Canal Boat Hire
Your next adventure starts here, with a canal boat holiday. Canal boat hire is easy to organise, affordable and fun.
Each canal boat we hire out, comes with a full inventory of accessories to make sure that your holiday is fully self-contained.
With boat sizes to accommodate 2 to 8 people in your party, and hire periods starting with short breaks, weekly or even longer, we can find the right canal holiday to fit your needs.
The UK is full of waterways just waiting to be explored.
All-Inclusive Prices with No Hidden Extras
Our canal boat hire prices are fully inclusive with no essential extras to pay for, such as diesel, gas, credit card charges or damage waiver. With 28 boats to choose from, we offer the best canal boats around at competitive, all-inclusive prices.
Our canal boats are designed for every member of the family. Canal boat hire (self-drive rental) brings the English countryside alive with the excitement and adventures of boating. English canals, especially the Grand Union Canal, offer a real change from everyday routine and bring a new and often overlooked and unexpected England into view. Away from main roads and railways, free from crowded and noisy roads; peaceful, pleasant and unspoilt. Clear and clean air, amazing scenery and a relaxing pace, hiring a canal boat for a short break, or a week or more could be just what you need to rejuvenate.
New to Canal Boats?
We understand that hiring a canal boat, if you have not done so before, may be a little daunting. However, at the start of your canal boat holiday, you will have a handover which includes being taken for a free tuition boat trip by one of our experienced pilots as well as going through the process of working your boat through a lock (sluice).
Instructions will continue until you are confident that you can handle your canal boat.
This ensures an enjoyable and memorable canal boating holiday, even as a new user. All our narrow boats are purpose built by us for easy and responsive handling and if you have any questions over any aspect of waterways, canal or river cruising, we can assist.
Eco Friendly Canal Boats
Our high-quality canal boats have many eco-friendly features:
- Estimations show that canal boat holidays produce 20-30 times less carbon emissions than flying for two hours.
- Our canal boats are fitted with Kubota Beta 43 Engines which have E-TVCS (Three Vortex Combustion System) technology, resulting in drastic emissions reductions compared to older engine models.
- Kubota engines are known for their reliability and long service life, leading to fewer breakdowns and fewer replacements, thus saving on resources.
- As a by-product of the engine's cooling system, when the engine is running, hot water for use in the galley/bathroom is produced. The ultimate in recycling!
- Our canal boats weigh less than usual narrow boats, so they require less ballast, which means the engine doesn't have to work as hard to push the boat through the water.
- The hulls are built with a sleek, aqua dynamic design, reducing drag through the water, decreasing the wash, and minimising erosion of canal banks.
- Our wood and timber is sourced from Jewson and BGN Boards, who are both PEFC and FSC Certified suppliers (schemes that ensure sustainability in wood production).
- Our entire canal boat fleet has had a major lighting upgrade. Every boat is fitted with energy-efficient LED light bulbs, resulting in less 'wear and tear' on the battery, extending the battery's life.
- The working life of the alternator is also extended as it doesn't need to work as hard, plus fuel is saved as the engine works less hard to power the alternator because of the light bulb energy efficiencies.
- Waste from the toilet is kept in a hygienic tank and is pumped out into the urban sewerage system after your holiday; none of it goes into the canal!
- The drip-tray system underneath the engine ensures no oil ever seeps into the canal through the bilge.
- We believe in using high-quality products and materials when building and maintaining our fleet of narrow boats, for increased reliability and durability of parts. This decreases the need for replacing and repairing, resulting in the saving of raw materials.
How do I book?
Please go to our
Booking Info page for more information on how to book your narrow boat holiday.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, by phone or email.
The easiest way to check a boat's price and availability is to use our 'Prices and Availability' search bar at the top of every page. This also gives you the option to reserve your canal boat online.
Alternatively, more information about our weekly and short break prices can be found on our Narrowboat Holiday Prices page.