Are you looking for the best gift ideas this year?

Does your mum deserve to get away from it all?

Want to surprise her with a family day out?

This year Mothering Sunday is on March 19^th and our annual boating season begins in April, so you can book a day trip in advance and surprise your mum with the news on Mother’s Day. Boating appeals to all ages and is a great way to bring the family together.

1) Day Boat Hire

Our colourfully painted luxury day boats, The March Adventurer and the March Explorer, are both equipped a small galley, a toilet and a seating area. On board you’ll also find a 12v mobile phone charging point, so that you can keep taking pictures of mum’s day out as you travel.

You and your crew will be fully trained in boat handling as part of the boat handover. One of our qualified instructors will explain how to steer the boat and operate the locks ensuring that you feel comfortable and confident before you set off. Day boat hire is a popular choice with families wanting to spend the day together to celebrate a special occasion. Making memories together can sometimes be the best gift.

2) Canal Boat Holiday

If you really want to push the boat out you could book a week on board with the family.

Read: Why Narrowboating is the Perfect Family Holiday

Although a holiday is not exactly the traditional Mothers Day gift, it will be a good opportunity to spoil your mum, and show her that she is appreciated; especially if the crew share the chores on board and take turns at cooking meals. On a longer cruise you would have time to visit Peterborough, Ely or Cambridge. If you stop at the visitor moorings on the waterfront in Ely, mum can visit the antiques centre, the city centre shops, the famous Ely Cathedral and the museum at Oliver Cromwell’s House.  Or in Cambridge she may enjoy shopping, restaurants and punting, while admiring the incredible architecture.

Get into your mum’s good books this year by suggesting that her favourite people get together for a memorable trip on the Fenland waterways.

3) Boating Books

Talking of books, that’s another good idea for a gift! If she dreams of a life aboard, or has already lived aboard a canal boat in the past, there are some great books about parenting on board. From historical novels to a modern travelogue through the French canals, the books in this article show various different aspects of boating with children.

Read: Five Surprising Mothers Day Gifts for the Narrowboat Mum

If she doesn’t want to read about parenting, try Favourite Boating Recipes by Cas Best instead, or the classic ‘Narrow Boat’ book by LTC Rolt. This lovely, lyrical diary of Tom and Angela’s travels back in 1939, has become a classic among canal-boat enthusiasts. Tom Rolt is now considered to be one of the pioneers of the leisure cruising industry on Britain’s inland waterways.

Read: Was This the Very First Narrowboat Holiday?

Whichever option you choose, giving your mum a narrowboat themed book, or experience, will make this Mothers Day a bit different this year and give her something to remember.

Day boat hire starts at £225 Search Day Boat Hire.

You may also like: 5 Memorable Things to See on a Day Boat Trip

For more surprising and unusual tips and ideas for days out in Cambridgeshire, 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.)

The post The Top 3 Mothers Day Ideas For The Narrowboat Mum appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Credit: Fox Narrowboats

Now that the weather is getting colder it has inspired me to start browsing the internet for some holiday ideas for next year! If you’re new to exploring the Fenland waterways you may like to use the internet to plan your next canal boat cruise, and daydream about the places you are going to visit.

If you’re new to boating don’t overestimate the distance that you can travel. While four miles per hour is the agreed maximum speed, in reality you will travel slower than this, and will stop for locks, pubs, shopping, wandering and exploring. It can take twenty minutes to work through a lock, and this could be longer if you find the lock in use when you arrive and have to wait.

Some boaters like to plan ahead, thinking about where to stop for lunch, or where you will moor the boat overnight. Alternatively, other people prefer to be more flexible about where they will end up. On some of the UK canal network you can moor almost anywhere on the towpath, but on our local rivers you may need to work out where you are headed. It is not always possible to moor wherever you like on a tidal navigation. Some rural moorings have steep banks which make it difficult to access the boat. It is also impossible to moor in some inner city areas where the towpath is sometimes solid paving or concrete, with no mooring bollards or rings provided. The ‘off side’ of the canal, opposite the towpath side, is usually private land and therefore not available for visitor mooring.

Environment Agency and other mooring sites are listed in the waterway guides and maps provided with your hire boat. Our company is also a member of GOBA so on the river Great Ouse their moorings are also available for holiday use.

If you are new to boating you may find it easier with two or more adults on board. It is not safe for young children to help with the locks and they will need watching while the boat is passing through a lock, so bear that in mind when you plan how many adults are to be in your crew. However, older children can and do enjoy boat handling if they are supervised.

Your holiday could be completely rural and quiet, or include a particular town or city that you have wanted to visit. We provide Imray guide books and Lockmaster maps with each holiday narrowboat. The Imray canal guide books cover our local area and describe local restaurants, pubs and attractions as well as detailing the locations of locks and boater’s facilities.

When you’ve decided on your direction of travel and your ‘must see’ attractions, and towns, you will need to calculate how long the trip will take you and whether it is possible in the time you have available. You can use the guide book supplied with the boat  to help with this.

Alternatively, get the internet to do the planning for you! There are a number of canal route planners online. CanalPlanAC is an interactive online guide covering the inland waterways. It can be used to find local information such as pubs and shops. You can choose to assume a seven hour travelling day, or select your own preferred travelling times. The results page displays a lovely aerial map (by Google) and an optional slideshow of photographs so that you can imagine your cruise.

To plan you holiday select March marina as your starting point, then choose an out and back trip. Select a destination, for example Ely visitor moorings. The default time spent travelling is seven hours per day, but you may want to choose less than this, (say four hours) for a leisurely holiday cruise with lots of exploring on land! When the system displays your results you can click on any location on your journey to see a map and photos. It will also show you the nearest water point, rubbish disposal point and place to turn the boat around. You can also use this website on board. Wi-Fi is available on all our boats, which also have in-car chargers and 240v power supplies. There is a 1.25GB allowance for short breaks and 2.5GB per week.

You can also choose from our holiday route suggestions on this website. Our route guides will talk you through the boating journey, show highlights on the waterways and places to visit. You will cruise through rivers, canals and open sections during your boat hire holiday.

Now all you need is a boat! Choose which Fox Narrowboat would suit your family or group for a holiday and get day dreaming about the warmer weather!

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The post How to Plan a Narrowboat Holiday appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.