Read: How Winter Threatens to Damage Your Narrowboat – 3 Ways to Protect Yourself

So here are our top three tips for enjoying the winter months

1) Exercise

We all know that exercise can help to boost our mental health, so if you live near to a canal, running, walking or cycling on the towpath can offer a workout in the sunlight. Being close to nature can also lift your mood; not just the water and plants, but the busy ducks, swans, moorhens and geese can cheer you up. When you’re on a narrowboat holiday interesting exercise options are included, such as, operating the locks, walking between the locks, and pulling ropes and hammering pegs when mooring the boat up.

canal tow path cycling with family

2) Festivities

There are some happy occasions to look forward to in the winter. Halloween offers themed events, or paranormal investigations. This year Oliver Cromwell’s House offers some walking tours themed around ghosts and witches.

Oliver Cromwell House. Photo by Gwendraith at English Wikipedia

This offers special events and house tours throughout the year, and you can visit by boat when travelling on the River Great Ouse. Ely is claimed to be one of England’s spookiest cities. (Read more in The Spooky Truth About Cruising to Ely.) The strange and compelling landscape of the Fens, with their huge skyscapes, reclaimed marshlands and scattered and isolated villages can be very eerie at this time of year. Peterborough Museum, claims to have eight resident ghosts. They include a First World War soldier and a ghostly kitchen maid. This museum can also be visited by boat if you are taking the March to Peterborough cruise. This 12 hour return trip is ideal for a short break.

Fens Wetland. Photo by Sam Forson

It wouldn’t be winter in England without Christmas, including festive markets and a trip to church. The ancient architecture, candlelight, holly and ivy, and special services such as carols, advent, christingles and nativities can brighten up a dark day. If you’re planning a narrowboat holiday for next year check out Four Churches to Visit When it’s Not Even Christmas. Even Christmas shopping can be fun if your friends and family are into boating: Read Thoughtful Christmas Gifts for the Narrowboater in Your Life. Our local attractions usually host special Christmas events: Father Christmas will be at Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, and the Winter Lights at Anglesey Abbey offer a beautiful, sensory after-dark journey.

3) Plan Ahead

Nothing beats the winter blues like planning your next holiday though. A narrowboat holiday can be particularly good for boosting a low mood, as you can travel slowly through stunning scenery, under our spectacular Fenland skies, away from the noise of modern life. On a waterways holiday you may find that you are outside more than you would be on some other types of British holiday, getting that all important dose of daylight and vitamin D.

Outwell Fox narrow boat moored by the shops

You may also like: Feeling Stressed? 5 Ways This Unknown Village Can Soothe Your Soul

We are in no doubt that our narrowboat holidays can chase away the blues because of the great feedback we get from our customers. Check out the kind words we’ve received in our customer reviews.

So, if you want to go narrowboating next year, choose your favourite narrowboat and plan your ideal cruise. Fox Boats are ideally situated on the uncrowded east Anglian waterways, near Cambridge, Ely and Peterborough.

For more articles to boost your mood this winter, sign up for digital updates from this blog. (We never share or sell email addresses – your details are safe with us.) Just look for ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right and sign up today!

The post Three Foxy Mood-Boosting Tips for This Winter appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Is it safe?

Where can we go?

And will the pubs be open?!

So many questions!

We’re happy to be open again, currently offering day boat hire for groups following government guidelines. We are also now taking bookings for holidays from the 4th July, so you may have some questions about what a narrowboat holiday is going to look like in the new (not) normal.

Is it Safe?

Please be reassured we are doing all that we can to make your holiday a safe experience. See our short video – Hiring a boat during COVID.

The government advice is to continue to wash your hands regularly, especially before and after using any public service or structure, so this will include locks and public facilities around the waterways.

To reduce the risk of transmission through touching facilities or locks that have been used by others it is advisable to wash your hands or use hand gels frequently to reduce the risk of catching coronavirus. You may also want to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces, such as shops.

During your holiday you should also remember to maintain social distancing, and only allow members of your household aboard your hire boat. Be considerate of other boaters by keeping your distance when using shared waterside services.

Where Can We Go?

We have a number of suggested waterways routes that are now open to navigation. Our local rivers are beautiful places for people to enjoy exercise and being in the outdoors, close to nature. As well as keeping your distance from other towpath users, keep your distance from moored boats where people may be living aboard.

Many local organisations and businesses will be offering imaginative new ways of enjoying life after lockdown. The Visit Ely team have planned a programme of tours ‘with a difference’ including an Eel Trail walk with a picnic, or cream tea; and twilight trails, which are walks that end with a cocktail.

Oliver Cromwell’s House, in Ely, is due to reopen on July 3^rd. To start with they will open only their souvenir and gift shop and their Tourist Information Service. Plans to open the historic house to visitors should follow at the end of July. In the meantime, join their Architectural Historian in learning all about Oliver Cromwell’s House from the outside; all the history and the hidden secrets! This will be followed by coffee and cake at Poets House.

As more tourist attractions reopen you may find you have to book ahead, as attractions limit the number of visitors they can have at any one time. There may also be other new steps in place to ensure everyone’s safety, so your visit may be a little different.

Will the pubs be open?

Many waterside pubs are marked on the maps and cruising guides that are provided with your hire boat, but please do bear in mind that some of these may be temporarily closed due to the coronavirus situation. However, other pubs, such as The Five Bells, at Upwell, have been offering a takeaway service throughout this period of uncertainty. Their menu is on their website. If you are planning to visit a particular pub or takeaway, you may like to use the WiFi on your hire boat to get up to date information on line about current business opening hours.

We are a warm, friendly, family business, looking forward to welcoming you here at our marina, for a much deserved break away from home. We expect to be busy so check availability now for this summer, or the 2021 season. Our holiday bookings are open from 4th July 2020. If your holiday cannot go ahead due to COVID-19 and government restrictions, full refunds will be given. Check out our Coronavirus Guarantee.

To be notified with new holiday information as it changes, sign up for updates from this blog. (We never share or sell email addresses – your details are safe with us.) Just look for ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar on the right and we’ll send you stories, tips and advice about narrowboating around the Fens in 2020.

The post Your Guide to Narrowboating in the New Normal appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Credit: By Photos taken for William Winfield; uploaded by Kimberlyblaker –
Wiki creative commons licence

Visit Ely Cambridge and Peterborough for some incredible history

Was your summer too busy to take a break?

Are you waiting for term time, to get cheaper deals?

Want to find bargains by booking last minute?

Our September narrowboat holiday deals could be just what you’re looking for.

Sometimes life and work gets in the way. We get it. Suddenly it’s Autumn and you still haven’t booked a break away with your nearest and dearest. The good news is that now the school term has begun it’s a great time to pick up a last minute narrowboat holiday deal.

Our luxury narrowboats can be hired for weekend, midweek or week breaks as well as holidays up to 14 nights. We also have two boats for day hire which take up to 10 people.

Here are three things you can do this Autumn on a Fenlands narrowboat holiday.

1) Visit Ely

Visit Ely’s skyline-dominating cathedral with its origins traced back to AD 673. Discover its historical connection to William the Conqueror and check out the stunning architectural design. Then take a quirky tour, around the Stained Glass Museum, which has a fascinating collection of rescued stained glass windows stretching back 1,300 years. This Autumn they have a varied programme of lectures and workshops in painting, fusing, leading and copper foiling.

Oliver Cromwell’s House, near Ely, is a now a museum and offers a peek into the 17th century, with re-created period rooms and some fascinating exhibitions revolving around the Civil War. They also now host Escape Rooms, a fun, interactive and immersive puzzle activity designed around the heritage of the building.

2) Visit Cambridge

In Cambridge you can go on a punting tour and see famous landmarks like the Bridge of Sighs, all while relaxing and floating down the River Cam. Visit the university grounds by taking a walking tour seeing some of the 31 ancient colleges. When visiting churches and chapels don’t miss St Peter’s Chapel, the smallest church in Cambridge dating back to the 12th century. St Mary the Great is known as the university church and all distances in Cambridge are measured from its location. King’s College Chapel is a true masterpiece of English craftsmanship.

The Cambridge food tour is a walking tour introducing the visitor to pubs, fish-and-chip shops, delis and speciality shops. If you enjoy shopping you’ll find high street brands, local markets and bohemian boutiques in Cambridge.

3) Visit Peterborough

From the bustle of the huge shopping complex to the serenity of open fields and historic buildings Peterborough is well worth a visit. Ferry Meadows Country Park is a convenient place to moor the boat, with over 250 acres, a watersports centre, lakes for boating and sailing, and the nostalgic Nene Valley Railway. Explore Peterborough to enjoy history, wildlife, walking, cycling, eating, markets and shopping.

Whichever city you visit you will be travelling in style on one of our comfortable narrowboats. Before leaving our hire boat marina you will be fully trained as a narrowboat steerer and one of our instructors will explain how to operate the locks.

Day boat hire begins at £175 and you can search all of our special offers for longer breaks here: SPECIAL OFFERS. You can get up to 15% off when you book online, and prices include fuel, insurance and a damage waiver.

Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)

The post Why Boaters Like You Are Booking Last Minute Holidays appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.