Hire a fancy canal boat and live your best Wind in the Willows life for the ultimate UK spring break, says Sophie Ibbotson
“Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” No, it’s not Shakespeare, but Ratty’s observation to Mole in The Wind in the Willows is just as insightful. And with spring blossom on the trees and the sun finally showing its face in the sky, I, too, can think of nothing as pleasurable as spending a long weekend floating along the English waterways.
You may well even spot a real-life ratty on the riverbank, though contrary to what Kenneth Grahame suggested, probably not at the helm of a rowing boat.
Stratford-upon-Avon is best known as the home of William Shakespeare, but this picturesque market town on the banks of the River Avon is also the terminus of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, which runs 25 miles to Birmingham. Hiring a traditional canal boat for a long weekend, you can captain and crew your own expedition. It is such a gentle journey that anyone of any age can take part, and with picnics, pubs, and bird watching along the way, it is the ultimate way to relax and a brilliant spring break.
THE BOAT Poppy is a 66 foot canal boat. She looks like a traditional barge but is equipped with all mod cons, including two shower rooms, WiFi, and a wine fridge. There are enough berths to sleep six people, though if there are only four adults on board you can just use the bedrooms and there is no need to make up the third bed in the living area. The kitchen-diner is equipped in much the same way as a holiday cottage, with plenty of glassware and crockery, and towels and linens are provided, too. If it is chilly in the evening you can light the stove, but if you time your trip for finer weather, nothing beats sitting out at the front of the boat at dusk, watching the world slide by. Poppy runs on diesel but seems quite fuel efficient, all things considered, and as her batteries automatically charge when the engine is running, there is silent power overnight. There are regular points along the canal where you can top up the water supply, and there are good-size tanks on board.
THE ROUTE Pick up your boat from Wootton Wawen, where the small marina is conveniently located alongside The Navigation Inn and within walking distance of the village’s train station. For new boaters, it is a baptism by fire as you need to do a (thirty) three-point turn to get the boat out of the marina and facing towards Stratford, ideally without colliding with the bank, but once you have accomplished that, nothing else on the journey will faze you. The adventure then begins at a leisurely walking pace. It takes around six hours to reach Stratford, but that does depend on the number of boats you meet coming the other way, as there are 17 locks en route and they only accommodate one boat at a time. Highlights of the journey include floating along the canal at almost eye level with the ducks and swans, who know that boaters are a good source of snacks and will therefore invariably follow you; crossing two narrow aqueducts, one over the top of the railway, which make you feel as if you are boating through the sky; and chatting on the way with dog walkers, runners, and other towpath users who are curious about the canal boat and frequently offer a hand with the locks.
THE DESTINATION Canal boats can moor overnight at Bancroft Basin, right in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in the very heart of Stratford. That means that you are only minutes away from the town’s many attractions. Literature lovers can of course embark on a Shakespearethemed tour, visiting his birthplace, home, school, and Holy Trinity Church where he is buried, but nothing beats watching a production by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Contemporary retellings of The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Romeo and Juliet are all on the schedule for early 2024, along with a new play Ben and Imo, about the creation of Benjamin Britten’s opera, Gloriana. Tickets start from £25 and can be booked at rsc.org. uk.
Boating is thirsty work, so head over to The Black Swan, better known as The Dirty Duck, which has stood on Waterside since the 1730s. Laurence Olivier and Judi Dench are former patrons, and when Kylie Minogue visited they allowed her behind the bar to pull a pint. Now it’s your turn: pop in to cheers your nautical success.
Book a spring break on the canal
Drifters Waterway Holidays offers 550 canal boats for hire from 45 bases across the UK. Narrowboats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate from two up to 12 people. 2024 prices aboard Poppy start at £1,205 for a short spring break, or £1,735 for a week.
Read more: Bologna is the REAL food capital of Italy – here’s why
Read more: Williamsburg, once a Mecca for hipsters, is now a luxury hub