{"id":1041,"date":"2021-06-07T10:48:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T10:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/?p=1041"},"modified":"2021-06-07T10:48:43","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T10:48:43","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-narrowboat-holiday-including-what-to-pack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-narrowboat-holiday-including-what-to-pack\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about a narrowboat holiday including what to pack"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Top tips for a narrowboat holiday if you&#8217;ve never been before &#8211; including some of the packing essentials you won&#8217;t want to leave at home<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s the summer of the staycation, and narrowboat holidays have been seeing a surge in bookings as Brits look for fun and different ideas for UK holidays.<\/p>\n<p>They can make for a peaceful break as you explore the picturesque countryside while making your way down ancient waterways, meet friendly locals and get to do some exploring while taking your accommodation with you!<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve never been on a narrowboat holiday, or you&#8217;ve just booked your first one, it can seem a little daunting especially when it comes to planning a trip, and what you need to pack.<\/p>\n<h3>Clothes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A good jumper and waterproof coat are essential for when the weather turns&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>&#8230;. but a T-shirt and shorts are also useful for when the sun is out!<\/li>\n<li>Warm sleepwear is a must &#8211; even in August you&#8217;re close to the waterline and that can make temperatures drop when you&#8217;re sleeping<\/li>\n<li>Try and avoid buying heaps of new clothes as they will most likely get covered in oil or mud, so opt for easy-to-clean fabrics, and maybe some older clothes you&#8217;re not too fussed about<\/li>\n<li>Gardening gloves can be useful if you&#8217;re going through locks and need to pull at levers<\/li>\n<li>Shoes with a good grip are advisable, along with a good pair of sunglasses and a hat for the super-sunny days.<\/li>\n<li>Bed socks are fab even in summer, especially for when you want to tiptoe to the galley to make an early morning cuppa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Kitchen Essentials<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Most narrowboats will have a well-equipped kitchen, but things like extra tea towels are a must, as are washing-up sponges<\/li>\n<li>Pack your favourite foods &#8211; there may be local shops along your route but you may not be able to find your favourite snacks and drinks<\/li>\n<li>Pack coffee and tea bags &#8211; these aren&#8217;t necessarily provided on narrowboats<\/li>\n<li>Keeping drinks in a cool-bag on deck is a good back-up option if there isn&#8217;t much fridge space<\/li>\n<li>Pack plenty of snacks &#8211; a day of manoeuvring and also passing through locks can be tiring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Other Handy Tips<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Opt for eco-friendly cleaning products &#8211; these are friendlier on the waterways<\/li>\n<li>Consider bringing your own pillow and an extra blanket if you&#8217;re prone to being cold<\/li>\n<li>Try to not run the taps too much because water comes from an on-board tank which will need refilling if it runs low<\/li>\n<li>Air freshener is a must-take \u2013 those on-board loos can get a little\u2026 whiffy by the end of the week<\/li>\n<li>Packing a good deodorant, make-up wipes and even baby wipes is a good idea for freshening up, as is perfume (not too strong though, remember you\u2019re in close quarters)<\/li>\n<li>Bringing your own radio or portable speaker is a good plan for when the sun\u2019s setting and you\u2019re having a G&amp;T on deck<\/li>\n<li>Pack board games and books to keep busy &#8211; when one of you is steering, some of the others might want to relax in the narrowboat (although a walk along the bank is also a must!)<\/li>\n<li>Pubs and restaurants near canals can get booked up, so reserve a couple of nights to avoid being disappointed<\/li>\n<li>Embrace the slow pace of narrowboat life &#8211; it can be quite a mindful experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/travel\/uk-ireland\/everything-you-need-know-narrowboat-24243926\">https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/travel\/uk-ireland\/everything-you-need-know-narrowboat-24243926<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top tips for a narrowboat holiday if you&#8217;ve never been before &#8211; including some of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[11,16],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Canal-Boat.jpg?fit=615%2C414&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabledfamilybreaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}