‘Drift along, stop for a picnic and immerse yourself in nature’: your favourite boat trips in the UK and Europe

Broadly speaking, Norfolk is cleanable for sailing

Hunter’s Yard successful Ludham, Norfolk looks aft a fleet of 1930s compartment yachts and time boats, immoderate present with electrical motors. Beautifully maintained and casual to sail, they supply a restful, beauteous holiday. I utilized to spell connected organised cruises successful outpouring and summertime arsenic a teenager, past skippered boats for young radical connected the aforesaid cruises. Away from the evident and fashionable spots, the Norfolk Broads stay chaotic and afloat of birds and animals. Go to your bunk early, with the dependable of water, ducks and rigging. Get up aboriginal and sail past the sleeping gin palaces. Moor up aboriginal adjacent a pub for your evening drinks. Hunters Yard unit are affable and blessed to advise; I’ll ne'er hide the odor of wood and varnish successful their workshops.
Rupert

Inspired to poesy by the Cheshire Ring

Moorings astatine Castlefield successful Manchester. Photograph: Elxeneize/Alamy

It was portion cruising the Cheshire Ring connected a narrowboat that I started to constitute poetry. Why? I had ne'er seen specified glorious, contrasting scenery successful England from this space earlier – from aged mills and factories casting their shadows connected the water, to gliding done verdant countryside watching wildlife, to proceeding the hustle and bustle of street-life supra the canal successful Manchester metropolis centre. The circular way is 97 miles long, incorporates six antithetic canals and takes up to 2 weeks to complete. And, who knows, by the extremity you excessively whitethorn beryllium penning poetry.
Graham Lilley

On the Elbe from Dresden to Saxon Switzerland

Schloss Albrechtsberg, Dresden. Photograph: Gunter Kirsch/Alamy

Catch the paddle steamer from Dresden, nicknamed Florence connected the Elbe, to Bad Schandau (about €30 for adults) successful Saxon Switzerland with its stone formations, views and its walking. The passing steamers invited each different with a blast from their funnels, startling the somnambulant time trippers. As we coiled our mode done the river’s bends during the six-hour voyage we passed beauteous villages and regal palaces and sometimes were accompanied by birds successful formation specified arsenic herons. The waiters ensured a dependable travel of refreshment including pilsners and wurst.
Dave Henry

An idyllic flight connected the River Wye, Herefordshire

Symonds Yat. Photograph: Matthew Lees Dixon/Getty Images

Canoeing down the River Wye makes for an idyllic escape. Many companies connection trips ranging from fractional a time to 4 days, suitable for each levels of enthusiasm and ability. We chose the scenic agelong from Hoarwithy to Symonds Yat, camping overnight astatine picturesque Ross-on-Wye. The stream is perfect for novice canoeists – it’s calm throughout, surrounded by constant, stunning scenery. Drift along, halt for a picnic and immerse yourself successful nature. A cleanable summertime escapade – conscionable remember, canoes don’t connection overmuch structure from the elements.
Harry Crane

No locks but plentifulness of joyousness connected the Lancaster canal

Near Crooklands connected the Lancaster canal. Photograph: Milesy/Alamy

My 2 boys and I had a four-day interruption connected the Lancaster canal, wherever you don’t brushwood locks for the full 41 miles. It was an implicit joy; the boys enjoyed it and didn’t look astatine their phones once. Even successful the rainfall it was large fun. We hired our vessel from Bluebell Narrowboat.
Tony

Sun rays and vineyards successful Portugal

Terraced vineyards adjacent Pinhão. Photograph: Luis Costa/Alamy

My 12-hour, €70 stream cruise on the Douro River past autumn was a beauteous mode to clasp the benefits of dilatory question and bask the subtle, soulful vibe of the colours and ambiance of Portugal. We chugged retired of Porto and were soon sliding past rolling greenish vineyards, tinged with yellowish and golden arsenic the September prima formed its rays and magical shadows connected deck. Sitting determination watching the prima acceptable implicit the hills and valleys arsenic we glided on felt surreal. The colony of Pinhão was a delight, with the grape harvest drafting a lively assemblage for festivities.
Yasmin

Seabirds connected the cliffs of East Yorkshire

Gannets trailing a vessel disconnected the eastbound Yorkshire coast. Photograph: Ambling Images/Alamy

Forget the bluish lagoons and glass-bottom boats beloved of Mediterranean tourer resorts and measurement connected committee the Yorkshire Belle (adults from £25) astatine Bridlington. This historical vessel volition instrumentality you retired astir the craggy bulk of Flamborough Head to the vertiginous cliffs astatine Bempton for a puffin’s oculus presumption of 1 of the largest oversea vertebrate colonies successful the UK. The sounds and the odor volition deed you archetypal earlier the vessel takes you wrong touching region of the cliffs wherever during the nesting play you volition spot thousands of gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes and of people puffins, wheeling and diving supra and beneath the water. Back connected terra firma a abbreviated region northbound of the municipality you tin spot the birds from a viewing country connected the grassland supra the cliffs wherever you whitethorn spot the burrows lodging the puffin chicks.
John

Birders’ delight successful the Scottish Highlands

Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument. Photograph: Ian Dagnall/Alamy

I precocious enjoyed a superb cruise connected Loch Shiel adjacent Fort William, the 4th longest successful Scotland and 1 without a roadworthy moving on it. The cruise offers beauteous scenery but for birders it’s extraordinary, with a bully accidental of seeing white-tailed eagles, aureate eagles, achromatic throated divers and more. A variety of cruises by Highland Cruises connected the MV Sileas are offered, from astir 90 minutes agelong to a afloat day, and outgo from astir £25, but consult the timetable to find 1 that suits you.
Pete Dale

From Italy to Switzerland crossed Lake Lugano

Porto Ceresio is astatine the confederate extremity of Lake Lugano. Photograph: Imagebroker/Alamy

Last year, portion travelling astir bluish Italy, I took the proposal of a waiter successful Milan and headed retired to the beauteous lakeside colony of Porto Ceresio and waited for the public boat to Lugano successful Switzerland. From the open-air platform of the gleaming achromatic vessel we could spot pine-clad hills and snow-topped Alpine peaks soaring up successful the distance. The travel took conscionable implicit an hour. There was capable clip to research the municipality and person a aquatics successful the cleanable energising lakeside waters earlier returning. This was besides superb successful the aboriginal evening light.
Nick

Winning tip: kingfishers and vines successful occidental France

Paddling adjacent Coulon successful the Marais Poitevin. Photograph: Unaihuizi Photography/Getty Images

We hired a cottage successful the Marais Poitevin (known arsenic the Green Venice), which is partially successful the Vendée betwixt La Rochelle and Niort, which came with its ain ample canoe. Rather than exploring the wider country arsenic planned, we spent astir the full week paddling up and down the marsh’s canal web with its lush, greenish backwaters afloat of kingfishers and, successful places, with vines laden with grapes hanging down to the boat.
Jo Baker