February 2023 issue
On the cover of the February issue...Bancroft Basin in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon.
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Rock the boat
Boat Review
Rock Steady is only the third bespoke narrowboat built by JF Boat Building. But, as Mark Langley discovers, it highlights the new company’s considerable experience...
Foxes on the Caledonian Canal
Hire-Boat Holiday
Crossing Loch Ness and going in search of Nessie, Colin Dobson-Fox continues his hire-boat explorations of the Scottish Highlands
A boat-builder’s diary
Industry Insight
The ever-rising cost of living has affected us all, and boat- builders have been particularly hard hit. Tiffany Gale-Haynes of Kingsground Narrowboats takes us through her year
Warwickshire Avon
WW Guide to the Warwickshire Avon
Connecting four beautiful towns through 47 miles of Midlands countryside, Shakespeare’s Avon is among Britain’s best river navigations. James Francis Fox is our guide
Traffic on the Oxford
Looking Back
Chris M. Jones explores photos of coal-carrying narrowboats on the Oxford Canal
A hotel-boating summer
Reader's Story
David Courtney’s route to boat-ownership was initiated by a spell as an operator of a pair of hotel-boats in 2000 – an undertaking that saw him give up his New Zealand home for life on the Mon & Brec
Brightly painted boats
Boat-Ownership
Tony Jones’s narrowboat needs a new paint job but there’s a lot to learn before he parts with his money
The most wonderful time of the year
Explore Staffs and Worcs
The end of the year doesn’t have to mean the end of cruising. Andrew Denny spends his favourite season exploring his favourite canal
Keeping Cool Afloat
Boat-Ownership
Winter is the perfect time to plan for the hot days of summer. Mark Langley looks at ways to keep your boat cool in soaring temperatures
Water World
Looking Back
James Francis Fox reviews the first series of Water World – the TV documentary series dedicated to the canals and broadcast in 2000
The Wendover Arm
Waterways Restoration
The Wendover Canal Trust recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Moz Copestake reviews its progress in restoring the 7-mile Grand Union arm
British Waterways & the Thatcher Revolution
Looking Back
Former BW and CRT director Simon Salem looks at how political change in the 1980s reshaped a nationalised industry in ways still felt today
It’s good to talk
Last Word
Concerned about the mental health of some of her male moorers, marina owner Tiffany Gale-Haynes has started a hub to encourage support and interaction
