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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Fabulous 4 day rental. A terrific operation.
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
We had a fabulous time and the staff were all very caring and helped us have a wonderful holiday.
Incredible long weekend a few weeks ago on the Little Egret. We had a great family trip with our 4 and 6 year old daughters. We went north away from London and the scenery beside the canal and peace and tranquillity was exceptional. It was great fun working the locks and learning to drive a narrowboat. We would definitely go again and are looking forward to it already! Thanks a lot Louise and Rich – wonderful experience…and all before the rain set in…very lucky!
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!
Had a lovely midweek break on Cassiopeia. very comfortable boat, most home like boat we have hired..
and we’ve hired a fair few.
Everything we needed on board. Richard and Louise were really helpful and easy to contact throughout. Blankets provided for our dog.
We had a great time. Highly recommend.
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! 😀
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.
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.
My family and I have just spent a fantastic mid-week break on the Little Egret, very comfortable for our family of five.
The boat is very clean and has everything you need on board, perfect for a break without worrying about social distancing as everything is self contained.
The information provided, and organisation from Southern Narrowboats was spot on, so many thanks.
Highly recommended.