6km/h. With boats ranging from two berths to larger ones that can carry 12 of your extended family and friends, there are many varied routes and difficulty levels on the various trips available. The following routes all offer a little something special along the way.
Setting off from the historic city of Bath, former home and inspiration to Jane Austen, and its Georgian architecture the filming location for the Netflix romp Bridgerton, the Kennet and Avon Canal links the river Avon near Bath, with the river Thames at Reading. From Bath you will follow the canal past Bathampton, but make sure you stop at The George Pub for lunch. Then on to Claverton and across the scenic Dundas Aqueduct. Putter through the Bath Valley to Avoncliff, where another aqueduct, a weir, and a stunning old pub are perfect for an afternoon stop before heading on to the beautiful little town of Bradford-on-Avon. This journey is estimated to take around 12 hours of solid boating. You can, if time is no limit, continue on past the Caen Locks, a formidable challenge of 29 locks raising your boat roughly 72m over 3.2km, to Devizes and all the way to Reading, before returning.
Hire your boat from Bath Narrowboats
The Kennet and Avon Canal links the river Avon near Bath, with the river Thames at Reading. Photo / Getty Images
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, South Wales
This relatively small network of navigable canals, totalling some 54km running through the Brecon Beacons National Park, is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers. Within the national park lies the first International Dark Sky reserve in Wales, classifying the area as perfect for stargazing. When boating through the Brecon Beacons, a regular stop for some lengthy hikes through the glacial formed hills is a must. Hop on your boat just south of Brecon, and then take it as slowly as you dare, because there are countless birds to spot along the way, trails to explore, and cafes to stop off at. Oh, and if you are a Batman fan, maybe take a detour to Henrhyd Falls along the way, where the Batcave entrance from The Dark Knight Rises is located. And at night, moor somewhere relatively open, grab a bottle of wine and gaze at the sky.
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a relatively small network of navigable canals, totalling some 54km. Photo / Getty Images
The Stratford Canal, Warwickshire
If Shakespeare is more your thing, then you’ll love the Stratford Canal, which takes you from the Bard’s hometown through the countryside up to Birmingham, some 40km away. You’ll travel across three aqueducts with cast-iron troughs and past pretty lock-keepers’ cottages, and the serene Warwickshire countryside, which is often wooded. If you don’t want to head to Birmingham, but rather keep to the country, you have the option to travel along the Avon Ring, which is made up of two rivers, the Avon and the Severn, and two canals, and offers you a round trip, without having to turn back and travel past the same sights again.
Choose a boat from Canal Junction
If Shakespeare is more your thing, then you’ll love the Stratford Canal. Photo / Getty Images
Oxford Canal, Oxfordshire
Probably one of the prettiest routes, and most accessible from London, the Oxford Canal is also one of the oldest, dating to the late 1700s. Crossing three counties, you meander past rolling English countryside, charming Cotswold villages, historic Banbury, famous for ale, cheese and Banbury cakes, and are close to the ancient university town of Oxford. The canal is some 120km long, stretching between Oxford and Hawksbury, but there is a one-week return trip from Napton, which takes in most of the best scenery.
Book with Canal Holidays
Early morning on the Oxford Canal. Photo / Getty Images
The South Pennine Ring, Yorkshire
Up in what the locals call “God’s own country”, Yorkshire, the South Pennine Ring crosses the mountainous Pennines, and this route is one that certainly is not boring or indeed too relaxing. Crossing two of the highest summits of English canals, and the longest tunnel, manoeuvring this route takes some fitness and experience. But on this 14-day trip, you will be rewarded with the rugged and wild beauty of the Pennines, with villages intersecting the green hills. You can stop off at historic towns and cities such as the market towns of Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden, Manchester, the picture-perfect Marsden, close to the Peak District, and pretty Slaithwaite. Because of the many steep locks to handle, this route is perfect for a multi-generation trip, with as many able hands on deck as possible, while others can shout instructions from the cockpit or go walking along the towpaths.
Book this trip through Shire Cruises
Stop off at historic towns and cities such as Manchester on the South Pennine Ring canal route. Photo / Getty Images
Forth Clyde and Union Canal, Scotland
This route allows you to experience some engineering marvels, modern and old(er). Setting off from Falkirk, roughly halfway between the cities of Glasgow to the west and Edinburgh to the east, the route starts with the Falkirk Wheel. The Falkirk Wheel is the world’s only rotating boat lift, a veritable Ferris wheel for canal boast, which connects an upper-level canal with a lower one, saving boats manoeuvring through 11 locks.
The return journey, which lasts for a total of four nights, will then take you through tunnels, such as the Falkirk Tunnel complete with stalactites, and various aqueducts. The most imposing of those aqueducts is the Avon Aqueduct (nothing to do with the Avon Canal), the longest and tallest in Scotland at 26m-high, from which you can see the vast expanse of the Scottish countryside below you. Plan in land breaks at historic Linlithgow and Edinburgh before returning and having another go at the wheel.
Hire your boat from Canal Junction
The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland is the world’s only rotating boat lift, saving boats from navigating through 11 locks. Photo / 123rf
