Drifters canal boat for free

NO, NOT a free narrowboat, but the chance for newcomers to try one for a day at bases throughout the country.

Drifters, the UK organisation for narrowboat holidays in Britain, is offering people the chance to try a canal boat for free at bases across the country on Sunday 8th May 2011, with a Go Boating Day.

Free taster

It will be geared up to give over 1,000 people the chance to try a boat by offering free taster sessions at 13 locations across the country.

As part of the Drifters' Go Boating Day, many of its hire boat bases will be offering boat tours, holiday discounts and free trips on skippered boats. Full details of what each site is offering can be found at www.drifters.co.uk.

Locations:

• 1. Trevor on the Llangollen Canal in Wrexham, North Wales;
• 2. Sowerby Bridge on the Calder & Hebble Navigation in West Yorkshire;
• 3. Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal near Tarporley in Cheshire;
• 4. Stoke on Trent on the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Caldon canals in Staffordshire;
• 5. Great Haywood on the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Staffs & Worcs canals near Stafford;
• 6. North Kilworth on the Grand Union Canal near Leicester;
• 7. Tardebigge on the Worcs & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove;
• 8. Stretton Under Fosse on the North Oxford Canal near Rugby in Warwickshire;
• 9. Wootton Wawen on the Stratford Canal near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire;
• 10. Goytre Wharf, on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in Monmouthshire, near Brecon in South Wales;
• 11. Bath on the Kennet & Avon Canal;
• 12. Bradford on Avon on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire; and
• 13. Hilperton on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire.

Celebrate

Rob Lawrence, of Drifters Canal Boat Holidays, explains:

"Britain's canals are in better shape than ever and with new boats, new bases and even a new route opening in 2011, we wanted to celebrate by offering people the chance to get a flavour of how fantastic our boats and waterways are for free.

"Around a fifth of hire boaters are new to the market each year, showing that it's easy to learn how to steer a boat and navigate the canals. We hope our free taster sessions on the 8th of May will introduce many more people to the joys of a holiday afloat on our beautiful inland waterway network."

The Drifters offers over 500 boats for hire, operating from 40 bases across the country.