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.
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We had a wonderful time on Cassiopeia it’s a beautiful boat fully equipped with everything you could need three lovely double beds we slept very comfortably and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. In our five days we took the boat from Uxbridge into London Camden Lock then back up North to Cassiobury Park in Watford before heading back to the boat yard. We saw lots of birds including Herons and Cormorants and wildlife. The dog had lots of walks along the towpath. It was particularly pretty in Autumn with the trees along Little Venice and Cassiobury Park. It was lovely sailing through Harefield where my grandmother used to live along the canal. Remembering also when I was younger going to Cassiobury Park.
. Thanks Louise and Richard x
Had a fantastic 5 day break for my husbands 60th birthday on Cassiopeia which was very clean had everything you could want on board. great fun met loads of lovely people on our travels easy to book lovely owners Louise and Rich most helpful they provided secure parking for car. plenty of places to eat on canal . well behaved dogs welcome will definitely be going again through Southern Narrowboats 5 star
We had a fabulous time and the staff were all very caring and helped us have a wonderful holiday.
Really enjoyed our recent trip on Little Egret. Great facilities on the boat, friendly and helpful, especially as this was our first canal boat trip. Ideal holiday to get the teenagers away from screens – They were more confident than the adults by the end of the week!
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.
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 💛
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.
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 fantastic holiday with Southern Narrowboats! With our three boys 4, 8 & 10, it was such an adventure and found our way into the country very exciting and relaxing. The boat was beautiful with a gold brass tiller that mage us feel a step up in the narrow boat style steaks ! Warm cosy and easy to manage it was a very restful holiday. Highly recommend both Louise and Richards very experienced and well managed excursions. ! The family Cox
We had a great week on The Cassiopeia. Great boat which was brilliantly prepared by Richard & Louise. Highly recommended.
