UK WATERWAYS INFORMATION FOR FIRST-TIMERS INTRODUCTION First timers often ask us for information and guidance about how to organise a holiday cruise on the UK waterways. We are often hesitant about doing this, as one person's pet likes are another's pet hates. However, these notes try to give first timers some basic information, and some guidance on where to look next. WHERE TO CRUISE SCOTLAND. The major Scottish cruising ground is the Caledonian Canal, cutting diagonally across Scotland from coast to coast, through the Great Glen. It consists of short stretches of locked canals linking lochs (including Loch Ness). Some of the lochs are quite big, and even have waves. Both the weather and the people can by wild, woolly and kindly. The best booze in the world (Scotch Whisky) is widely available, though avid beer drinkers could be a little disappointed. Sailing boats and motor boats are available for hire. Hoseasons act as agents for many of the boatyards. IRELAND. The Irish canals are going through a period of rapid re-generation. Many miles have recently been restored and re-opened. Very rural. Some people prefer the Irish Whiskey to the Scotch Whisky. Bulk consumers are pleased to learn that there are some excellent stouts other than the ubiquitous Guiness. Serious drinkers and thrill seekers search out the (illegally distilled) potcheen, and will quickly notice that laws concerning licensed opening hours are interpreted quite liberally. Hoseasons act as agents for many of the boatyards. There are three major cruising grounds in ENGLAND. THE BROADS. These are in Norfolk, in Eastern England. This is a generally flat, wetlands area, drained by two major rivers and their tributaries. Occasionally, the rivers broaden out into lakes (or broads). These were thought to be natural features, but recent research suggests that they are the result of digging for peat. There are no locks on the system, but there are tides. Working with the tides speeds your progress, and one or two low bridges cannot be navigated at high tide. Occasional stretches of the system are high banked, artificial cuts, but the majority is beautifully rural, with some pretty villages, ancient churches, atmospheric pubs, windmills and a Roman fort. Night clubs are practically non-existant, friendly moorings near pubs are common, mooring miles away from nowhere is easy. Wild life abounds and the natives are amazingly friendly. The 'Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!' brigade can cruise the whole system in a week, two weeks makes for a relaxing holiday. There are many boatyards that rent out boats. The boats are usually between 20 ft and 40 ft long, 8 to 10 ft wide. Diesel engine, gas cooking and heating, small electric fridge, flushing toilet. Although most of the cruisers are of the modern, fibre-glass variety, some 'traditional' Broads cruisers are also available - centre cockpit, and lots of gleaming brass and varnish. Sailing yachts are also available. Boatyards ususlly give newcomers about an hour's worth of instruction - then you are on your own. Hoseasons and Blakes both operate on the Broads as agents for many of the boatyards. RIVER THAMES. Although the Thames is connected to the canal system, it is so different in character that it is usually looked upon as a separate cruising ground. Between Teddington Lock and Oxford, the locks are all worked for you by knowledgeable and helpful lock-keepers. The banks are crowded with history and culture - Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Henley (with its annual regatta), the home of William Morris, the venue of the infamous Hell Fire Club, Windsor Castle, Eton, Cliveden House on the beautiful Cliveden reach, and home of the influential 'Cliveden Set' - the list is endless. In between all this there are the wonderful pubs and hotels, and some of the best restaurants in the world. The Thames above Oxford is just as interesting, but a smidgen more rural in character. The boats are similar to those found on the Broads, though sailing boats are not available for hire. Canal style narrow-boats are available. I believe that it is still possible to rent camping skiffs (try the Richmond Bridge Boathouse, for example) and punts. Blakes and Hoseasons act as agents for many of the boatyards. THE CANALS. In the late 1700's a canal system was started in England. It eventually included 3500 miles of waterway. At least 2000 miles of them are still available for recreational use. The canals were the core of the commercial transportation system that supported the Industrial Revolution. In the mid to late 1800's they were eclipsed by the railways, and slowly declined. A few pioneering people had used the canals for leisure. The big winter freezes of 1947 and 1962 did much to kill off the remaining freight traffics. However, in the 1950s, the canals were discovered as a 'new' source of recreation. Today there are thousands of privately owned and charter boats enjoying this unique form of leisure. There is a speed limit of 4 mph. A slow holiday can take you to busy London, Shakespear's Stratford-on-Avon, old Bath, historic Oxford, rural Wales or industrial Birmingham. There are dozens of charter companies renting boats which carry from two to twelve people. They can be chartered for as little as three days or for as long as all summer. Depending on the number of people and the length of the trip, the cost can be as little as $300 (UKP 200) per person per week, plus food. The craft are best described as narrow houseboats. They are only seven feet wide (since many locks are only seven feet wide) and from thirty to seventy feet long, depending on the number of passengers and the interior plan. Every boat has a galley, at least one bathroom and shower, heating and all the comforts of home (even a microwave in some). There are a few hotel boats and boats with crews, but these are the exception (and of course more expensive). Most people prefer to 'do-it-yourself'. The boats are usually propelled by a small diesel engine, with a simple forward and reverse. The maximum speed of four miles per hour means that anyone can learn to handle the tiller. Similarly, anyone can work the locks along the way. Boatyards normally give first timers about an hour's worth of boat-handling and locking instructions. There are a variety of guide books and maps to help you plan your trip. While the hub of the system is Birmingham, most canals are in the rural coutryside, linking picturesque towns and villages through farmlands and lake country. At night you can tie up at a town, beside a pub or simply along the bank, in the countryside. Most people try to pace their travel so that they are moving only four to six hours a day, to allow lots of time for exploring. You or the boatyard stock the boat with groceries and other essentials. As you travel there are many stores along the canal or in the small towns. Some people eat their main meal of the day ashore, often in one of the many canal-side pubs. With a speed limit of 4 mph, and with each lock taking about 15 minutes to work through (though you will get quicker as you gain some skill and experience), your progress along the canal will be at the rate of 4 lock-miles per hour (for example, 10 miles of canal with 6 locks is the equivalent of 16 lock-miles, and will therefore take about 4 hours. Using the 4 to 6 hours cruising per day as a guide, we end up travelling some 16 to 24 lock-miles per day. Of course, life is a bit more complicated than this. A 'broad' lock (14 ft wide) on a broad canal takes longer to work through than a 'narrow' lock (7 ft wide) on a narrow canal. Some experienced canallers enjoy covering as much ground as possible, others spend more and more time enjoying the canal-side people and the pubs. The 4 lock miles per hour, 16 to 24 lock miles a day are very much average figures, and will enable you to have an easy, stress free cruise. Some people seem to be aghast at the thought of having to do a 'there and back' cruise. Our experience is that the 'back' journey always seems to be totally different from the 'there' bit! Such a journey also has the advantage that you don't have to make initial estimates of how far you will travel - you simply turn round half way through your hire period. However, there are a few circular tours, where several canals join together to make a ring. They can make for an interesting holiday. It is important to take the advice of your boatyard as to how long the ring will take you - once you have got over half way round, there is no turning back if you find yourself running out of time! Here are a few of the cruises that some of our members have done: In 1985 just the two of us travelled the canals of the Shakespeare country for two weeks. We became part of the tourist scenery as we tied up in the basin in front of the theatre at Stratford-on-Avon. Like many routes, this cruise combined canals with rivers, the River Avon being one of the most beautiful in England. In 1987 we did the "Grand Ring" (Oxford Canal, Grand Union Canal, River Thames) which included the rural Midlands, London, Oxford and the Thames - all in three weeks. This trip had tunnels, boat museums and Windsor Castle. It gave us a wonderfully different perspective of the big cities and the River. In 1990, along with ten friends, including six young people ranging in age from twelve to twenty-one, we took two boats for two weeks, cruising the countryside of North Wales and Chester. This included the Llangollen Canal with the Chirk and Pontcysyllte Aqueducts, where the canal flows through cast iron troughs on stone structrues almost 200 years old. The spectacular Pontcysyllte aqueduct is one of the 'Wonders of the Waterways'. It is 1000 feet long and 125 feet in the air. The walled city of Chester is a shopper's delight - the canal traveller can moor under the town walls, within a few yards of the town. This is probably THE ideal first trip. In 1992 we did two weeks on the Four Counties Ring. It is an oval route through the potteries and the prosperous farm lands that lie between Manchester and Birmingham. There are a number of pleasant towns and stately homes along the way. In 1994, two of us spent two weeks on the Cheshire Ring, contrasting the rural foothills with metropolitan Manchester. We also took a side trip up the Caldon Canal through the hills of the iron mining coutry. Earlier, while driving through central Wales we checked out the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal which would be an pleasant one-week trip through the hills of Brecon Beacons National Park. In 1995, an English friend (who has retired after 20 years of managing a hire-craft company and has now designed and built his own boat) asked three of his old customers, including me, to join him on the first long trip on his new boat. We travelled via canals and rivers from Birmingham to Gloucester, up the Kennett and Avon Canal past Bath to Reading, and down the Thames to London. This was a trip of rivers and museums, covering both ancient rural areas and modern resorts. FAMILY HOLIDAYS It is always possible to moor the boat, and to go exploring on foot. It is also possible for the crew to walk along the towpath for a few miles, while the 'skipper' steers the boat. Infants prior to walking age are usually easily managed on a boat. Once they become self-propelled, accompaying adults need to take special care and precautions. Some children find the boat a bit confined, so time needs to be taken to allow for a bit of running around. It is worth taking along some pencil and paper activities - getting children to keep a log book or diary, or persuading them to do some drawings of the voyage will help to pass the time. Colouring-in books and pattern books are a boon. There are some excellent childrens books about canals (Ladybird do a good one) that can help to generate an interest. It doesn't take much imagination or effort to get a child interested in trees, flowers, birds and wildlife, in searching out the influence of horses on the design of canal structures, in knots and other sailorly pursuits, and a host of other activities. PETS Quite a few boat-yards do not allow pets on their boats - but some do, so search around if you want to take your pet with you. Small caged birds and mammals seem to quite enjoy the extra amount of fresh air that they get on a boating holiday. Cats seem to settle in quite quickly. Owners whose pets use an indoor cat litter tray take it with them, so that the cat will recognise it for what it is. One of our members has a cat who keeps (apparently accidentally) going for a swim, with no apparent ill effects. Cats seem to be able to take a meander ashore, and pick out the right boat to return to. Some dogs (especially city dwellers) become over excited with all the smells of the countyside, and rush off to explore - and get lost. You either need a well trained dog, or a lead, preferably both. BICYCLES There is a great temptation to take on a boat, and many boaters do. But, there can be problems. Where to keep the bike? The obvious answer is 'On the roof'. But beware.There are many places on the system where there is more than adequate headroom to carry a bike, but there are also many places where a bike on the roof can get caught. Low branches from trees can sweep a bike off the roof. Many bridges are so low, that the bike would have to be moved before passing under them. Many tunnels appear to have adequate headroom when entering, but have have "dips" in the roof further into the tunnel. Even when you think you are well prepared, the unexpected can catch you out. You come to a tight bend, then you find there there is a low bridge or branch and a boat coming the other way, and the last thing you want to do is climb on the roof to remove the bikes! The next answer is the front cockpit, where, unfortunately they will snag your mooring ropes at every lock you come to. As the boat is so narrow, they are inevitably a nuisance inside the boat, although some people keep them in the shower. On a boat with a cruiser stern, they can sometimes be tied to the stern rails - but, again, they are likely to interfere with mooring ropes. Remember that a bike can be stolen off your boat, so if you leave it outside overnight it will need to be firmly locked and attached to the boat. For first timers, our advice would be not to take bikes unless you are really determined to use them. They sound a good idea, but they take up a lot of room on a narrowboat. You will have paid a lot for the hire of the boat - why not enjoy it? WHAT TO DO NOW. We hope we have whetted your appetite. Why not search around our WWW site, starting from the index: http://www.blacksheep.org/canals/index.htm In particular, we suggest you search out: The magazines. 'Waterways World' and 'Canal and Riverboat' are monthly mags dedicated to the UK waterways. They contain lots of general information, and have lots of adverts from hire companies, hotel boats etc. You will find contact details on our WWW site. Hire companies. Those companies that our members have especially enjoyed can be found on the WWW pages. Most of their brochures will give handy hints for first-timers, though much of the cruising and planning information will be confined to areas within a two week cruising range of their base. Hoseasons and Blakes are national agencies, representing boatyards throughout the country. Their brochures contain a wealth of information about planning a waterways cruise, and are well worth sending away for. Newsgroup/Mail List. You could lurk, or join in the discussions, on our newsgroup (uk.rec.waterways) or our mail list (send an e-mail to canals- request@blacksheep.org, with the message containing the single word - subscribe). The two are linked, so that all messages sent to the newsgroup also get broadcast to the mail list, and vice versa. Download Syd's Canal Planner. This is a magic computer program that helps you to plan canal trips. Again, it is available from our 'blacksheep' site. When you have finally decided where to go, and have arranged to hire a boat, we suggest you buy a guide for the canals you intend to cruise. Nicholsons, Pearsons and Waterways World each publish a series of guides. These are useful on the cruise, as they will show you you where the villages, pubs and water points are. An overall map of the system is useful for appreciating where the canals are in relation to the rest of the country, and for overall planning. Imray publish a 'Map of the Inland Waterways of England and Wales'. (These notes were compiled by Jerry Coleman (coleman@woodside.k12.ca.us) and Bill Davies (billyboy@gto.net.om) with the help of many members of the UK Waterways Internet Group. 27 Feb 1996. Please feel free to contact Bill or Jerry if you feel that any changes to this advice are required).