Has anyone ever been on a narrowboat holiday?
If so, would you recommend it?
Was thinking of going for a week next summer (just to do something different.)
Would young kids enjoy it? (will be 10 and 7 years old) or is it too sedate?
How easy are they to steer/navigate and how crowded do the waterways get in high season? (are there long delays queuing to get through locks etc?)
Any thoughts appreciated.

Andy.

i did it as a kid with the parents, not a narrow boat but a cruiser on the broads. Great fun, but then i've always loved boats Cant tell you how busy it gets. Controlling one is easy, though i guess the long ones are a little trickier.

Some of the best holidays I've ever had were on narrowboats.

Not sure if they are really great for kids though - the boat is quite small for 2 kids to be stuck in for a week and there's the safety aspect - if they fall in a lock or something

Cheers

Mark

I paddled down the Thames in August. Queuing for locks usually took around 20 minutes. A few times we went straight in. Occasionally it would take longer. The longest we waited was around 40 minutes. There was rarely a large amount of traffic.

I'm not too sure on the steering front (we did see a barge crash!), and you have to be fairly accurate when slotting between other boats in the locks. But they wouldn't rent them out if they were difficult to drive. Navigation is simple enough, everything was pretty well signposted, but it helps to have a map.

The locks were quite dosile, but we were going downstream so we were only in locks that were emptying. They may get more choppy if you go upstream where the locks fill up. Either way, i'm fairly sure you wouldn't drown in one if you fell in.

Finally, make absoloutely sure you have a beer sat next to you the entire time. We hardly saw anyone driving without a beer!

Hope this helps a bit.

Great way to spend a lazy summer week - but unfortunately the average 7 or 10 year old may have a different opinion

My parents have a narrow boat and we used to spend the odd week on it with our kids.

We stopped when they were too big as it's only a 30 footer but they still love to go on it for the odd day.

7-10's should be able to help with the locks with adult supervison. Boyancy aids are essential though. We did all the old fashioned things like play cards, monopoly, puzzle books, read, walk, fish etc. They loved it but others might not.

We always went up the LLangollon branch as it was moored at the end. It's a good choice as there are plenty of locks, tunnels & two famous aquaducts.

Got to be the most relaxing holiday I've ever had. Only problem is it's not cheap and strictly self-catering

i have taken my herd (5 kids & wife) on a cruiser on the broads for a few days long weekend & all loved it , youngest is 5 , all wanted to stay longer .

best holiday i have ever had on the broads. You cant do anything but relax.

Great!

Looked at this in the summer for mine and my housemates birthday. Thought it would be about £50 each tops for maybe 6 of us for a long weekend. Thought it would be fun, stopping at all the pubs along the way and chilling out on the boat.

Was £800 for friday to sunday! That was for a 8 person, the 6 person was more expensive per head, about £700.

We could have gone to spain for the same price!

[Edited on 26/10/2006 by greggors84]

had a few great holidays on them, you need a someone to steer it so you can drink and sleep to excess

Been many times including as a 8? yo Cub.
Since been as a family a few times and more recently with girlfirend and offspring.

All were happy as long as you do do other things as well. This can be as cheap as a good flight of locks (9yo soon mastered them ok -although maybe not if icey as locks tend to stick), walking the towpath, or even see if there is a canoe/kayking/boating instruction place for the kids as a treat one day. Last holiday (Llangollen) there was another boat with kids who canoed (with instruction) about 5 minutes ahead of ther folks for a few hours and then the canoes returned on a trailer.

One thing i did do is print out nautical flags, morse code and bits so if we had a rainly day rude words can be spelt down the windows!!!

I had a boat and my kids loved it, they are 8 and 12 now. Had to sell though when seperated, boo hoo. If you never try it, you never find out. Take plenty of bread though for the ducks and swans etc.