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

Walk With Me Tim & Beacon Park Boats

Narrowboat first‑timer & YouTuber ‘Walk With Me Tim’ reviews Beacon Park Boats’ very own Drake - discover their take on life, leisure & luxury on the Mon & Brec Canal.

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

Discover how guests from all over the world have enjoyed holidays with Beacon Park Boats – celebrating the global appeal of canal cruising in Wales.

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

Season’s greetings from Beacon Park Boats! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year filled with peace & joy – be that on the canals or on land!

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

Discover what makes guests return time & again to the Mon & Brec & Beacon Park Boats – with more & more now counting their stays with us in the double figures!

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!

Best wishes to friend of Beacon Park Boats JB Gill as he takes part in the Strictly Come Dancing final this weekend.

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

In our series highlighting our favourite spots on the Mon & Brec Canal, our founder Alasdair tells us why the Talybont-on-Usk reservoir is such a special place.

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, and a fleet full of boutique narrowboats, ready for the enjoyment of our guests...

Our Fleet: Built By Us

Discover how Beacon Park Boats designs & builds each of our bespoke narrowboats – all the way from sketches to complete luxury, holiday-ready, canal boats.

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

Stay cosy at Tramway Coffee Cafe this autumn with our new log burner—perfect for canalside coffee breaks at Llangattock Wharf.

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

Explore a Beacon Park Boats holiday through the eyes (or camera!) of a guest – showing peaceful cruising & breathtaking canal scenery aboard a luxury narrowboat.

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

Experience a Beacon Park Boats holiday through a guest's eyes – from scenic canal views to life aboard a luxury narrowboat in the heart of Wales.

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).

New Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal map

Download Beacon Park Boats' new Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal map – complete with activity planner, route timings and must-see stops for your holiday.

Our new Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal map, activity planner and exploration guide

We were delighted to be featured in the recently published book 'Family Adventures: How to adventure with babies and children' by author Bex Band. Bex and the family took a holiday on our boat Falcon and in the below extract she discusses her stay on the Mon & Brec.

We’d lost our biggest champion. Cooper, my nephew (age six), had been bragging for weeks to anyone who would listen that he was being taken on a cruise. In reality, we were hiring a canal boat for a mid-week break in Wales for the October half term. We’d stuck with the word ‘cruise’ for now, though, happy that one of the three kids we were taking was so enthused by our adventure plans, even if not entirely accurate.

Cooper's enthusiasm had plummeted with just an hour to go before we reached Llangatock, where we’d be collecting our boat from Brecon Park Boats (www.beaconparkboats.com). His constant ‘are we there yet’ enquiries had been replaced by ‘I want to go home’.

‘You don’t want to go on the cruise? It’ll be really cool! You get to steer the boat! You’re going to be a pirate!’ I desperately tried to get some of his earlier enthusiasm back.

The journey began to unravel. Dulcie, my niece aged eight, kept declaring she was hungry, despite devouring three bowls of porridge and a slice of toast just an hour ago. Rivi, aged two, was angrily demanding her dummy.

‘But you’ve got a dummy in your mouth’

When we arrived at Brecon Park Boats, the fleet of neatly painted green boats was lined up, and the car park was a flurry of activity with holidaymakers unloading their cars and snapping pictures. We had a warm welcome and were given a large trolley to fill and load our luggage before heading down to the pontoon to find our boat.

Cooper had now switched from asking every five minutes to go home to running between the boat and our car, screaming, ‘I think that massive boat is ours!!’ (‘Ok, great - but stay away from the water,’) Dulcie asked if she could go to the boat shop opposite the pontoon (‘yes - but don’t touch anything, and we aren’t buying anything!’), and Rivi was running and jumping in circles making monkey sounds. She had no idea why the excitement levels of the older kids had suddenly rocketed, but that wasn’t going to stop her. (‘Just hold my hand please Rivi and watch for cars!’).

I think I preferred the grumpy demands. This was the part of the trip I’d been most stressed about. Before setting off, we had to unload all our stuff onto the boat, watch an instructional video on how to use the boat, get the kids fitted out with life vests and then have a short ‘driving lesson’. We’d been warned it would take at least an hour, and as neither Gil nor I had driven a canal boat before, we were anxious to make sure we learnt everything we needed to.

We had a plan, however. We got the kids on board and seated in the salon (practically blindfolding them on the way, so we didn’t trigger the ‘which bed is mine’ debate); Gil whipped out his laptop and started playing a film. I threw a handful of snacks at them and was grateful when one of the staff members gave each a carton of juice.

Gil went about watching the introduction video while I unpacked our mountain of luggage. As instructed, we’d used soft bags (mostly supermarket ‘bags for life’) as storage on the boat was limited to small awkward spaces. It was the first time I could take the boat properly. It was stunning. The owner of Brecon Park Boats said the Orient Express had inspired the design of Falcon, our boat, and I could see the influence immediately with the wooden finish, brass fixtures, and quaint lamps fixed to the corridor side of beds.

At the back of the boat was the tiller (for steering), and on one side, four steps (watch your head!) to take you into the belly of the boat. On the left was a long corridor (I had to stoop slightly while walking down it, although it was perfectly spacious for the kids). Three double beds were permanently set up on the right-hand side, one after the other. They came with bedding and were already set up. Between the beds were two bathrooms (with a sink, flushing toilet and shower - hot water heated by the onboard heater or engine) and two narrow wardrobes for storage; the doors also opened to create a partition between the beds for privacy.

At the front of the boat was a fully equipped kitchen and, on the other side of the ‘galley’ two padded seating areas facing each other - in between, you could make a table appear magically or could even turn the area into a fourth bed if needed. Beyond that, two doors open to a small outdoor space.

Throughout the boat, many windows were pouring in natural light. There were also a lot of buttons everywhere. Remote control blinds, lights, heaters, important-looking engine buttons, and even to make a hidden TV appear in the seating area (I’m already dreading the hundred times I’m going to have to say ‘don’t press the buttons!’). 

I feel excited about spending the next few days self-contained on this boat. This was awesome; I’ve always dreamed of living on a boat. 

Before long, we were having our very-fast driving lesson and the instructor was hoping off our boat onto the shore before waving us off. We’re on our own! The boat was relatively easy to drive, chugging along at around two to two and a half miles per hour, using the big tiller at the back to steer. Still, we both feel anxious that we’ve been left alone so quickly. Surely there’s more to learn? What if we crash the thing?

By now, the situation in the galley was critical - the kids were hungry, and we were past dinner time. It was also starting to get dark. Gil took over driving while I sprinted between teary kids, cooking dinner in an unfamiliar kitchen (easy meal - pizza and salad) and helping Gil on deck as he steered us into the first mooring spot he could find. We double/triple-checked we’ve tied the boat tight enough.

I’d imagined cosying up on the first night, enjoying some of the complimentary sport and chocolate left out for our arrival, but that didn’t happen. We feed the gang and get them clean (enough) and ready for bed. The older two share the bed at the back, with us in the middle and Rivi in the bed closest to the galley so we can hear her in the evening if she wakes. I realise a bed guard would have been helpful, but instead, we fashioned a bumper using pillows and rolled-up towels. She’s happy enough in her snug. Not long after, I’m ready to hit the sack myself. The last few hours had been pretty full on, and I was questioning if bringing three children to a confined space on the water was such a great idea…

The ocean, diving and marine life are passions that Gil and I share. While Rivi is far too young to be introduced to diving (you’ve got to be at least ten years old), it’s important for us that she grows up knowing water. While pools are great for confidence and swimming skills, it doesn’t compare to natural water. In these spaces, be it a lake, a river or the beach, I’m often at my happiest and can feel an instant connection to nature.

Despite our love of the water and that we are both Divemasters and hold sailing qualifications, being on the water with children made us nervous. We don’t do regular paddling sports, so put canoeing, kayaking or SUPing out of the equation for now, which is how we settled on a canal boat adventure.

There are over 2,100 miles of canal networks in the UK (rivers are the work of nature while canals are artificial, built to carry goods by boat), now mainly used for pleasure and recreation. Other than fleeting memories of watching Rosie and Jim, I knew very little about canal boating, so I was surprised to find many hire boat companies available. Most of them allowed children to join and actively promoted their trips as the perfect family adventure.

In terms of safety, it seemed ideal. The boat was steady and slow, and the water still and calm. Except for locks, of course - devices used to help raise or lower boats. Getting through a lock can take ten to twenty minutes, more if there’s a queue, and some stretches on canals had hundreds of them to navigate. But not on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, where we would be cruising. We were instantly attracted to the fact that there were very few locks.

Our initial plan had been to take a route that required us to go through five locks (any way you take is there and back, so that would have been ten locks in total over the trip); there are only a few places along the canal where you can turn the boat, so once you’ve committed to a route, we would have had no choice but to get through them all. On the first day, though, I asked Gil if we could re-think our plan to do any locks. I could see he was disappointed, and I was a bit as well, but he agreed with my logic. It takes a minimum of two people to manoeuvre the boat through the locks. The older kids might have been OK to get involved with the task but doing it with a toddler also thrown in was going to be stressful.

So plan B it was. A medium-paced no-lock route there and back. That plan lasted until the first evening when we swiftly dropped to plan C….let’s do the shortest route possible. When adventuring with kids, there’s no greater lesson than realising less is more!

I was pleased when I woke up on day one feeling considerably more relaxed than the night before. It had been a restful night's sleep; to our surprise, all three children had slept without disruption. I enjoyed the snug feeling of being in our cosy bed, knowing we were on the water tucked by the quiet and dark canal side.

I was at the tiller starting on day one. Doing the shortest route, we had about five hours of driving a day, allowing time to moor over lunch and give us all a break and time for Gil and me actually to see each other. With just two adults on board, it meant we were always switched on. One would be driving the boat, and the other would be tending to the children and sorting meals. My captain experience lasted about an hour before I called for Gil and asked if he wanted to take over. Steering was not my forte. I’d already bumped the sides twice (our driving instructor told us hitting the side was ok but not other boats), and each time a canal boat appeared heading our way, my stress levels would rise as I pictured myself causing a crash and sinking us both. Thankfully Gil enjoyed the task much more than I did and was able to work out how to keep the boat straight. That suited me just fine; I was happy to potter about in the kitchen and with the kids.

It didn’t take long to slot into a routine on the canal. We’d set off early while I made breakfast for everyone. After tidying up, the children were free to play with their toys. They’d each brought a bag of toys and crafts. We’d then get them all outside (lifejackets on), either helping Gil with steering or just walking on the canal side, keeping up with the boat. Dulcie was tasked with reporting the number on each bridge we passed and then working out where we were on the map. Cooper was a self-appointed fisherman. He spent many an hour sat at the front of the boat with his long stick ‘fishing’.

‘I caught a fish, I caught a fish!!’ he yelled with so much excitement one afternoon that I was worried he’d topple over and fall in. He’d come across a dead floating fish. Dragging that poor fish along in the water provided him and his sister with another hour of entertainment (I refused to let him bring it into the boat, to their great disappointment).

Each day we’d have to fill up our water tank at one of the water points. This was a chance for everyone to have a proper runaround, and I’d keep the children busy by playing 10 Seconds. And I’d succumb to putting on a film each afternoon for an hour. I hated using screens when escaping them was one of the biggest reasons we went on adventures, but preparing dinner and mooring the boat with grouchy children was enough to tip even the most patient of carers over the edge.

I loved the pace of life on the boat. Pootling along at a gentle place in a tunnel of nature, there was always wildlife to spot and friendly dog walkers to chat with as they passed by. On day one, we were all dressed by mid-morning. We didn’t even bother getting out of our pyjamas by the last day. We’d throw our coats and wellies over the top when going outside. When the children went to bed (surprisingly tired at the end of each day despite the slow pace), Gil and I would cosy up in the salon with a drink, fantasising about living on a boat one day.

Our break on Falcon had been an excellent little family adventure. A lazy, relaxing break suitable for all ages. We said our goodbyes to Falcon and piled into the cars with bruised heads (Gil was the only one who managed to go the whole time without bumping his head even once); some great family memories and lots of promises to return to canal boating one day.

When choosing a canal boat holiday as a family, pay attention to the route options available, especially regarding the number of locks you need to pass. Caen Hill Locks and its 29 back-to-back locks may sound fun on paper, but it would probably be exhausting if trying to boat through it with young children!

Pack all your items in soft bags to make them easier to store on the boat. Take plenty of food with you. Some routes have cafes and pubs you can eat at, so make a food plan in advance. Get each child to pack a bag of toys and crafts.

We both felt our adventure would have been more enjoyable if we’d had another adult or shared the experience with another family. The spare pair of adult hands would have made all the difference with splitting steering, cooking and kid-watching duties, leaving more time for sitting and soaking up the views.

If taking a toddler or baby, I’d suggest packing a sling. When mooring, filling up water tanks or helping with complex steering manoeuvres, you can safely throw them on your back and still have your hands free to carry out tasks.

Try and engage your children in boating by giving them tasks. This could be keeping track of navigation and noting the numbers on the bridge you pass, helping with steering, assisting with mooring the boat and tying the ropes or attaching the hose for filling the tank.

Set rules from the start. The most important one is not going on deck without telling an adult and always wearing a life vest when outside. We also laid down rules to help keep the boat organised; shoes and coats had a place, and toys needed to be put away after use. A small space like the boat gets messy very quickly if everyone isn’t helping to keep it tidy.

Get your children into the habit of waving to passers-by. It’s a friendly game which they all loved that led to many interesting chats with strangers.

Read an extract from author Bex Band’s book 'Family Adventures: How to adventure with babies and children' where she discusses her Beacon Park Boats experience.

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