FAQs
A booking can be made online, over the phone or in person. A 25% non-refundable deposit is required along with a completed booking form to confirm the booking, with the balance payable 8 weeks prior to your holiday. Any holidays that are booked with less than 8 weeks before the start date then the full amount is payable on booking.
The Hire cost includes Bottled Gas, Diesel, Car parking, Buoyancy Aids, Bedding & Towels.
We have dog friendly boats available. The first dog is free, the second is on request and at an additional cost of £25.00 per week. We do request that you bring your own dog beds with you, and that the pets do not go on the furniture. We would however advise that a Narrowboat might be acceptable for 2 small dogs but too small for 2 large dogs.
The Hirer needs to be aged 25 years or over. There is no legal age limit to drive the boat but anyone aged under 18 needs to be supervised by a competent adult over the age of 25 years.
Your vehicle will be parked within our secure car park at the marina, although parking is at your own risk and we cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage to your vehicles.
Depending on how much notice you give and whether we can re-let the boat determines if you will receive any degree of refund. The circumstances are clearly included in our Terms and Conditions.
Fishing is allowed on the canals and rivers provided you have a valid Environment Agency Rod Licence. Fishing is prohibited between 15th March and 15th June. Some areas you may be required to purchase a day ticket this is down to their local clubs.
LIVE BAIT MUST NOT BE TAKEN ONBOARD THE BOAT AT ANY TIME.
Your hire will start from 2pm on day that your break is booked and The boat MUST to be returned by 9am to our base. Any late returns may be are charged at £50 per hour until the time the boat is returned.
A damage Waiver of £50 is chargeable with every booking. This covers you for damage, loss or accident to your boat or its inventory during your holiday. As per our terms and conditions, exclusions include but are not limited to the following:
- Speeding (reported or witnessed. The limit is 4MPH)
- Malicious, negligent or intentional damage to the boat, its
inventory, third party property, the canal and its structures. - Damage to the rudder, skeg or transmission due to cill
damage in a lock. - Return of the boat late or in an unclean condition. In the event
of any of the above being reported, we shall claim the full cost of repairs, replacement or compensation.
The boat is insured with third party risks covered up to £3,000,000. In the event of an accident you must notify us immediately by telephone with full details and names of any witnesses and complete an incident report form. You must never admit liability.
As with any holiday we recommend hirers take out personal insurance to cover injury, loss of belongings or the cancellation of the holiday.
Southern Narrowboats have no control over restrictions on the waterways. In the event of closures due to engineering work, industrial action, flood, drought or obstruction in the water we will try to operate around these including using a different site for temporary operation. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee you will be able to use your chosen route.
The boat will he fully equipped with all the necessary crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils you will need, along with bed linen, towels and some basic toiletries. We have an inventory available to view a full list of items.
There is a boat hair dryer on board for use. We request you don’t bring your own hair dryer or hair straighteners as the boat will struggle to run these items. There is also a boat iron on board. There are a number of plug sockets on board for charging phones and laptops.
We have flushing pump out toilets on board our boats. On average the tank should only need emptying once a week. We encourage hirers to use public amenities were possible but if you do fill up the toilet you are able to get the toilet pumped out at any marina on your journey at your own cost.
There are water tanks on our boats that requires filling every 2-3 days, this can be done at regular intervals along your journey by canal and river trusts water points on route, these are shown on your canal guide.
There is a water filter on our boats and we treat the tanks regularly, but we cannot guarantee the water is safe to drink. If you have low immune system or are unsure we recommend you use bottled water on your holiday.
We advise you to bring as much food for your break as possible. There is a large Tesco and other supermarkets nearby.
You do have some larger supermarkets along the canal, but it is mainly small shops a short walk from the canal side.
We advise you to bring a variety of clothing suitable for all weather, but most importantly clothes suitable for jumping on and off the boat in. This includes sensible non- slip shoes, as well as hats scarves, sun cream and umbrellas.
You can moor anywhere along the towpath unless otherwise advised by markers which will specify if you can moor for a certain length of time or not at all, you cannot more next to a bridge, lock or outside an entrance to a marina. Mooring on the towpath is free of charge.
Whilst hiring our boats you will experience taking the boat through various locks that you’ll come across on your journey. You will receive full training in how to operate these correctly through our comprehensive handover procedure.
If you go North of Milton Keynes you will have the chance to navigate the Blisworth and Braunston, or South the Maida Vale and Islington tunnels, this must be done with care making sure everyone on deck is wearing appropriate buoyancy aid. Tunnel light at the front of the boat needs to be on, and you must follow the instructions at the entrance to the tunnel.
During the handover procedure you will be given contact details of who to call in the unlikely instance of a breakdown. We will endeavour to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.
