Welcome to Southern Narrowboats
The Only Self-Drive Narrowboat Holiday Company on the Grand Union Canal – London stretch.
Whether you are a couple, a group of friends, a mixed group or a family, you will love the experience of a Narrowboat holiday. Working to crew the boat, relaxing and taking in the scenery, enjoying the slow pace of life on the water. As they say, turn up and slow down. Watch your children’s delight to be part of the team working the ropes and locks. Watch with surprise as your teenagers put down their devices and get involved! Relax with a beverage at the bow watching the swans or keep the skipper company at the tiller. Cruise the day taking in the landscape and the sights on the waterway, then at sundown moor up and enjoy the simple pleasures onboard. Preparing and eating dinner together, watching a movie or playing cards or a board. Catch up on reading, relax and unwind. Families or friends enjoy the adventure of sleeping on the boat! Dine together in a waterside pub or restaurant, or take a stroll along the towpath, perhaps with your dog? Visit local shops and attractions. You may wish to actively cruise the waterways or use the boat as a base/floating hotel room. Take it where you want, moor and explore!
‘The boat’ is the holiday on a Narrowboat break, removing the requirement to spend time or money elsewhere, unless you desire to. Along the waterways you will find a myriad of beautiful pubs and restaurants to visit and watch the world go by
Southern Narrowboats, owned and operated by lifelong boaters Richard and Louise Whitaker, who are proud to offer their customers the personal touch.
The Only Self-Drive Narrowboat Holiday Company on the Grand Union Canal – London stretch.
The unique proximity of our Marina to London means that you can choose to head North into the beautiful countryside via an abundance of locks, or enjoy 23 miles of lock free boating and head South into the bright lights and hustle and bustle of London. The canals and rivers are your oyster. Pre-bookable day and overnight moorings are available in many locations including London.
Your boating short break or longer holiday will begin at West London’s Packet Boat Marina in Cowley, Uxbridge. Close to Heathrow Airport and the M4/M25 Motorways and nearby Uxbridge Tube and West Drayton Train Stations take you into Central London in 20 minutes. There is fully a secure car park at the Marina.
The unique proximity of our Marina to London means that you can choose to head North into the beautiful countryside via an abundance of locks, or enjoy 23 miles of lock free boating and head South into the bright lights and hustle and bustle of London. The canals and rivers are your oyster. Pre-bookable day and overnight moorings are available in many locations including London.
BOOK NOWFacebook Reviews
Fabulous 4 day rental. A terrific operation.
We had a great family break on the Little Egret, the kids loved it too. Autumn was a lovely time to go with all the beautiful changing colours along the canal. Richard and Louise were so welcoming and helpful. A great Family holiday💕
We just finished a 3 week holiday after 2 years of waiting. Big thanks to Richard and Louise for going “above and beyond.” Cassiopeia is one of the best handling boats we have ever hired (this is trip 10 for us and we have hired all over the country). She is comfortable and really well kitted out.
I contacted this company to book a trip for me and my boyfriend. We were visiting from the states and wanted to do something unique. This trip was UNFORGETTABLE and so amazing. Louise and Richard were an absolute joy to work with. They were constantly in touch and so responsive with all our many questions. It was our first time operating a narrowboat (we rented Cassieopeia) and Rich made sure we felt confident before he left us at a nearby Tesco along the towpath. I would recommend this type of trip for any couple, family, or group of friends. You definitely need to be willing to try something new and learn a new skill, but it’s doable and very fun. We had some amazing moments, learned a lot about communication, and saw England from the most unique perspective. Feel free to contact me with questions–I’ll be sure to give you an honest answer about our experience. If you want to learn more about our experience, go to my Instagram page and click on the Canal Boat highlight to see highlights from our trip (and a detailed tour of the boat!). My instagram handle is @janebdiener.
We had a wonderful week on Little Egret in the October half term. Friendly and more than helpful in every possible way. Immaculate inside, would highly recommend. I have also contacted them for advice and where so helpful. Thank you.
My girlfriend and I stayed on Cassiopia just after lockdown restrictions were removed. The owners were really understanding, responsive and helpful. The boat was immaculate and really good fun. Highly recommend a stay on one of these narrowboats.
Beautiful weekend away on the water with Little Egret. We were a crew of 4 heading north. Louise was a great help making sure we were prepared in the run up to the trip and Rich was a gent helping us out and showing us the ropes. Fantastic new experience. Thanks you!
We had a lovely week on Cassiopeia. Thank you so much for all the little finishing touches, the evenings were so much more cozy and comfortable 🤗 A perfect few days away with some very much needed quality family time. Board games and hot chocolate were enjoyed by us all. We were little lock pros by the end of the week, we all had our part to play. Lovely memories made 💛
Very friendly, lovely boat and easy pick up. We had Cassiopeia which is a lovely boat. Clean, comfortable and smart. We went up to Rickmansworth and had a great weekend. Thank you Louise and Rich.
Just back from a lovely midweek break on Cassiopeia. We’re a family of two adults and two older teenagers who’d never hired a narrow boat before. Richard explained everything and was contactable in case of any issues. It was great to get the kids off their phones for a bit and help with navigating the locks! We managed the Camden locks even though it was our first time and we’ll be appearing in lots of tourist’s photos I think! 😀