Could You Really Hire a Narrowboat? (Spoiler: Yes, You Absolutely Could)

Have you ever scrolled past a photo of a canal boat gliding through the English countryside and thought, “I’d love to do that, but I wouldn’t know where to start?!” You’re not alone. Most people who fall in love with the idea of a narrowboat holiday assume it’s something you need years of experience for, a special licence, or perhaps inherited skills from your canal boating ancestors, to even attempt it. But really? You need none of those things.

No Experience? No Problem

Fox Narrowboats, based on the beautiful Fenland Waterways in March, Cambridgeshire, has been welcoming complete beginners aboard for years. Before you untie the ropes and head off, the team gives you a full handover: how to steer, how to work the locks, how to moor up for the night. It’s thorough, friendly, and specifically designed for people who don’t know their windlass from their elbow. By the end of your first day, you’ll wonder what you were ever worried about.

Two Ways to Try It

If you’re not quite ready to commit to a week away on the water,  we offer dayboat hire as the perfect way to dip your toes in. Hire a boat for a day, pack a picnic, and potter along the rivers and canals at whatever pace takes your fancy. There’s no schedule, no sat nav, and no one rushing you along. Just water, willows, and the odd swan giving you a suspicious look as you chug past.

For families or couples who want to go further, a multi-day hire holiday on one of the Fox fleet opens up a wonderful stretch of waterway. Rural Fox is a 47 foot luxury narrowboat for families, with one double and two twin beds on board. You can wind through the Fens, moor up beside a riverside pub for supper, wake up to mist on the water, and feel genuinely, properly switched off from ordinary life in a way that a hotel simply cannot replicate. It’s like disappearing into your own private, whimsical world!

What About the Children?

Canal boats and curious children are a surprisingly brilliant combination. Life on the water is naturally adventurous without being scary, and children who spend a week helping to operate locks, spotting herons, and learning to coil a rope properly, come home with a very different kind of confidence.

During the 19^th century’s canal age, families lived and worked on board 70 foot cargo-carrying boats, and children as young as eight would be expected to work and steer the boat. These days, life jackets are provided, the waterways are calm and wide, and the pace of travel means nobody is ever far from the bank. Even babies and toddlers can enjoy time on board. After all, in the 21st century, boaters raise children safely in floating homes all over England.

The Bit Everyone Worries About

“But what if I crash it?” This one comes up a lot, and the answer is reassuring: narrowboats bump gently into things, that’s just part of boating, and no one is going to shout at you. The boats are robust, and the waterways are forgiving. You will make small mistakes. You will also have a very good laugh about them. One thing worth knowing: narrowboats move slowly, but they’re equally slow to stop. If you suspect you’re on a collision course, put the engine into reverse gear, which will bring you very gradually to a halt. There are no brakes! Almost everyone bumps into the bank or clips something when they’re first getting used to the tiller. It’s all part of the adventure.

Ready to See What It’s All About?

Whether you fancy a leisurely day on the water or a full week exploring some of England’s most beautiful, uncrowded, inland waterways, Fox Narrowboats has a boat and a welcome ready for you. Search our narrowboat holiday breaks, and check availability. Then, if you have any questions, just give us a ring or drop us an email. We really have heard them all before, and we love hearing from first-timers.

You might just discover your new favourite kind of holiday.

You may also like: Love Letters From the Water – what our guests have enjoyed lately.

Are you new here? For our best tips about canal boating holidays, enter your email address in the box in the right side bar (‘Follow blog’) and we’ll send you articles direct to your in-box. We never share or sell email addresses; this is just to send you our latest blog posts.

Peggy Melmoth is a writer who shares her memoir-style writing and poetry at Life, Locks and Literature.