Common Flowers Along the TowpathIt's summer time, we thought it would be a great time to write about the wild flowers found on the waterways and towpaths of the UK. Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)Rosebay Willowherb is a tall plant with pink flowers rising up a 1. 5 meter flower spike, it flowers June to September. It's leaves are lance-like and are arranged in spiral formation up its stem.   Rosebay Willowherb was once a scarce woodland plant, but has grown in numbers as a re...

It's a great time to Realise Your Dream and buy that narrowboat, It's our peak time of year for boat sales and there couldn't be a better time to buy with this fabulous warm weather that's been forecast, and lots of boats arriving on a daily basis for sale at our marina.  A UK weather warning has been issued as the temperature is set to soar to 37 degrees this week to scorch Britain.   As the forecast is for the heatwave to continue for the next few days at least, it seems a go...

Looking for activities to do with the family that are free and will occupy the kids, whilst also getting outdoors and away from the computer, TV and games console screens? We've got five ideas for free activities to keep the kids busy!Outdoor PlayThere are lots of games you can play with kids of all ages outside; Nature Letters; use fallen fallen leaves, twigs, berries and nuts to write the first letter of your name in giant nature letters. Make a nature bracelet, using daisies. Or a piece of car...

Top Tips for Fitting Out A Sailaway NarrowboatYou will need a number of different skills to fit out a narrow boat shell. The key ones are carpentry, plumbing, gas fitting, electrical and painting. You will also need plenty of time to complete the project, you should allow at least 120 working days to fit out a 57ft narrowboat. Additional time will be required for planning, research and shopping for the project. You should take all of this into consideration before starting out on a self fit out. ...

The recent campaign by Sky News to reduce plastic waste highlights how important it is to to look after the planet and cut down on the amount of plastic we use and throw away. When John Ryley head of Sky News ate a bowl of mussels whilst in the company of his marine biologist son, who then asked him "Do you realise what you've just eaten, Dad?" he didn't bother waiting for a reply. "North Sea mussels contain on average one particle of plastic per gram of tissue. They get it from the seawater which...

Crick Boat Show Celebrates it's 20th Year!

Narrowboat Johan Customers Blog In September 2018 narrowboat Johan was advertised for sale with Whilton Marina. A young couple came to view this boat shortly after being advertised for the first time, the young couple fell in love with Johan and proceeded by putting an offer in on the boat. The offer was then accepted and their journey started, all very exiting.  😁The new owners of Johan sailed away early October 2018.  After a few months living on a narrowboat the new owners ...

Man made canals have only been in existence for around 200 years, but the challenges of crossing rivers has been there for very much longer. The humble brick canal bridge is a part of the UK canal landscape. They were built to carry paths and roads over the canals and to enable farmers to access their livestock and crops on land that had been divided up when the canals were built. Many of our canals were built at the height of the industrial revolution, and the only way of transporting heavy goods...

Read our top reasons why narrowboating can help you live a more healthy lifeNarrowboating can help you to live a more relaxed and healthy life. Provided that you embrace the lifestyle it can be a quiet and simple way of living, without the demands of day to day challenges faced by most, it can be a stress free existence. Space aboard is limited, but this can lead to a more simplistic way of living - you soon learn to live without the material things you don't really need, rather than k...

Fabulous New Facilities now available at Whilton Marina!Weare very excited to announce that Whilton Marinas new workshop and boat liftingfacilities are now complete. We now have a fantastic new working environmentfor our engineering and welding teams. Construction of the purpose built 9,000square ft Narrowboat Maintenance and Repair Workshop, wharf and boat lift wasstarted at the end of summer 2017 and was finally completed in July this yearwhen the boat lifting hoist arrived. The project was th...