Boating In Britain Inland Waterways- Preface

Preface:
An Introduction to the British Inland Waterways
By Clive Edwards, RMI Ltd

Whilst many among us may have a basic knowledge of Britain’s inland waterways, the canals and rivers of the U.K. are such a significant feature of our country that we thought they deserve an introduction – this short guide is therefore designed to wet the appétit and to serve as an introduction for those considering the possibility of hiring a boat for their holiday, but who are unsure as to which area would suit them best.

However please bear in mind that this is an introduction to the waterways of Britain, and it’s not intended to be used as a definitive guide for boating – For anyone proposing to hire a boat, or take their own boat, on any of Britain’s  inland waterways, we strongly recommend that  you purchase the appropriate and  definitive Waterways Guide to the rivers and canals of your choice, which will provide everything you need to know about navigation, mooring, wining and dining and tourist information too.

Hiring a boat on most British inland waterways is quite easy, and there are several companies to choose from on most of the more popular rivers and canals.

Introduction:

Britain is blessed with some 3,000 miles of navigable rivers, canals and lakes. Rivers are generally quite wide,  are subject to a flow of current,  have few locks, and where there are locks, such as on the River Thames, these are usually fairly wide, allowing the passage of boats of a wider beam (ie width).

Britain’s canals on the other hand are mostly quite narrow, with mainly unmanned locks only some 7 feet wide, thus restricting their use to boats with a narrow beam.

Lakes, such as those in the Lake District, or in Broadland, are not subject to any restrictions in terms of  a boat’s beam or draught (the depth of the boat under water) nor are they subject to tides, or currents although the larger lakes can become quite choppy in windy weather.

A wide variety of boats are to be found on Britain’s inland waterways, amongst which the following are most commonly seen:

On rivers and lakes there are many wide-beam cruisers, specifically designed for use on inland waterways – usually these have plenty of deck-space, and have a centre steering position (known as the cockpit), but some have the steering position forward (ie at the front) and many smaller ones have the steering position aft (ie at the back) The larger ones are usually powered by inboard engines, mainly diesel engines, while many of the smaller ones have outboard engines. You may also come across sea-going or estuary cruisers which are more powerful, better equipped for longer voyages and these days are often steered from a “fly-bridge” which is a secondary steering position on top of the cabin. This arrangement is fine on larger rivers and estuaries where there are no low bridges, but this, and their wide beam restricts their use of narrow rivers and canals.

There are also many smaller boats, many of which can be trailed behind a car, and these include small narrow-beam canal cruisers and estuary-going outboard cruisers. 

Concerns for the environment, and to reduce noise pollution too, electric-powered boats are becoming more popular, although at present most of these are “day-boats” without sleeping accommodation. Of particular importance, for the local environment, and to reduce noise and pollution, is the strict observance of speed limits; unfortunately some owners of fast speedboats, inflatables and R.I.Bs etc seem to think that they’re immune from speed limits......

Of course the most environmentally friendly boats of all are those powered by the wind – ie sailing cruisers and sailing dinghies. I was brought up, and first learned to sail, on the Norfolk Broads where there are large stretches of open water to enjoy “clean wind” un-affected by trees on the river banks, so sailing is mainly popular only on wide rivers such as the lower reaches of the Thames, or in areas such as the Lake District or the Norfolk Broads, or on large reservoirs where dinghy sailing and racing is popular. 

Probably the most interesting craft to be found on inland waterways are the traditional  “Narrowboats”
measuring up to 70 feet long, steered from a position right aft (ie at the back) powered these
days by diesel engines and often beautifully and imaginatively decorated.

On wider waterways you may also come across varieties of former working barges, nowadays often converted to use as a floating and mobile home – these include traditional Thames barges, Peniche’s from France and Dutch Barges – however these are all wide-beam craft which restricts their use to wider rivers and lakes.

Operating a boat, whether it’s your own or a hired one, on Britain’s inland waterways isn’t difficult, and varies little from operating one on the vast network of European inland waterways, and in most cases it’s actually easier because Britains inland waterways are nowadays almost exclusively used by pleasure craft whereas the larger European rivers and canals are shared with commercial traffic and in some cases, on rivers such as the Rhone, the Seine or the Rhine,  navigating on them can  be quite challenging because of strong tides and lots of lots large commercial craft. The main consideration on Britain’s canals is the fact that, unlike most European waterways, most locks in the UK are un-manned meaning you need to operate them yourselves.

If you are a beginner in terms of boating then you might like to refer to our “Boating Basics” Guide, which although written mainly with those hiring boats on the mostly wider inland waterways of France in mind is nevertheless very useful for anyone new to boating on inland waterways anywhere.

For those that prefer riverside or canal-side walking to boating we’ve included a section designed to illustrate some of the many attractive and interesting walks beside the rivers and canals.