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 Canal and River Boat Holidays
Whiling away your time whilst
chugging gently along a canal or slow flowing river can be an
idyllic way to pass your time. Now you can do it with a clear
conscience about the environment too, with a number of companies
offering quiet, clean electric boats running on solar-electric-power.
The Solar Boat Company
supplies a solar powered narrowboat propulsion system to
boat builders and fitters, and The
Electric Boat Association is a good place for further information.
Meanwhile, the University of
Birmingham has developed a Hydrogen Hybrid Canal Boat, the Ross Barlow, as a
showcase experimental project.
Of course, for a really sustainable
option, there is little to beat a horse-drawn canal boat. There
are a number of places where you can enjoy a peaceful trip in
one of these, but it is unlikely you will be able to self-hire
as crewing such a boat requires particular expertise. Try Kennet Horse Boat
Company, Llangollen
Wharf, Great Western
Horseboat or Godalming
Packetboat Company to find out more.
Further afield, the French company,
Naviratous, are offering
six day trips on their solar powered barge that operates on the
Canal du Midi between Béziers and Carcassonne in the Languedoc
region of France, taking in visits to local vineyards and châteaux
as well as walking and cycling excursions.
Useful Information:
- Black
Prince -canal narrowboat
holidays from Chirk, Acton, Stkoe on Trent, Falkirk and Napton.
- British Waterways
-manages and cares for 2,000 miles (3,219km) of canals, rivers
and docks, buildings, structures and landscapes.
- Broads Authority
-the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads is a unique area of water, grazing
marshes, fen and woodland, and home to some of the rarest plants
and creatures in the UK.
- Bywater Holidays
-offer a variety of canal holidays, including four to seven day
horse drawn cruises aboard their horseboat 'Siân' with
accomodation in farm guest houses.
- Canalia -colourful site on Britains historic
canals and waterways.
- Canal
Junction -comprehensive
canal guide and directory.
- Electric Boat Association -
- Enviroboat -solar electric hybrid boat solutions
form Cumbria -they work with small boats up to 50 foot motor
craft.
- Great Western Horseboat -horse drawn canal trips on the Great Western
at Tiverton.
- Godalming
Packetboat Company -travel
along an unspoilt waterway in Surrey on the narrow boat "Iona",
pulled by one of their heavy horses, traversing both river and
canal -public trips and private charters available.
- Llangollen Wharf
-horse drawn boat trips in the North Wales market town of Llangollen.
- Kennet Cruises narrowboat canal hire -offering self-drive, skippered and
charter hire narrowboat holidays and corporate events on the
Kennet & Avon Canal and River Thames.
- Kennet Horse Boat Company -the 'Kennet Valley' horse drawn barge is a wide
beam passenger trip boat, purpose built in 1976, which operates
from Kintbury on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
- London Canal Museum
-learn the history of London's canals and explore the boats.
- National
Waterways Museum -the
award-winning museum, (part of The Waterways Trust) housed in
a splendid Victorian warehouse at the historic Gloucester Docks.
- Naviratous -stay on a a solar-powered barge, the
Soleil d'Oc D'OC, that will take you from Carcassonne to Béziers
along the Canal du Midi.
- Norfolk Broads Yachting Company -runs the largest fleet of sailing yachts
for hire in the Norfolk Broads.
- Sally
Boats -located in the
ancient Saxon Town of Bradford on Avon, half an hour's drive
from the World Heritage City of Bath, Sally Boats prides itself
in being the leading organisation offering Canal Narrow Boat
Holidays on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
- Salters Steamers
-River Thames passenger boat trips and private charters.
- Solar Boat Company -supplies a solar powered narrowboat propulsion
system to boat builders and fitters -electric narrowboats and
barges on Britain's rivers and canals.
- Solar Sailor -this
Australian company produces a range of rather beautiful hybrid
powered ferries, pleasure cruisers and houseboats.
- Scotlands Waterways
-information on the Caledonian, Crinan and Lowland Canals.
- Waterways Directory
-listing of everything possible related to boating on Britains
waterways and canals.
Chandlery and Equipment:
- Fender Maker
-Eric Johns one man business in South Wales offering rope fenders
for canal, narrow and long boats.
- See also Sailing
holidays.
- Hoseasons
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