by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: December 17, 2011   Last Updated: January 23, 2012

When it comes to boating holidays in England, there are several different options to choose from.  Canal boating is a popular pastime on the rivers of England and of course there is the Lake District which has lots of boating opportunities. Here are a few suggestions about where you might want to spend your boating holiday in England.

There is a canal boat company called

The Black Prince.  It offers a variety of launch points and the launch points offer a variety of different boating experiences. One of the launch points is in the Peak District. The base is at the Festival Park Marina in Etruria, Stoke on Trent. There are four route options to choose from and all of them offer a different boating experience. For those who prefer to take a longer trip, there are two routes that are over 100 miles. Both of them are active routes with lots of locks and require traveling for up to 9 hours a day. For those who prefer a more leisurely trip, there is one route that is only 42 miles. It  requires only 3 hours per day of floating and then there is one that is middle of the road and requires about 6 hours of travel per day and goes 82 miles through 26 locks. Their boats can accommodate from 2 to 10 people.

The boats have all the modern conveniences. Kitchens with cookers and fridges, color TV with DVD, showers and toilets. It will be a home away from home for your boating holiday. Cost depends on the number of travelers, time of year and length of the holiday. This is just one of many canal boat options that are available in England.

The Lake District is in the county of Cumbria,  in the northwest of England. Only one of the bodies of water in the Lake District is actually called a lake, Bassenthwaite Lake, the rest are called meres or waters. Windermere is one of the larger bodies of water and it has the option to rent a house boat. The house boats are offered by Windermere Lake Holidays in Bowness on Windermere.  The houseboats are moored,  so you don’t actually move on them, however, if you want to boat there are sailboats and dinghies for rent at the same marina where the boats are moored, the best of both worlds.

For a totally different boating experience, why not rent a chartered catamaran and let someone do the navigating for you. This is the perfect way to enjoy the quiet coves of Cornwall and you decide exactly what activities you want to do. You can fish, swim or just relax on the deck. Cornish Coast Charters offers a unique opportunity for a boating holiday that you design. The boat has four bedrooms including the skipper’s cabin. There are all the modern amenities and you decide how long your trip will be. 

These are just a few of the boating holiday opportunities that England has to offer. If you enjoy boating, England has a holiday to fit your tastes and your budget.

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