Britain's canals and rivers provide havens for wildlife and are great places to visit to celebrate #EarthDay2023 (22 April).

Cruising gently through the countryside, canal boat holiday-makers can enjoy spotting anything from ducks, moorhens, swans and dragonflies, to kingfishers, otters, bats and water voles.  Even in city centres, waterways provide safe havens for a wide variety of plants and animals.

Drifters offers the choice of 550 narrowboats available to hire from 45 bases across England, Wales and Scotland.  2023 hire prices at £590 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four people, £815 for a week.

To celebrate #EarthDay, Drifters has published a guide to the best narrowboat holidays for wildlife spotting:

1. Spot Kingfishers on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal - isolated from the main canal network, this beautiful waterway in South Wales meanders peacefully for 36 miles through the Brecon Beacons National Park, providing excellent habitat for many woodland and water birds, including kingfishers. Usually glimpsed as a sudden flash of glistening blue, the 'King of Fishers' travels at lightning speeds catching several fish each day. *** The 47ft 'Red Billed Finch' narrowboat for up to five people is currently available to hire for a week (22-29 April 2023) from Goytre on the Mon & Brec Canal for £1,275 (saving £224).  Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition.  A fuel deposit of £50 for a short break, £90 for a week is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs approx. £15 per day.
2. Watch out for Bats on the Caldon Canal – the 17-mile long Caldon Canal in Staffordshire has stunning wooded sections, providing rich habitat for bats. There are 18 different kinds of bat in Britain, including Daubenton's bats, also known as the 'water bat'. They use the canal and river network extensively for foraging and they can frequently be found roosting in hollowed out tree trunks and many of the 200 year old engineering structures, such as bridges and aqueducts, which were built alongside the canals themselves. ***The 52ft 'Princess' narrowboat for up to six people is currently available to hire from Drifters' base at Stoke on Trent for a weekend break (21-24 April) for £807, saving £142.  Price includes damage waiver, tuition, Wifi, gas, bedlinen, towels, car parking and first pet. Fuel is extra, charged depending on use, circa £15 per day. Second pet is charged at £30.
3. Count Dragonflies on the Ashby Canal – a six-mile section of the Ashby Canal in Leicestershire is designated a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), recognising the diversity of its plant, insect and animal life, including nine species of dragonfly. These colourful insects, whose origins began 300 million years ago, are voracious hunters. They use the reed fringes of our canals and rivers as breeding and hunting grounds.  ***The 49ft 'Selene' narrowboat for up to four people is available to hire for a week (21-28 April) from Braunston for £1,070. Price includes diesel, gas, damage waiver, cancellation protection, parking, tuition and first pet. Second pet is charged at £25 per week.
4. Look out for Otters on the Montgomery Canal – this beautiful canal runs for 38 miles between England and Wales. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on both sides of the border, and the entire length in Wales is also recognised as a Special Area of Conservation, making it one of the most important sites for wildlife in Europe.  Thanks to the work of conservationists, the UK's population of otters is showing healthy signs of growth after its sad decline in the 1950's.  Lakes, rivers and coastal areas are the otters' natural habitats but these timid nocturnal creatures can also be seen hunting on quiet stretches of the canals. ***The 58ft 'Duchess' narrowboat for up to four people is currently available to hire from Drifters' base at Chirk for weekend break (21-24 April) for £850, saving £149.  Price includes damage waiver, tuition, Wifi, gas, bedlinen, towels, car parking and first pet. Fuel is extra, charged depending on use, circa £15 per day. Second pet is charged at £30.
5. Listen for Reed Bunting on the Droitwich Canals – many birds live and nest amongst the reeds that line sections of our inland waterways, including the chirruping reed bunting. One of the best waterways to see these lively little birds, perched up high on reed tops singing at the top of their voices, are the Droitwich Canals in Worcestershire, which offer a linear mosaic of habitats, including substantial reedbeds. Reed buntings are sparrow-sized but slim with long, deeply notched tails.  The male has a black head with a white collar in the summer.  The black head becomes a dull brown in the winter.  Females have a brown head, buff throat and buff-coloured lines above and below their eyes.  ***The 66ft 'Ashes Lark' narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a week (21-28 April) from Worcester for £1,500 (saving £499).  Price includes a non-refundable damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, two pets, buoyancy aids and tuition.  A fuel deposit of £50 for a short break, £90 for a week is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs approx. £15 per day.

For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0344 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk

For more information about visiting the canals go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

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For Drifters press enquiries contact Debbie Walker on 01628 618069 mb 077486 40577 walker.debbie@sky.com

Notes to editors

Drifters Waterway Holidays is made up of nine hire boat companies: ABC Boat Hire, Anglo Welsh, Black Prince, Countrywide Cruisers, Foxhangers, Kate Boats, Napton Narrowboats, Shire Cruisers and Union Canal Carriers.  Between them they offer over 550 boats for hire, operating from 45 bases across England, Scotland and Wales.  2023 hire prices start at £590 for a short break, £815 for a week on a boat for up to four people. Narrowboats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate up to 12 people.  Drifters also offers day boat hire from 17 bases across England and Wales.