- Estimated Cost: $2500
- Deposit: $600
- Max Trip Size: 8 people
Description:
An 11-night canal boat trip starting in Bath, through the counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire in southern England, west of London. Each day we will explore 8-10 hours through scenic villages, ancient castles and churches, and dramatic overlooks, with 4-5 hours spent cruising through the lovely English countryside. We’ll take short rail or bus journeys to visit Avebury Stone Circle and Stonehenge or Salisbury. The canal boat will be our moving base of operations, a sort of floating RV with a kitchen, bathrooms, showers and bedrooms. We have an optional hiking trip in Cranborne Chase to the south, after the main trip.
Dates: approximate and subject to change depending on how fast we get the boat reservation in!
Post-canal Hiking (5 nights): I’m planning to take the English “Gentleman Hillwalker” approach. We will have a base in a central location and walk circular day trips along the high ridges and down through picturesque villages, with short rides on trains and buses to reach trailheads when needed.
Estimated costs: $2500 – 11 nights, boat, food, train transport from the airport (usually fly direct to Heathrow), minimum one night pre-trip lodging in Bath, and airfare (currently about $1100 RT). Optional post-trip exploring castles, National Trust sites and hiking through scenic countryside and villages, 5 nights, $600.
Due to the close quarters on the boat, everyone is required to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
Email me for a reply with the following links: The trip plan, maps, and attractions. A video showing how easy it is to run the boat. The “Great Canal Journeys” showing what cruising is like, produced by British TV.
NOTE: Previous trips have filled very quickly, so in order to level the playing field a bit, I will again be using a lottery system for the 2026 trip, as follows: if there are more people than spots by March 1 everyone will go into the lottery and names will be drawn at random on March 1. Four spaces will be reserved for those who have not been on a canal boat trip, and three spaces will be reserved for experienced canal boaters.