What to Do on a Canal Holiday

The honest answer is: less than you think, and you'll love it. A canal holiday is built around the rhythm of moving the boat, mooring up, and exploring whatever's there. This guide is a tour of what people actually do with their week.

Cruising

The main activity, taking up four to six hours of most days. One person steers, the others read, watch, doze or chat. Steering is meditative once you've done your first hour. Most crews rotate so everyone gets time at the tiller.

Lock work

For some crews, locks are the highlight. Operating a flight of locks with a competent crew is satisfying in a way few holiday activities are: physical, social, and you can see your progress. Even non-active crew members enjoy watching from the bank.

Walking the towpath

The towpath is a continuous, level walking route. People often walk between locks while one or two stay on the boat. Half a day's walk along a towpath can take in pubs, villages, wildlife and lock flights. It's also one of the few long-distance walking experiences where lunch arrives by boat.

Cycling

Towpaths are increasingly cycle-friendly (subject to local rules). A folding bike on the back of the boat doubles your range at every stop and is brilliant for shopping runs, pub trips and general exploring.

Pubs

A canal holiday is, partly, a tour of pubs. Most stretches have a pub every few miles, often only accessible from the canal. Plan one or two pub meals per week and stop for a drink most evenings.

Wildlife watching

The canal is one of the best wildlife habitats in Britain. Look for:

• Kingfishers (fast blue flash low over the water)
• Herons (statue-still by the bank)
• Swans, mallards, moorhens, coots
• Voles and water shrews
• Dragonflies in summer
• Bats at dusk

Bring binoculars; you'll use them.

Visiting attractions

Many canal routes pass:

• Castles and historic houses (Warwick, Skipton, Ludlow)
• Cathedral cities (Lichfield, Worcester, Lincoln)
• Aqueducts and tunnels (Pontcysyllte, Standedge, Blisworth)
• Industrial heritage sites (Anderton Boat Lift, Bingley Five Rise, Foxton)
• National Trust properties along the way

Plan one or two as set-piece stops.

Eating on board

Cooking on a canal boat is half the fun for many crews. A four-burner gas hob plus a small oven is enough for proper meals. Stocking up at a market town and cooking together becomes part of the holiday's rhythm.

Reading and downtime

A canal holiday is one of the few weeks of the year when "I just want to read for an afternoon" is the perfectly normal thing to do. Bring more books than you think you need.

Photography

The light over canals is exceptional, particularly at dawn and dusk. Tunnels, locks, aqueducts, reflections and wildlife all reward a careful eye. A phone camera is enough.

Swimming

Don't, as a general rule. Canal water is dirty, cold and full of unseen hazards (mooring chains, propellers, debris). Some lidos and rivers along canal routes are safe and lovely; the canal itself is not.

Evenings

Once moored up, a canal evening is one of the most relaxed scenes in British life. Options:

• Dinner on board with the side door open
• Walk to the local pub
• Game of cards on the back deck
• Walk along the towpath at dusk
• Quiet reading

A "what to do" checklist

• Steering rota agreed
• A few set-piece stops planned (one castle, one aqueduct, one good pub)
• Walking and cycling kit on board
• Binoculars
• Books and games
• Cash for cash-only farm shops and small pubs

Conclusion

The pleasure of a canal holiday is mostly the rhythm of cruising, mooring, walking and eating. Plan a few highlights, leave plenty of unstructured time, and the canal will fill the rest.

Related

• Canal holiday activities
• Canalside attractions
• Canal trips and days out
• Canal holiday eating and drinking
• Planning your canal holiday