Frequently Asked Questions

What is a short break?
Can we see a boat before we make a booking?
How do I book my holiday?
Are there any age restrictions?
What time do we collect and return the boat?
Where can I park my car?
Do you provide the bedding and towels?
Will I be warm enough?
Where can I moor up?
What if we have never been boating before?
Do I need to be able to swim – What about life jackets?
Can we recharge the mobile phone/video battery?
Can we bring my pet?
Can we bring a bicycle?
Can we fish on the canal?

What is a short break?
Short breaks run either from Friday afternoon to Monday morning or Monday afternoon to Friday morning.

Can we see a boat before we make a booking?
Unlike some of the bigger operators we don’t have open days – as a family owned business every day is an open day at Sally Narrowboats and we are always happy to show you around any of the fleet that are on-site. If you want to view a particular boat then give us a call and we can advise when it will be available to view.

How do I book my holiday?
Either telephone us and we can talk through your needs and advise you of the best options available to you or drop us an e-mail and our friendly staff will respond as soon as possible.

Are there any age restrictions?
Because of License and insurance restrictions there must be at least two adults (over 18) on board for us to hand the boat over. We encourage the involvement of youngsters in the operation and handling of the boat but they must be directly supervised by one of the adults at all times.

What time do we collect and return the boat?
Normal collection time is 2.30pm. Boats must be back at the base by 9.00am and vacated not later than 9.30am.

Where can I park my car?
Outside parking is available free of charge within the marina site however we do ask that you minimise the number of vehicles your party bring because space is limited. Parking is of course at your own risk.

Do you provide bedding and towels?
For each of the berths we provide quilts and quilt covers, bottom sheets, mattress covers, pillows and pillow cases.
Extra pillows are available free of charge on request. Towels are your responsibility unless you are booking from overseas in which case we supply them free of charge to save luggage space.

Will I be warm enough?
This is an outdoor activity and we suggest you bring appropriate outdoor clothes whatever the time of year. Additionally all of our boats have either gas-fired or oil-fired central heating and the cost of the fuel is included in the charge for your holiday.

Where can I moor up?
Moorings are available free of charge on the tow-path side of the canal. One of the pleasures of the inland waterways is the freedom to stop wherever you want – but of course the popular places do become quite busy at peak times. On the river (from Bath to Bristol) moorings are less plentiful but occur close to all of the pubs and restaurants.

What if we have never been boating before?
Don’t worry! About half of our guests have never been narrowboating before. We will give you instructions on safe handling and operation of the boat. Also, on board each boat, there is a comprehensive ‘Skipper’s Manual’ that serves as a reminder during your holiday.

Do I need to be able to swim – what about lifejackets?
Canals are intrinsically safe places and are not very deep: However we do advise that you wear a lifejacket when moving around the outside of the boat – these are available free of charge and should be requested on arrival.

Can we recharge our mobile phone / video battery?
All of our fleet have a 12-volt ‘cigarette lighter socket’. Provided that you bring your in-car charger you will be able to recharge your phone and video batteries while aboard.

Can we bring our pet?
We welcome well-behaved dogs (maximum two per boat) but regret that cats are not permitted. A small charge is made to cover the additional cleaning that is required (see price list).

Can we bring our bicycles?
Yes, but there is limited space on the roof of the boats and you must protect the roof paint from damage.

Can we fish on the canal?
As a minimum you will need a rod license available from the Post Office and if you are in ‘Club Waters’ then you will also need a ‘Day Ticket’ for the club.

Top