All Boat Hire

{“hide_search_input”:false,”hide_near_input”:false,”show”:””,”filters_pos”:””,”input_size”:””,”bar_flex_wrap”:””,”bar_flex_wrap_md”:””,”bar_flex_wrap_lg”:””,”input_border”:””,”input_border_opacity”:””,”input_rounded_size”:””,”btn_bg”:””,”btn_rounded_size”:””,”btn_rounded_size_md”:””,”btn_rounded_size_lg”:””,”bg”:””,”mt”:””,”mr”:””,”mb”:”3″,”ml”:””,”pt”:””,”pr”:””,”pb”:””,”pl”:””,”border”:””,”rounded”:””,”rounded_size”:””,”rounded_size_md”:””,”rounded_size_lg”:””,”shadow”:””,”css_class”:””}

Hire bases offering narrowboat holidays and day boats on the canals. Listings show where boats leave from, the type and size of boats, what’s included and how to book.

Day boats are an easy way to try the canals without any experience. Operators give a handover before you set off, covering steering and locks.

Boat Hire
Aylesbury Canal Society — Day Boat Hire
Author Image

Aylesbury Canal Society — Day Boat Hire

Day boat hire from the Aylesbury Canal Society at Circus Field Basin, on the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal between locks 14 and 15. Catalina is a 31ft traditional-stern narrowboat for up to 8 people, available every day including bank holidays. Every hire includes one hour of free tuition in boat handling and lock operation, and dogs are welcome. On board: a galley with sink, gas hob, kettle, plates and cutlery; a front deck seating up to 8; a flushing toilet and sink; a USB port and socket for an electric cool box; and a radiator in the cabin for colder days. Prices (2026): Monday to Thursday, excluding bank holidays, £150 inc VAT. Friday to Sunday and bank holidays £186 inc VAT. Book via the Society’s website or call 01296 252101 (office Mon–Fri 9am–1pm), WhatsApp 07999 069 243.
Boat Hire
White Horse Boats
Author Image

White Horse Boats

Day boat and holiday narrowboat hire based at Devizes Wharf, right at the top of the famous Caen Hill Locks flight. Day boats run March to October on a lock-free stretch to All Cannings, with holiday narrowboats also available for longer breaks.
Boat Hire
Foxhangers Canal Holidays
Author Image

Foxhangers Canal Holidays

Self-drive holiday narrowboat hire on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Devizes, trading since 1997. Choose from three classes of boat sleeping 2 to 9 people, with weekend, midweek, week and longer breaks available from a base at Lower Foxhangers Farm, close to the foot of the Caen Hill Locks flight.
Boat Hire
Illustrative photo
Author Image

Wharf House Narrowboats

Wharf House Narrowboats is a family-run boat hire business based at Braunston Marina, right at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford Canals. From here, holidaymakers can head north up the Leicester Line, south down the Grand Union towards London, or out along the Oxford Canal, making it one of the best-placed hire bases on the network for choice of routes. Braunston is a classic canal village with a long boating history, and the marina and surrounding wharves make a memorable start or finish to a canal holiday.
Boat Hire
Blisworth Tunnel Boats
Author Image

Blisworth Tunnel Boats

Blisworth Tunnel Boats (trading as Mill Wharf Boats) is a family-run boatyard and chandlery based at Mill Wharf on the Grand Union Canal in Blisworth, Northamptonshire, close to the southern portal of Blisworth Tunnel and a short stroll from the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne. The yard offers narrowboat hire and canal boat holidays, boat sales, and a full range of boat servicing and repairs from its dry dock and wet dock. Facilities include bottled gas, diesel, a water point, Elsan disposal, and pump-out services, making it a handy stop for boaters passing through this popular stretch of the Grand Union Canal’s Northampton Arm approach.