• Holiday makers pass through a bridge hole during a canal boat hire
  • Two Chas. Hardern Narrowboats Moored up along the canal
  • Holiday Hire Narrowboat waiting to enter Saltersford Tunnel during a canal boat holiday
  • Narrowboat interior of one of holiday hire narrowboats
  • Chas. Hardern Narrowboat Moored up along the canal
Our 2026 Prices are now available! View Prices

 

Canal Holiday Hire with Chas. Hardern

Llangollen, Shropshire Union & adjoining canals

Canal breaks on UK canals are quite unlike any other experience. Both in the variety of the surroundings and in actually having time to look at them, canal holiday boat hire provides an escape from the rush and monotony of ordinary life.

Two holiday narrowboats moored at Chas Hardarn boatyard in Cheshire on the Shropshire Union Canal, awaiting for their customers to explore the nearby routes including Shropshire and Llangollen Canals.

But there is also a magic at work. Sometimes it is the looking glass magic of familiar scenes viewed from a new angle and in a different light – these are the rural stretches, the fields with the inquisitive sheep and cattle, the swans bringing their dignified selves to accept your bits of bread, the ducks who loudly demand the same, the endless variety of trees and bushes and flowers, of flying and swimming and scuttling wildlife, the nice humpy bridges.

And the industrial stretches have a curious and potent charm all their own – you often have a feeling of having dropped through time straight back into history. Much of the old workmanship is so good and so enduring, the old warehouses and wharfs and tunnels with their beautifully set bricks are memorials of the strength and assurance of a bygone age.

Then there are the huge embankments, the aqueducts, the deep, still cuttings where the trees twist into fantastic shapes as they somehow cling to the rocky sides, and bridges incredibly high and slender soaring up into misty shade. Canal holiday boat hire opens up a world only seen in dreams, or occasionally glimpsed in a very old engraving!

 

Chas Hardern

Our company has been established for 40 years and is one of the very few family hire fleets still run by the original family.

Canal boat holiday customers onboard a Chas Hardern narrowboat

We live onsite so should your arrival be delayed do not worry -we will still be here, although a phone call is appreciated.

We can collect public transport arrivals from the nearest village and assist with your grocery shopping.

As you pay for the fuel at the end of your holiday you are only paying for the amount you personally use, by far the fairest way.

 

 

 

British Marine Federation Hire Boat Handover Audit

Hireboat Handover

Our staff have completed the British Marine Federation Hire Boat Handover Audit so you can be assured that your instruction will be undertaken by fully qualified and experienced personnel. We only send out two boats at a time and so have plenty of time to spend with you. Your instruction will include being accompanied whilst you turn the boat around and go through your first lock.

 

For our Danish, Swedish and Norwegian customers – an article by Mons Kettenhoej on his Chas Hardern Boating adventure – Link to Article

 

Canal Boat Holidays on England’s waterways with the friendly family firm, based beneath Cheshire’s castles, who aim to give you a relaxing enjoyable canal holiday.

Logos: Association of Pleasure Craft Operators, The Inlands Waterways Association, Federation of Small Businesses, British Marine Federation

 

What our hirers are saying

Providing Canal Boat Holidays for over 50 years, we’ve amassed 100’s of 5-star reviews.
Please find a selection below; others can be seen on our Facebook and Google reviews pages.

“Absolutely a wonderful experience traveling the canals!”

Absolutely a wonderful experience traveling the canals! Chas and his team were incredibly helpful, kind and knowledgeable. Our holiday on the boat (Goldberry) was an amazing, unforgettable time and we would love to do it again. Many people along the canal knew of Chas and commented on his great work and amazing boats. Highly recommended!

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“Absolutely a wonderful experience traveling the canals!”

What a lovely weeks holiday we have just had. 2 families - one on Goldberry, one on Strider. 6 dogs between us. We couldn’t fault the boats at all. They had everything we needed. Great instruction from both Chas and George. The weather was just perfect and we managed to get all the way to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, mooring up just after returning back over. Would highly recommend Chas Harden Boat Hire. Looking forward to hiring another boat very soon

“What a fantastic week”

Spent Christmas on Goldberry from the Chas Hardern fleet, one of his 4 Birth 50 foot boats, what a fantastic week, from Lindsay's patience when going through what we might want to fit our needs to Chas and George’s politeness, patience and knowledge of their local network and boats, one the joys of choosing a truly independent company who have grow up around the area and on the canal network for 50 years, thank you so much and do I need to say I would 100% recommend, and hope to be able use one of your boats again,

“The trip from Beeston to Llangollen was spectacular.”

Our week on narrowboat Thorin was amazing and immensely rewarding. For us as novices, Chas, James, Lindsey and the rest of the team were supportive, encouraging, helpful and so friendly. The whole team were always there ready to help. Nothing was too small. Thorin was a little home from home, comfortable and clean. The trip from Beeston to Llangollen was spectacular. For first timers it was a great experience and well worth all the locks on the way to Llangollen and back!

“An experience we will never forget.”

Had a really great experience of a fortnight on a narrowboat thanks to Chas Hardern and his team.

We organised it from Australia several months ahead and found communication excellent. Lindsay answered emails within hours. The boat was scrupulously clean and well maintained. James was great in giving us our introductions and instructions on the boat and boating in general. I had 2 previous week long narrowboat holidays almost 10 years ago and my wife had no previous experience. He was patient and explained in a way we both understood. Then he helped load all our gear onto the boat.

We were pleasantly surprised with all the little extras that were totally unexpected but really appreciated. Can’t speak highly enough of this company. Thanks guys it was an experience we will never forget.

Mike A
on board narrowboat Roheryn
Llangollen & Return

“Wonderful way to see rural England”

Wonderful way to see rural England. We meandered through Cheshire & Shropshire. The boat was well-equipped and manageable. Good orientation and 24 hr support available.

“A magical first narrowboat holiday for our family of six”

A magical first narrowboat holiday for our family of six.

We’re a family of six with four children aged 7 to 17, and this was our first time on a narrowboat. From the very start the experience was brilliant. Lindsay was incredibly helpful during the booking process, no question was too much trouble and all the information we received beforehand was clear and reassuring. We also appreciated having plenty of time to watch the videos at our own pace before we arrived.

On the day, the handover and training from James was excellent. He was calm, patient and fantastic with the children, which made us feel confident even though we were complete beginners.

The boat, Strider, was beautifully fitted out. The quality of Chas’s craftsmanship really stood out, and the layout worked perfectly for our family. Inside, the décor that Lindsay had chosen felt stylish yet homely, and the boat was spotlessly clean, warm and well equipped. We wanted the holiday to feel like real life, not just a break away, so we kept on top of the cleaning and learned a lot about the narrowboat way of life along the way.

We travelled from the boatyard to Nantwich and back, and it was magical. We went in autumn 2025 and the colours along the canal were stunning. The wildlife, enchanting!

There truly weren’t any complaints from anyone — which is saying something with four children on board! Safe to say, we’re completely hooked and already thinking about our next trip. We cannot recommend Chas Hardern enough. From our family to yours, thank you.

“No doubt we will return for another holiday with the Harderns!”

Chas and Lindsay are well known on the canals for being great people and their reputation was certainly valid with us! From the start Lindsay was very responsive and easy to deal with for booking. Both Lindsay and Chas responded nearly instantly to any form of communication with lots of advice and help. The boat was a great value and everything worked very well. Did appreciate our first microwave on a narrowboat! No doubt we will return for another holiday with the Harderns!

Read more reviews of our Canal Boat Hire on Google here and Facebook here

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