Neil Vann shares his Anglo Welsh holiday memories

Seasoned narrowboat navigator Neil Vann shares his Anglo Welsh holiday memories

Neil recently returned from his eighth Anglo Welsh holiday. We chatted to him about what keeps him returning to the waterways, why it’s a good-value family holiday, and how canal boat holidays have changed since his first holiday with Anglo Welsh in the 1970s. Neil also shares some great advice for narrowboat first-timers.

What do you enjoy most about canal boat holidays?

The unpredictability. The surrounding history. The ever-changing scenery. The solitude, even in the cities. Never knowing what’s around the next corner. The complete lack of uniformity. The striking differences between each lock (even those in the same flight). The fun of encountering the more unusual features such as tunnels, aqueducts, swing, lift, split and turnover bridges. Not to mention the unique oddities like the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Anderton boat lift and Falkirk wheel – wouldn’t it be something if they restored the Foxton Inclined Plane? The wildlife – otters, kingfishers, herons, stoats, water voles, etc. not normally seen in your suburban garden at home. But most of all, having breakfast on the boat on a cool, damp morning in complete isolation from the rest of humanity, enjoying the silence, the mist on the water and the waterfowl paddling around.

What’s your favourite route and why?

I’ve cruised most of the ‘rings’, though failed to complete the Avon Ring (from your Wootton Wawen base) as the River Severn and River Avon were suddenly closed to navigation due to flooding. The Kennet and Avon is on my bucket list.

Favourite route? Impossible to say as each has its own attractions, though personally I prefer a mixture of rural and urban/industrial scenery, being interested in manufacturing history. The Cheshire Ring, running through Manchester, and the Black Country Ring, traversing Birmingham, provide that mix particularly well. Threading between the supports of ‘Spaghetti Junction’ on the approach to Salford (canal) Junction along the Birmingham and Fazeley at 4mph, rather than driving over it on the M6 at 70mph, is strangely refreshing, giving a feeling of defiance against, and detachment from, the fast, noisy, manic world.

What type of boat do you prefer?

For a larger group holiday I prefer a cruiser stern as the bigger area around the tiller allows for greater interaction, or ‘quality time’ if you like, between ‘crew’ members. And somewhere to put your tea and choccie biscuits. On the other hand, a traditional, or semi-traditional stern is great for a couple or a small family.

Who do you usually travel with?

I’ve travelled with my own family, as part of two families and just as a couple. It’s actually quite a cheap holiday when travelling with children as they’re constantly entertained in working the boat, feeding the ducks and watching the ever-changing ‘world’ pass by – as well as fighting with each other as usual! Stops their fingers becoming super-glued to their precious ‘gadgets’ too, so they actually speak to you. With a fortnight on the beach they’re demanding to be fed every hour in all the fast food outlets they encounter. And wanting to go on every fairground ride, nagging mercilessly for ice-creams and candy floss and whining to visit each low brow attraction that comes into sight. All of which can amount to a significant additional holiday expense. Oh, and tacky shops are almost non-existent, as indeed are any shops, so little opportunity for us to have to embark on pricey retail therapy sessions as well. Win-win!

What is the average duration of your holidays?

I’ve been on one and two-week holidays, depending on the circumstances of the various party members. This last trip could, unfortunately, only cover one week, having to be shoehorned between the demands of jobs, school holidays, GCSE exams and university terms. It’ll be a two-week trip next time when the ‘kids’ will have gone their separate ways, perhaps to holiday on the canals with their own friends and families. I’d love to do a three-week cruise round the South Pennine Ring, if only because it includes the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

How have canal boats available for hire changed since your first one?

My first canal holiday was with Anglo Welsh from Great Haywood in 1973. Seven of us took ‘Gloucester’ – a 58ft 8-berth Sterling class boat, the biggest you, and indeed, your then few competitors, offered at the time. Obvious improvements include the provision of extra mod-cons, including microwaves, WiFi, flat-screen TVs, etc. And 10- or 12-berth 70ft boats are now available. But the most significant difference in the vessels since my first trip regards the sewage disposal arrangements. In the early days ‘Porta Potties’ were the norm, which required emptying virtually every other day at the sparse sewage disposal points along the canal network. Now boats have tanks to hold the waste and pump-out systems are available to empty the tanks. But usually the tank has enough capacity for the duration of a short break or week long cruise. You still have the task of filling the water tank as necessary though. Get the kids to do it.

How have the canals themselves changed?

It’s the canal infrastructure that’s seen the greatest change. The canals of the ‘70s were just on the cusp of their revival, albeit for leisure and recreational use, having been totally neglected from the mid-50s. Until the late ‘60s you’d find only the bravest hiker on the towpath (a permit was required to ride a bike along them in those days) and the most eccentric boater on the water. Indeed, Birmingham and Manchester in particular, the epicentres of the UK canal network, had entirely turned their backs on their canals. Gaining access from the towpaths into the cities themselves could prove quite a challenge due to fenced off bridge ramps and sealed gates. I always found the plethora of derelict factories, docks and quays weirdly attractive, reflecting as they did an age gone by.

You could virtually walk on the water in industrial areas due to heavy pollution by flotsam, jetsam and malodorous hydrocarbons, particularly around Birmingham’s Soho Loop and Farmer’s bridge. The canals were far quieter, queuing to use locks, even in the peak season, being unheard of. The decrepit condition of many lock gates and paddle gear demanded a degree of improvisation and initiative when negotiating them. And towpaths, often already overgrown, could become impassable quagmires after only a light shower. That said, far more canalside pubs beckoned, some so isolated they were without mains electricity. The beer was dispensed by pewter measuring jugs filled directly from tapped oak kegs behind the bar. Quaint even then. Few provided food beyond a bag of crisps.

Over the intervening 50 years the standard of maintenance of the canal infrastructure has improved considerably. Many abandoned canals have been restored to navigable standard, thereby expanding the network and, so, route availability. You’ll still find the odd piece of that infrastructure coming to the end of its life – for example a rotting lock gate, worn paddle gear or narrowing of the cut due to the build-up of mud and weed. But appropriate renewals, repairs and dredging are usually in hand or have been scheduled to set things right by the charity that cares for the canal network in England and Wales, the Canal & River Trust.

Cities now look to the canals as an asset rather than away from them as an embarrassment, with some very desirable, upmarket (and eye-wateringly expensive) living accommodation having replaced much of the industrial dereliction. The water is far cleaner and the canals are much busier.  The towpaths are often well paved in towns and cities, or surfaced with clinker or ballast in rural areas. Those towpaths are awash with walkers, joggers and cyclists. The Birmingham towpaths in particular are used as shortcuts by commuters and shoppers.

Do you have any tips for first-time canal boaters?

1. Be pragmatic, be laid-back, see it as an adventure, have fun and retain a sense of humour.

2. Remember to remain stoic even when the middle of your 70ft boat runs aground in fading light during a heavy thunderstorm! Yes, you’ll probably encounter some rain of course, and get wet, perhaps very wet, but there’s always a warm shower followed by a happy family meal to look forward to when you moor for the night. And you can take comfort in the secure knowledge that tomorrow, indeed the rest of the trip, will be warm, dry and gloriously sunny(!!).

3. Plan the length of each day’s cruising to ensure you get the boat back to base on time.

4. Remember the anecdotes you amass – there’ll be plenty of them.

5. If you can manage it, hire a boat with one or two berths more than you need – you’ll come to appreciate the extra space to sort clothes, store luggage and get yourself together.

6. When going through a lock, the boat steerer must remain at post to hold the boat steady against the flow with gentle use of the engine. Keep the boat forward in the lock away from the top gate(s) when descending to avoid the risk of damaging the rudder or marooning the stern on the cill of the top gate as the lock empties.

7. Use your weight to shift the lock gates rather than your muscle. Just leaning on the counterbalance with your bum and strolling backwards will often be enough to move it. This requires virtually no input of energy and avoids the risk of ‘putting your back out’.

8. Don’t try to cruise faster than an easy walking pace. You won’t manage it, and it will waste fuel, create unnecessary noise and straining the engine and transmission. It will also create a wash which will erode the banks. Slow down when passing moored vessels.

9. Conserve water – don’t empty a lock that you need to enter to go up if another boat’s approaching it to go down (and vice versa). Share broad locks with another boat when possible.

10. If you run into trouble whilst working through a lock, closing all the paddles will stop everything happening and enable you to take stock of the situation. Close paddles by winding them down, avoiding the temptation to just let them drop in order to avoid possible damage. Always ensure that all lock gates and paddles are shut when you leave.

11. Use your common sense, don’t rush, don’t panic, be safe and enjoy yourself.

What keeps you coming back to canal boat holidays and Anglo Welsh?

While the initial hire cost of a canal boat may seem high, the holiday overall is quite cheap as additional costs of entertainment, etc. are minimal. It’s a pleasantly different holiday with no flight delays, no restrictions on baggage weight, no lost luggage, and the dog can come too, so you even save on kennel fees. With one exception, a trip on the Leeds&Liverpool Canal from Silsden before Anglo Welsh established its base there, I’ve always gone with Anglo Welsh as it’s been established since 1966 and the high standard of their craft can be relied on.