Canals, Rivers and Waterways
Canals, Rivers and Waterways across the UK, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
City and county are home to a wide range of activities from canal boating and kayaking to fresh water diving
Leicester and Leicestershire may be landlocked but they have plenty of water to offer – eight rivers, 70 miles of waterways, and a 36 metre deep freshwater cove where you’ll discover the largest inland wreck in the UK.
Visit Leicester has compiled a list of some of the highlights of the many water-based destinations and activities that can help visitors to relax, explore or get energized.
Canal boat holidays are great for families, offering the chance to set off on an adventure together out in the open air, learning how to work the locks and speak the boating lingo, as well as spotting wildlife, exploring traffic-free towpaths and visiting waterside attractions along the way.
Drifters Waterway Holidays (www.drifters.co.uk) offers the choice of 550 boats from 45 bases across England, Scotland and Wales. All its operators provide hirers with life jackets and boat steering tuition.
On Sunday 23 April 2023, Drifters Waterway Holidays is offering people the chance to try canal boating for free at 16 locations across England and Wales.
The taster sessions, which will be on from 11am to 4pm, will include free short trips on skippered narrowboats, and the opportunity to look round holiday-hire boats at many of the locations.
Cosy double berths, quiet moorings and historic canalside pubs with roaring log fires make canals the perfect romantic hideaway.
Drifters Waterways Holidays (drifters.co.uk) offers winter cruising* and cosy boats for two from a number of its bases, giving couples the chance to escape on board their very own ‘love boat’.
If you don't have access to a car or just want to cut down on your carbon footprint, let the train take the strain and spend time fly fishing within easy access of a station. You can do just this thanks to Fishing Breaks, which was set up by Simon Cooper to make fly fishing accessible to everyone - and that includes getting there by train.
The idyllic gin-clear chalk stream River Test was the birthplace of fly fishing and there are several places to fish that are accessible by rail.