Drifters’ Top 10 reasons to take a canal boat holiday

THE HIRE COMPANY, Drifters’, gives the top 10 reasons to take a canal boat holiday.

• 1 It’s a floating safari – Nearly 2,000 county wildlife sites intersect with the Canal & River Trust’s canal and river network, which provides homes for birds, plants, animals and insects, including herons, kingfishers, bats, water voles, swans, ducks, coots, moorhens, woodland birds, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. So there’s always something special to look out for.

• 2 It’s a time for nostalgia – there’s a slower pace of life on the canals and it’s a bit like stepping back in time. Parents enjoy seeing their children getting away from their screens to help with steering the boat and opening the locks, as well as playing cards and board games together in the evening, bringing back memories of their own family holidays when they were children.

• 3 Narrowboats are like floating holiday cottages - with everything you need on board for a self-catering holiday afloat, including fully equipped kitchens, showers, toilets, beds, storage, televisions and may have Wifi too.

• 4 It’s good value for money – 92 per cent of respondents to last year’s Canal & River Trust Hire Boat Survey felt their narrowboat holiday was value for money and 87 per cent would definitely recommend it to others.

• 5 A licence isn’t required to hire a narrowboat - and boat steering tuition is provided as part of all Drifters holiday packages, so it’s easy for newcomers to take to the water.

• 6 It’s better for the planet – as soon as canal boat holidaymakers swap their car for a boat, they use around a third of the fuel.

• 7 They are pet-friendly – hire boat operators welcome dogs and many other pets, including tortoises, cats and fish.

• 8 It’s an outdoor workout – working the locks, as well as walking, running and cycling along traffic-free towpaths and local footpaths makes a narrowboat holiday great for keeping fit.

• 9 There are hundreds of pubs – many of them historic inns dating back over 200 years to the heyday of canals as an industrial transport network.

• 10 We feel happier by the water – research carried out by the Canal & River Trust shows we feel happier and less stressed by our waterways, and the longer we spend there, the more relaxed we become.

To find out more about booking with Drifters Waterway Holidays visit drifters.co.uk.