Our Narrowboats are exceptionally quiet and easy to operate and we explain how everything works when you arrive for your holiday.

On the South Oxford canal there is plenty for everyone to do: helping with the locks (which are easy to operate), walking the towpath, cycling the surrounding country lanes, sightseeing, sampling the many local pubs which serve delicious real ale and food.

On the beautifully peaceful Upper Thames all the locks are worked for you by smart and friendly Lock-Keepers giving you the ultimate relaxing boating holiday again interspersed with historic waterside inns and settlements, all linked by not only water but the easy-to walk Thames Long Distance Path.

Our holidays are some of the safest on water. The speed limit is about 4mph and you can moor nearly anywhere on the towpath side provided you’re not too near a lock or bridge, or on a sharp bend. We provide buoyancy aids and wall-mounted navigation maps free of charge for your added safety and enjoyment.

The South Oxford Canal

One of Englands’ prettiest waterways, winds peacefully along the edge of the Cotswolds along the Cherwell Valley from Oxford through Heyford to Banbury and then northwards towards Warwick, Stratford and the Heart of England.

The canal is characterised by its quaint lift bridges (mostly left open for boats to pass).

Places to visit

OXFORD: City of Dreaming Spires: world class visitor destination. Colleges, Museums, Theatres, Covered Market and shops, cinemas and Ice Rink.

THRUPP: Archetypal canalside village and pub of ‘Inspector Morse’ fame, with the deserted village of Hampton Gay nearby.

BLENHEIM PALACE: Short taxi ride away.

ROUSHAM HOUSE: Stately Home and superb Gardens.

BANBURY: Good shopping centre canalside, Banbury Cross, Cinema, Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool.

CROPREDY: Of Fairport Convention fame; pretty village with Civil War connections.

The River Thames

Englands finest river, the Thames (or Isis as it is sometimes known locally) flows from its source in the heart of the Cotswolds through a rural idyll above Oxford, characterised by watermeadows and cattle grazing, down to meet the canal at the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ with stunning views as one approaches.

Beyond Oxford the Royal River links many beautiful, some famous, waterside towns and villages – an unforgettably pleasurable boating experience as you mingle with traditional Thames craft such as skiffs, passenger steamers, and rowing eights.

Places to visit

LECHLADE: Historic Cotswold Town – the Head of Navigation and soon –to- be-restored Thames & Severn Canal are nearby.

KELMSCOTT: Historic manor and unspoilt hamlet – the home of the famed William Morris

…and many other equally pleasant places to explore downstream including Abingdon, Wallingford, Goring, Pangbourne, Henley, and (if you book a longer holiday) even Windsor Castle and London!

Now, see where you can go on the Oxford Canal or River Thames...