The canal boating season is about to begin, and Easter weekend is often a popular holiday for those wanting to get out on the water. A holiday around Cambridge and the Fens offers peaceful countryside cruises, shopping and restaurants, pretty walks, villages, churches, cosy pubs, and the steam trains of the Nene Valley Railway. Our local waterways are split into the Middle Level, River Nene and River Ouse and are far less crowded than the Norfolk broads. Here are three good reasons to book a narrowboat break this Easter.

1) Springtime

A spring narrowboat holiday means that the waterways are less crowded than in summer time, but the weather is often just perfect for boating. Enjoy daffodils, primroses and blossoming trees as you pass through pretty villages. Animals awaken from hibernation, and swans, ducks and geese proudly swim along with their newborn young following behind. It’s lovely to have cygnets and ducklings as visitors to your boat! The Fen waterways are home to otters, kingfishers, hares and foxes. WWT Welney Wetland Centre, not far from the River Great Ouse, is a good place to start exploring the wetlands and get up close to the wildlife.

2) Easter Shopping

How about a relaxed stroll around a picturesque English market town? Try shopping for Easter chocolate treats in Peterborough, Ely, Cambridge or smaller towns along the way. When I lived on a narrowboat we would moor up somewhere rural at Easter time, and hide Easter eggs in the nearby fields and trees for our little ones to find on Easter morning. (My eldest still swears that she once saw the shadow of the Easter bunny on the towpath!)

Take a tea break during your shopping trip and discover quaint little tea shops for Easter cakes and hot cross buns. The Samovar Tea House is a unique and cosy café in Ely, serving a variety of loose teas and coffees, brunch, lunch and home-made cakes. They also sell a variety of tea ware and accessories, cards and gifts and the walls double up as a small art gallery showing a select range of artwork and photography for sale.

3) Save Money

Narrowboat hire prices are often cheaper in the spring time than they are in the summer. If you book online today you could save 10% on your Easter holiday! (You may also like How to Save Money on Your Narrowboat Holiday.)

Choose Your Adventure

If you head west from our hire base in March you will cross the Greenwich meridian line at Floods Ferry and cruise on to Whittlesey, Stanground, Peterborough and the Nene valley. Alternatively, if you travel east to Upwell and Outwell, then cross the tide at Salters Lode you can head on towards Littleport, Ely and Cambridge. See the full map of our suggested holiday routes.

To get more tips and advice about exploring Cambridgeshire and the Fens sign up now to receive regular articles by email. (See ‘Follow Blog’ to the right of this article.)

The post 3 Great Reasons to Take a Narrowboat Easter Holiday appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

The 2016 holiday season is just about to begin and our boats are ready to cruise; Silver Fox is looking particularly splendid with a new fridge, new curtains and new flooring. The day hire narrowboats have had their bottoms blacked and are now back in the water and ready for action!

If like me, you are a lover of boats and boating then as Easter approaches you may be thinking less about Easter bonnets, bunnies and treats, and more about where to go boating this year. Here are seven reasons to go boating on the Fenland waterways this Spring.

1) Perfect timing: A spring narrowboat holiday means that the waterways are less crowded, new waterfowl are born and other animals awaken from hibernation. Your cruise will also pass blossoming trees, daffodils and primroses.

2) WWT Welney Wetland Centre, not far from the River Great Ouse, is a perfect place to start exploring the wetlands and get up close to the wildlife. From Friday 25th March to Sunday 10th April you are invited to join the giant duck hunt!

3) Take Photos. Springtime on the waterways is inspirational for the amateur photographer: There’s something very moving about the stunning skies of the Fenlands, and the remoteness and tranquillity of the landscapes. Even with only a smart-phone you may find yourself capturing sunsets and sunrises reflecting in the water, and catching glimpses of ducklings, cygnets, snipe, lapwings, redshanks and dragonflies. Your hire boat itself will make a great focus point for a photo when it is moored in a tranquil beauty spot at the end of a busy day’s boating.

4) Something unusual to see: Denver Sluice dates back 400 years and without its complex engineering, tens of thousands of homes in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk would be flooded. It also plays a key role in river navigation, conservation, water abstraction, agricultural and land drainage and fisheries.

5) Discover local treasures: The Samovar Tea House is a unique and cosy café in Ely, serving a huge variety of loose teas and coffees, a daily brunch menu, a wide range of lunch options and a selection of delicious home-made cakes. They also sell a variety of tea ware and accessories, cards and gifts and the walls double up as a small art gallery showing a select range of artwork and photography for sale.

6) Beyond Boating: RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes is a complex of lakes and traditional riverside meadows next to the River Great Ouse. If you fancy a trip away from your boat the lakes are a fantastic place to explore and watch birds with huge numbers of ducks, swans, geese, terns, hobbies and a variety of dragonflies.

7) Exploring quaint and picturesque market towns. Have you planned your cruising route yet? You could head west from March crossing the Greenwich meridian line at Floods Ferry and on to Whittlesey, Stanground, Peterborough and the Nene valley. Alternatively, if you travel East to Upwell and Outwell, then cross the tide at Salters Lode and head on towards Littleport and Ely and Cambridge you’ll visit both pretty villages and ancient cities.

So don’t let anyone tell you that the Fenlands are boring and bleak. There are way more than seven reasons to visit Cambridgeshire this year. Our well-equipped, comfortable boats will be your home from home as you discover the waterways around the Cambridgeshire Fens. To get more tips and advice about exploring Cambridgeshire and the Fens sign up now to receive regular articles by email (See ‘Follow Blog’ to the right of this article.)

You may also like: How to Save Money on Your 2016 Narrowboat Holiday

The post Easter Boating Holiday: 7 Reasons to go Fens Boating in Spring appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.