Regarding location, I'm a walker not a boater but the last few years, having given up hills for the most part, I've walked canals where there are narrowboats. My favorite canal for scenery and towns along the way is the Kennet & Avon Canal. It starts in Bristol, goes through Bath and ends in Reading after 87 miles.

Near Devises, also the location of the K&A Trust, is a long flight of locks, famous in fact, the Caen Hill Locks, which could be avoided I suppose by going east from there to the Thames where the canal ends. Personally though those locks looked pretty wonderful to me there in the Wiltshire landscape.

Google "kennet and avon canal" for lots of sites including the trust's and for boat rentals.

I did a narrow boat cruise years ago with my four young kids in Wales. It was an interesting and enjoyable trip, but I was certainly glad I had the kids along to help wind the sluices on the locks. If you are in your 60s, cranking those gates can be a real workout.

The narrow canals in the UK are not at all like those in France, where we have done most of our canal cruises in later years. In France, almost all of the locks are automatic, or controlled by a lock keeper. In the UK, they hand you a crank handle when you pick up the boat.

Enjoy your trip, but be prepared for a workout. Rain, too!

Sounds intriguing, but I've never been tempted to do a trip where the maximum speed limit is 4 mph! What do you do if it rains? Well, boating in the UK is not for fair weather sailors.

Nukesafe's point about cranking the lock gates is a good one. Why don't you consider a week on the Norfolk broads, which has no locks but lots of winding waterways in the beautiful East Anglian countryside: http://www.norfolkbroads.com/explore/introduction-broads/

>>What do you do if it rains? <<

It's a long time since I did a canal trip, but, as I recall, you check the guidebook for pubs near the canal, moor up, make tea and read/play cards/grumble at each other till opening time.

"What do you do if it rains?"

You get wet. Very, very wet. narrow boats have no cover over the tiller (you wouldn't be able to see to steer if there was). So whoever is steering is out there in the elements all the time. This can actually be fun but only if you have proper wet weather gear. I recently rowed down the thames with friends and we followed a group of tourists in the pouring rain for five days. Their wet weather gear was a selection of plastic supermarket bags over their heads and it looked pretty grim.

If there are only two of you then you need to choose your route carefully. Many years ago I did the Avon ring (one option is a circular tour) which included Tardebigge flight - 30 locks - nine hours - four of us in our early thirties. I wouldn't dream of trying that in my 50s with only one other pair of hands - but you may be a lot fitter then me! As others have said locks are virtually all hand-cranked and self-operated, unlike in France.

If doing a circular route that means you don't go over the same water twice but you do have to crack on in order to get back to the beginning in time. This can turn in to a bit of a route march IMO. This is particularly true if you face one or two major lock flights and in the high season you often have long waits as boats come down and up the some flight.This can cause delays and mean you have to spend longer pushing on rather than tied up. Take into account the time of year and the amount of daylight you have available. Once it's dark you have to stop, wherever you are. I have never done a linear trip but I am sure that must be possible.

Some routes will take in a mix of urban and rural. Urban stretches can be very interesting although you might meet some "interesting" characters down by urban canals.

If late in the season make sure the boat company is geared up to support you if you have mechanical problems which tend to accumulate as the season goes on.

As has been mentioned an alternative is the Broads. Not narrow boats of course but no locks either.

As for the max. speed of 4 mph - you will do a lot less than that on average because of the locks. Also in the angling season you have to go dead slow past the anglers and on some stretches there are many of them. But the slow speed is part of the charm - that's why people do it.

Narrow boats are the same design basically. The difference is to do with length (which is to do with how many people you need to accommodate, boat length is limited by the lock length, obviously.) and the standard of the internal fit out. Some can be quite luxurious, at a price. Others are very basic.

I'd look into the Llangollen Canal if I were you - only a couple of locks and a few lift bridges and covers some of the most beautiful scenery on the English/Welsh borders before ending in the picturesque eponymous Welsh town. It also crosses the frankly stunning - and UNESCO World Heritage Site - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (suggest you Google Image search for that) and what's more, a "there and back" trip from Hurleston to Llangollen would be a very manageable, easy - with plenty of nicely spaced market towns/villages - trip which would easily fit into a week with no mad rushing or early starts/late finishes to ensure completion.
Suggest you start by searching for hire companies with yards along the Llangollen. There's a few - Viking's one from memory - and there really is little to tell them apart beyond livery and costs.

Enjoy yourself!

Dr D.

Excellent info - especially from Havana128. I have been on narrow boats but not cruised on one. I have taken a cabin cruiser on a couple of trips - one canal and one down the Thames (there are locks on rivers too)

One thing I might suggest is hiring bicycles to take w/ you. Some places you moor will be a fair distance from villages or towns or stately homes or gardens or whatever you might want to check out. Having bikes means you aren't limited only to things w/i walking distance.

It's a long time since I did a canal trip, but, as I recall, you check the guidebook for pubs near the canal, moor up, make tea and read/play cards/grumble at each other till opening time.>>

isn't that why you normally do on holiday, Patrick?

bookmarking

I didn't know this was really possible as a tourist option! Sounds wonderful!

You may find the following article in The Telegraph of interest - about a family's experience of a canal holiday on the Worcester and Birmingham canal

http://tinyurl.com/b45pwoe

>>isn't that why you normally do on holiday, Patrick? <<

Ah, the family holidays of my childhood, especially on a boat. We still recall The Day Dad Dropped The Elsan.

Thanks, sofarsogood! Haven't read yet, but the two pics are enough to stir my wanderlust.

And thanks, Patrick, for the new word ('the elsan'). Hopefully I'll never have occasion to use it. (The word... and the contraption).

I wonder if anyone knows if the US has any sort of history of any sort of man-made canal routes? And I must look up how extensive the routes were in England. I'd come across some brief mentions of the building of them. Haven't yet googled and will likely find info there... but if anyone has a particularly interesting site/book they've come across regarding the canals, I'd love to hear of them.

Just a bit of data to give you perspective. There are currently some 2,200 miles of navigable rivers and canals in the UK. There are many more on the Continent, with over 5,000 in France alone.

I have friends who own a canal boat in Europe. They have been cruising the canals every summer for over 20 years, and have not explored them all. They moor the boat every winter in either France or the Netherlands. They have loaned the boat to us on occasion, and it is a superb way, IMHO, to spend a laid back vacation.

For example, one can moor in the Arsenal in the center of Paris during high season for around € 20-30 a day for a 10 meter boat, with access to showers, a laundry and restaurant; all only a few moments walk from the Bastille. Or, you can cruise a small canal in the back country and only see people when you want to stop at a restaurant or vineyard.

Chgogirl - canals in the UK date back to the eighteenth century when industry needed a way of transporting coal to the cotton mills and other factories like the potteries, and the finished goods back to the cities and ports. they thrived for 100 years or so until they were gradually overtaken by the railways.

nowadays they are predominantly used for recreation.

there are more canals in Birmingham than there are in Venice.

but they aren't as pretty.

Thanks for taking the time to answer, nukesafe and annhig! Wonderful information. (And what a savvy way to see Paris... I never would have imagined an option like that.)

I wonder if anyone knows if the US has any sort of history of any sort of man-made canal routes?

Probably the best known is the Panama Canal. How about these? http://tinyurl.com/ajas5kn

I did two of these holidays as a young teenager with my family. Both times we went on the Thames, picked out as yes, there are locks, but they all have lockkeepers that do the hard work for you, and also there's loads of places to moor up and explore/riverside pubs for lunch/lots to see etc. Each time we did a one-way trip picking up at one place and ending at another. Windsor was a particular favourite of mine.

One time we had a narrow boat, and one time a modern 'cruiser' style. The narrow boat was better to handle - more solid and stable, less rocking about. Steering wasn't hard - even I was allowed to do it.

In wet weather we played board games, watched TV, took it in turns to 'drive', or just moored up by a pub somewhere.

My family and I (three adults) have done several canal weeks over the last tenyears or so, in England, Scotland and Wales. We love it and always try to do a new one each trip.
For scenery and low numbers of locks I recommend either the Lancaster canal (no locks) or the Monmouth and Brecon Canal through the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales (five locks). Both routes are spectacular. So is the Llangollen.
The boats are generally comfortable, well equipped and everything happens slowly, so no panic, hopefully.

We used Black Prince Holidays for the Llangollen, Cambrian Cruisers for the Mon and Brec and Arlen Boats for the Lancaster. As boats go, Black Prince and Cambrian are somewhat better equipped than Arlen, but don't expect QEII luxury.

When it rains you have the option of mooring and reading, playing cards or watching TV, just like at home, but if you want to keep going make sure you have good wet weather gear.

Lastly I always advise people that it is not as easy as it looks, the boats are heavy. But if you like the water, enjoy!

One option we tried last trip was a day boat, hired for the day from Bath Narrowboats for a few hours on the Kennet and Avon. It was lovely and no locks in the area you are allowed to take it. That may give you a taste for it.

Bon Voyage
Rosemary

ChgoGal the books of terry Darlington should give you an idea of canals in the UK, France and USA (east coast). It also gives an idea of the mental state of the UK 60+ year old

Industrial canals were big in Europe and while the UK has these very thin ones (due to building them first), amazing ones in Germany, Dutch of course are still working, while the French ones have the advantage of warmth and cheap wine. The Canal du Midi is the most used but so many more exist.

@Heimdell: Thanks much for that link. Now, feeling a bit sheepish, thinking of the Erie Canal and this canal off the south branch of the Chicago River.

@bilboburgler: Thanks for the intro. to Terry Darlington. He seems a charming character, and even more gorgeous pics of the canal systems in France. (The pics of his U.S. trip are less scenic/romantic.) On my next visit to England, I must make a point of seeing one of these narrow canals in the picturesque countryside that your country has so much of.

The Lancaster Canal is probably the nearest one to the Lakes, this link gives information on this and other options:

http://www.lctrust.co.uk/?WindowWidth=1044

>>On my next visit to England, I must make a point of seeing one of these narrow canals in the picturesque countryside that your country has so much of<<

ChgoGal, you can see narrowboats on canals in London, and it's not necessarily as grim as you might imagine - if, for example, you were to walk along the Regent's Canal between Limehouse and Broadway Market (never mind its swisher end around Little Venice). But granted, it's not the same as the open countryside.

I thank everyone for all the information given. I think it will help in making a decision on which route/boat to take. I do think we will keep the number of locks to a minimum and the routes in and around Wales sound very appealing. Regarding the, Broads, what type of boats are available? Renting bikes sounds like a good option. We do like to ride. And the advice about rain, getting wet, is good to know so that we can prepare for that. Going slow is no problem. I think of this as slow and relaxing. That's the goal. Are the beds the same on all boats? Do you have to assemble daily or are they permanent?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=harrison+ford+canal+trip&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

You might be interested in this article about the Wales route and Harrison Ford's trip a few years ago.

If you look at the main boat hire companies they will have diagrams of all the boats and explanations of how the beds work. Same for the companies operating small cruisers on the Broads.