If you haven’t tried a canal holiday or narrowboating before please be assured that you will find a warm welcome with us. We understand that the whole thing can look a bit daunting, but we want you to enjoy your time with us, and will try to ensure that you know enough to be able to do that.

At the locks, showing newcomers how it all works for their narrowboating holiday — At the locks, showing newcomers how it all works, ready for their narrowboating experience.

We will take time to introduce you to the boats, advise on routes, mooring places and pubs(!). You will be accompanied as you set off to ensure that you are comfortable with handling the boat, and then met at the first lock and introduced to the mysteries of locking (it really isn’t difficult!). We want you to enjoy your holiday with us, and you will be more likely to do that if you are confident about coping on the canal.

We are always pleased to show prospective customers through the boats – we feel that they sell themselves! If you would like to come and see the boat that you are considering booking please give us a ring before you visit so that we can advise when it might be available to view.

Planning the trip is all part of the fun. On this web site we give some ideas of recommended routes. Our brochure has this information. In our shop we stock maps and guides to help you to plan your journey, and we are happy to supply these by mail order if required. If you are new to the canals, plan an easy route, ensuring that you leave plenty of time, so that you can relax and enjoy 4 miles per hour, rather than worrying about meeting deadlines!

If you want some information on how to navigate the boat, and operation of the locks please have a look at the video of the guide on the Canal and Rivers Trust website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/a-guide-to-boating/boaters-handbook

Here is a video walkthrough of one of the boats. please excuse the music!

We have a range of boats to choose from, which can be very confusing, but please feel free to email or phone for help and advice, always happy to chat through boats and routes.

Here’s a Youtube video giving a nice, simple, but comprehensive guide as to how locks work.

Barge Holidays

These boats are also known colloquially as barges, referring to their roots as the cargo carrying boats that they originated from, and also known as long boats in some parts of the country.

Narrowboat Holidays

We think that narrowboat holidays are a fabulous holiday for all the family, we get visitors from couples, to large mixed family groups, with 3 generations. We get hens and stags, lots of families with dogs, (saves having to put them in kennels), and everything in between.

If you have any other queries please contact us, either by phone 01926 492968 or by email, enquiries@kateboats.co.uk