A week’s canal boat holiday is the perfect way to relax into your break, giving you enough time to unwind and explore a variety of landscapes along routes such as the Avon ring, Grand Union Canal, Llangollen Canal, Leicester Ring and the Oxford Canal.
You can enjoy a 7-night break from any of our nine canal boat hire bases, choosing from a range of narrowboat holidays route options you can take from each one.
If you have a particular location in mind then check out our ‘locations’ pages to see which canal holiday route you like the look of. There are return journeys which could be countryside based, or a mix of town and country, such as the Chester return journey from Chirk base for a boat hire experience with more variety. Alternatively, you have the option of rings that can be taken within a week, such as the Cheshire Ring or London Ring.
Many guests choose routes that suit how many hours they wish to travel on their barging holiday each day. Check out the ‘hours per day’ indication on each route page, and this will tell you how many cruising hours you would need to do to complete your route.
Don’t forget our contact centre team can also provide lots of advice on canal boat hire and narrowboat hire routes that would suit you!
Depending on the base you start from, with Black Prince canal boats you can generally start a 7-night break from 2.30pm and 3.30pm Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or from 9.30am on Wednesday departures. Boats should be returned and vacated by 9.30am Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or 2.30pm on Tuesday returns.
Black Prince offers canal boat hire from nine locations, each region having its own individual highlights and attractions.
You can head north to Scotland. From our base in Falkirk in central Scotland it’s an easy cruise to Edinburgh in the east and Glasgow in the west – you can reach both of these stunning locations on a 7-night cruise.
In England, you can choose to take a 7-night break from all of our hire bases, from the west of England in Cheshire, famous for open countryside and historic towns such as Chester, Middlewich and access Liverpool. In central England, the hub of the old industrial canals, you can explore areas of fascinating history in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Further south you can cruise to the heart of Oxford in Oxfordshire and Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, and our base in Wiltshire is perfect for countryside cruising.
Our canal boat hire base in Wales takes you into the beautiful Dee Valley to the beautiful town of Llangollen, a stunning and very easy cruise.
Depending on the base you start from, with Black Prince canal boats you can generally start a 7-night break from 2.30pm and 3.30pm Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or from 9.30am on Wednesday departures. Boats should be returned and vacated by 9.30am Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or 2.30pm on Tuesday returns.
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Snarestone-and-return-Black-Prince.jpeg 598 900 jotaylor https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png jotaylor2025-02-13 17:47:572025-11-13 19:30:13Brinklow short break
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https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/bridge.jpeg 684 1024 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2018-09-12 12:50:292025-10-16 09:51:11Oxford, Lechlade & Return
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BP-Falkirk-1.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-03-28 18:11:382025-11-27 16:32:04Glasgow & Edinburgh canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/BP-Edinburgh-3.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-03-27 18:09:282025-11-27 16:32:10Edinburgh and return
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/St-Neots-church.jpeg 840 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 20:03:192025-07-24 10:21:06Ely to Bedford and return, one week canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BP-River-Cam-Cambridge.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 19:06:572025-07-24 10:21:04Ely, Cambridge to Huntingdon and return canal boat holiday https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Snarestone-and-return-Black-Prince.jpeg 598 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:46:462025-07-24 10:24:07Snarestone and return canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Warwick-Castle.jpeg 598 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:45:162025-11-13 19:30:17Warwickshire Ring canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/oxford.jpeg 523 698 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:40:412025-10-30 16:54:52Oxford and return canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Bollington-1.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:38:332025-07-24 11:37:32Cheshire Ring canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/four-counties-ring.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:36:242025-10-02 09:49:29Four Counties Ring Canal Boat Holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Caldon-canal-to-Leek.jpeg 429 912 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:34:252025-09-18 13:24:07Caldon & Leek Canal Boat Holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/whaley-bridge-and-return.jpeg 667 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:32:142025-10-30 16:56:20Whaley Bridge and return canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/shutterstock_62525425.jpeg 664 1000 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-27 17:26:032025-07-24 10:23:45Llangollen and Whitchurch canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/stoke-prior-narrowboat.jpeg 598 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-02-12 21:20:242025-07-24 10:23:24Stourton and return canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/caen-locks-kennet-and-avon-canal.jpeg 591 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2014-01-03 13:28:442025-11-27 12:55:36Hungerford and Return
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DSC_0068.jpeg 598 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2013-02-12 21:30:252025-11-13 19:55:30Stourport Ring canal boat holiday
https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/northampton-guidhall.jpeg 649 900 Team https://www.black-prince.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/logo.png Team2010-02-27 17:42:502025-11-13 19:28:01Stoke Bruerne, Blisworth Tunnel and return canal boat holidayDepending on the base you start from, with Black Prince canal boats you can generally start a 7-night break from 2.30pm and 3.30pm Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or from 9.30am on Wednesday departures.
Boats should be returned and vacated by 9.30am Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays or 2.30pm on Tuesday returns.
You can book online using our holiday search – simply choose the base, amount of guests and the date and we’ll show you our live availability that will suit your party.
Alternatively, you can book via our friendly reservations team, who are on hand to answer questions and give advice, on +44 (0)1527 575115.
Call today on ++44 (0)1527 575 115 and a Black Prince team member will be happy to help!
