The Boat Floats

Regional hub

Hire Firms — Midlands and South Wales

Scenery is varied: Brindley-built rural contour canals (North Oxford, Ashby), industrial heritage through the BCN and Black Country, the Severn and Avon offerin

3 min read · Updated 2026-02-01

Hire Firms — Midlands and South Wales

What's in this region

This hub covers hire firms based on the canals of the West Midlands, the East Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Oxfordshire (north), and South Wales. Waterways in scope are the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), the Birmingham & Fazeley, the Coventry, the Ashby, the Grand Union Main Line through the Midlands, Regent's Canal access via the Grand Union, the North and South Oxford Canals (north Oxford here, south in the Southern hub), the Staffs & Worcs, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, the Worcester & Birmingham, the southern Trent & Mersey, the River Severn and Avon (Worcestershire/Warwickshire reaches), the Droitwich Canals, and the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in South Wales.

Cruising character

The Midlands is the densest part of the connected canal network. Lock densities range from very heavy (the Tardebigge flight on the Worcester & Birmingham — 30 locks; the Hatton flight on the Grand Union — 21 locks; the Lapworth flight on the Stratford) to gently rural (the Ashby — almost lock-free for 22 miles). Most popular cruising rings live here — Avon, Stourport, Black Country, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Droitwich — and route choice is huge.

Scenery is varied: Brindley-built rural contour canals (North Oxford, Ashby), industrial heritage through the BCN and Black Country, the Severn and Avon offering wide-river cruising, and the spectacular Mon & Brec running along the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.

Pinch points: Tardebigge in summer (long flight, queues), Hatton, the BCN locks at Wolverhampton (21 locks). River sections on the Severn and Avon are managed waters with weirs and powered locks; rivers can flood — check the Environment Agency river state board before setting off downstream. The Mon & Brec is a self-contained, lock-light cruise with no connection to the rest of the network.

Hire firms in this region

On the Birmingham Canal Navigations and Birmingham & Fazeley

  • ABC Boat Hire (Alvechurch and other Worcs/Birmingham bases).
  • Sherborne Wharf — central Birmingham hire and trip boats.
  • Black Prince (Stoke Prior, Worcester & Birmingham — close to BCN).

On the Coventry and Ashby

  • Ashby Boats (Stoke Golding) — the dedicated Ashby hire firm.
  • Country Craft Narrowboats (Ashby).
  • Black Prince (Coventry-area access via Stoke Prior).

On the Grand Union (Midlands reaches)

  • Napton Narrowboats (Napton) — Grand Union/Oxford junction.
  • Calcutt Boats (Napton) — Grand Union/Oxford junction.
  • Kate Boats (Warwick / Stockton) — Grand Union near Hatton.
  • Union Wharf Narrowboats (Market Harborough) — Leicester arm of the Grand Union.
  • Wyvern Shipping (Linslade) — Grand Union southern Midlands.

On the Oxford Canal (northern reach)

  • Oxfordshire Narrowboats (Lower Heyford) — close to the Oxford Canal northern ring routes.
  • Napton and Calcutt (above) sit at the Oxford/Grand Union junction.
  • Rose Narrowboats (Stretton-under-Fosse).

On the Staffs & Worcs and Stratford

  • Anglo Welsh (Tardebigge, Wootton Wawen, Great Haywood, multiple bases) — large national operator.
  • Black Prince (Stoke Prior).

On the Worcester & Birmingham, Severn and Avon

  • Black Prince (Stoke Prior, Worcester & Birmingham).
  • Anglo Welsh (Tardebigge).
  • Brook Line (Dunhampstead).
  • Viking Afloat (Worcester) — Severn and Avon cruising.

On the southern Trent & Mersey

  • Jannel Cruisers (Burton-on-Trent).
  • Black Prince (Stone, Trent & Mersey).
  • Anglo Welsh (Great Haywood).

On the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (South Wales)

  • Beacon Park Boats (Llanfoist) — the main Mon & Brec hire firm.
  • Country Craft Narrowboats Mon & Brec base.
  • Brecon-area smaller operators.

Suggested cruises from this region

Weekend (2–3 nights)

  • Stoke Prior up the Worcester & Birmingham as far as Tardebigge bottom and back — easy, scenic, no rush.
  • Stoke Golding out along the Ashby — almost lock-free, ideal for first-timers.
  • Llanfoist out and back on the Mon & Brec.

Week (7 nights)

  • The Avon Ring (42 miles, 17 locks plus 12 river locks) from Stoke Prior or Worcester.
  • The Stourport Ring from Stoke Prior or Wolverhampton.
  • North Oxford Canal explored end-to-end from Napton.
  • Mon & Brec full length and back.

Fortnight (14 nights)

  • The Warwickshire Ring (104 miles, 105 locks) from Napton, Stockton or Stratford.
  • The Black Country Ring from Stoke Prior or Great Haywood.
  • The Thames Ring (227 miles) from a Grand Union base — this is a hard fortnight; many crews extend to 16–18 days.