The first thing you should know about us is that we are completely and utterly in love with narrow boating. We took our first watery steps into this world in 2016 and tumbled headlong into a love affair with the stunning scenery of rural Leicestershire.
(And if you want to know more about that first trip, read this blog post here.)
Very quickly, we realised that an annual holiday on the canals wouldn’t be enough for us; in 2017, a spontaneous visit to Whilton Marina resulted in the purchase of Lesley Ann and our idea for a new holiday experience was born.
We wanted to create a hire narrowboat with a difference: there are plenty of new modern boats which cater to those holidaymakers who enjoy the clean lines and fittings of a caravan, but quite frankly there is a very limited choice if that is not to your taste.
Our vision is a small fleet of canal boats with a boutique rustic finish – reclaimed woods, French linen and leather armchairs, all balanced with high-spec mood lighting, designer fittings and quality tech.
Aaran is the practical force behind the endeavour. He is a skilled craftsman and engineer with a love of mechanics, metalwork and carpentry. My background is in journalism and I am also a co-director of a childcare business. I enjoy working in marketing and sorting out the budgets, as well as liaising with Aaran on the design.
We launched Lesley Ann in the summer of 2018, hiring from Debdale Wharf Marina. Within a few weeks, the entire summer season was completely booked up, quickly followed by the autumn and winter, too.
We are now working on our second boat – Chalkhill Blue – which will be available to hire from June 2019.
This is also when we expect to move to our new home at Union Wharf Marina, Market Harborough.
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