The Boat - Summer 2006

The Call of the Canals

Taking your first trip in a narrowboat needn't be daunting, as Phil Pickin recently discovered.

As for using a hire boat, the boat we used couldn't be faulted for its cleanliness nor for its inventory of equipment and supplies. Looking at some of the other hire firms on the canals we saw during our trip you wouldn't be stuck for choice, both in the levels of accommodation or overall size of boat.

Having been lucky enough to have been able to try out a wide range of boats over the years (all in the line of duty you understand) it's true that any novice will find even the most modest canal boat quite different to their usual craft. But, like everything, the more you do it the easier it becomes. Even the locks, which can put a lot of people off, are nothing to be frightened by.

As for advice buy a book Not a how to do it' book, but try to find a decent route planner for the area you're looking to cruise. We used one of the Pearson's Canal Companion books for our area and it proved invaluable as it not only tells you where you are, but also where the nearest water points can be found etc...

Most of these guides will also point you in the right direction of nearest places of interest, ensuring you won't miss anything along the way. It may sound basic stuff, but it's easy to miss things when out, especially on your first trip.

Also, ask questions of the staff at the hire firm. Don't be put off about sounding stupid despite being a seasoned boater in other areas. It's better to ask the basics than to save face and end up having problems down ithe canal.

A unique holiday

Canal life is at a different pace to anything else you may well have experienced. You have to move slower. There are a fair number of characters on the cut who live and work in this unique environment. You do see, and experience, more of the environment from the canal than you do whizzing through it in your car.

Unique is a good all-encompassing phrase to cover the inland waterways system. Where else can you enjoy the joys of the countryside in the same way as caravanners and campers and still have the feeling of a boat beneath your feet?

The trip was entertaining and very enjoyable, despite the moans and groans of the dear lady wife after spending a day winding the lock paddles, and I for one would encourage any boater to have at least one trip to say they've tried it. It may not change you from your chosen path, but you'll have experienced a unique part of our country's heritage.

Our thanks go to Alvechurch Waterway Holidays for the use of their boat.