Frequently asked questions
Where is your boat based? The Lancaster Canal currently runs from Preston to Tewitfield near Carnforth. Our boat is based at Tewitfield marina at the northernmost point of the navigable canal and you will cruise south towards Lancaster and Preston. Our contact details and mooring address can be found here
How far can we cruise on our holiday? This depends on the length of your stay. As a rough guide you will sale as far as Lancaster on a Weekend holiday, Garstang on a mid week holiday and you could make it to Preston and back if you book a full week. We provide approximate cruising times in our information pack that you will receive on booking which will help you plan your holiday.
How fast can we go on the boat? The speed limit on the Lancaster canal which is set out by the canal and river trust is 3mph however you must be on the lowest speed when passing other boats and other moored boats. The limits are in place to avoid damage to the canal banks, wildlife and other boats. Speeding is absolutely not allowed, other boat owners and CRT workers will call us to inform us if our hire boat is seen speeding on the canal, penalties may be incurred which would be deducted from your deposit .
Can i drink alcohol while cruising? Like driving you must not be over the limit when operating the boat, you may however drink alcohol aboard when moored up, it is your responsibility to drink sensibly and keep yourself safe while on the water.
What time should we arrive? Please arrive at 2pm, this gives us plenty of time to go through the boat hand over and your narrowboat tuition .
Can we start our holiday earlier? In some circumstances this may be possible, however if we have a booking prior to yours we are unable to offer this due to amount of time it takes get the boat ready for you. If you do arrive earlier than planned, you will see a lovely pub called The Longlands were you can have a coffee or some Lunch while you wait. Alternatively Carnforth town center is a 5-10 minute drive if you wanted to explore the area.
We can't make it for 2pm, could we arrive later? Yes this can be arranged at time of booking, however please be aware that late arrival will limit your daylight cruising time that day as you must be moored up for the evening by sundown. If you are unexpectedly delayed on your departure date you must let us know as soon as possible so we can make the necessary arrangements to greet you. If you arrive after dark you would spend the evening in the Marina and we will arrive early the next day to commence your tuition and begin cruising.
What time do we have to return the boat? You must return the boat by 9.30am, we will meet you at the bridge closest to the marina and hop on to guide you back into the marina. We allow a grace period of 30 mins and you must call us to let us know you are running late. These times are set to ensure we have sufficient time to clean the boat and so all of our customers can expect the same level of cleanliness and start there holidays on time.
What happens if we return the boat late? We allow a grace period of 30 mins and you must inform us as soon as you know you are running late so we can advise our next guests that there may be short delay to their holiday. If you arrive back outside the grace period there will be a charge of £45 ph. We do however understand that occasionally circumstances outside of your control may occur and any late penalties will be at our discretion. These penalties cover our costs in compensating customers for any delays to their holidays and any extra help we may need to employ to ensure our boat is ready in a timely manner for our next guests. Please see our T&C's in relation to this.
Can i arrange a later check out? As mentioned above you must return our boat by 9.30am, we often have other customers arriving that day to start their holiday so late check out is not possible. If we do not have another booking following yours, we may be able to arrange a later check out but cannot guarantee this due to other business commitments.
Can i bring the boat back the night before we are due to leave? You can certainly arrive back early and moor up near to the marina however we cannot guarantee that we will be available to greet you and collect the keys without prior arrangement . If you do need to leave early this must be arranged with us in advance so we can arrange to be at the marina and collect the keys from you. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds if you choose to leave your holiday early. Please see our T&C's in relation to this.
Can i bring my own electrical appliances? You can bring some electrical items under 250w this is due to the electrical capacity on the boat. We provide a low wattage hair dryer for your convenience. Please contact us if you have questions regarding this. This will also be covered in your boat handover.
Can i hire the boat on my own? Unfortunately due to insurance purposes this is not possible and 2 adults are required for handling the boat and mooring up.
Are children allowed? Yes children are very welcome but as above there must be at least 2 adults in your party to handle the boat.
Are pets allowed? You may bring 1 larger dog or 2 smaller dogs which must be booked in advance and are subject to a £15per dog cleaning charge at the time of booking. This is due to the space limitations. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate other animals.
Does your boat have wheelchair access? Unfortunately our boat it is not currently wheelchair accessible. You may find Waterways holidays or Canalability helpful for finding Narrowboats with wheelchair access.
Do you offer a skippered service?
In some circumstances and subject to availability we may offer a skippered hire, this means our skipper Nick would take you and moor you up on the boat to a pre-arranged location along the canal . This would be bookable in advance and at an additional cost, the locations and durations would be dependant on our other business commitments.
What are the physical requirements of hiring a narrow boat?
Both narrow boats require min 2 people both with a level of physical ability to operate safely
You will need to be able to:
Climb up and down steps into and out of the boat.
Be comfortable in a relatively small enclosed space.
Take a large step to climb on and off the boat(depending where you moor up)
Be able to walk on uneven surfaces (the towpath can be uneven, muddy or have long grass depending where you are).
Bend to tie mooring ropes
Hammer in mooring pegs into the towpath
Be able to get down to your knees and bend to remove any weed/debris from the propeller (this will be covered in the boat handover).
Bend to open the cassette toilet compartment, lift it out and carry it off the boat to the canal services for emptying.
Stand for extended periods while skippering.
See well enough to be able to see oncoming boats, large debris in the canal (tree branches etc)
Be able to quickly walk down the towpath, across a swing bridge and push the swing bridge open.
Be able to quickly hop on and off the moving boat when mooring/departing.
What COVID saftey measures do you have in place?
Please see our measures here .
Please also read our Terms and Conditions before booking
How far can we cruise on our holiday? This depends on the length of your stay. As a rough guide you will sale as far as Lancaster on a Weekend holiday, Garstang on a mid week holiday and you could make it to Preston and back if you book a full week. We provide approximate cruising times in our information pack that you will receive on booking which will help you plan your holiday.
How fast can we go on the boat? The speed limit on the Lancaster canal which is set out by the canal and river trust is 3mph however you must be on the lowest speed when passing other boats and other moored boats. The limits are in place to avoid damage to the canal banks, wildlife and other boats. Speeding is absolutely not allowed, other boat owners and CRT workers will call us to inform us if our hire boat is seen speeding on the canal, penalties may be incurred which would be deducted from your deposit .
Can i drink alcohol while cruising? Like driving you must not be over the limit when operating the boat, you may however drink alcohol aboard when moored up, it is your responsibility to drink sensibly and keep yourself safe while on the water.
What time should we arrive? Please arrive at 2pm, this gives us plenty of time to go through the boat hand over and your narrowboat tuition .
Can we start our holiday earlier? In some circumstances this may be possible, however if we have a booking prior to yours we are unable to offer this due to amount of time it takes get the boat ready for you. If you do arrive earlier than planned, you will see a lovely pub called The Longlands were you can have a coffee or some Lunch while you wait. Alternatively Carnforth town center is a 5-10 minute drive if you wanted to explore the area.
We can't make it for 2pm, could we arrive later? Yes this can be arranged at time of booking, however please be aware that late arrival will limit your daylight cruising time that day as you must be moored up for the evening by sundown. If you are unexpectedly delayed on your departure date you must let us know as soon as possible so we can make the necessary arrangements to greet you. If you arrive after dark you would spend the evening in the Marina and we will arrive early the next day to commence your tuition and begin cruising.
What time do we have to return the boat? You must return the boat by 9.30am, we will meet you at the bridge closest to the marina and hop on to guide you back into the marina. We allow a grace period of 30 mins and you must call us to let us know you are running late. These times are set to ensure we have sufficient time to clean the boat and so all of our customers can expect the same level of cleanliness and start there holidays on time.
What happens if we return the boat late? We allow a grace period of 30 mins and you must inform us as soon as you know you are running late so we can advise our next guests that there may be short delay to their holiday. If you arrive back outside the grace period there will be a charge of £45 ph. We do however understand that occasionally circumstances outside of your control may occur and any late penalties will be at our discretion. These penalties cover our costs in compensating customers for any delays to their holidays and any extra help we may need to employ to ensure our boat is ready in a timely manner for our next guests. Please see our T&C's in relation to this.
Can i arrange a later check out? As mentioned above you must return our boat by 9.30am, we often have other customers arriving that day to start their holiday so late check out is not possible. If we do not have another booking following yours, we may be able to arrange a later check out but cannot guarantee this due to other business commitments.
Can i bring the boat back the night before we are due to leave? You can certainly arrive back early and moor up near to the marina however we cannot guarantee that we will be available to greet you and collect the keys without prior arrangement . If you do need to leave early this must be arranged with us in advance so we can arrange to be at the marina and collect the keys from you. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds if you choose to leave your holiday early. Please see our T&C's in relation to this.
Can i bring my own electrical appliances? You can bring some electrical items under 250w this is due to the electrical capacity on the boat. We provide a low wattage hair dryer for your convenience. Please contact us if you have questions regarding this. This will also be covered in your boat handover.
Can i hire the boat on my own? Unfortunately due to insurance purposes this is not possible and 2 adults are required for handling the boat and mooring up.
Are children allowed? Yes children are very welcome but as above there must be at least 2 adults in your party to handle the boat.
Are pets allowed? You may bring 1 larger dog or 2 smaller dogs which must be booked in advance and are subject to a £15per dog cleaning charge at the time of booking. This is due to the space limitations. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate other animals.
Does your boat have wheelchair access? Unfortunately our boat it is not currently wheelchair accessible. You may find Waterways holidays or Canalability helpful for finding Narrowboats with wheelchair access.
Do you offer a skippered service?
In some circumstances and subject to availability we may offer a skippered hire, this means our skipper Nick would take you and moor you up on the boat to a pre-arranged location along the canal . This would be bookable in advance and at an additional cost, the locations and durations would be dependant on our other business commitments.
What are the physical requirements of hiring a narrow boat?
Both narrow boats require min 2 people both with a level of physical ability to operate safely
You will need to be able to:
Climb up and down steps into and out of the boat.
Be comfortable in a relatively small enclosed space.
Take a large step to climb on and off the boat(depending where you moor up)
Be able to walk on uneven surfaces (the towpath can be uneven, muddy or have long grass depending where you are).
Bend to tie mooring ropes
Hammer in mooring pegs into the towpath
Be able to get down to your knees and bend to remove any weed/debris from the propeller (this will be covered in the boat handover).
Bend to open the cassette toilet compartment, lift it out and carry it off the boat to the canal services for emptying.
Stand for extended periods while skippering.
See well enough to be able to see oncoming boats, large debris in the canal (tree branches etc)
Be able to quickly walk down the towpath, across a swing bridge and push the swing bridge open.
Be able to quickly hop on and off the moving boat when mooring/departing.
What COVID saftey measures do you have in place?
Please see our measures here .
Please also read our Terms and Conditions before booking