Journal

Canal boat holidays with boutique narrowboats

Barge holidays vs narrowboat holidays – what is best?

Choose your barge holiday Barge and narrowboat holidays are becoming one of the most popular staycations in Britain and with good reason – they provide a romantic, relaxing break in nature. UK barging holidays offer a unique blend of adventure and comfort as you travel along winding canals and past picturesque countryside views. Meandering at a leisurely pace, visitors can soak up amazing scenery while never having to worry about finding a place to stay Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
honeymoon or minimoon special occasion canal boat

Why you should consider a luxury canal boat holiday for your special occasion

The Boutique Narrowboats are often booked for all sorts of special occasions – honeymoons, anniversary surprises and birthday weekends. How lovely! What better way to celebrate a special occasion, than with a gentle adventure learning new skills together and enjoying luxury on the English waterways? Planning a loved-one’s special birthday or anniversary gift needs a thoughtful touch and it can be hard to dream up a trip that you will both enjoy. A luxury canal Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago

The latest Boutique Narrowboats news – our newest narrowboat build

Our latest Boutique Narrowboat for hire is currently being created and we are working towards getting it ready to welcome guests in 2022. At the moment, it is still in the design and fit out stage. We have welcomed your feedback on all our hire boats over the years and this boat will be a combination of many of the “best bits” of our small fleet. We have named it after a butterfly – Marbled Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
A couples getaway weekend

Why a luxury canal boat is a perfect weekend getaway for couples

Couple’s weekend getaway Making time for just the two of you is essential to every relationship, whether it be a date night at a restaurant, a trip to the cinema or a couple’s weekend getaway. It seems to be in our nature to often get carried away with the chaos of everyday life. So much so, that we sometimes forget to find the time to spend a little bit of quality time together. Our Boutique Read more

By Simon Youthed, ago
Foxton Locks canal boat holidays uk narrowboat breaks

Everything you need to know about canal boating and more at Foxton Locks

Foxton Locks in the heart of Leicestershire attracts over 4000 boaters each year and is considered one of the most extraordinary heritage sites in the country. A flight of ten locks comprises the longest staircase of the English canals and whilst the feat of engineering is not in doubt, to a novice narrowboater it can be a little daunting. On a busy day, up to 40 boats can make it up and down the flight; Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
A little bit of wood goes a long way

Narrowboat interior: What’s with all the wood?

It strikes me every time I open a canal boating magazine and see a “modern” narrowboat interior: What’s with all the wood? It’s been well over half a century since the narrowboat leisure industry emerged and nowadays the varnish is lighter, the wood more polished. But it’s still a lot of wood. What would happen if you let the wood breathe? Gave it a little space? Could you play with paint? Or some lovely natural Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
foxton locks

The perfect gift – Canal day boat hire

A day boat hire gift can make a perfect present for the man who has everything. Often a day boat experience is purchased as a birthday present for a husband or boyfriend. We are frequently told that many people have “always wanted” to try their hand at narrowboating and a day boat hire gift is a popular taster.   Bring along your friends The beauty of hiring a day boat from us at Union Wharf, Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
The king sized bed on boutique narrowboat at union wharf for narrowboat holidays 2022

Narrowboat holidays 2022 – ready for bookings now

For those who are interested in narrowboat holidays 2022, the calendars are now live. Thank you for your patience whilst we updated the website. As you’ll know if you contacted us, we had a lot of work to do on the calendar to plan ahead for the maintenance all the boats inevitably need in the coming year. We’ve now worked out the schedule for blacking, painting, refurbishing, replacing and altering what needs to be altered Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago
Water Vole electric day boat

The launch of our first Boutique Electric Day Boat – Water Vole

We are delighted to say that our first Boutique Electric Day Boat launched successfully in June and has been attracting much attention along the Market Harborough arm of the canal. For those who have been following our progress at Union Wharf, you’ll know that we have been working on Water Vole’s refurbishment for a long time now. The project has been beset with various challenges but they’ve been all but forgotten now that she is Read more

By Sharon Peach, ago