Hire a Narrowboat in Lancashire

What better way to spend a week than relaxing on a canal taking in the beautiful Lancashire scenery along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and leaving all your troubles behind you.

The pleasures of narrowboats are many, there's the relaxed pace of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, there's the many attractions within easy reach and, of course, the many pubs and inns en route.

Click here to download the British Waterways' 'The Boater's Handbook'.

Why Hire a Narrowboat in Lancashire?

Hiring a narrowboat can be quite a daunting prospect, the thought of being cooped up in something that is no wider than 7 feet and upto 70 foot long can seem a little constricting, or even claustrophobic, to the unenlightened.

However, to those of us in the know, a narrowboat holiday can be extremely liberating!

My favourite aspect though is the ability to just moor a narrowboat in the middle of the gloriously beautiful Lancashire countryside and leave behind all the hustle and bustle of regular life.

What to Look for When Hiring a Narrowboat in Lancashire?

Hiring a narrowboat is similar to when booking a holiday anywhere else, you need to know how many people are going and whether your accommodation can sleep them all comfortably, whether there are kitchen facilities, TVs, toilets and anything else you may require for a week or two away.

The good news is that almost all Narrowboat Hire Companies in Lancashire provide these details on their websites and the narrowboats are extremely high class, with everything needed to have an enjoyable time.

Where can I Go Once I've Hired a Narrowboat in Lancashire?

Once you've hired your narrowboat, there are 3 kinds of trips that are possible:

You can spend the first half of your holiday going one way, then return for the second half
There are some narrowboat hire companies that now let you travel just one way, leaving your narrowboat at another branch of their hire company
Or (my preferred method) you can plan a circular route

Many companies have details of routes and will require details before you embark on your trip and provide you with all necessary paperwork for your route

When to Hire a Narrowboat

Most narrowboat hire companies hire out their boats from around March until October, only the most hardy and dedicated narrowboat enthusiasts want to be out and about on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in the harsh Northern winters.

As you can imagine the canals are busiest during the school summer holiday (July to September) but even during this time it is never crowded, and if anything, is actually more fun, as there are more people to meet, and meeting new people is one of the many joys of hiring a narrowboat. The only thing I can say that could possibly be considered a downside to travelling in the summer, some of the popular locks and pubs may have queues, forcing you to wait, but this is hardly a downside as this offers you chance to relax and chat to fellow narrowboaters or simply enjoy the scenery.

If you are on the canals during the ‘off-season’ you should check with your narrowboat hire company whether the route you have chosen is free from maintenance, as occasionally necessary maintenance is undertaken on the locks and bridges at this time.

Narrowboat Hire Companies

The majority of narrowboat hire companies are family owned businesses who value your custom and will always offer you all the help you need, I believe that this is how it should stay, we don’t want narrowboat hire in the hands of a big corporation, McNarrowboat Hire just wouldn’t be the same. One of the pleasures of hiring a narrowboat is the feeling of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, where big giant corporations run everything, out on the canal you can go at whatever pace you like, without a worry in the world (apart who is going to steer the boat if it is raining).

Barge or Narrowboat?

I would to like to thank Steve from Chester for his email explaining to me the difference between a ‘barge’ and a ‘narrowboat’;

Hi Mark,

Love the site, extremely interesting. Just one small point; you keep referring to ‘barges’ but what I think you mean is ‘narrowboat’. A narrowboat is, as the name would suggest, for use on the narrow canals of the UK and since the decline of our waterways as a transport route for our nations industry, they are now primarily used as holiday and recreational vehicles. A barge on the other hand, is bigger than a narrowboat and mainly used in the wide canals of mainland Europe, although still often on our shores as working vessels.

Sorry to be so pedantic, I hope this of help to you and your readers.

Keep up the good work,

Steve Middlebrook

Having been severely reprimanded by Steve, I shall now refer to ‘narrowboats’ NOT ‘barges’, unless of course I happen to see a barge!

If you have any news or information regarding narrowboats (or barges), please contact me and I will gladly respond and include your mailing in this blog.

If you have hired a narrowboat and went through the town of Church, then visit my Barge Spotting page to see if I spotted you! If you contact me and let me know the time and date that you came past, I'll update the spotting and include your name. Any pictures would also be greatly appreciated.

Click here to download the British Waterways' 'The Boater's Handbook'.

Please visit our Save Our Waterways page and ensure that you can enjoy your narrowboat holidays in the future!