All Blue Riband companies have many years
experience providing a service for visitors from all over the world.
many have gone on to become regular visitors and friends! We've answered
a few of the questions here that we get from our many overseas visitors,
each company website has additional helpful information, and will be
pleased to answer your queries by email..
Is this a suitable vacation for
visitors to the UK?
Its an excellent way to see
the real England and Wales and meet the real people in a safe and
fairly self contained environment that still leaves room
for a little adventure. You see Heritage at close hand,
canals have changed little since they played such a large
part in the Industrial Revolution. You see beautiful
countryside and nature close up. Best of all, its
an opportunity to travel slowly, see the fine details of
life, enjoy new friendships and take some slow, deep
breaths for a change! And, as part of a longer trip, it's the ideal way to slow down after
jetting through 7 European countries in 7 days, whether
that was meant to be for business or pleasure!
What is the UK Canal System?
Basically its a network of over 2000m
(3000km) of man made waterways which was built over 200 years ago. It also
includes some rivers which have been made navigable over
many hundreds of years. New engineering techniques had to be developed to build the
canals. The canals made the Industrial Revolution
possible by allowing goods and raw materials to be moved
between the new factories and the new
consumers. When the railways took over that
role, about 100 years ago, the canals went into slow
decline and now carry very little commercial cargoes.
However there are more boats afloat than ever because
canal cruising is such a popular leisure activity. Most
canals are managed and maintained by British Waterways
which is a public corporation.
When is the best time to come?
Self drive hire boats are
usually available from mid March to late October which is
often referred to as the cruising season.
Some companies year round, check their websites.
The canals are busiest during the school vacations from
late July to early September and prices
are highest then. Busy in canal terms means
that some locks on popular canals may have queues of
boats waiting an hour to get into the locks and
popular mooring spaces outside pubs etc. may fill up mid
afternoon. You can choose quieter canals or just relax
and enjoy the surroundings and conversations!
The weather is better from June to September normally,
but British weather is a law to itself and can change
many times in a day, although it is rarely extreme. Blustery showers being counted as bad
weather. Most people dont see canal cruising as
just a fair weather vacation, theres
lots to do whatever the weather.
How do we get to the Canals?
Britain is a fairly
compact country and has efficient transport systems. The
northern most bases are no more than 3 hours by
train and local transport from London and if you fly into Manchester or
Birmingham airports for instance you could be at any one
of our bases by train, taxi or bus in under two hours. All Blue Riband
companies provide detailed information on how to get to their bases.
Do we need previous boating
experience?
You don’t need any formal qualification or even boating
experience. Expert instruction is always given by Blue Riband bases.
You'll soon pick things up by taking it slowly and watching and talking
to other boaters. Most will be vacationers just like you, and
happy to show you the 'ropes'. And although we may drive cars on the
wrong side of the road in the UK, we drive boats on the right side of
the canals!
What about Safety?
Water can be
dangerous and boats are heavy moving objects. You should
always take care of course, and children and those who
cant swim should wear lifejackets, especially if
they are getting on and off the boat frequently. However
canals are usually shallow and slow moving and all Blue Riband bases give
excellent boat safety instructions and training.
Personal safety and crime are not major problems on the
canals provided normal sensible precautions, like locking
boat doors when unoccupied, are practiced. There are a
few inner city areas where additional precautions are
advised, your operator will give details.
How far can we cruise?
The main canal
system is very
extensive, stretching from the South of England to Ripon
in the North East and into Wales. Whichever sort of
cruising vacation you choose one thing is certain, you
will be moving slowly! The maximum speed limit on the
canals is 4 miles per hour, about 6kph! Going faster
creates wash which erodes canal banks. Boats dont
have speedometers but 4mph is about a good walking pace.
Also you should never be making a breaking wave behind
the boat. Even this speed is too fast when passing moored
boats, you should slow right down to avoid pulling out
their mooring lines. Going through locks slows you down
more, it can take 20 minutes to get through one lock and
they often come in flights of ten or twenty or more!
So canal cruising is not a vacation to hurry, that is its
beauty! Dont plan to do more than 20 miles in a day
unless there are very few locks around or you dont
mind long hours. You should not plan to travel after dark
and some locks on some canals may be closed after 4 or
5pm until 8 am to save water supplies. After a few days
going slowly youll be feeling the benefits!
All Blue Riband bases are very experienced
in meeting the special needs of overseas clients. Look through their
brochures for the services they offer overseas clients, many will
provide extra towels etc, organize supplies and arrange or suggest
accommodation and airport transportation.
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