United kingdom Daily news: Getting into boats the Bard way on a luxury narrowboat with a Shakepearean twist

Senin, 02 Juli 2012

Getting into boats the Bard way on a luxury narrowboat with a Shakepearean twist

Getting into boats the Bard way on a luxury narrowboat with a Shakepearean twist

By Wendy Holden

PUBLISHED: 06:26 EST, 2 July 2012 | UPDATED: 06:26 EST, 2 July 2012

Our family has tended to avoid holidays on the water. For my husband, it evokes memories of his childhood in the Seventies when his family regularly shoehorned themselves into confined boats courtesy of a firm called Gay Cruises.

Then, not long ago, a friend lost his dog overboard during a trip along the Norfolk Broads, so I've tended to take a dim view of the whole sailing thing.

But thanks to a recent weekend trip on the Midlands canals, I realise that I may have been missing something.

Rustic retreat: The Mercia Marina is a mix of brightly-coloured narrow boats

At the new Mercia Marina, just south of Derby, there are hundreds of cheerfully painted narrowboats moored alongside the jetties.

The marina, which links to the Trent and Mersey Canal, is the brainchild of cousins Michael and John Thornton (of chocolate empire fame), and the holiday homes on site reflect something of the luxuriousness of their products.

The spacious pine palaces are painted a Dior pale-grey-and-white and feature chandeliers, en suite bathrooms, flatscreen TVs and even walk-in wardrobes.

Some of these places are for sale (Â£160,000-plus for the top-of-the- range model), but others can be rented for a uniquely British two-centre holiday experience.

You spend a couple of nights or more in a splendid lodge before setting out on one of the Marina's smart narrowboats for a few days' â€" or even weeks' â€" peaceful chugging along the thousands of miles of Britain's waterways.

From here it's eight days to London, although Birmingham, which has been described by some as the Venice of the Midlands, is closer.

All boats are named after Shakespeare characters â€" ours was Falstaff â€" and feature big, comfortable beds, two bathrooms, the obligatory flatscreen TV, velvety sofas and radiators, all of which the fun-loving knight would certainly have approved of.

Tiller girl: Wendy braves a shower on Falstaff

Another boat was called Ophelia, though I'm not sure I would have wanted to go out in her.

Full training is given, you can call for help any time of the day or night, and each boat is equipped with comprehensive guides to the places to be seen en route, including the location of the nearest Morrisons supermarket and McDonald's (like I said, comprehensive).

Boating is a great option for staycationing families, especially those laden with teenagers.

You sail through the Industrial Revolution, so it ticks the GCSE box, and not even the sulkiest adolescent can resist standing at the tiller and steering 20 tons of solid steel under a low-hanging bridge.

Meanwhile, mothers â€" glass of wine in hand â€" can take a good look at other people's gardens as you glide along at a sedate 4mph.

Mercia Marina is expanding, with boutiques, a farm shop, exhibition centre and lighthouse-shaped pub all planned to be built soon. < br />

The site is within easy reach of railway stations and stately homes such as Kedleston and the unstately Calke Abbey, and also within a stone's throw of Repton, the public school attended by Roald Dahl â€" whose famous creation, chocolatier Willy Wonka, has a real-life echo in the Thornton cousins behind the marina project.

Travel Facts

Prices vary according to length of holiday, size of boat and type of lodge. A one-week lodge-and-boat stay through Boating Holiday Rentals (01926 844249, www.boatingholidayrentals.co.uk) costs from Â£1,407 for four people in high season (from June 30 to September 2) or from Â£757 in low season. Parking, fuel and utilities are included.

For further information about Mercia Marina, call 01283 703332 or visit www.merciamarinalodges.co. uk.