Britain’s 3,000-mile network of inland waterways take canal boat holiday-makers through some of the nation’s best-loved countryside, and into exciting waterside towns and cities.
Drifters Waterways Holidays (drifters.co.uk) offers over 500 boats for hire from 40 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. Autumn 2025 hire prices start at £713 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for up to four people, £980 for a week. Tuition is included in all Drifters’ holiday prices.
Enjoy Taste Worcestershire afloat
From 6-26 October 2025, Worcestershire restaurants and food producers will be offering exclusive deals through a Golden Ticket, free to download from the Visit Worcestershire website. Drifters offers canal boat hire from Worcester, giving boaters the chance to cruise through the City of Worcester and the Worcestershire countryside, stopping off at participating venues along the way.
***The 66ft ‘Dunns Lark’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a 4-night mid-weekend break from Worcester 13-17 Oct 2025 for £880, saving £219. Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition. A fuel deposit of £60 for a short break is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs are based on use, approx. £10-15 per day.
Take part in a Peaky Blinders Night
On 27 September, the Black Country Living Museum in Birmingham will hose two special Peaky Blinders evening events, inviting visitors to step back in time in search of the Shelby family. Guests are encouraged to dress to impress in their finest flat caps, threads and frocks, and to immerse themselves in the industrial world of 1920s Birmingham, with an evening of live music, immersive street drama and vintage food and drinks. From Drifters canal boat hire base at Alvechurch, on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Bromsgrove, it takes around nine hours to cruise to the Black Country Living Museum.
***The 66ft ‘American-Thrush’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a 3-night weekend break from Alvechurch 26-29 Sep 2025 for £1,399. Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition. A fuel deposit of £60 for a short break is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs are based on use, approx. £10-15 per day.
Visit the Stoke-on-Trent 100 Heritage Festival
***The 52ft ‘Princess Signature’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a weekend break from Stoke-on-Trent 17-20 Oct for £840, saving £259. Price includes boat hire, non-refundable damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. Fuel is charged on return based on use, circa £10-15 per day.
Experience Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein horror event
From 18 October to 1 November 2025, Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein in Bath will be hosting its notorious After Dark horror event. You can reach moorings on the edge of Bath city centre in four hours from Drifters base at Bradford on Avon.
***The 65ft ‘Centaurus’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a 3-night weekend break from Bradford on Avon 18-21 Oct 2025 for £1,440. Price includes boat hire, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen towels and up to three pets. A £70 fuel deposit is taken for short breaks (three or four nights), £110 for a week. Charge based on use, circa £10-15 per day.
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0344 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk.
For information about visiting the canal network go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
