Top 4 Festive Destinations Afloat

This winter Anglo Welsh is offering winter cruising* from four bases, giving narrowboat holiday-makers the chance to celebrate Christmas or New Year afloat, joining-in the festive celebrations at exciting waterside towns and cities, and stopping off at historic rural pubs with roaring log fires.

From a cosy boat for two to a family boat for 12, all our boats have central heating, hot water, WiFi**, TV and DVD players, so it’s always warm and cosy on board. Christmas prices start at £470 for a short break, £670 for a week.

Here are our top 4 festive destinations for 2017:

1. Visit Birmingham’s famous German Christmas Market. From our narrowboat hire base at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, it’s a five-hour, lock-free cruise to city centre moorings in Gas Street, perfect for exploring Britain’s exciting second city. This Christmas, an exciting range of festive events are planned in Birmingham, including the famous Frankfurt Christmas Market, with great food, warming drinks, traditional gifts and live music – at Victoria Square from 16 November to 24 December. And on the way to Birmingham City Centre, boaters can moor up at Edgbaston to visit the City’s beautiful Botanical Gardens and enjoy their special Illuminated Trail event, on from 29 November to 1 January.
2. Travel through Shakespeare country to Stratford upon Avon. It’s a picturesque six-hour cruise to Shakespeare’s Stratford from our narrowboat hire base at Wootton Wawen, near Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire. Once there, boaters can moor up in Bancroft Basin, just a stone’s throw from the Swan Theatre to enjoy the town’s festive celebrations – Christmas lights, markets, grottos, carol singers, and ghost walks, as well as historic pubs, shops, the Swan Theatre, museums and waterside restaurants offering fabulous Christmas Dining opportunities, including The Arden Hotel Waterside Brasserie.
3. Soar across ‘The Stream in the Sky’ to Ellesmere. From our canal boat hire base at Trevor on the Llangollen Canal in North Wales, on a short break narrowboat holiday-makers can travel to Ellesmere and back, passing over the awesome World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This magnificent feat of Victorian engineering carries the canal 300 metres above the Dee Valley, with incredible panoramic views. Once at Ellesmere, boaters can moor up to explore the Mere, teaming with wildlife, and tuck into festive food at one of the town’s many eateries, like the popular Mereside Boat House restaurant and café.
4. Cruise along the peaceful Caldon Canal to Froghall Basin. From our boat yard at Great Haywood in Staffordshire, on a week’s break boaters can travel north up the Trent & Mersey Canal to connect with the Caldon Canal at Stoke on Trent. From there, it’s a gentle 12-hour cruise along this peaceful 17-mile long waterway to Froghall Basin and back, travelling through a variety of landscapes. From the urban Potteries to the dense woodlands of the Churnet Valley and windy moorlands near Denford, the scenery is ever-changing. And there are plenty of pubs to enjoy along the way, including the Hollybush Inn at Denford and The Sportsman at Stockton Brook, as well as The Etruria Industrial Museum and Deep Hayes Country Park.

*Winter cruising routes can be affected by stoppages and closures as a result of winter maintenance work.**Wifi subject to signal strength.

To book a holiday or break on any of Anglo Welsh’s fleet, call our friendly Booking Team on 0117 304 1122.