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Canal Boat Holidays - Narrow Boating the Welsh Way


Cerys Matthews Canal  

For the ultimate lazy holiday in the UK glide along one of Wales’s inland waterways on a canal boat.  Great for gathering a group of friend together or for family holidays, you can bring the whole gang including your pet dog!

See how Welsh celebrity Cerys Matthews and friends get on as they go on a narrowboat holiday along the Llangollen Canal.  Discover the musical notes she made along the way.

On your canal boat holiday you will be travelling at no more than 4 miles an hour, so you get to enjoy your surroundings and discover the best of the Welsh scenery from your boat.  Canal boating is easy.  A number of companies offer canal boat hire packages with full tuition provided on your departure day.  If that's not for you or time is limited, shorter guided trips are available.

Popular Canal Routes in Wales


Llangollen sign Canal boat  

The Llangollen Canal

The Llangollen Canal in North Wales meanders gracefully through the countryside crossing the world famous Thomas Telford Pontcysyllte Aqueduct towering 120 feet above the River Dee. A highlight of the Llangollen Canal the engineering feat is sure to take your breath away.

Canal boats in Wales  

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal stretches from the old market town of Brecon to Five Locks, Cwmbran following the scenic Usk valley.  It offers glorious views of the Brecon Beacons and passes  through little Welsh villages such as Talybont-on-Usk, LLangynidr, Llangattock, Govilon and Llanfoist.

Cerys Matthews Black and White   

A Narrow Escape with Cerys Matthews

Cerys Matthews and friends discover the joys of gliding along the Llangollen Canal on a narrowboat holiday. Find out how they get on negotiating locks and the aqueduct...

My tour manager Dave and girlfriend Julie pick me up with a van full of supplies. We leave for Llangollen talking about men and the weather. We conclude that the best place on Earth to be in this awful wet weather is on a boat with our own boatman as pilot. Dave is an experienced hand on the tiller, so the prospect of our three-day trip on the Llangollen Canal seems perfect.

We arrive at the wonderful Wild Pheasant Hotel in Llangollen to meet up with the rest of the crew – sound engineer Ben and Ash, a songwriter/museum curator – before picking up our boat in the morning.  Read on...

More canals in Wales


Find a narrowboat holiday operator in Wales, or discover more about taking a canal holiday in Wales at Waterscape.