Anyone with experience of canal holidays, is this normal or were we unlucky?

[Ducklingnest]

We had a week's holiday in a canal boat last week and I am wondering whether the aggression /selfish behaviour we experienced from some other canal users is fairly standard or if we were desperately unluck

We have done a lot of sailing (ie pretty much grew up on boats/have worked professionally on them) and some of us have also spent a fair bit of time on the canals in the Netherlands as well. No issues handling the boat and manoeuvring the boat and it was a beautifully well maintained hire boat.

But two things really irked me

• a number of the water points in a row had what looked like very settled communities of live aboard users who were moored up in a group such that noone could get close to the water access and they had clearly been there for many days as a minimum (if not longer).
• twice we had non - hire boat users drive at us on the wrong side of the canal and then yell at us that we were on the wrong side. We definitely weren't. (On both instances there were boats behind us who agreed. Although I didn't need their corroboration - boating is something I have done my whole life, passing port to port is just instinctive). I struggle to imagine that these people on non hire boats actually don't know the correct side of the canal, it felt like it was a weird sport to them? Like they see a hire boat and decide to stir up a confrontation?

I loved being out on the water and would love to go again so I am really hoping we were unlucky either in who we encountered (or possibly the canal we picked).

Forgot to add, we also encountered so many lovely people!

Honestly I think you were unlucky. I’ve been on numerous canal holidays over 30 years with DH, as a family and with friends and have rarely encountered anything like that.
Anywhere you go there will be a proportion of idiots and I don’t think the canals are better or worse than anywhere else. Most people are friendly and helpful.

That's good to know!
We've come across our share of idiots yachting but never anyone seemingly deliberately being aggressive like that, more people not paying attention/motor boat users who don't know the rules of the road.

We spoke to a couple of boat owners who had seen the incidents and were equally horrified which I suppose bodes well .

But clogging up water points (ie camping there for days on end) was quite astonishing too. Almost more annoying than the aggression, which weirdly bothered me more because of how it might affect less experienced boaters if that makes sense?

We have encountered lots of friendly and helpful people on all types of boats too. And some lovely chats. I don't want to give an unbalanced impression. And DS (experienced yachtie but they wouldnt know) had lots of compliments on his driving /parking which was nice and made up for the weird encounters

It's a long time since i've driven a hired yacht but I don't recall any similar encounters where it felt we were being picked on in that way

I think you’ve been unlucky. We’ve been on the French canals several times and everyone has been lovely.

Were the 'non hire' boats definitely occupied by their owners? Wondering if they might have been privately rented to inexperienced people.

I've done French/Dutch canals quite a lot of times and always had lovely experiences. This is our first time canal boating in UK (although we sail a lot /I worked in yachting).

I am not sure if it's the fairly obvious "hire boat" markings that bring a few bullies out of the woodwork (although obviously it wasn't just hire boats having to push past multiple permanently blocked water points)

Most people have been lovely but it has definitely tainted our experience. Although maybe thats just a good reason to book again!

That's true. But one of them claimed he had been driving on the wrong side of the canal for ten years. (Although my assumption was that he was just gaslighting to bully and he looked quite unsettled when I explained my experience)
They also very much looked like live-aboard type boats rather than boats for hire. But you are right that I can't assume

Have done a bit of research and it's clear that we went along a stretch of canal that is particularly notorious for people clogging up visitors moorings /water points etc for months on end.

I loved the experience otherwise so will try another English canal before giving up

I recently went on one with friends. One of them is s full time boatie, but we were on a hire for extra space. She did comment that she noticed a difference in how people were with her when passing etc.

just wondering where this is as we’re thinking of a canal holiday later this year and sounds like this would be an area to avoid.

Kennet and Avon - Bradford on Avon to Bath.
Having researched, it's notorious for being excessively clogged with stagnant "live aboards" who are angry at the world. I wish we had known beforehand! The landscape is beautiful so it's a real shame

Actually never been on this stretch but I have heard there are more live aboards than other canals.
Apparently it’s a mix of off grid hippy types and older folk who can struggle to manage on their own.
Massive generalisation but my DH used to live in Bath and my DS went to uni there, so we know that area does attract more ‘quirky’ types shall we say!

Yes it's definitely that and in some ways incredibly sad. One man had moored his incredibly tatty motorboat to the water point so I moved it along so we could get our boat in (having been unable to attend two previous water points due to permanent settlements surrounding them). He was so wasted as he walked back to the boat with bags clinking with bottles that he didn't even notice I had moved his boat. I probably should have reported him but I had younger children on board and wanted to minimise altercations

It seems the CRT have given up trying to do anything about it as so many very permanent set ups on the temporary moorings

And I am not all judgy pants about occasional cannabis use but basically I think the entire canal around bathampton is just covered in a cannabis smog

Interesting on our tidal river we see river police and the harbour master boats regularly but the canal is a bit of a lawless zone it seems

Ps no issue with off grid hippy types, I have some in the family!

My issue is with the people who are being aggressive /anti social /dangerously ignoring the rules of the road or taking over water points .

Our narrowboat (we’re part timers - long story) is currently on the Leeds & Liverpool canal where just about everyone is lovely, it’s far less busy than the K&A (agree about some of the “characters & communities there) and we know which hire/ day boats to watch out for!

Try again, but go further north.

Fabulous! I was thinking I would love to do the Leeds & Liverpool

Although when you say you "know which hire /day boats to look out for" surely you understand that a whole range of people might hire the boats? Many of the people we have chatted to on hire /day boats this week have been regular hirers with many years of experience. I've never made assumptions about hired yachts as I know that for many people it makes more sense to hire one for a few weeks a year than own one.

You’re absolutely right. We’ve met a few lovely, regular hirers on our travels (as hopefully we were before we had our own boat). Shared the Bingley 5 rise with a particularly lovely family just last week in fact. I guess I mean the day boats you see coming with limbs and small children flailing around at high speed, and the massive wide beam first time hire boater who clearly hasn’t had much instruction before leaving the boatyard. One hire company is known for sending people out without much preparation, so we proceed with caution rather than judgment, just in case!

And of course, the canals do attract a huge range of people. Probably a far more socially diverse demographic than you’d get in a local neighbourhood, although generally with a far higher level of practical skill for fixing things, and eco-friendliness!

The L& L is a lovely and very varied canal: industrial history, big cities, beautiful countryside, bit of river action, and some varied canal infrastructure too.

"so we proceed with caution rather than judgment, just in case"

That's a totally reasonable approach!

Haha, that's exactly where we went too! But friend has also done it on a non-rental boat so still stands that it was different.

Yes. It definitely felt like our "hire boat" livery was what made a few characters feel it would be good sport to bully us. Coming straight at us on the wrong side of the canal and then making out we were in the wrong.

Stupid and ridiculous way to behave. Personally I never experienced similar on yachts (and I have been on all sorts).

No issue with anyone individually, but sometimes when any groups get together, with drink and drugs involved, anti social behaviour can ensue sadly…
Also hire boats can be a bit ‘looked down on’. We used to own a boat, and planning to do so again in future but have recently been more on hire boats. There can be a difference in how owners treat you.
Having said that we have never experienced overtly aggressive behaviour in the last few years, and have been on Llangollen, Shropshire Union, Oxford Canal, Grand Union, River Wey and the Berkshire bit of the K & A. Must have met hundreds of people who have been friendly helpful and polite!

There does seem to be a particular problem with boaters on the outskirts of Bath this winter (it even made it onto the TV news). They’ve been told to move off their winter moorings in the past month or so (and had to clear a stretch of canal for resurfacing work), so some aren’t happy.

Most of the boaters are lovely (I live by the K&A, so am on the towpath regularly), but there is a small minority who have ended up boating for a reason.