Many of our guests tell us that walks along the canal are one of the most pleasurable parts of their holiday and it’s no surprise really when you see all that the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal has to offer.

The canal is a perfect way to explore the diverse scenery of the local area, the views are quite simply stunning. The straight and level paths are perfect for bikes, pushchairs and people that have mobility issues. What could be better than strolling along with varying scenes from ancient forests to rolling hills without having to navigate steep inclines, declines or changing terrain?

Nature lovers will be spoilt for choice as the wildlife along the canal is vast and varied. Birds are plentiful, ducks, kingfishers, buzzards, red kite, swans, herons and rumour has it an osprey! (and not just the Kingfisher, Buzzard, Kite, Heron & Osprey amongst our fleet!) You will notice many bird watchers along the way.

There are stoats, foxes, otters, water voles and bats as the forestry alongside the canal not only looks beautiful but provides the habitat needed for these mammals to thrive. We were quite shocked to see the stoat creep along the dock at Beacon Park Boats one sunny spring day!

Butterflies and dragonflies are common along the banks of the canal and can be seen dancing across the flowers that are dotted along the towpath throughout the warmer months of the year.  

The wildflowers range from lady smock, cowslips, and bluebells. Huge rhododendrons bring splashes of bright purple to the otherwise bright green banks. Speaking of the bright green banks, with the ferns and varied tree varieties that grace the canal you sometimes get the feel that you are on the edge of a wild jungle, not in South Wales! There's also a giant redwood tree which is quite hard to miss.

If you are interested in history then there is something for you too! There are so many great historical sights along the canal that are still standing and that's without the actual canal itself. These places may have been converted or are remains now but with a bit of imagination you can be transported back in time to the hustle and bustle of a busy working canal at the heart of South Wales’ industries.

The South Wales Valleys were blessed with raw materials like iron ore, coal, timber and limestone. Transporting these heavy goods was expensive and slow by packhorse. When demand rapidly grew for these goods a group of wealthy businessmen started plans to build a canal. This was in 1792, and as they say, the rest is history!

By 1794 construction on the canal began and vast numbers of locals became workmen. They were called “navigators” as they were building a navigation. This was soon to be shortened to “navvies”

The canal became a vital part of these industries and networks of tramroads and buildings were built around this essential part of the infrastructure.

There are countless points of interest along the canal such as Llangynidr Locks, Goytre Wharf, Llanfoist Wharf, The Ashford Tunnel and Brynich Aqueduct to name but a few. We highly recommend the book 200 years of The Monmouthshire and The Brecknock & Abergavenny Canals, available to purchase from us at Beacon Park Boats if you want to know more and delve into the history of the canal in depth.  

There is something about the canal that somehow magically slows the pace of life and immerses you in a calming and tranquil environment. What better place to get some gentle exercise whatever your fitness level and take in some spectacular views, marvel at the local wildlife and get to know the rich history of the area.

And what could be better than doing all of this with the added joy of a luxury canal boat to explore in and retreat to after a perfect day of immersing yourself in your interests with loved ones or friends.

Take a look at our fleet of five star boats or pick a date and see what we have to offer.

Brecon Beacons Walks | Best Walks in Brecon Beacons National Park

Walking is our customers favourite pastime while on holiday, here's why...

I Try A Luxury Canal Boat For The First Time - This Is What Happend!

Walk With Me Tim & Beacon Park Boats

Popular YouTuber and first-time narrow-boater reviews Drake

We know that over the years our guests have come from far and wide to visit us on the Mon & Brec canal. But just how far? And just how wide?

We've taken a look at the data from the last 2+ years and have created the below map to show how the reputation of Beacon Park Boats and the unique beauty of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal has carried across the globe.

We're delighted to welcome all our international guests and take particular pleasure in helping a nation new to us discover the delights of the Mon & Brec.

We also like to think we go that extra mile for our guests, like for Christopher from Melbourne, Australia:

“We couldn't fault the service at Beacon Park Boats. We were offered cold beer and bubbles on arrival, which was very welcome on a 26C day. The team had hung an Australian flag on the boat which was a nice touch.”

All The Countries On The Canal

Alasdair and the team from Beacon Park Boats wishes you and your family a very Happy Christmas and New Year! Please add to your New Year's resolutions to enjoy a holiday in 2025 on one of our luxury canal boats here on the stunning Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

As you will see, 2025 is booking quickly so please take time and see if we have your favourite boat at the time of year you prefer and then book before someone else has the same idea!

If you require us to hold the boat for a longer duration than our website allows please call the office on +44 (0)1873 858277 when we open again on the 6th January and we will hold your dream holiday for you.

Happy Christmas and New Year from Beacon Park Boats

Happy Christmas and New Year

The beauty of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is such that one visit is often not enough in order to explore it. In fact we found that over half of our guests who have stayed on the canal have visited with us at least three times! With three visits you can explore the canal in going north, going south and then by staying local. Each have their own distinct charms, giving you a slightly different experience and holiday each time.

However, for some of our guests even three times is nowhere near enough! In fact we were taking a look at how many times our most frequent friends have holidayed with Beacon Park Boats over the years. 

For five of our guests the amount of trips on the canal number in the double figures, with our most frequent friend just recently booking in for 2025 for their 15th holiday with us! (and with plenty more just behind them!) 

We take great pride that so many of our guests trust us with their precious holiday time, with so many also coming to us from all over the globe, and have dedicated ourselves to providing an experience which delivers on expectations every time - be that your first or 21st trip!

Our Guests Keep Coming Back

It's Strictly Come Dancing final time this weekend and this time we have a horse in the race (or boat in the fleet as it were!), with former guest JB Gill battling it out to lift the coveted Glitterball Trophy.

As his surname suggests, JB took to the Mon & Brec like a duck to water while trying out a Beacon Park Boat as part of an edition of Holiday Homes In The Sun broadcast on Channel 5 a few years ago.

JB was kind enough to give our boat a whopping 9 out of 10 and we're hoping for a similar result for him and his professional partner Lauren Oakley on Saturday from Craig, Shirley and Motsi.

Take a look at the video below for a clip from the episode of Holiday Homes In The Sun which featured Beacon Park Boats and hear what JB plus fellow presenters Amanda Lamb and Sam Pinkham had to say about our canal boat Grouse.

Holiday Homes In The Sun - Beacon Park Boats

Good luck JB Gill!

Last Saturday Alasdair, owner of Beacon Park Boats, took advantage of the beautiful October weather and cycled his trike from Beacon Park Boats wharf in Llangattock to his favourite place Talybont-on-Usk reservoir and took some lovely pictures along the way.

Alasdair says every time he stands on this dam he pictures the scene from the The Dam Busters movie. He also wishes he could hire the beautiful old Victorian Valve Tower from Welsh Water and serve scrumptious afternoon teas from there! 

Although sadly boating and swimming are prohibited by Welsh Water on this reservoir, you too can visit this stunning place on your next holiday with us, with it just a days cruise from Llangattock. Moor at Talybont-on-Usk and then walk up the old tram way (an abandoned railway line) to the reservoir, you can walk across the dam wall and back down the road to your canal boat.

The Mon & Brec Canal is a treasure trove of stunning natural scenes and glorious vistas for you to explore - find your own special spot through a Beacon Park Boats holiday.

Our Favourite Spots: Talybont-on-Usk Reservoir

Our Favourite Spots: Talybont-on-Usk Reservoir walk

You’ll never have experienced boats quite like a Beacon Park Boat because they're bespoke. We are particularly proud that we design and build all our boats, adding a new one (or two) to the fleet each year. The process starts by spending time with our customers, finding out what their ideal boat would be. Then we try to design and build it, with the premise that it must be the sort of high quality boat on which we would want to spend a holiday.

The initial sketched layout sits on the drawing board in the office for several months allowing time for it to mature as different customers and colleagues comment on every aspect of the plan. For each boat we focus on at least one unique element, for example an inspection launch style, wider beds, bigger bathrooms, hot tub, wet room and so on. Once we’re content with the design, we discuss it with our fabricator.

The entire process, from initial sketch to launching the boat on to the canal, takes about 12 months.

Our new boat starts life as a sketch, albeit with fairly accurate measurements to ensure there's enough space for everything required inside. The new 'shell' arrives with plenty of time for painting before the internal fit out starts. This sketch is our only working plan - the rest is in our heads!

The steel shell, built to our detailed specification, is then delivered to our boat yard - with lots of work to do here over the next 6 months!

We start by loading ballast and timber-framing the sides and roof. Then we spray Cosy Homes insulation foam throughout the entire boat. Every bare piece of steel is covered to prevent condensation forming. As a result, our boats are as warm as toast in the chillier months.

Inside we route the water and electrics before lining the steel boat with wood. And we really do mean ‘wood’; there’s no mdf here! We choose oak, ash, walnut and sapele to ensure the interior has a classic look.

Each boat is hand-painted and receives three undercoats and two topcoats. Then we touch it up each week throughout the boating season to ensure it looks pristine for every single customer. 

Next the Shire 40 engine gets carefully lowered into position. This leaves one last step; to officially 'launch' the boat with a bottle of champagne!

Although each boat goes through a variant of this process, each of our boats are also truly unique - this means we know through our tried and tested boat building techniques we will have created a five star craft but always with an added special something for its guests to enjoy.

From a sketch on a piece of paper to a finished canal boat ready for the enjoyment of our guests...

Our Fleet: Built By Us

As the colder days and nights draw in during autumn, we've decided to make our Tramway Coffee Cafe extra cosy for our customers by installing a log burner (like you can find on many of our canal boats). So why not pop down for a warming cup of coffee canalside at our beautiful Llangattock Wharf base?

Newly installed log burner at Tramway Coffee Cafe

We're always delighted to hear from happy guests after their trip down the Mon & Brec with Beacon Park Boats. Take a look at our Customer Stories section to hear more from Emma on the holiday she took with friends aboard Drake, while you can also enjoy the lovely photos she sent us which documented her stay. Thanks Emma!

A pictorial guide to a Beacon Park Boats holiday

We were delighted to be sent this video made by one of our wonderful guests. It highlights the special moments and memories a trip down the Mon & Brec Canal on a Beacon Park Boats narrowboat can create.

Customer Video 2024

Highlights of a Beacon Park Boats holiday

We're pleased to announce, after many months of research, planning and teamwork, that our new map of the canal and all that it has to offer is available as a free digital download and as a printed version for every guest that books a canal holiday with us.

We've created the map to help you get the most out of your holiday while you explore the picturesque Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. The aim is to show you that this beautiful canal offers much to explore at a leisurely pace, rather than feeling the need to rush to either end of the waterway.

As well as benefitting our guests, we hope the map will be of use to other canal boaters, walkers, runners, cyclists, canoeists and everyone who enjoys spending time on or alongside the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. 

To help you plan your trip, the guide provides narrowboat cruising times between villages and moorings based on cruising at 1 mile per hour, along with suggestions of places of interest along the way. We have also included our top recommendations, highlighted with pink coloured cards. These suggest places to eat, local walks from the canal route, wild swimming spots and exciting days out from the canal.

Beacon Park Boats is positioned almost halfway along the canal just outside the village of Llangattock, which makes it the perfect location from which to explore the area in either a weekend, mid-week break, or ideally a full week break or longer. The locks and tunnels are concentrated together heading from our wharf towards Brecon, making this canal perfect for the newcomer as well as the more experienced boater, as it is possible to take a more relaxed cruise heading towards Newport, without encountering any locks, if that is your preference. 

We will send a printed copy of the map when guests book with us as part of the welcome pack once final balances have been settled; So you'll have plenty of time to plan your trip. The digital version is free for anyone to download from our website via the 'Plan your trip' page (look for the 'Map & canal guide' section).

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