About Us

A Family Owned and Operated Local Boat Hire Company based at Devizes Wharf, Wiltshire

We are a small independant canal boat holiday hire company established in 1986, operating from the historic wharf at Devizes on the Kennet & Avon Canal, offering great value holidays on fantastic narrowboats designed, built, and lovingly maintained by ourselves.

We have four holiday hire narrowboats and three dayhire narrowboats available from March to end October.

We have long been involved with the canals. David was first going on camping boat trips in 1976 at the tender age of 12. He starting hotel-boating in 1989 and has owned successful sister company Oxfordshire Narrowboats since 2001. With his wife Caron and children, they have comprehensively restored historic Burbage Wharf on the summit of the Kennet & Avon Canal to the east: now home to sister company, Cruise England , who rent out luxury widebeam holiday barges.

We only hire our boats eastwards from Devizes: we feel that there are plenty of hire companies already at the western end of the Kennet & Avon Canal so we don’t wish to add to any congestion down that way. Therefore we don’t allow our boats to descend the 29 Caen Hill Locks directly to the west of Devizes. But it’s a lovely stroll to watch others doing the hard work! If you do need to hire a boat to cruise to Bath and Bristol we’d recommend our sister company Oxfordshire Narrowboats : they operate from Bradford, Wiltshire (and also from Lower Heyford, Oxfordshire).

You are welcome to visit the boats at Devizes Wharf – but we do recommend you contact us first to check your choice of boat is not already out on hire.

Please note:

1. We do not allow our boats to descend Caen Hills locks travelling westwards.

2. We do not accept any Stag or Hen parties. Mature single-sex parties may be accepted at our discretion - please email us prior to booking.