F. Smedley
Hatfield
Just a brief note to say thanks very much for such an excellent weekend spent cruising the canals around Bath.
We thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone we're already looking forward to the next trip back!
Thanks also for the superb restaurant and pub recommendations!
All the best, Ed.
Poole Dorset
We needed a boat that could cater for two 6ft 4" blokes, two ladies who like their comfort and a baby with a 4x4 off-road V8 buggy! The Bath Canal Boat Company came up with goods. Gentle, yet expert advice before we set off and a quick pint got us all into the lazy weekend mood immediately. We pootled down the canal towards Bath, feeling very proud that we had one of the best boats on the canal. The main event for us happened on Saturday afternoon, somewhere between Bath and Keynsham on the river Avon, when Gilbert and I decided to save the life of a sorry look sheep that had fallen into the river. The sight off two idiots slipping and sliding up the river bank in our underpants with a muddy, miserable and soggy looking sheep was one to behold, the ramblers walking through the field at the top got quiet shock too. Anyway, a wonderfully memorable weekend on board an incredibly comfortable and spacious boat. If you are thinking of renting on the Kennet and Avon, don't bother looking any further... this is the way to do it. Just don't try and farm-yard heroics, best left to the RSPCA!
Cheers
M.Chiles
Bath
Hope you are keeping well. The weather up here has turned rubbish, so we are thanking our lucky stars that it was 100% better a couple of weeks ago. I thought I would write this review for you whilst all the memories are still fresh, so here it is.Four first-time canal boaters, three full days of lovely sunshine, two o'clock start and one 30th birthday celebration were all the ingredients for an amazing holiday on board Grand Cru. We cruised from Bathampton to Bristol floating harbour and back again over 4 days. The sun shone down on us as we trickled along at 4mph admiring the river and enjoying a few glasses of wine on deck. Grand Cru was a lovely home from home, with everything we could have needed on board. Peter gave us some excellent driving tuition and helped us when we encountered the first lock. The rest was plain sailing, lots of laughter, some real relaxation and a great time had by all. We cant recommend Grand Cru enough - enjoy!
Anna, Phil, Laura & John,
Sheffield
We hired the 'Grand Cru' for 7 days in early September for a family reunion. We all thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and were impressed with the space on-board the Grand Cru - it feels quite palatial compared to your traditional narrow boats! We (5 adults) did not feel cramped (in spite of having to spend quite a few hours in doors due to inclement weather!) We were impressed with the pot-belly fire (though were not impressed that we had to light the fire twice... in early September !!) and also the well appointed crew quarters - the beds were really comfortable. The Grand Cru's galley is also well appointed - so much so that the crew were treated to some quite amazing meals prepared by the Head Chef (i.e. Mum) and we all appreciated the bottle of wine, bacon and eggs provided on arrival - very nice touch! We have recommended Bath Canal Boats and the Grand Cru to a number of friends already and look forward to booking another trip with you soon.
Many thanks
The Peacock Family
Hunter Valley, Australia
Toronto, Canada
London, UK
Hi Peter, Hi Josh, I trust you are both well. I felt I just had to write to you to say thank you and congratulations. We have just returned from what must be the most relaxing, peaceful and enjoyable break we have ever had. Maureen and I arrived on Friday afternoon to a warm welcome from yourselves, parked right next to the mooring, and went straight on board. Your tour of the boat and talk through were first class. Premier Cru is, I have to say, superb. The cleanliness, decor and facilities are excellent. On you departure we set off in the direction of Bradford on Avon with full confidence. After about an hour of cruising we decided to moor up for the night due to failing light. We were about ten minutes walk from the nearest pub in a lovely quiet spot with few boats nearby. I lit the woodburner and Maureen and I went for dinner. On return Premier Cru was lovely and warm inside. We decided to take full advantage of the bath, a rarity on canal boats, and we sat in the bath together for almost an hour drinking wine, such peace and tranquility in this day and age is so hard to find, but we found it. We lay on the sofa beds watching television well into the night in front of a glowing red fire, paradise. In the morning it was cold outside but thanks to the central heating we were lovely and warm inside. Later that morning the rest of the family joined us and we continued our cruise. At every loch all eyes were on Premier Cru, and at one loch while I was waiting to open the gate, I was asked by one fellow boater, if I was the one on the Queen Mary, as he pointed to Premier Cru. I was so tempted to make out she was mine, but had to be honest. The following days proved as brilliant as the first day, and enjoyed by all, such a shame we had to return, and worse still return to work. Well enough said, and once again many thanks. You mention on your web site,"a small company", maybe, you would struggle to find such professionalism and high standards in a large company.
Ian & Maureen Hardy
Northampton.
what a great holiday we had, from the moment that we set foot on the spacious modern and extremely comfortable boat, we felt at home. the expertise that Mr Brown taught us, with humour, in such a short space of time was amazing. We felt confident from that time and the experience way out passed our expectations and I would have no hesitation in recommending Bath canal boats to anyone in the future...
Richard McCraith
Chipping Sodbury
A group of four of us hired the Grand Cru over a long weekend. Excellent break from the city and the boat is situated on a great stretch of canal. The boat feels more like a cottage than a small boat with plenty of room to move about and has all the essential cooking and entertainment equipment. The views were fantastic as we headed up the canal and plenty of pubs and villages to stop off at.
Peter was very accommodating in terms of meeting us late on the Friday and gave us some excellent instructions on operating the boat. Would definitely recommend this to friends as a perfect weekend escape.
Graham
London
We had a wonderful weekend especially because of the two wonderful sunny days that made our trip even better. A special thank you for the time you spent with us and the relaxed manner of your communication and assistance. We always felt safe and reassured that if we had any problems you would be there to help us. The Grand Crew is very spacious and equipped well. It was a pleasure and experience to travel with her. You may remember that the trip was a 30th birthday present for our daughter following her exhausting treatment for breast cancer, there is hardly a week goes by when she doesn't mention that weekend away. She had such a wonderful time and has said on many occasions that it was the best birthday present she has ever had. We bought her a painting in Bath of the canal boat moored by The George. This is now hung proudly in her lounge as a constant memory!
Thanks again Peter and also to your good lady wife who met us on our return.
Kind Regards
Danny and Jennifer
Devon
Always eager to spend some time on a 'Cru'! Here's a review... "There's no better way for a group of city-weary folk to relax than spend a few days on the river, and after a week on Grand Cru the idea of doing anything other than cruising along at 2mph caused furrowed brows! It was unanimously the holiday of the year and we couldn't recommend Bath Canal Boats more, the easiest and most effective getaway in the country."
Dave Cornthwaite, Little Book Creative Design Company
East Dulwich
London
We found the experience of living on a broader beamed boat very different from the narrowboats we had hired before. The spacious lounge/kitchen area was a pleasure to sit in during the evenings, and the stove made it really cosy. The kitchen was well equipped with everything we needed. The DVD player and books provided helped to keep the children entertained too. The feeling was more like staying in someone's home than in a hired boat. The bathroom has significantly more space in it than the very cramped ones found on a narrowboat. Handling was very similar to a narrowboat, though more care was needed at bridgeholes, and technically everything worked well on the boat. We had to take the weedhatch off once; Clearing the prop was fairly easy. The high point of the trip for us was an evening cruise into Bath, with the low sun golden on the stone of the ornate buildings as we passed by, and in some cases under them. The whole of this stretch of canal is delightful though, especially as it criss-crosses the steep sided valley just east of Bathhampton, and I'd highly recommend it. We got to the bottom of the Devizes locks and back in 5 days and had time to go into Bath and back as well, but those who prefer more stops or shorter days might want to take a week over it. We appreciated your flexibility in letting us keep the boat a bit longer as the next hirers were coming later. A few minor issues, we would have liked more fuel provided for the stove, as we used all there was, plus some dead wood we stopped and gathered. It would be good to make the arrangement of the double bed cabins, with one partially over the other a bit clearer in the brochure, as it came as a bit of a surprise to us. My wife hurt her back when the step up to the back cabin bed slipped. It would be good to make that secure. I was also a bit unhappy about the hygiene of the water filler being flush with the deck. We cleaned and dried off the deck around it carefully before opening it, but of course we couldn't know it the previous people had done the same.
Regards
Ian Anderson
Guilford
I went on Peter Brown's Grand Cru mid-September with my partner Gary and my 80 year old parents, our first time on a canal boat. First of all, I would like to say that Peter is very friendly and relaxed, he was very helpful both before and during our holiday, it really made us feel relaxed from the start. His boat “Grand Cru” is very comfortable, well kitted out and spacious. We started from Bathampton and went eatswards to Caen Hill Locks (flight of 29 locks, just West of Devizes). Each of us found exactly what we wanted out of our 4-day holiday. My fit and active father thoroughly enjoyed opening and closing the swing bridges and locks. My mother enjoyed putting her feet up and admiring the scenery. My partner, who always likes a challenge, learnt to navigate perfectly even through narrow spaces (especially considering Grand Cru is a wide-beam), and managed to get through a fallen tree lying across the canal ! He relished the necessary but simple daily boat checks. He probably had the most demanding job, although you wouldn't have thought so, looking at him smiling constantly whilst at the tiller with the occasional beer in his hand. He found the superbly calm and relaxing evenings in the comfort of our 10-foot wide boat very enjoyable. We were pleased to have brought enough food and drinks with us, to alternate our home-prepared meals with those in the Pubs on the way. As for me, who likes being active as well as taking it easy, I found everything I wanted: opening locks, a bit of navigating, walking on the toe path alongside the boat, picking blackberries, taking photos, etc... Another aspect of this holiday is that you meet great people and you have the possibility of making friendships.
We would do this holiday again.
M. Egan
Nous avons beaucoup aimé notre petite croisière sur la péniche dénommée Grand Cru, au départ de Bathampton qui se trouve juste à l'est de la ville thermale de Bath. Nous étions avec notre fille et son compagnon qui, résidents en Angleterre, s'étaient chargés de la location. Nous avons été très bien accueillis par le propriétaire et agréablement surpris par la taille et le confort du bateau (cuisine équipée, chauffage central, télé, etc). Notre trajet entre Bathampton et la série d'écluses à l'ouest de Devizes se résume ainsi : tranquillité, beaux paysages, écluses à fonctionnement manuel, promenades à pied sur le chemin longeant le canal, escale dans un Pub, visite de la jolie ville de Bradford. Bref, repos total pour certains et activités pour les autres : chacun y a trouvé son compte. A notre retour, nous avons visité Bath, un must !
Odette et Raymond
Wir hatten Grand Cru im Oktober 2009 für 8 Tage gemietet. Die Übergabe des Bootes verlief völlig problemlos. Der Liegeplatz des Bootes war Dank der guten Wegbeschreibung, die den Buchungsunterlagen beigelegt war, prima zu finden. Wir hatten ein Auto gemietet; eine Abholung von Bath oder Flughafen Bristol wäre aber problemlos arrangiert worden. Wir wurden in die Handhabung des Bootes eingewiesen und auch die Bedienung der Schwingbrücken, von denen es am Kennet & Avon zahlreiche gibt, wurde an der nächstgelegenen Brücke geübt. Das Boot ist mit allem ausgestattet, was man braucht und wesentlich geräumiger als die Boote, die wir bisher kannten. Die Gasheizung machte superwarm und zusätzlich gab's noch genug Holz und Kohlen, um den gemütlichen Kamin einzuheizen. An Bord ist für Unterhaltung gut gesorgt: Fernsehen, DVDs, Bücher und viel Reiselektüre und Kartenmaterial. Auch Kaffee, Tee und Zucker gab es reichlich, hat für die gesamte Fahrt gereicht. Sogar ein passendes Handyladegerät wurde uns besorgt, da wir unseres vergessen hatten. Wir sind bis Devizes und zurück gefahren (lässt sich problemlos in einer Woche bewerkstelligen - aber man sollte nach den Schleusen mindestens einen Tag Verschnaufpause einplanen). Mal abgesehen von der Schleusentreppe bei Devizes ist der Kanal ansonsten sehr ruhig und verwunschen. Insgesamt eine sehr schöne Woche. Die Übergabe des Bootes am Anfang und Ende der Reise lief sehr entspannend ab und auch zwischendrin war immer jemand für Notfälle zu erreichen. Eine absolut empfehlenswerte Reise ! Kind regards Cordula, Dieter und Luca
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