{"id":493,"date":"2016-01-24T00:09:21","date_gmt":"2016-01-24T00:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=493"},"modified":"2017-12-06T19:56:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-06T19:56:50","slug":"choosing-a-canal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/choosing-a-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a canal"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>rying to pick your first canal is like trying to pick a favorite pet or child. Each one has its own delights, challenges and oddities despite overall similarities like quaint pubs, beautiful scenery and astounding engineering. In choosing, you have to balance your abilities versus your desires, your craving for solitude versus the canal\u2019s popularity and your itinerary versus the canal\u2019s accessibility.<\/p>\n

<\/a>How to choose<\/h2>\n

We plan our infrequent UK vacations around our canal trips, but our choice of canal is also influenced by those cities or attractions we wish to visit.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in the Industrial Revolution and impressed by Georgian engineering, then consider the Birmingham Canal Navigations<\/span><\/a>. After all, Matthew Boulton chose to build his Soho Foundry beside the canal. With his partner James Watt, Boulton sold hundreds of steam engines for use in mines and factories. And the canal boasts the Tardebigge Flight of 30 locks stretching two-and-a-quarter miles, the longest flight of locks in the UK.<\/p>\n

\"Photograph<\/a>
Photo by Stuart Yeates \/ CC BY-SA 2.0 license Shakespeare\u2019s birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon is just a short distance from the canal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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If you\u2019re fond of William Shakespeare, you might visit Stratford-upon-Avon<\/span><\/a> and travel the similarly named canal. The canal connects with the River Avon just a short walk (less than 10 minutes) from the Bard\u2019s birthplace. The 25-mile canal extends all the way to Birmingham (if you include the Worcester & Birmingham Canal).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re a Janeite, the obvious city to visit is Bath in Somerset. Jane Austen lived here from 1801 to 1805, just as the Kennet & Avon Canal<\/span><\/a> was being built. From Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you go east on the canal toward Devizes and the stunning Caen Hill flight of 16 locks, one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. From Devizes, you can easily visit Stonehenge, another World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n

\"Photograph<\/a>
Caen Hill flight of 16 locks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you prefer the Bront\u00ebs, then the brooding Pennines and the Rochdale Canal<\/span><\/a> might be your choice. You can even hire your narrowboat from Bronte Boats. The Bront\u00eb parsonage in Haworth is about a 30-minute drive from the canal.<\/p>\n

If mystery is your thing, then the dreaming spires of Oxford might appeal, especially if you\u2019re a fan of Inspector Morse. If you\u2019ve watched the ITV television series of Inspector Morse<\/span>, Lewis<\/span> or Endeavour<\/span>, then you frequently saw the Oxford Canal<\/span><\/a> and any number of narrowboats. From Oxford, you can join the Grand Union Canal network that can take you to Leicester and Birmingham or even back to Stratford.<\/p>\n

The Grand Union also goes to London, of course. If you\u2019re determined to visit the city that Sherlock Holmes\u2019 friend and biographer Doctor Watson described as \u201cthat great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained,\u201d then you can travel the very urban Regent\u2019s Canal<\/span><\/a>, but be prepared for drunken revelers, graffiti and tr\u00e8s chic<\/span> boaties wearing Wayfarers and fashionably louche nautical wear.<\/p>\n

Regent\u2019s Canal, alas, has become fashionable, but it\u2019s still an amazing mixture of gritty urbanism, like the very touristy Camden Locks, and the picturesque, like Little Venice in Maida Vale. It also has its serene moments when your narrowboat putts through Regent\u2019s Park and the backside of London Zoo.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>How much does it cost?<\/h2>\n

Renting a narrowboat is surprisingly affordable, depending on the exchange rate and time of year, of course. For instance, I just checked the price of a boat that sleeps six to pick up in Bath on the Kennet & Avon Canal for a mid-week break on Aug. 8, 2016 (pick up the boat that Monday afternoon and return it Friday morning). It would be even cheaper during the off-season.<\/p>\n

Cost of the boat for four nights, five days: \u00a31,041<\/p>\n

Fuel deposit: \u00a350 (you\u2019re credited for unused fuel)<\/p>\n

Damage deposit: \u00a350<\/p>\n

Cancellation insurance: \u00a325<\/p>\n

Subtotal: \u00a31,166 (at current conversion rate\u2014$1,816)<\/p>\n

Divided by four nights: $454<\/p>\n

Per person\/per night (crew of four): $113<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a>Practicalities<\/h2>\n

So first pick your canal based on some connection you have to a city, a region, an author or even your favorite football club. Then start to consider the practicalities.<\/p>\n

\"noteAlthough they\u2019re called mid-week breaks, implying Monday through Friday, most boat hires have some flexibility. The same isn\u2019t true for weekend breaks, which start on Friday.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Days vs distance<\/h3>\n

How many days your first canal trip should be obviously depends on the type of person you are. If you want to tour ruined castles or make brass rubbings at parish churches or enjoy a village concert, then you\u2019re not going to get very far and may have to plan a longer trip. On our boat trips, we\u2019ve explored said ruined castles, visited narrowboat museums, marveled at lock flights, lingered over pub lunches and even rented taxis to explore the countryside. Your crew, however, may be content to rack up the miles, eating most of your meals onboard and avoid brass rubbings and drafty castles.<\/p>\n

\"cautionSenior (often called concession) discounts in the UK start at age 60. Although boat hires rarely offer a senior discount (they\u2019d go out of business), most attractions like museums, castles and stately homes do.<\/p>\n

For your first trip, I recommend a mid-week break, which is four nights and five days, returning the boat on the fifth day. So how far can you get in that amount of time, considering that you\u2019re traveling between 2 and 3 mph? It all depends on the number of locks and swing bridges, but using the worksheet on the next page, about 43 miles is realistic, assuming 10 locks and three swing bridges. Then start estimating how many stately homes and museums you want to visit to see whether you can get it done in the remaining hours.<\/p>\n

A mid-week break is just long enough to be relaxing and will leave you wanting to come back. If you\u2019re traveling with friends, five days together shouldn\u2019t have strained the friendship and will give you an idea whether you want to travel together on another boat trip.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Various ways to save on a boat hire<\/h2>\n