It’s been a great summer on the East Anglian waterways this year; narrowboaters have enjoyed sunny cruises, music festivals, cream teas, tiny villages, cathedrals and colleges, locks and moorings, pubs and restaurants, holidays and day trips.

Here’s a roundup of what sort of things boaters have to up to during this year’s cruising season in Cambridgeshire.

1) Open Day and St George’s Fayre

We had a busy week in April when 300 people interested in boating visited our marina for the Drifters hire boat open day. Later that week thousands of people enjoyed March’s St Georges Fayre, which is a big festival of live music, market stalls, a parade, and fun fair, with dance performances and dragons! Some boaters were able to book a holiday that coincided with these events. Warning: Time Running Out for Boaters Who Love Live Music  Maybe next year you’ll be one of them?

2) The Unknown Village That Reduced Stress

Boat-lovers looking to manage their stress this summer discovered that a little exercise, spending time in nature, and practising mindfulness are all effective ways of winding down. We found five ways that a canal boat trip to an English village can wash your troubles away. 5 Ways This Unknown Village Can Soothe Your Soul

3) Festivals by Narrowboat

After kicking off the festival season this year with St George’s Fayre we had a summer full of fun in Cambridgeshire. Boaters who love live music were able to combine their narrowboat holiday with one of these free outdoor events. Our Top 3 Free Summer Festivals by Narrowboat.

4) Local Knowledge: Places to Visit

One of our mooring customers, Chris Howes, is Chairman of the Inland Waterways Association Eastern Region and last year won the A P Herbert cup for the greatest distance travelled to the IWA festival of water 2017. This summer he wrote a guide to the local waterways to help any boaters attending the St Neots Festival of water.  Places to Visit: Nene, Great Ouse and Middle Levels

5) Handy for Londoners

Some of our customers are Londoners, wanting to avoid spending hours in traffic before their holiday even begins. Our narrowboat hire base is just over an hour from London, but a world away from the city noise. Imagine travelling from Kings Cross through the English countryside to where your own cosy narrowboat awaits you. Here are five great reasons to take a narrowboat holiday near London.

6) Old Bedford campaign to be Restored

Back when Charlie and Pat Fox first set up Fox Narrowboats in the 1960’s, navigation on the Middle Level was very different from today. Mooring customer John Revell described some of the changes in the area that have been achieved through waterways restoration campaigns, and wrote about the Old Bedford Campaign Cruise that took place in August.

7) Holiday Planning Tips

With so much countryside, wildlife, heritage and things to see and do on the East Anglian waterways some boaters found it was fun to roughly plan a route before coming. Our first planning tip was that you should never over-estimate how far you can go on your holiday! How to Plan a Fenland Narrowboat Hire Holiday

8) Boating: Just for the Day

Our more local customers live in Peterborough, Wisbech, Ely or Huntingdon. When they want to get together with some friends and family they like to hire a narrowboat, just for a day. A relaxing boat trip on the Cambridge river network is the perfect end to a wonderful summer. Find out Why You Should Hire a Narrowboat for the Day, near Ely

Now that the summer is over, the poles and planks have been removed from our hire boats and we’ve started our winter maintenance jobs. If you’re curious to know how we ‘winterise’ a narrowboat check out our 3 basic steps to help you protect your narrowboat or canal boat from the cold.

We’re pleased to say bookings are now coming in for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Have a look at our boats and see if you’d like to join us for an adventure next summer.

Hey! Are you new here? Subscribe on the right to receive more secrets of the undiscovered Fenland waterways, by email. Our stories of summer cruises could be just what you need to get you through the darker winter months! (We never share or sell email addresses, we’ll only be sending you our local, insider knowledge, every two weeks.)

The post 8 Surprising Adventures Holiday Boaters Had This Year appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

Photograph provided by kind permission of Jan Pickles

Are you experiencing stress?

Do you sometimes feel like you have a heavy workload or too much responsibility?

Are you currently facing a life challenge that is affecting your emotional health?

A narrowboat trip to an unknown village could be the easy solution you are looking for.

Stress is actually a normal part of life and at times, it serves a useful purpose. Stress can motivate you to get that promotion at work, or take action to change an uncomfortable situation. But if you don’t give yourself a break sometimes, it can begin to affect your work, relationships and health.

Exercise, spending time in nature, and practising mindfulness are all effective ways of managing stress. Read on to learn five ways that a canal boat trip to an English village can soothe your soul.

1) Mindful Boating

Mindfulness is simply practicing living life in the present moment, and it can be extremely useful for stopping stress and anxiety in its tracks. The idea is to focus your attention completely on the task at hand, and narrowboating offers the perfect opportunity to do this. Whether you are the steerer, operating the locks, or reading the waterways map, being part of a narrowboat crew gives you something practical to focus on, instead of the negative chatter in your mind. A trip to the unspoilt village of Wadenhoe from our hire boat base will take around three days, by boat. This village with attractive stone buildings and a rich history dates back to Saxon times.  To get there by canal boat, just take it easy and “go with the flow”, along the Old River Nene, through the Middle Levels and onto the River Nene.

2) Walking

Like any other cardiovascular exercise, brisk walking boosts endorphins, which can reduce stress hormones, alleviate mild depression, improve mood and increase self-esteem.

So, once you are moored up in the village you can take a stress-busting walk! The Nene Way long distance footpath passes through Wadenhoe and the circular walk between the villages of Wadenhoe and Aldwincle take in many sites of interest. The countryside around Wadenhoe is regarded as among the most picturesque in the East Midlands and is perfect for ramblers.

3) Village life

Narrowboat blogger Sue from nb No Problem loves cruising the East Anglian rivers and the Nene is her favourite river. She advises taking it slow on the journey so that you can enjoy the beautiful lock surroundings with ancient mills. She recommends stopping in Wadenhoe Village because of the stone cottages, thatched rooves, the post office, the Kings Head, the church and Wadenhoe House; a Jacobean 17C manor house. Doesn’t that sound like a place you could chill out?

4) Country Pub

Jan Moyes is a keen boater who also enjoys The Nene, and likes to moor at the historic King’s Head at Wadenhoe. There is a water point next to the pub which is accessible with a River Nene Lock Key. (If there’s already another boat there it’s OK to moor alongside to gain access to it.)

This 17th century thatched inn has been serving food and drink for over 400 years.  In the summertime the grassy riverside paddock is a picturesque hive of activity, where drinkers can sit in the shade of the willow trees and watch the colourful narrowboats passing through the lock. This is a dog-friendly pub and their website has a few great suggestions of river and woodland walks.

They welcome overnight moorings but charge a fee of £10 if you do not use the pub. Let them know if you are planning to stay overnight.

5) Cream Tea

Boaters ‘H’ and Jan Pickles (and their three cats) are also regular visitors to the River Nene and like to relax in Wadenhoe. Jan says, “The Old Barn Tea Rooms do a wicked cooked breakfast and lovely cakes, as well as gifts, plants and even free range eggs can be purchased there. You can also moor a little further upstream against the SSSI (site of special scientific interest). It costs nothing to moor there and the pub and tea rooms are still within easy reach.”

The tea rooms use fresh produce, locally sourced where possible, to create quality, healthy dishes. Visit for lunch or afternoon tea or buy food to takeaway. You can even book a Mad Hatters Tea Party with Alice in Wonderland waitresses!

Soothe Your Soul

There are two good moorings in Wadenhoe, one near the church and the woodland, the other at the pub. You can also take a bus to Peterborough from here, which gives you a day out in the city to visit the shops and cathedral.

For a stress-relieving trip to Wadenhoe you’ll need to book a week long boating holiday with Fox Narrowboats. Check availability here and watch your stress just melt away!

The post Feeling Stressed? 5 Ways This Unknown Village Can Soothe Your Soul appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.

with kind permission: Jan Pickles

The River Nene passes through Cambridgeshire and Northants where it connects the east of England to the rest of the UK waterway network. If you’re looking for a less-crowded narrowboat holiday where you can enjoy stunning countryside and attractive villages, these three narrowboating writers recommend these three moorings.

1) Wadenhoe

Blogger and narrowboater Sue from nb No Problem has been cruising the waterways and canals of England since 2000 when they bought their first narrowboat to retire on. She loves cruising the East Anglian rivers with her husband Vic and border collies Meg and Penny. The Nene is her favourite river and she advises taking it slow so that you can enjoy the beautiful lock surroundings with ancient mills. She recommends stopping in Wadenhoe Village and checking out stone cottages, thatched rooves, the post office, and the Kings Head. Wadenhoe House is a Jacobean 17C manor house, once home to the Delacy family who were found to be involved in the Gunpowder Plot.

2) Earls Barton

Jan Pickles (co-author of UK River and Canal Info) has a 58ft traditional narrowboat called ‘Drifter’. She says, “We love the peace and tranquillity of the River Nene, as opposed to canals at this time of year. It’s much cheaper for us to buy a gold licence as we spend most of our time down on the Nene.

There are few designated moorings here. The land is all pretty much privately owned by farmers etc, so it’s not the same as the canals where you can pretty much moor anywhere you like.

With the Nene you have to think a little more carefully about where to attempt a bankside mooring. This usually involves me watching over the bow to ensure there’s enough depth and I carry a pair of shears for the few thistles and stingy nettles.

We love Earls Barton. You can now easily moor as a visitor at Whitemills Marina (lock 9) and it’s about a 20 minute walk into a lovely little town, which boasts its own butchers and bakery, fire station and lovely tea rooms.”

3) Wansford Station

Jan says, “Wansford Station has a 48 hour Environment Agency mooring where you can watch the steam train of the Nene Valley Railway chuff by. There’s a tea room there too.”

Amy-Alys Tillson lives aboard a 70 foot historic narrowboat in Cambridge, M.B Willow. She also likes to stop at the EA mooring at Wansford on the Nene because of the Nene Valley Railway. “You can stop and hop on a steam train to Yarwell or Peterborough.” She also recommends the twin villages of Upwell and Outwell for pretty village walks and churches.

Jan Pickles says, “Many new boaters are worried about the Nene because she does have a tendency to flood. We have found however that you just need to be sensible, register for strong stream advice and always keep one eye on the weather. Even when the weather is good, we never tie ropes too tight.”

You may like to read more about the Nene’s top attractions and check out the Fox holiday routes that cover the Nene here: River Nene. Our narrowboat holidays on The Nene can be taken as a week, weekend break or midweek breaks. Check availability today: River Nene Narrowboat Holidays

The post The 3 Best Moorings When Narrowboating on the Nene appeared first on Fox Narrowboats.