George’s:

Canal Boating in the U.K. and Europe

(with some North American information)

Being an introduction for those unfamiliar with the pleasures of canal and waterway cruising, as well as a resource for experienced boaters.

Please... they are "narrowboats", not "barges".

Since 1995...
Still non-commercial.

Website Last Modified: Monday, 4 Nov 2024

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-- absolutely nothing--
half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
-- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

• What’s New?
  • 24 July 2024 - Webcam-Binnenvaart.nl Twenty-five webcams, each on a different Dutch barge operating in Europe [Many thanks to Nick Hindle for pointing these out.]
  • 13 July 2024 - Harald Heindl's map of hire bases in the UK and Ireland. Note: this is a work-in-progress by Harald. If you find any problems, please email me at and I will pass the information along.
  • 25 Oct 2023 I have retired a number of pages from this website. Follow this link for an explanation and access to the retired pages. (Also a few pages have been completely removed as too old and of no further use to anyone.)
• Canal Boating - What It’s Like
• Canal and Waterway Webcams - see what’s happening right now at webcam locations
• Timelapse Canal Videos - also called "hyperlapse" - cruise miles of canal in minutes
• Canals - Features of Interest - locks, tunnels, aqueducts, etc.
• Canal Maps & Route Planning - Online & Offline
• Hiring Canal Boats
  • Canal Boat Hire Firms - UK and Ireland
  • Canal Boat Hire Firms - Europe
  • Canal Boat Hire Agencies - UK & Europe
• Canal Hotel Boats and Barges
• Canal Boating - Books, Paper Maps, and Videos
• Canal & Waterway Magazines
• General Canal Information Sites (in addition to the one you are on now)
• Facebook Groups / Web Forums / Email Mailing Lists
• Canal/Waterway Size Restrictions
• Canal- and Waterway-Related Organisations - government; commercial; canal societies; boat-specific societies
• Canal-Related Events, and Music
• Canal Humour:   from Larry    from Hellman    from Roger Murray
• Jim Shead’s Waterways Glossary:   A-D   E-L   M-R   S-Z   (Jim has shut his website but fortunately we can still see his glossary via archive.org.)
• Canal People Genealogy
• North American Canals
• About these pages - icons/abbreviations/philosophy