What can you do on a boating holiday?
It all depends on where you want to spend your vacation. If you take a more rural route, you’ll be able to view beautiful landscape and wildlife as you go through rivers and streams. You’ll pass by charming taverns with rustic charm and delicious beer, and you can always take a break to enjoy the sunshine or go fishing. Going a few miles each day, finding the next mooring, and navigating all make you feel like you’re doing something unique. You’ll return comfortable and content, knowing that you’ve spent a week at a slow pace.
If you take a more urban route, you’ll be able to sail your barge along the canals of major industrial cities, experiencing them from a whole new perspective and learning about the industrial legacy that made Britain great!
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Before your trip, the boat company will ensure you’re comfortable and provide basic but comprehensive instructions on operating the boat and safety checks. A driver’s license is not required. Most canals have speed limits, so plan to depart early and arrive at a mooring spot during daylight hours.
Hoseasons still sells self-drive boating holidays, as the booking agent for the boat operators, in three areas:
- Cruising on the Norfolk Broads
- Canals and Rivers
- Scotland’s Lochs
On the Broads, Hoseasons’ boats start from boatyards in places such as Wroxham and Horning, Hickling and Stalham, Acle and Brundall; each boat’s listing gives its base.
Places to visit on the Broads and things to see – historic Norwich is accessible as you sail past the city centre, with moorings near the Cathedral allowing you to spend the day exploring the town. Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth are two seaside destinations. Enjoy some coarse fishing or boating activities along the route.
The Forth & Clyde and Union Canals, Cambridgeshire Waterways, Cheshire Ring, Heart of England Canals, Kennet & Avon, Llangollen Canal, Oxford & South Midlands Canals, River Thames, River Wey, Yorkshire’s Waterways are just a few of the canals and rivers to choose from.
Your Scottish canal trip may include Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and Loch Ness, taking you from Ben Nevis to Inverness and the North Sea. Along the way, you can visit Aldourie Castle, Urquhart Castle, Fort Augustus, and enjoy great fishing.
