Canal Boat Hire Firms

There are many, many boat hire firms in the U.K. and Europe. These are the ones I know of that have a web presence. Many firms are now on the web, but there are probably still some that are not; I have not attempted to list those. Boats are hired (rented) from boatyards. Hire is usually by the week, though some 3/4 day hires ("short breaks") are also offered by some firms.

Many ads can be found in the pages of canal and waterway-related magazines.

See also hotel boats.

When contacting any firm, please tell them you saw them listed on the internet on "George's Canal Pages" at www.canals.com.

Important! See disclaimer.

Hireboats2go - England and Wales - last minute hireboat and hotelboat offers

Latelink - last minute boating holidays

Agencies - for boats in the U.K. and Europe

• U.K.-based Agencies

  Agencies essentially do the advertising for the boatyards they represent and handle the reservations (bookings).

  Major U.K.-based agencies:

  • Blakes U.K. (now part of Wyndham Worldwide)
  • Drifters U.K.
  • Hoseasons Canal Boat Holidays U.K., Ireland, and mainland Europe (now part of Wyndham Worldwide)
  • Holidays in the UK U.K., Ireland
  • WaterwaysHolidays.com U.K., Ireland, France (also trades as hireboat.com)

• Agencies based in Austria

  • ifsec Hausbootreisen Baier (Deutsch)

• Agencies based in Germany

  • Der Freizeitkapitän - Ihr Reisebüro für Hausbootferien (Deutsch)
  • Hausboot mieten (Deutsch)

• Agencies based in Ireland

  • Worldwide River Cruise - Ireland, France, Germany, Portugal

• Agencies based in the Netherlands

  • "Holiday Boatin" - (Hollandisch; Deutsch)
    
  • holidayboat.net - France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Belgium (English; Nederlands)
  • Yellow & Blue boating holidays (English; Nederlands)
  • House-Boat Amsterdam - fixed-location houseboats (i.e. you can't move them)

• Agencies based in the U.S.A.

  • Barge Lady Cruises: - France, Holland, Belgium, British Isles - hotel boats.
  • Abercrombie & Kent: - France, England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria - hotel boats.
  • French Country Waterways, Ltd.: - France - hotel boats.
  • The Barge Connection: - France, England, Holland, Scotland and Ireland - hotel and self-drive boats.
  • France Cruises: - France - hotel boats.
  • Special Places Travel - hotel boats - all Europe - very comprehensive France list

• Agencies based in Australia

  • canalboatholidays.com

• Agencies based in New Zealand

  • France - The French Way - France (represents Locaboat Holidays) - self-drive boats.

Large Hire Firms - U.K.

For another view of these, see Map of Hire Bases in England and Wales, and Map of Hire Bases in Scotland

Alvechurch - see UK Boat Hire below
Anglo-Welsh Waterway Holidays. Eleven bases.
Black Prince Holidays. Six bases, including one at Falkirk in Scotland.
Marine Cruises. Three bases, including one at Falkirk in Scotland.
Oxfordshire Narrowboats. Four bases.
Tillerman Boats - see UK Boat Hire below
UK Boat Hire. Fourteen bases, including one at Falkirk in Scotland. (combines Alvechurch, Viking Afloat, Wessex, Tillerman, and Red Line)
Viking Afloat - see UK Boat Hire above

Hire Firms with Specialised Offerings - U.K.

Canal Holidays for the Disabled

Canal Holidays for Schools and Youth Organisations, and Other Groups

Day Boats

Highly flexible booking schedule

Long Term Hire/Lease

One-way trips

Broad-beam "narrowboats"

Electric Boats

"Trad" (traditional) Narrowboats

Lists of Hire Firms and Agencies - France

Boat Rentals - called "French Tourist Office" but is a commercial firm

See also Hotel Boats

For web pages of individual hire firms, see the French Waterways Links page .

Large Hire Firms - Europe

Smaller hire Firms with web pages or email - UK and Europe

England

Canal name abbreviations used below

Have a look a APCO's description of the English Tourist Board's Canal Boat Grading Scheme. APCO (the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators) has regional lists which show which member firm's operate graded boats, and which take part in the British Marine Federation Hire Boat Handover Programme. Here's an example: Hire Boat Companies in the North & South Midlands. (Links to other APCO regional pages will be found at the bottom of the example page, in the right-hand column.)

Acier Narrowboats (nr. Lichfield on T&M)
Andersen Boats (Middlewich, Ches.)
Aqua Narrowboat Hire (Burton-on-Trent)
Arlen Hire Boats (Lancaster Canal)
Ashby Boat Company (Ashby Canal)
Banks Hire Boats (Selby, N. Yorks.)
Bath and Dundas Canal Co. (Bath on K&A)
Bath Canal Boat Company - two broad-beam "narrowboats" (Bath, on K&A)
Bettisfield Boats - two 35-foot narrowboats (Bettisfield on Llangollen Canal)
Bidford Boats (Bidford-on-Avon, Warks.)
Black Country Narrow Boat Hire - (Oldbury, W. Mids.)
Boating Days - (Northwich, Ches.)
Braidbar Boats (on Macclesfield Canal)
Bridge Boatyard - narrowboats and cruiser-style boats (Ely, Cambs.)
Bronte Boats (Hebden Bridge, W. Yorks, on Rochdale Canal)
Calcutt Boats (Rugby, Warks., on N. GU)
Canal and Tipi Experience - Thames and K&A (Reading, Berks.)
canalbarge.co.uk - hire of available weeks on Shakespeare Classic Line timeshare fleet (at Mercia Marina, Willington, Derbyshire, on T&M)
Canal Boat Escapes - (Barnoldswick, on L&L)
Canalbreaks Narrowboat Holidays (Coventry)
Canal Cruising Company (Stone, on T&M)
Caversham Boat Services - cruiser-style (Reading, Berks., on R. Thames)
Challenger Stealth Canal Hire Fleet has been absorbed by ABC Leisure Group
Chas Hardern Boats (Beeston, Cheshire, on SU)
Cheshire Cat Narrowboat Hire (on SU)
Churchdale Canal Cruises - one 58-foot narrowboat (Rugeley, Staffs., on T&M)
Claymoore Navigation - many boats with hydraulic drive (Preston Brook, Cheshire, on Bridgewater)
Clifton Cruisers (Rugby, on N. Oxford)
College Cruisers (Oxford)
Copt Heath Wharf - near Solihull, W. Mids. (northern GU)
Cotswold Boat Hire - cruiser-style (Lechlade-On-Thames)
Countryside Cruising - (Endon, Staffs., on Caldon Canal)
Countrywide Cruisers (Brewood, on SU)
Crest Narrowboats - (bases at Chirk on Llangollen and Stoke-on-Trent on T&M)
Distinctive Charters - private boats for hire; various locations so not on hire base maps
Empress Holidays (Nantwich, Ches., on SU) is now Welsh Gateway Canal Holidays
Farncombe Boat House (Godalming, Surrey, on R. Wey)
Foxboats (March, Cambs., on Nene-Ouse)
Foxhangers Canal Holidays - weekly and short breaks (Devizes on K&A)
Foxton Boat Services Ltd. (Foxton, Leics., on GU, Leicester section)
Freedom Boats - (Macclesfield, Ches., on Macclesfield)
Galleon Marine (Basingstoke Canal)
Grebe Canal Cruises (Pitstone on GU)
Guildford Boat House (River Wey)
Hapton Valley Boats - 2 narrowboats and 1 broad-beam (Burnley, Lancs., on L&L)
Heritage Narrowboats (Scholar Green, Ches., on Macclesfield)
Hire a Canalboat Ltd - (Sawley Marina, nr Nottingham)
Kate Boats (Warwick, on N. GU)
Kennet Cruises (Reading, Berks)
Kris Cruisers (R. Thames at Windsor)
Lee Valley Boat Centre (North East London, on R. Lee)
Mary Gray Narrowboat Holidays - (Church Minshull, Ches., on Middlewich Branch)
Maestermyn & Welsh Lady Cruisers (Whittington, Salop., on Llangollen)
Mid Devon Hire Boats - No longer offers narrowboat hire; (Tiverton, Devon, on Grand Western Canal)
Middlewich Narrowboats - gas-free fleet; hires out boats year-round (Middlewich, Ches., on T&M)
Moonraker Narrowboat Company (K & A, nr. Bath, broad-beam boats)
Moor Time Narrowboat Holidays - (on Prees Branch of Llangollen Canal)
Napton Narrowboats (bases at Napton, at junction of GU and Oxford, and Autherley at junction of SU and S&W)
Narrowboat Zinfandel - nr. Cambridge (River Cam) - must have some boating experience
Narrow Escapes (Sandbach, Ches., on T&M)
Nene Valley Boats (Oundle, Northants., on R. Nene)
Norbury Wharf Ltd. (Stafford, on SU)
Norfolk Broads Yachting Company - "sailing yachts for hire on the Norfolk Broads" (Horning, Norfolk)
Oxfordshire Narrowboats - see Large Hire Firms - U.K. above
Pennine Cruisers of Skipton (Skipton, N. Yorks., on L&L)
Rainbow Cruisers - hire of 30-foot cruisers on R. Thames (Chertsey, Surrey)
Reading Marine - fleet now operated by UK Boat Hire (Aldermaston, on K&A)
Richardsons Boating Holidays - cruiser-style boats (Stalham or Acle, on Norfolk Broads)
Rose Narrowboats (nr. Rugby, Warks.)
Royalls Boatyard (Hoveton, Norwich, on Norfolk Broads)
Saddleworth Canal Cruises - (Oldham, on Huddersfield Narrow Canal)
Saisons (Daventry, Northants.) [was Coronet]
Sally Narrowboats - (Bradford on Avon, on the K&A)
Savanna Canal Boat Hire (Guildford, Surrey, on R. Wey)
Shire Cruisers (Sowerby Bridge, W. Yorks., on Rochdale Canal)
Sileby Mill Boatyard ( Loughborough, Leics.; GU, Leics. section)
Silsden Boats - narrow and broad-beam boats (Silsden, W. Yorks, on L&L)
Snaygill Boats of Skipton (Skipton, Yorks., on L&L)
Starline Narrowboats (Upton-upon-Severn, Worcs.)
Teddesley Boat Company (Penkridge, Staffs., on S&W)
Tek Holiday Narrow Boat Hire - (Kings Bromley, Staffs., on T&M)
Tradcraft Hire Boats (Market Drayton, Salop.)
Union Canal Carriers (Braunston, Northants., nr. junc. of GU and Ox.)
Valley Cruises (Nuneaton, Warks., on Coventry)
Water Babies (Lancaster Canal)
Welsh Gateway Canal Holidays (Nantwich, Ches., on SU)
White Horse Boats (Devizes on K&A)
Willow Wren Cruising Holidays (Rugby, Warks., on N. Ox.)
Wyvern Shipping Co. (Leighton Buzzard, on GU)
York Marine - narrow- and cruiser-style boats (York, on R. Ouse)

Scotland

Caley Cruisers Ltd (Inverness)
Capercaillie Cruisers (Falkirk, on Forth & Clyde Canal)
West Highland Sailing - sailing yachts and motor cruisers (nr. Ft. William, on Caledonian Canal)

Note: several of the Large Hire Firms - U.K. have bases in Scotland

Wales

Beacon Park Boats - narrowboats and several broad-beam in fleet (on Mon. & Brec.)
Cambrian Cruisers (on Mon. & Brec.)
Castle Narrowboats (on Mon. & Brec.)
Country Craft (on Mon. & Brec.)
Road House Narrow Boats (on Mon. & Brec.)

Ireland

France

Germany

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