Black Prince Holidays have five bases throughout the country including a new one in Scotland at the Falkirk Wheel.
More than three-quarters of their boats are a year old or less and short breaks can cost from as little as £59 per person. For more information contact
Black Prince Holidays, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4LA; telephone 01527 575115,
fax 01527 575116,
e-mail BHolidays@aol.com;
website www.black-prince.com
| The pleasure of cruising Britain's inland waterways. A special report by the editor of What's On
& Where To Go Richard Cheesbrough | PICTURES: Left: On the attractive upper reaches of the Llangollen Canal; Returning over the mighty Pontcysyllte Aqueduct; Our shadow is outlined in the playing fields 120 feet below the boat. |
holiday break on Britain's canals is sometimes referred to as the fastest way to slow down; at four miles an hour there is certainly no point in rushing. The countryside drifts by at a pace it is possible to enjoy while fresh air and gentle exercise create magnificent appetites - and some pretty good thirsts.
Such are the attractions of a canal holiday that very few people only do it once, but making that first decision and setting off on your own is one many people finding daunting. Secret fears and worries abound: Will I be able to steer? How do I work a lock? What are tunnels like? Where can I moor? Will the boat be comfortable?
For even these and all the other questions is not to worry. All reputable boat hiring companies will make sure you are perfectly happy and competent before letting you off on your own and help at any time is only a mobile phone call away. One of the best ways to get started is by taking a short break to get into the swing of things. Most hire firms offer weekend or midweek breaks and these discounted holidays are ideal for the first-timer to experience life in the slow lane. These breaks can be enjoyed at different times of the year and on different types of canal and the boat hirers will be happy to offer help and advice to ensure you take the break that is right for you. Two contrasting but both highly enjoyable breaks last year illustrate the point well. Our crew of four—including first-timers—spent a long weekend on the rural Llangollen Canal in high summer and then contrasted it with a weekend starting from industrial Stoke-on-Trent in late September. We travelled with the major hire boat firm Black Prince Holidays. They have a number of bases around the canal system and pride themselves on having a modem and innovative fleet of boats. For 2004, for instance, more than three-quarters of all their craft will be a year old or less. They come in all different sizes and configurations for two to ten people with a mixture of single and double beds.
The boat we took on both trips was one of the Duchess class and had two double beds, lounge, dining area, fitted kitchen with full-sized cooker and refrigerator, shower and toilet; it was a top quality holiday home with central heating. Comfort was going to be no problem. The toilet, incidentally, was a full water-flushing system and the shower was 'roomy and piping hot. The boat—properly called a narrowboat, not a barge—was seven feet wide and 58 feet long which meant there was plenty of room for four of us to mix socially but also have privacy when wanted.
The summer trip on the beautiful Llangollen Canal started from Chirk Marina, just by the Welsh border south of Wrexham. After unloading our luggage after lunch on Saturday and parking in the free and secure boatyard car park, the friendly and helpful Black Prince staff gave us a detailed tour of the boat and explained and demonstrated how everything worked. A comprehensive manual was also provided which covered all aspects of the boat's operation. The staff then negotiated the boat out of the marina onto the canal, wished us luck and left us to enjoy our trip. | The journey to Llangollen, where we intended to moor for the night, was to take only about three hours; but what a three hours. A short tunnel was the first feature quickly followed by the big, solid Chirk aqueduct which runs in the shadow of a nearby railway viaduct. Another tunnel and an enjoyable meander through pleasant countryside brought us to one of the wonders of the whole canal system, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
This magnificent piece of engineering, designed by Thomas Telford, towers 120 feet above the river Dee for more than 300 yards and the canal is held in an iron trough just wide enough for the boat. You can't see any water as you steer across, creating an effect of floating in the sky—it is a wonderful experience but one not for the faint-hearted. Those unsure of their head for heights might prefer to enjoy this white-knuckle ride of the waterways from inside their boat or take to the fenced footpath that runs along one side.
The final four miles up to Llangollen is one of the prettiest stretches on the whole canal system but it takes a bit if time, being very narrow and winding but none the worse for that. The quiet moorings above the town mark the end of the canal and provide the ideal place to spend the night. A shower on board, then a couple of beers and relaxing meal in town, ended a perfect first day's narrowboating for our novice crew.
The Sunday saw us retrace our steps over the spectacular aqueducts and beyond the boatyard to the market town of Ellesmere. The pattern of the days started to take shape: refreshing starts in the early morning sunlight which worked up an appreciative appetite for a mid-moming home-made fry-up; a lunchtime break for shopping and watering; a leisurely afternoon chugging through beautiful countryside enjoying the sight of buzzards and herons at close quarters; a quiet mooring at night for gentle eating, drinking and chatting. A late glass on deck watching the final vestiges of June sunshine disappear rounds off a wonderful day. It certainly helps make for a deep and relaxing night's sleep as well.
We returned the boat to Chirk on the Tuesday afternoon feeling thoroughly relaxed and refreshed; just a few days had created a wonderful switched-off feeling. Our first-timers vowed to get back afloat as soon as possible.
The chance came sooner than they thought when we again set off in a Black Prince Duchess narrowboat in late September from Stoke-on-Trent to explore the Caldon Canal, a branch of the Trent and Mersey. | The Caldon is really industrialised at its start, its meandering through the Potteries making a stark contrast to the rural Llangollen. But it was none the less interesting for that. Fine examples of Victorian architecture and industrial heritage abound with even a few of the famous old bottle kilns alongside the towpath to give a glimpse into the district's history. And the wildlife impinges this far into the urban heartland. The unmistakable electric blue flash of a pair of kingfishers accompanied us for a few hundred yards, making a startling impact on an early autumn afternoon.
However the Caldon soon emerges into ever more engaging countryside and the pattern of the days settled down again. This even included mooring alongside a pub one lunchtime which cannot be reached directly by road, only by canal or steam train on the Chumett Valley railway. The cheerful licensee admitted between pulling pints of real ale that it was a delightful place to run a pub except on the days the dray delivered the beer. Then he had to call in as many favours as possible from his regulars to get them to shift the beer in wheelbarrows along a narrow track and over the canal and railway line.
The Caldon Canal also has an hour-long branch up to the market town of Leek. This branch is one of the most attractive and little- used on the whole canal system and well worth the diversion. It is a brisk 20-minute walk into the town from the end of the canal but the effort is well worthwhile, as Leek is a fascinating destination noted for its many antique shops.
The Caldon is ideal to explore on a weekend break and can be highly recommended for first timers. There are a number of locks but all are narrow and easy to manage; there are plenty of places to moor and the countryside in its upper reaches is stunning. As a fairly short branch off the mighty Trent and Mersey the Caldon is often overlooked. It shouldn't be, as it is a little gem.
The cooler weather of our September break made us appreciate the comforts of our boat ever more. The central heating was a real boon in the evenings and the ready supply of hot drinks was much appreciated. But a warm fleecy top and gloves kept out the chilly early morning and evening air and sensibly togged out it is possible to enjoy narrowboating in almost all weathers.
There are thousands of miles of inland waterways to explore, from the mighty trans- pennine links such as the Leeds and Liverpool and Huddersfield canals down through the country to the gentler and smaller Staffordshire and Worcester and Kennet and Avon canals. They all have their separate characters and attractions. And it is fair to say that after just one or two weekends you may want to explore them all. |
