That question turned up recently in a discussion thread online, and it’s one we hear all the time too. Do you pick the canal first? The hire company? Or a city you’ve always wanted to see?

The good news is that thread was full of genuinely excellent advice, from experienced boaters. The bad news is that some of it, followed too literally by a first-timer, turns a relaxing holiday into a bit of an ordeal. So here are five things the internet tells new boaters, and where we think the advice just needs a bit of tweaking.

Myth 1: “Do a cruising ring; it’s the best way to see the canals”

Cruising rings are lovely. They’re also a full-time job for a first trip: no rest days, no lingering over a pub lunch, and no room for the lock that’s closed because some teenager dropped a stolen bike in it. Several experienced boaters made exactly this point, a ring is something that takes time and planning, it’s not necessarily something to start with.

For a first holiday, a there-and-back route is easier. You get to do everything you planned on the way out, chug home at half the pace, and nobody’s watching the clock. Our East Anglia routes along the Great Ouse and Middle Level are made exactly this way; no loop to complete, no schedule to protect, just cruising in one direction, and then the other.

Myth 2: “More locks mean more adventures”

Locks are a highlight, not a chore… the first time. But by lock eleven of a hard day, most new crews have revised that opinion. Locks are also where your day actually goes: queuing, pushing the gates, working the paddles, and waiting your turn behind three other boats in August.

East Anglia is famously, gloriously flat. The Fens and the Great Ouse have some of the fewest locks on the whole network, which means your time is spent enjoying scenery, pubs and market towns instead of working with paddles and windlasses. It’s not a lesser holiday for having fewer locks; for a first trip, it’s often the better one.

Myth 3: “Proper countryside means Wales or the Midlands”

The classic rings get talked about a lot, and they earn it, but their fame comes with a price. Yes, it’s true that Birmingham has more canals than Venice, and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct is stunning, but these areas can get super-busy in the summer time. East Anglia has big skies, water meadows, cattle on the bank, and quiet market towns where you can browse little antique shops. Ely’s cathedral rises out of the flat land like something from a fairy-tale. Cambridge appears out of the reeds. The Fens do a very good line in waterside pubs and all of it is exactly the classic British countryside that many new boaters are dreaming of.

Myth 4: “You need experience, or a big crew, to really enjoy it”

Wide rivers, gentle currents, and moorings you can reach without a three-point turn make a real difference for a first crew, especially two people, or a family with children, or anyone who’d rather not spend day one struggling to get the boat into a lock. East Anglia’s navigable rivers are some of the most forgiving and wide stretches of water in the country, which is exactly why they suit nervous first-timers as well as they suit boaters who’ve done it a hundred times and just fancy a slow week.

So, how do you actually choose an itinerary?

Pick the waterways first, not the hire company. Pick a route with the freedom to go slow, not a ring you have to finish. Let the locks be occasional, not constant. And know that “quieter” doesn’t mean “less beautiful,” sometimes it just means you get more of the boat, the book, and the view.

That’s the whole philosophy behind our Fenland boating routes. If you’re planning your first trip and want a canal that’s as forgiving as it is beautiful, have a look at what we offer; no ring required.

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

The post Choosing Your Narrowboat Holiday Itinerary? Here’s What the Internet Gets Wrong appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.