Heritage Narrow Boats Ltd

Name: Heritage Narrow Boats Ltd
Address: Heritage Marina, Station Rd, Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 3JZ, GB
Telephone: (01782) 785 700

Stoke-on-Trent

Courtesy of Heritage Narrow Boats Ltd

WHERE

Stoke-on-Trent

What it’s like

Take the tiller yourself on a hired day boat, or head off for days at a time along the Four Counties, Cheshire or Llangollen canals.

The idea here is you're the crew. You hire a day boat and steer it yourself along the local canals, which sounds a lot more nerve wracking than it is once you've had a go at the locks. Kids who are used to being strapped into a car seat find the whole slow, chuggy pace of a canal boat properly novel, and there's a fair bit of hands-on stuff for them to do if you let them near the ropes.

If a day out isn't enough, they also do proper holiday narrow boat trips, multi-day routes on the Four Counties Ring, the Cheshire Ring or the Llangollen canal. That's a bigger commitment, more suited to a family who fancy a genuinely different kind of holiday than a quick afternoon paddle, and it changes the whole trip from a one-off outing into a slow meander through several counties.

Either way, the appeal is the same: no phones working properly, no rush, just locks, bridges and the occasional duck to steer around. It won't suit anyone after a fast-paced day, but for a family happy to potter, it's hard to beat.

Plan your visit

Do we need boating experience?

It doesn't say, but a day boat hire is generally set up so you can steer it yourself without prior experience.

What's the difference between the day boat and the holiday boat?

The day boat is a single hire for a meander round the local canals. The holiday narrow boat is for longer trips, days at a time, along routes like the Four Counties Ring, Cheshire Ring or Llangollen canal.