Last year, we discovered a love for narrowboat holidays along our beautiful canals. This year, we continued to discover the endless pleasures this slow, off-grid break offers, and this time with a combined canal and river itinerary.
Our vessel was called Duncan, a luxury 65ft Admiral 4 narrowboat, with accommodation for up to four people. The route included the Stratford Canal and the River Avon, and we had a whole week for our narrowboat holiday adventure to unfold.
Here’s what we got up to, the high’s, the low’s and everything you need to know about a narrowboat holiday.
Day 1: Collecting Duncan
Our trip was arranged through Drifters (drifters.co.uk), who offer the choice of over 500 canal boats for hire from 40 locations across England, Wales and Scotland. They provide a seamless, stress free process, especially important if this is your first narrowboat holiday.
We picked up our boat from Anglo Welsh’s boat yard at Wootton Wawen on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. (Anglo Welsh is part of the Drifters group). The journey from Leeds took us two and a half hours.
Duncan has a semi-traditional stern, extra space and special features including a multi-fuel stove. There were two double beds (can be configured to twins), two en-suite bathrooms with large showers, a lovely lounge/dining area, plus an extremely well-equipped kitchen.
All bedding is provided, including a change of linen for holidays longer than one week. All kitchen equipment is supplied, you really do not need to take anything unless you have a favourite pan! Cleaning equipment is also supplied, so are towels.
Top Tip: Take extra towels for your narrowboat holiday. You are provided with one bath towel per person and one hand towel per bathroom. You will need more if you are onboard for more than two to three days.
Once onboard, unpacked and organised, with full instruction and safety briefing completed, we set sail. A gentle four mile journey from Wootton Wawen to Wilmcote, covering 1.5 miles and taking in one lock and two aqueducts. Just enough to blow the cobwebs off our narrow boating skills!
We moored up for the night, fired up the log burner and sat down to a delicious homemade lamb stew and buttered warm crusty bread, listening to birds singing and nothing else but our uninterrupted conversation. Perfect!
Top Tip: We took our own easy cook meals for five nights. Not eating out every night helps keep this type of holiday affordable. The cooking facilities on Duncan were great, and there’s ample fridge and freezer space. For the first night we just needed to reheat the stew, crisp the bread in the oven and we had a meal in minutes.
Day 2: Stratford upon Avon
After a delicious dinner, a game of scrabble and a couple of beers and glasses of wine, we had a great night’s sleep, meaning we were up and ready early for a four hour trip to Bancroft Basin in Stratford upon Avon, where we would moor up for the night.
This was to be our first full day, taking in 15 locks, so we made sure we had a good breakfast before we started.
Ours was a family trip with me and my husband Dave, and my brother Glenn. When you have so many locks in quick succession, it’s great to have two people available for lock duty, and one to steer and control the boat through each lock. Although many manage with two people and some even sailing solo!
Dave is our main steerer on these trips, it can take some getting used to navigating and controlling such a large boat, but he took to it like a duck to water (pun intended),from our very first narrowboat holiday. And to be honest, it’s lovely to have brother and sister time on the locks, plus getting steps in and firing up muscles not used in quite a while is so rewarding.
The weather was pretty typical for mid-May with sunshine and showers, but we took clothing for every eventuality and were well prepared. It’s all part of the experience.
We topped up with water at Wilmcote Bottom Lock, just before Bridge 63, this set us up for the next couple of days.
Top Tip: It’s amazing how much water you get through. Make sure you know where the water stations are on your trip. You don’t want to run out of water as you could not use the toilets, showers, or have those vital tea’s and coffees!
As we pulled into Bancroft Basin, the whole area around the marina was buzzing. The sun had decided to make a permanent appearance and being a Sunday, there were street entertainers, musicians, lots of street food stands, and people just enjoying the day and the atmosphere.
We had booked a late Sunday Lunch at The Townhouse in Stratford upon Avon, so we made sure we were there in plenty of time to freshen up and walk to our destination.
What a wonderful surprise this place turned out to be. Located in the heart of Stratford upon Avon, housed in a 400-year-old, Grade II Listed building and opposite Shakespeare’s school. Not only that – it was run by a Yorkshire family (I promise we had no idea), so the hospitality was spot on and the food was superb! We highly recommend eating here.
We then did a bit of sightseeing, and rounded off with a couple of drinks in The Dirty Duck, before heading back to Duncan for a couple of card games and an early night.
Top Tip: With the amount of exercise and copious amount of fresh air on these trips, you will be ready for bed much earlier than at home. You will also have the best sleep imaginable. Just go with it, you will feel great.
Day 3: Evesham
We had a very full day, covering 17 miles and 11 locks over seven hours. It was also the day we moved from the Stratford Canal to the River Avon. A first for us and we were in for more than a few surprises…
The River Avon is stunning, and seems very wide after the canal. There’s also a ‘flow’ which makes steering the narrowboat quite different, but Skipper Dave soon got to grips with it.
Now let’s talk about river locks!
Again, very different to those along the canal. River locks are HUGE, and extremely heavy. At times it needed two people on each side of the lock in turn to open those massive paddles. They also fill differently – it can be very fast and vicious, so a slower release of the locks is required to help keep the boat stable.
Along the way we passed stunning homes, chocolate box villages and medieval landmarks. Unfortunately, this was the day we had torrential rain(!), and we couldn’t offer the amount of appreciation they deserved. That would be a different story on the way back.
You could be thinking that we didn’t enjoy our first day on the river. You couldn’t be more wrong.
Every day is an adventure on a narrowboat holiday, and ok this one was very wet, cold and exhausting, but we loved every minute. And we were so ready for dinner and a few drinks once we moored up for the night. Even the pounding rain on the roof as we snuggled in front of the log burner was magical.
Top Tip: Pack only casual, comfortable clothing and footwear. Make sure you have waterproof clothing with you too. A pair of sturdy gloves is essential when on lock duty.
Day 4: What a Difference a Day Makes
We woke up to blue skies and sunshine. Back in shorts and t-shirts, smothered in factor 30!
This was the day we should have travelled to Pershore, a four hour journey of 11 miles with three locks. However…
Unfortunately, about an hour into the journey, we came across a broken lock, so we couldn’t go any further. After reporting the broken lock and having a quick conflab, we decided to turn around and head back towards Stratford upon Avon. Actually, we were quite excited to return as we loved the place and welcomed the opportunity to explore more.
Being such a gorgeous day, we took our time and saw so much more than the day before. We took it slow and easy and moored up half way to Stratford. Deckchairs out, wine and beers were chilled – this is the life!
Day 5: Back in Stratford up Avon
It took about four hours to reach Stratford, it was a hot day and there was no hurry. What we hadn’t expected was an audience as we went through the lock from the river into Bancroft Basin!
The hot day had brought the Gongoozlers out in force, and all three of us felt the pressure to get this right!
Well, we got it so right, we earned a round of applause and one lady even said she was very envious of our lifestyle. I explained that we were on a narrowboat holiday and she could do this too. She was delighted, walking away with the details of how to book, and I was delighted she thought we were full time narrowboaters!
Moored up in a familiar place, we took ourselves off to shop for supplies, do a bit more sightseeing and scout out a place to eat dinner. The decision was made on the Golden Phoenix Chinese and Cantonese restaurant. What a great choice this turned out to be.
Wonderful people, stunning food (again very reasonably priced), and such a lovely atmosphere. This is a place we would go back to if we were local.
We then spent the rest of this balmy evening on the boat, chilling and talking about our adventure so far. We also drew up a short list of future canal journeys we would love to do. Yes, it’s an addictive holiday.
Day 6: Back Where We Started
This was the day we treated ourselves to brunch at Boston Tea Party in Stratford, before we set off. It has to be said, we didn’t eat out a lot on this trip, but when we did we seem to have hit lucky every time. The Eggs Benedict was pure perfection, as were the homemade hash browns! A place to remember.
As we were due to hand Duncan back at 9am the following day, we made our way back towards Wootton Wawen. It was so good to be back on the canal system, we took our time and soaked in every last minute of this beautiful day.
We had the perfect day to capture some more highlights of our journey. Historic tiny bridges and locks to navigate, beautiful countryside, Edstone Aqueduct, and all the wildlife along the way.
Sadly, it was our last day. But the best way to brighten our spirits? A BBQ! Yes, we even brought a BBQ. OK, it was a large disposable one on a stand, but it did the job.
What a way to end our journey. It had been a very special week, and we can’t wait to do it again!
Chester sounds good for our next narrowboat holiday – watch this space!
About Drifters
Drifters is made up of 10 hire boat companies: ABC Boat Hire, Anglo Welsh, Black Prince, Countrywide Cruisers, Foxhangers, Grand Union Narrowboats, Kate Boats, Napton Narrowboats, Shire Cruisers and Union Canal Carriers. Between them they offer over 500 boats for hire, operating from 40 bases across England, Scotland and Wales. 2026 hire prices start at £715 for a short break, £980 for a week on a boat for up to four people. Narrowboats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate up to 12 people. All Drifters operators provide hirers with life jackets and boat steering tuition.
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0344 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk
For more information about visiting the canals go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
Review and images by Angela Riches and Dave Riches
