Narrowboat Accessibility Statement & Information

Navigating a narrowboat and the surrounding towpaths is an active, physical holiday. We want to ensure your safety and comfort as best we can, so please consider the following realities of life on the water:

• Steep Steps: Access to the interior cabin of all traditional narrowboats requires descending steep, narrow steps at both the front (bow) and back (stern) of the vessel.
• Wheelchair Access: Due to the restricted 6ft 10in width of the boat, internal doorways and corridors are very narrow. Unfortunately, standard narrowboats cannot accommodate wheelchairs internally.
• Boarding the Boat: Getting on and off the boat involves stepping across a gap over the water. Canal & river towpaths are often uneven, muddy, or lack formal mooring rings.
• Medical Equipment & Medication: All our boats are equipped with 240V power supplies (inverters) suitable for most low-wattage medical devices, such as CPAP machines overnight. Every boat also has an under-counter fridge for securely storing medication.
• Hearing & Visual Impairments: Our comprehensive safety handover is conducted verbally by our team, but a full written boat manual is also provided onboard. Please note that our onboard smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are audible only.
• Assistance Dogs: We are a highly dog-friendly boatyard. Registered assistance dogs are warmly welcomed across our entire fleet.
• Arrival & Parking: Our Middlewich boatyard features flat surfaces and parking close to the moorings. Our team is always on hand to assist with carrying your luggage directly from your car to your boat.

Please note that the cruising times and holiday durations illustrated in our route guides are provided as a guide only. They are calculated based on optimum waterway conditions and the suitable health and ability of the crew manning the vessel; actual cruising times may vary.

When booking your holiday, please carefully consider the individual needs and abilities of your entire crew, and the duration of holiday required to achieve your specific route aims together:

• Pace vs. Duration: For some crews, a 7-night duration is suitable for completing active routes like the Cheshire Ring, though this requires long hours of daily cruising and consistent physical effort at the locks.
• Extended Holidays: For many crews, a 14-night holiday may be necessary to achieve the same route aims at a more manageable, inclusive, and relaxed pace.
• Physical Sustainability: Long days with maximum physical effort are not possible for every crew. We strongly recommend choosing a route and duration that prioritises the comfort and safety of everyone on board, rather than pushing to complete a specific circuit.

We have designed and built our website with the goal of ensuring it is as easy to use and accessible as possible for all users, regardless of device or ability.

• Contrast & Readability: We use high-contrast text against clean backgrounds and scalable fonts to assist visually impaired users.
• Mobile Optimisation: Core booking tools feature oversized, touch-friendly buttons to assist users with motor impairments.
• Clear Navigation: We avoid overly complex dropdowns and ensure all vital information (Pricing, Routes, FAQs) is clearly labelled and accessible.

For further independent information on navigating the UK waterways with accessibility needs, we highly recommend the following official resources from the Canal & River Trust: