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If you’ve been browsing the internet reading about narrowboats you probably think you have a good idea of what a narrowboat hire holiday is like. It’s just slowly drifting through narrow canals and English countryside with occasional stops at country pubs right?

Or is it? I thought I’d feature one of our more unusual cruises which offers four things that you don’t normally see on the English canals!

The March to Cambridge holiday presents a seventeenth century sluice, the home of Oliver Cromwell, a thousand year old cathedral, and a world famous university city.

1) Denver Sluice

Denver sluice was first built in 1651 and has suffered many mishaps, collapses, closures and repairs since. It famously held back the sea from drowning most of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; and Dorothy L. Sayers based some dramatic events around it in her renowned 1930s novel, The Nine Tailors.

The sluice plays a vital role in the drainage of the fens. It is here you would leave the Middle Level Navigations to cross the tidal river Great Ouse. Read more in our article: Our Top Safety Tips for the Salters and Denver Tidal Crossing.

2) Oliver Cromwell’s birthplace

As you travel up the Great Ouse, you’ll discover St Ives, famous in medieval times for its international fairs, and now famous as the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell. Today it is a quiet market town with a variety of restaurants of different cultural origins from Italian, Chinese, Indian and a Greek Taverna. The town also has a number of pubs, hotels, tea rooms and cafes where you can eat. Lovely little shops can be found in Tudor style buildings and alleyways.

There are moorings at St Ives Quay (with a water point) and The Waites. Moorings are also available for customers at The Dolphin Hotel. Carry on cruising to Ely to visit Oliver Cromwell’s house.

3) Ely Cathedral

The famous lantern tower of this cathedral can be seen for miles around, but Ely is also known for its antique centres, ancient narrow streets, timbered houses and medieval gateways. The waterfront is popular among walkers, cyclists and boaters. When you visit the cathedral you’ll see the delicate carved stonework of the Lady Chapel, and the Stained Glass Window Museum is a hidden treasure within the cathedral, with a display of over 100 original stained glass panels.

4) Cambridge

Cambridge is a beautiful city bustling with students and bicycles. The architecture of the ancient colleges is truly stunning, and if you want to enjoy an alternative kind of boating you must try punting. A good way to take in the city is an open top bus tour. Shopping offers an intriguing mix of craft workshops, antique centres, jewellers, art galleries and familiar high street stores.

If you’d like a canal holiday with a difference this journey offers a variety of “one off” experiences. Have a look at our full itinerary of cruises for more ideas on which places to visit.

The post 4 Things You Don’t Expect on a Narrowboat Holiday appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

But if you’re looking for peace and tranquillity on your narrowboat holiday you may cast aside those “celebrity” waterways in favour of the East of England’s best kept secret; the Fenland waterways. Here are four little-known waterways that every discerning holiday boater should know.

The River Nene

At the end of the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal boats can connect with the River Nene, the tenth longest river in the UK. This navigable river meanders through the valleys, hills, villages and towns of Northamptonshire, before arriving in Peterborough. Here you will find a Cathedral, Queensgate Shopping Centre, Key Theatre and the Nene Valley Railway. Ferrymeadows Country Park on the Nene in Peterborough offers watersports, walking, jogging, cycling, horse-riding, a train ride, and fishing surrounded by meadows, lakes and woodland. There are also a number of cafes and a busy events and activity programme.

From here you can then boat onwards to the Middle Levels.

The Middle Level

These quiet waterways are a combination of natural rivers and man-made channels offering a very relaxing way to visit a variety of picturesque towns and villages. The levels are actually below sea level and have to be pumped up to sea-level in order to keep the land drained. The town of March offers several places to eat beside the water and a beautiful church just a short walk from Foxboats marina. You can take your hire boat right through the centre of the two villages Upwell and Outwell, cruising past pubs, houses, gardens and shops.

The River Great Ouse

If you’re looking for a charming journey through olden England then head for the fourth longest river in the UK. A boating holiday on The Great Ouse can take in Ely Cathedral, the historic market town of St Ives, the Oliver Cromwell Museum, Buckden Great Tower (where Catherine of Aragon was imprisoned) and the market town of St Neots.

The River Cam

The Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse and joins it just south of Ely at Popes Corner. Cambridge is a stunning city and a boating holiday along the River Cam will take in Kings College Chapel and the Bridge of Sighs. You can moor your hire boat below the last lock, by Jesus Green at the limit of the navigation and explore all of the history, entertainment and food that Cambridge has to offer.

Any one of these four rivers can offer you a fantastic boating holiday, and can be easily reached from our hire boat base at March, Cambridgeshire. Our Fenland market town is just a short journey from London and is situated on the banks of the old course of the navigable River Nene. If you’re looking for a great uncrowded alternative to those more well-known English waterways; and if you’re into discovering beautiful fenland countryside and historic towns and cities all at your own pace then you are probably looking for the East of England waterways. (But don’t tell those other navigations – they do get jealous!)

Now, which of our boats appeals to you, for this summer’s holiday cruise?

Still undecided? Sign up for free blog updates to get the best waterways tips that those other UK canals don’t want you to know! (See ‘Follow Blog’ in the sidebar to the right of this article).

The post The Four Navigations That Make All Other Waterways Jealous appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.