Roam And Roost Canal Boat Holidays

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A family onboard a holiday narrowboat cruising down the canal

Love Canal Boat Holidays?
Find the best canal boat hire here

Explore the best of the UK from the comfort of your cosy holiday canal boat.

A family opening a a canal lock during a canal boat holiday

Boating memories to last a lifetime

On a boating holiday every can get involved and together you'll make priceless memories.

Narrowboat thorin with a fmaily onboard for their holidays crossing Chirk aqueduct

Explore impressive feats of engineering

Canal aqueducts, staircase locks, cuttings, embankments and more.

Holiday narrowboat strider moored at a canal-side pub.

Moor at the pub or in the middle of nowhere

At the end of a fun day narrow-boating you can moor up at the pub or in the middle of nowhere for a well earned rest.

Canal Boat Holidays from the UK's best independent hire companies. A wide range of narrowboats, barges and locations.

Hand-chosen by us at Roam And Roost, with an average review of 4.9/5. Offering top-notch personal service, extensive knowledge their waterways and some of the best prices.

Adventure awaits on a narrowboat holiday

A canal boat holiday is not just cosy narrowboat accomodation in the beautiful British countryside it's much more than that: a unique way to experience of everything England and Wales have to offer. Slowly travel the historic inland waterways, stop and go wherever you want to and experience a holiday off the beaten track.

A couple on a canal boat holiday passing under bringe 31 on the Llangollen canal You can set your own pace, choose your canal boat hire route and stop and explore the places that interest you.

Wherever the day takes you - you'll have the peace of mind of knowing you have everything you need on your canal boat hire boat - accommodation and entertainment - all in one affordable boating holiday.

We offer canal boat hire and narrowboat hire for holidays of 3 nights or longer on the Inland Waterways of England and Wales.

Hand-picked. Average 4.9/5

We've partnered with some of the best widebeam and narrowboat hire bases in the United Kingdom. Hand-chosen by us as those that have the best reviews, offer top-notch personal service and have extensive knowledge of their local waterways.

The average review left for our of or partners is an impressive 4.9 out of 5, showing not only what a fantastic getaway a canal boat holiday can be but the high standards achieved and upheld by our hire partners.

A couple on a canal boat holiday onboard inside a canal lock onboaard a coloutful narrowboat fom wyvern shipping. A young family pushing opening a canal lock on their holiday and looking like they are having a great time

Popular Canal Boating Holiday Areas

Browse our popular canal boating areas

Featured narrowboats and barges

Nearly 100 narrowboats to choose from, sleeping from 2 to 12 people

Popular Holiday Canals

Browse our canal boat hire by canal

What people think of our canal holidays

A very enjoyable holiday

A photo of a narrowboat during Bens holiday

We decided to take a last minute narrowboat holiday but quickly realised the huge range of options on offer. We came across Roam & Roost and having reviewed some boats and locations on their website, we tried the online chat and received immediate, personal and friendly advice from James. He presented us with some options that fit our brief and we went on to book a 4-day trip on the Grand Union Canal. The booking came thorugh quickly and the whole process was really efficient and simple.

We have now returned from a very enjoyable holiday! The boat was comfortable, clean and perfect for our small family. The slow pace was exactly what we needed. We will be back next year (if not sooner!). Many thanks, Ben.

Ben Ferris - Onboard Holiday Boat Snowdrop

Fabulous and relaxing holiday for us and the dog

A dog enjoying their barge holiday onboard narrowboat Snowmane

James was really helpful with our initial enquiry and gave us lots of helpful guidance and advice, and answered all our questions. I would certainly use Roam and Roost again. It was our first time on a narrowboat, so we were apprehensive, but so glad we gave it a go as it was a fabulous and relaxing holiday for us and the dog.

Karen, on a dog friendly hire - Onboard Narrowboat Snowmane

First time on a canal boat

A photo of sue before her canal boat holiday on Helplow

This was our first time on a canal boat and we couldn't have wished for a better experience. Heather and her team at handover were helpful in showing us how everything worked and were so friendly and patient with us greenies! We were helped through the first two locks and then we were away. The boat was spotlessly clean, well kitted out with everything you could wish for and included plenty of cutlery, crockery, glasses etc. Thank you! From Sue and the Aussie Cousins

Sue Leggett - Onboard Canal Boat Hemplow

Our home away from home

I am from the US. Last winter I heard about narrowboats for the first time and I was intrigued. I came across James' online chat and began to ask questions. He was very helpful, I poked around on other websites but kept coming back to roamandroost. We hired the Clee for 2 weeks from Union Canal Carriers in Braunston. We traveled to Oxford and back. I liked the long hire because the boat really began to feel like our home away from home. We mostly cooked onboard but opted for pubs at least once every other day.

Jean, from the US - Onboard Narrowboat Clee

A great handover which really helped

We had a really great holiday, boat was really clean and comfortable, with everything you need on board. We were really lucky with the weather and look forward to doing it again. The hire company [at the Leighton Buzzard base] were really helpful with a great handover which really helped. Highly recommend this company for Canal boat hire.

Andrew Russell - Onboard Canal Boat Oak

A great experience

We had a great experience with this boat hire. really easy friendly people.

Fee Ryall - Onboard Narrow Boat Radagast

Loved the canal. Loved chugging along.

Dog roger enjoying his pet friendly narrowboat

We had such a lovely time. Loved the canal. Loved chugging along. And Roger loved it too as you can see. Happily watching the world go by. Works definitely recommend and do again. Thank you for your help in making sure we got the right boat and right lock free canal for our first adventure.

[when booking] James was unstintingly patient, helpful and friendly despite my many anxious calls and emails as a nervous canal boat novice! He has found the perfect canal (lock free, only a couple of hours from home) and perfect boat for us and for our rather large dog. His advice was invaluable and I feel I can call on him any time between now and our holiday. Can't recommend enough!

Alison Griffin, on a dog friendly hire - On the Kennet & Avon Canal

Exceeded our expectations

We had a wonderful time on Larkspur. Only issue was the time flew by so quickly. The boat exceeded our expectations and has helped us make the decision to buy a widebeam of our own. Angus was great too and really helped us settle in and feel comfortable with the swing bridges and locks. He had lots of great advice for us and at the end of the week he was super quick returning our deposit. 5 star all day long.

Ross M - Onboard Widebeam Barge Larkspur

Processco on the roof

Fabulous little break, John was very helpful. Loved the nature and the processco on the roof . If you love camping, you'll love a boat holiday. 😁

Tracey Probyn - Onboard Canal Boat River Dancer

Thoroughly enjoyed it, especially working the locks

We had a fantastic trip on the Berwyn narrowboat over 5 days, 4 nights. The children and grandchildren thoroughly enjoyed it, especially working the locks. It was comfortable, had all the necessary kitchen ware, bedding etc. Staff were friendly on booking and giving instruction.

Leila Borgia - Onboard Hire Boat Berwyn

Slowly flowing parallel universe of the canals

Great follow up from start to end. Had a lovely week in the green and slowly flowing parallel universe of the canals. The boat was all what was promised, and we experienced no trouble of any kind.

Reinert - Onboard Holiday Boat Astarte

Featured Boating Holiday Routes

A range of featured routes to consider for your boating holiday.

Pewsey
Lock free stretch of canal Woodborough
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74

65

7 nights

Pewsey and Return from Bathampton

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Kennet & Avon Canal - Newbury
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18

13

3 nights

Woolhampton to Newbury

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Audlem Locks
Boat in the harecastle tunnel approaching the norther end/portal
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94

110

14 nights

Ring

Four Counties Ring

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Mow Cop Castle
Snake Bridge at Marple Junction
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110

126

21 nights

Ring

Beeston to Cheshire Ring

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Wyvern Narrowboat moored at Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal
Blisworth Tunnel
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14

49

3 nights

Leighton Buzzard To Stoke Bruerne

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Stoke Bruerne
Blisworth Tunnel
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26

40

3 nights

Braunston to Stoke Bruerne

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Audlem Locks
Boat in the harecastle tunnel approaching the norther end/portal
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136

192

14 nights

Ring

Chirk to Four Counties Ring

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What is a narrowboat holiday like?

Watch the video to get an idea and a feel for what a canal boat holiday is like.

This canal boat holiday video planer is provided by Wistia, please accept the wistia cookies for it to work.

With thanks to Liam & Janine for the footage from their canal holiday onboard narrowboat Goldberry. Watch their full video here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our boating holidays require no previous bating experience, but you may have some questions.

Do I need a license to drive a boat?

You do not need a driving licence for a narrowboat and the boat itself is licenced by it’s owner for CRT waterways. There are a few waterways outside their jurisdiction for which you will need to purchase an additional licence as you enter them, such as the Scottish Canals, Rivers Avon, Thames and Wey. Our partners can provide details when you arrive to pick up your boat.

The maximum number of people allowed on board is restricted to the number of berths.

Can I still book if I have not driven a boat before?

No previous experience is necessary as full tuition on boat handling is given at the start of every holiday.

Comprehensive cruising information is in a manual on our boats and details are sent out with the holiday documents to introduce you to the theory of locks and the 'rules of the road'.

To get a headstart we've put together some guidance for beginners here

Can we bring our pets on board?

All of our partners welcome pets onboard at-least a large percentage of their boats, some companies have dedicated "no pets" boats to cater to people with allergies.

When searching on our website you can filter for only boats that allow pets, similarly you can filter for boats that do not allow pets if you so wish.

You can find more about our pet friendly narrowboat holidays here

Where is the best place for a canal boat holiday

It depends. We have multiple starting points across England and Wales, all fantastic but slightly different with varying numbers and types of locks, miles, pubs, attractions, walks and so on, the best option for you depends on your crew and what kind of holiday you'd like to have.

You can read a high level overview of our options and how to find the best hire for you here. Alternatively, we are always happy to help so please leave a message with some details of your crew and the type of holiday you would like or give us a call on 02045781435 to discuss.

What's the minimum length of hire?

Short break narrowboat hire typically is for a minimum of 3 nights over the weekend (starting on Friday or Saturday) or 4 nights in mid-week (starting on Monday or Tuesday).

If you are limited on time there may be the option to return the boat one night early to make it a two night hire and some of our partners do offer shorter taster stays of 1 or 2 nights. Please get in touch with us to find out more.

What type of boating holidays do you offer?

We offer canal boat hire and narrowboat hire on the inland waterways of the UK for holidays of 3 nights or longer, on two types of boat narrowboats and "widebeam" narrowboats.

Narrowboats are slim enough to fit through canal locks on narrow canals which are generally around 7ft wide and narrowboats can be up to 70ft long. They are sometimes referred to as "longboats", "barges" or "houseboats". We also have a small selection of wide beam boats which will not fit through the locks on narrow canals but can fit through locks of wide canals such as the Leeds & Liverpool Canal or the Kennet & Avon Canal.

You can read more about the types of boats available through our website here.

How much is a canal boat holiday?

Hiring a narrowboat for one week can cost between £600 - £3000 for a boat or between £119 - £945 per person, short 3 night weekend breaks start at £87.50 per person, the price depends on multiple factors such as the time of year, size of the boat and the starting location or hire base.

Remember that this headline figure usually includes everything you need to have a lovely, safe holiday. The boat and cruise itself provide plenty of entertainment even for a large crew, with opportunities to work locks, move swing or lift bridges or visit some free attractions near the canal - a mountain of spending money is not required;

Read more about the cost of a canal boat holiday here

Is car parking included?

Car Parking for up to 2 cars (left at your own risk) is included in the hire fee at the majority of our bases. The only exception is the base in Bathampton onboard widebeam Larkspur where private parking can be arranged for an additional £20, free public parking is however available nearby if you prefer.

Which canal is best for beginners?

All of our hire bases and locations have routes suitable for beginners and you'll be taken through a thorough handover. That said some routes may be more ideal for you than others, however not based on your experience but rather on what your interests are and how much physical work you'd like to do on your hire.

As an example, the Mon & Brec canal be a great option if you have limited mobility and would prefer fewer locks with just 6 locks on the whole canal and the option to take a lock-free route if you prefer. But if you are not sure where to go, why not give us a call and have a relaxed chat about your options?

How many miles a day can you travel on narrowboat?

On a canal boat holiday, you can cruise anytime between dusk and dawn. Although theoretically in the height of summer, you can get up to 16 hours of daylight most hirers will travel between 4 and 9 hours per day, at an average speed of 2.5mph. If you travel for 7 hours per day you might for example cover 17.5 miles, but remember that's assuming an obstacle-free cruise, in reality you'll likely have locks and movable bridges to tackle which will take more time.

You can use our canal route planner to get a more accurate idea of how long a route will take including the time taken to tackle locks and swing bridges. Over a week a 100-mile route will be a fairly active route and is at the upper end of how far most hirers would like to travel.

What's the difference between a narrowboat and a canal boat?

A canal boat is a boat designed for use on a canal, a narrow boat is a particular type of canal boat built to fit the narrow locks that can be found on the narrow canals in the UK. A widebeam is another type of canal boat built in the style of a narrowboat but wider than the narrow locks.

Although too wide for the narrow canals these widebeams can be used on the broad canals such as the Leeds & Liverpool, Kennet & Avon and Grand Union Canals. For canal boat holidays in the United Kingdom narrowboats are the most common.

Can I take a one-way cruise?

The most common type of one-way hire in the UK would be a ring route, there are multiple ring routes in the UK. On a ring route, you'll start and end at the same hire base but make a loop around making use of multiple different canals and never needing to turn back on yourself.

Bear in mind that an out-and-back route can be a nice option, especially for beginners, with an out-and-back route you'll not put yourself under additional pressure to get back in time you can simply turn the boat around roughly halfway into your hire, you will retrace your steps but the canal can look very different when heading in the opposite direction.

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