We've written this page to help you plan your canal holiday on one of our boats. When planning your cruise it's helpful to know what sort of clothing to bring, how far you can expect to get and some of the "rules of the road" and etiquette. It's also important to remember that, like all travel, a number of factors can influence the time is takes to cover a certain distance.

Navigation Guidance

• The official speed limit along the canals is 4mph. However in most cases it's unlikely that you'll get to these heady speeds due to the depth (or lack of it) of the canal. You can tell if you are going too fast if your boat creates a breaking wash along the bank.

• You should slow down when passing other boats and slow to a tickover speed when passing moored boats or fishermen.

• Pass other moving boats on the right.

• When approaching a lock at the same time as another boat coming in the opposite direction, whoever the lock is set for has priority. For example, if you are approaching a lock going up and the lock is empty then it is set in your favour and you will have priority over the other boat.

• Cruising during the dark is not permitted.

When planning your route you have the option to travel a circular "ring" route or go out and back. When travelling out and back it's best to turn around roughly at the halfway point of your holiday, whilst remembering those places you might want to stop off and visit on the way back. On a circular route you'll need to follow a rough number of hours cruising per day to ensure you are back at our base on time. During the height of summer you may find things quite busy around the locks and you may have to queue to pass through.

To help you plan your route why not get a map or guide book. There are several for each route each with their own speciality stocked in our online shop.

Nicholsons Guide to The Waterways
These base their maps on the Ordinance survey and give details of pubs, churches, town facilities etc and importantly where there are facilities for boaters (water, rubbish disposal etc) Scale about 2 inches to the mile. Handy A5 stay flat ring bound. Each map book covers an area of the country.

Pearsons Canal Companions
The popular Pearsons guides draw their own maps clearly showing locks, bridges, roads boater facilities and indicate miles between places. Points of interest to boaters along the canal are a speciality and the location of pubs, shops, restaurants etc. Scale about 2 inches to the mile about A5 size. Each book covers a popular route eg. The Cheshire Ring.

Lockmaster
These are large scale maps on plain thick paper covering each route. Fine detail shows bridges and lock locations. These can be coloured / marked up with your cruise. Sheets are 475x400mm and scale is about ½" to the mile.

Geo Projects Maps
These are large scale folded maps colour printed both sides when open are about the same size of Lockmaster. Full of detail about the route. Each map covers a particular canal.

What to Wear?

We know the feeling, staring at a wardrobe full of clothes with an empty suitcase on the bed whilst trying to decide what to take. With the weather in the UK being so changeable it's perhaps best to account for all weathers but remember that there is not a huge amount of storage space on any narrowboat. When deciding what to bring, it's worth remembering that you'll spend a lot of time outdoors, in the countryside. on towpaths a

nd around locks. In reality this means flat shoes when on and around the boat and water, jeans, sweaters, t-shirts and (fingers crossed) shorts.