Best Things Nearby:
English countryside and villages seen at a leisurely pace on a narrow boat. Explore at your own pace. Catch a train to London for a day of sightseeing.
Best Things About the Resort:
Pub food can't be beat.
Resort Experience:
My 75-year-old mom was quite a site climbing from the boat to the shore by the locks and cranking the turnstile with the "winch" to open or close the gates of the lock. My friend Jan ran the gate on the opposite shore while I drove the boat in and out of the lock. A mile long tunnel, just wide enough for two boats to pass was very exciting. Luckily boats are steel and have a max speed of 4mph, so no serious damage was done when mom bumped the wall as we shared the tunnel with a boat coming the other way.We hopped on and off whenever we saw an interesting pub, village, or ancient building. No driving after dark, so evenings we tied up near a pub and sampled the delicious local specials. At one point the canal went OVER a road and we took photos of the cars below.
We stopped at the Narrow Boat Museum and learned the history of the narrow canals and boats. Boats are very comfortable with heat, A/C, TV, VCR, shower, and microwave. Stocked the kitchen after a stop and short walk to a major grocery. Hot tea was very welcome the one day it clouded over and drizzled rain off and on.
One day we tied up the boat and took a train to London and saw some major sites. Spent the first night at the hotel next to the canal boat marina. Not very tourist friendly. The pub was good, but I would not go back to the restaurant and motel.
The marina starts you off with a video lesson on how to drive the boat, turn around, open and close locks, operate the heat, and how to fill the water and gas tanks. We filled up water once (easy), and didn't use enough gas to refill tank.
We would all go again and consider it a lifetime experience. Fall was light jacket weather, lush, green fields, sheep grazing, trees still had their leaves, and fall flowers were blooming. Nights were chilly but cozy with the radiant heater on the boat and hot chocolate before bed.
Take rain gear, flashlight, and warm coat for the walk back from the pub along the canal tow paths. No car is needed. We took a bus or taxi from the canal dock to the Milton Keynes train station. Bus took 30 minutes ($2). Taxi(one hour and $15). An all-day rail/bus pass (about $25) got us into London on the non-stop train and on any bus or subway we chose all day long and back to Milton Keynes again.
Stick with pub food. Hot, fast, inexpensive, and delicious. Restaurant food was slow, expensive, and not near as good as the pubs. The canal was lined with wild rose bushes everywhere. I would like to go in the spring when they are all in bloom. I bet it is absolutely gorgeous. Tie up anywhere along the canal shore - FREE. A few places are reserved for hotel guests, but just head down the canal 50 feet and tie up. There is a path along the entire length of the canal system on at least one side and some areas both sides. Every bridge has steps up to the road and a walkway to cross over. Take walking shoes and a camera.
- Unit Type: Other
- Activities: Not Available
- Amenities: Excellent
- Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
- Family Friendliness: Excellent
- Service: Excellent