REVIEW: BLACK PRINCE HOLIDAYS NARROWBOAT ADVENTURE
We take a motley crew of young children and dog on an idyllic floating holiday through Worcestershire
I spice up my first narrowboat holiday adventure, by doing it with a motley crew of two small children, a bouncy Boxer and my husband.
Excitement is high when we arrive at Black Prince Holidays’ picturesque Stoke Prior base, where a fleet of immaculate narrowboats bob beneath the cloudless, blue sky and weeping willows.
The friendly team introduces us to the beautiful Elsie, our floating home for the next three nights.
Our Princess 4 Signature Narrowboat is a shorter length, at 52 feet - making it easier for novices/idiots (delete as appropriate) like ourselves to navigate.
It comfortably sleeps four to six, and has all the luxuries you need - shower, loo, kitchen with oven, fridge-freezer, microwave, a dining area, USB ports and even a TV and radio - although screens will barely feature in our next few, action-packed days.
The children excitedly don life jackets and explore their new home - my daughter accidentally locks herself in the loo before we’ve even set off, marking the first of many colourful adventures.
Meanwhile, the lovely boatman jumps onboard to give us a coaching session, walking us through the controls, how to steer and stop, safe cruising and navigating tunnels.
I’m in charge of the locks - and my upper lip sweats a little on learning that our route to Worcester and back will have 46 in total. We stop at the first lock for him to teach me how to open and close them, with a nifty windlass handle.
He watches as I leap across canals to wench open oily locks - in my long, floaty white dress - and politely suggests I wear something more practical for the remainder of the trip.
I have, however packed as though I'm off on a yacht party, so the following days will see me in a succession of wildly inappropriate, summer party frocks, edging across canals, past hissing swans guarding their cygnets; clambering between locks and heaving open gates, while more seasoned boaters (in shorts and tees) look on in confusion.
He tells me to imagine each lock like a huge bath, with taps at the higher end and a plughole at the bottom, which is excellent advice. I memorise this, while muttering “lefty loose-y, righty tighty” under my breath at each lock.
Happy that we understand the ropes, he jumps off and we’re on our own. And it is glorious.
It kicks off with a flight of six locks, and I surprise myself with how quickly I get into the swing of them. As my confidence grows, my daughter enjoys joining to assist with some of the easier locks, picking blackberries and chatting to other friendly boaters along the picturesque route.
That is one of the beauties of this holiday - everybody mucks in along the ever-changing scenery.
The children even have a go at steering the boat - with great delight, varying degrees of success, and red wine spilled on my white dress along the way.
Our journey features excitingly long, dark tunnels, where our children gleefully point torches to see dripping stalactites and eerie chambers above us, and enjoy their echoes as they warble out Taylor Swift songs.
With a speed limit of 3.5 knots (a casual walk) it forces my gaggle of city rats to slow down - we feel our clenched, London shoulders loosen and the childrens’ mania calm as we ease into the new rhythm.
The children delight in parking themselves at the front and spotting herons swooping into the water for fish; the assorted families of swans, suspiciously eyeballing our dog as they float by with fluffy cygnets; ducks and ducklings cleaning their feathers in the shade of towering bulrushes, and grazing cows, sheep and horses.
It’s the sort of trip which will clog your phone with photos, because each turn and change of light, from sunrise, to the golden hour and sunset offer stunning new panoramas.
We see unspoilt parts of the English countryside’s most beautiful areas, from the most tranquil and beautiful vantage point... and with the bonus of snacks and wine.
Spontaneity is a rare and delicious treat for a parent, but on this boat, we have time to spot pretty pubs and ice cream stops slowly bobbing towards us, and leisurely moor up for Pimms, food and ice creams along the way.
On the first night, we strap the boat right outside the Eagle and Sun pub in Droitwich, let our children and dog run around, eat dinner as the sun dips towards the green canal and roll from the pub into our cosy canalside beds. The dream.
The next morning, we intend to get to Worcester to meet my family for lunch - we lost the detailed map with timings provided by Black Prince Holidays within ten minutes of setting off, so finally arrive at Worcester Marina to meet them for dinner, instead.
But the journey is beautiful and fun, despite the change of weather from brain-melting sun the previous day, to apocalyptic rain, leaving today’s ill-suited dress clinging to my thighs as I open and shut the assorted locks.
The change of scenery seems more dramatic by boat, from wild flowers, cobbled paths, farms and flower-festooned cottages to the city, where Worcester’s grand cathedral majestically emerges through the trees.
We moor just outside Worcester’s pretty marina, where my aunt and cousin patiently await us, armed with Rosie and Jim jokes.
We have a lovely dinner at the Tardis of a pub that is The Anchor - their creamy, Crispy Pancetta Linguine Carbonara is my favourite meal of the trip.
We enjoy the novelty of staying right in the heart of the action, and being able to jump straight into our beds afterwards - or at least, jump into the boat. Our children are far too excited to sleep before silly o’clock, and end up bagging our double bed. But they do lie in.
We can tell we’re in the city the following morning, as our propellor stops working for the first time, and we discover assorted beer cans, caught up in them.
Then we head back to Stoke Prior. This time, it’s a quicker, smoother journey, as my husband has eased into his tiller duties and I’ve mastered the locks. Handily, we are also followed by seasoned boat people, so can leave some locks open. One even cycles ahead to unlock one for us.
Everybody’s content. The children giggle and play together like a couple of drunk old sailors, and our boxer proudly stands at the front, chest out, letting his jowls predict oncoming storms, sniffing new smells and eyeballing the wildlife.
We have a gorgeous lunch at my favourite pub of the trip, The Bridge at Tibberton. It’s a pretty, turbo dog-friendly boozer with an enormous, enclosed beer garden, where our dog leaps about off-lead with another four legged chum, while our children play with a little boy who they’re impressed to learn, lives on a boat.
It is worth making the stop for the landlady alone, a legendary, Steam Punk clad character called Lynne Bisset, who mothers everybody within a pork scratching's throw, and takes enormous pride in pulling the perfect pint of Butty Bach.
While chatting to narrow boaters on the way back, I even meet another journalist, who has quit city life to live on a boat. And I can’t really blame her.
It shows you the best parts of Britain, the friendliest people and the most surprising parts of yourselves. And it's a unique trip for families and dogs to experience new things, and gently be nudged from comfort zones... but with all comforts included.
Black Prince operates canal holidays from nine bases across the UK. We travelled from Stoke Prior, in Worcestershire, where a three-night weekend or four-night midweek short break in August starts from £1,211 for up to four sharing a Signature narrowboat. Diesel is extra and costs around £18 per day. Click here to book or call 01527 575 115.
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