Middlewich Narrow boat hire - a general description

We are a small company, with every aspect of it under the personal supervision of the owner. Every customer is seen personally and asked to complete a comments sheet, by which we continually assess our performance to ensure we are offering what you want and giving good value for money.

We are at the very hub of the famous historic canal system of N.W. England, and from our base, three main routes radiate. Among these are some of the most attractive and popular routes on the system. This area is where canals started and four of the “seven wonders of the waterways” ie. Barton Swing Aqueduct, Anderton Boat lift, Pontysyllte Aqueduct and Harecastle Tunnel, are within a weeks narrow boat hire cruising.

We are also well situated for access, being approximately 2 miles from the M6 motorway. Crewe mainline railway station is 7miles away with frequent services from London and Manchester, from where you can reach us by taxi and Manchester Airport is 20 miles away with access by train or taxi. Click here to see a scalable road map of where we are.

I have never been on a narrow boat before!

Q. Will I get lost?
No. We have a wide range of maps and guides in our canal shop which can be purchased when booking, or at the start of your narrow boat hire holiday. The locals are also very friendly and helpful — just ask

Q. Can we take children?
Children love narrow  boat hire holidays where they can participate fully. We do have buoyancy aids available for both children and adults. Safety netting can be provided around the cruiser sterns. Cotsides are available for small children.

Q. Can we bring our pets?
We are happy to welcome well-behaved pets There is a charge of £20 for the first pet plus £10 for each other up to a maximum of three per hire boat We ask you to please bring pets bedding and keep them off the upholstery and bed linen.

Q. Do you welcome overseas visitors?
Of course. In addition to offering free bedding we also offer a free supply of towels for our overseas guests. See below.

Q. Can I charge my mobile phone?
Yes. All of our narrow boat hire boats have a 12v. supply with a car type cigar lighter socket, that can be used with a mobile phone in-car adaptor lead.

Q. Can we bring our bicycles?
Yes, but be careful of storage on the roof as they can easily be damaged by bridges and trees.

Q. What is included in my hire fee?
Our narrow boat hire boats come complete with a full inventory, which includes diesel, all bedding, colour television and VAT We also supply washing up liquid, tea-towels, toilet rolls etc.

Q. Do you provide car parking?
We have limited car parking space, free of charge, in a secure compound. However, we must limit this to one car per four hirers up to a maximum of three and we request that we keep your car keys in a locked safe for the duration of your holiday. Cars are parked at your own risk and may need to be moved in emergencies — please make sure your car insurance will cover this.

Q. Will I have to fill up with diesel/water or have the toilets emptied?
We supply enough diesel for a two week cruise. The water tank should be topped up daily. The toilets are designed for the capacity of one weeks normal usage, if pump-outs are required for subsequent weeks, these will be re-imbursed.

Q. What do I do if I have any problems?
Our engineers are on call 24 hours a day, but we ask that you only contact them late at night in an emergency.

Q. What time do I collect the narrow boat and return it?
Boats will normally be available between 3pm-4pm on the afternoon of departure. All boats should be returned by 9am and vacated by 9.30am. If a boat is returned late, it will cause delay to the next hirer and therefore, a charge is made for each hour of delay.

Q. Can I view the narrow boats before I book?
Yes, but please contact us before you arrive so as we can make sure that the narrow boats you wish to view are available.

Q. How long can I take the hire boat for?
We offer weekly breaks, or multiples of weeks as well as short breaks at either weekends or during the week

Q. How do I book?
Firstly you need to decide which narrow boat hire holiday suits your needs and budget, then which dates you prefer plus an alternative just in case! Then all you need to do is telephone our office any weekday between 9am-5pm (also Saturdays 9 - 5 March - November) and we will confirm availability and take the booking details. All you need to do to confirm your narrow boat holiday is send us your completed, signed booking form and deposit.

You are very welcome and can pay easily by Visa/MasterCard on our Secure Online Booking Form. Our closeness to public transport (please see above) and the motorway makes access easy and there is a good supermarket quite close by for buying food etc. We are regular transatlantic travellers ourselves so understand what is needed. You will find your fellow boaters all extremely helpful and have no difficulty in adapting to canal life – it is far easier than driving! We can arrange overnight accommodation in the area and advise on travel arrangements. Please enquire about this and about booking taxis.

You can convert our prices to your own currency using this currency converter link.

The canals are generally shallow and narrow l boat hire cruising is one of the safest ways of getting afloat. However, we treat this matter very seriously and expert tuition is included as part of your cruise (if required), or you can arrange for extra tuition as detailed in the 'What we provide' section immediately below. Life jackets are available free of charge and children in particular are advised to wear them. Safety netting* can be put round the rear decks of cruiser style boats only.

When you book you will be sent a detailed operating manual with navigation instructions and we can loan you (or you can purchase) a boat operating and safety video, order these from the Booking Form.