It's well known that spending time in green space connecting with nature is good for our mental health and wellbeing. Recent research by the Canal & River Trust confirms the combination of green and blue space with wildlife experienced by visitors to the inland waterways gives an extra wellbeing boost*.

Britain's 3,000-mile network of inland waterways flow through some of our most beautiful and unspoilt countryside, including National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).

Drifters Waterway Holidays (drifters.co.uk) offers over 550 boats for hire from 45 locations across England, Scotland and Wales.  2023 hire prices start at £590 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four, £815 for a week.  Tuition is included in all Drifters holiday packages.

Here's a guide to Drifters' Top 8 wellbeing destinations for wellbeing in Summer 2023:

1. Navigate the Peak Forest Canal to Whaley Bridge – on a week's holiday from Drifters' base at Stoke on Trent, canal boat holiday-makers can travel along the Trent & Mersey and Macclesfield canals to connect to the Peak Forest Canal and its terminus at Whaley Bridge. The Peak Forest Canal is said to be one of Britain's most scenic waterways, running through beautiful countryside on the edge of the Peak District National Park.  The journey to Whaley Bridge travels 39 miles, passes through the Harecastle Tunnel and 13 locks, and takes around 20 cruising hours.  ***The 52ft 'Princess 4414 Signature' narrowboat for up to four people is currently available to hire from Drifters' base at Stoke on Trent for a week 21-28 July for £1,728, saving £575.  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.
2. Explore the Staffordshire countryside & Cannock Chase – on a short break from Drifters' narrowboat hire base at Kings Orchard in the Coventry Canal in Staffordshire, canal boat holiday-makers can cruise to the beautiful waters wildlife at Tixall Wide and back, passing through the Cannock Chase AONB along the way. The journey there and back travels 32 miles, passes through 10 locks (five each way) and takes around 16 hours.  ***The 49ft 'Grass Wren' narrowboat for up to four people is currently available 11-14 August for £1,105, saving £194.  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.
3. Drift through the prehistoric Vale of Pewsey to Hungerford – from Drifters' canal boat hire base on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Devizes, on a week's break, boaters can cruise to the historic town of Hungerford, passing through the beautiful Vale of Pewsey, part of the North Wessex Downs AONB. The journey there and back takes around 40 hours, travelling 54 miles through 106 locks.  ***The 62ft 'Arctic Fox' narrowboat for up to seven people is currently available 15-22 July for £1,630, saving £542.  Price includes fuel, gas, damage waiver, parking, bedding, towels, life jackets and tuition. Pets are extra, charged at £30 each.
4. Glide around the Breacon Beacons - isolated from the main canal network, the beautiful Monmouth & Brecon Canal runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park. Stretching 35 miles from Brecon to Cwmbran, this peaceful waterway, with very few locks, offers canal boat holiday-makers incredible mountain views.  From Drifters' canal boat hire base at Goytre Wharf, near Abergavenny, on a week's break, narrowboat holiday-makers can cruise to Brecon and back.  The journey takes boaters through Georgian Crickhowell, with its fascinating 13th century castle, and Talybont-on-Usk with wonderful walks to the waterfalls at Blaen y Glyn.  Brecon itself is home to a cathedral, theatre, cinema, castle ruins and stunning Georgian architecture, as well as some of the best views of the Brecon Beacons from Pen y Fan, the highest point in Southern Britain at 886m.  ***The 47ft 'Red Billed Finch' narrowboat for up to five people is currently available 22-29 July for £1,530, saving £269.  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.
5. Cruise to the Aylesbury Vale – on a week's break from Drifters' canal boat hire base at Gayton Marina on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, boaters can travel south to the Aylesbury Arm and into the Vale of Aylesbury, part of the Chilterns AONB. The journey to Aylesbury, which passes through a series of canalside towns and villages, including Stoke Bruerne with its Canal Museum, and Marsworth next to Tring Reservoirs, travels 44 miles, passes through 41 locks and takes around 22 hours. ***The 66ft 'Purple Sandpiper' narrowboat for up to six people is currently available 26 August to 2 September for £2,210, saving £389.  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.
6. Float through the Dee Valley in North Wales - from Drifters' base at Chirk on the Llangollen Canal, on a short break canal boat holiday-makers can float through the Dee Valley AONB to the pretty Eisteddfod town of Llangollen, passing over the UNESCO World Heritage Status Pontcysyllte Aqueduct along the way. The journey to Llangollen and back takes around eight hours, travelling 14 miles, with no locks. ***The 52ft 'Princess 4117 Signature' narrowboat for up to six people is currently available to hire from Drifters' base at Chirk for a mid-week break 7-11 August for £1,549.  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.
7. Take a Thames boating holiday to the edge of the Cotswolds – on a four-night break from Drifters' narrowboat rental base on the River Thames at Oxford, narrow boaters can travel west along the River Thames to the pretty market town of Lechlade, situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the edge of the Cotswolds. The route passes through 22 miles of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire countryside, past Kelmscott Manor, once the Cotswold retreat of William Morris and through 14 locks (seven each way).  It takes around 17 hours to cruise there and back.  ***The 65ft 'Amethyst' narrowboat for up to four people is currently available 17-21 May for £1,348, saving £237.  Price includes boat hire, gas, car parking, cancellation protection, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet.  There's a £50 compulsory damage waiver and a £70 fuel deposit is taken for short breaks, with final charge based on use, circa £15 per day.  Second pet is charged at £25 for a short break.
8. Travel through the Yorkshire Dales to Skipton - on a short break from Drifters' base at Barnoldswick, boaters can head north-east along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Skipton and back. The journey to Skipton travels 13 miles through the Yorkshire Dales, passes through 15 locks and takes around 10 hours. This breath-taking route winds along the contours of the side of Airedale, with extensive views of the Yorkshire Dales – sheep, farmhouses, barns, stone walls and the occasional village or town.  Once in Skipton, boaters can moor in the centre of the town, visit shops and restaurants and explore the 900-year old Skipton Castle, one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England.  ***The 56ft 'Somerset 6' narrowboat for up to six people is currently available from Barnoldswick for a weekend break 21-24 July for £1,148, saving £202. Price includes damage waiver, pre-holiday information, comprehensive instruction, fuel, gas, parking, buoyancy aids, first pet and bed linen. Second pet is charged at £25.

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

For information about visiting the canal network go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

ENDS

For Drifters press enquiries & images, contact Debbie Walker on 01628 318069 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. 

*The Canal & River Trust's research was carried out by King's College London, Nomad Projects and J&L Gibbons using Urban Mind, a smartphone based app to collect thousands of real time audits about participants' location and mental wellbeing. Proof that time by water helps boost your mood | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)