So don't take our word for it, see what thousands of our customers are saying about us!
The rating is not a reflection of ABC, more CRT! Our trip was plagued with failing canal infrastructure - 2 broken lift bridges, one broken lock (preventing progress towards Bath) and a blown over tree blocking the canal.
05 Jul 2023
Friendly helpful staff, would have given 5 stars but the boat we were provided with this time was looking a little tired.
05 Jul 2023
Nice Marina, helpful staff. Lovely scenery along the canal to Llangollen.
05 Jul 2023
Everything associated with our dealings with ABC was first class. No detail was overlooked.
05 Jul 2023
From Gayton marina down Grand Union, perfect. The Thames very few places to find a nice mooring place, all full of long term , very little visitor moorings. Oxford canal, nice enough, but the locks very badly looked after, we meet lots of other boats and the boating community are clever helping each other. We only got to Banbury, and we got a bit tired of it. We took bus rides different places, but we paid to be cruising
05 Jul 2023
would buy from them again
05 Jul 2023
l could have rated ABC with 5 stars, but something outside of ABC happened. We had 2,5 weeks lovely start, but reaching Banbury lock 29 was broken and closed while we were waiting. Lucky it wasn’t in the middle og nowhere. We stayed there for 9 days. It opened the Saturday we had to leave. We didn’t want to go back because the locks on Oxford canal were terrible. So, very disappointed by loosing more than a fourth of our holiday. The toilet started showing red just the night before the closing . The people at Gayton marina wanted to help us in all ways they could. Nice decent of them. We definitely are back next summer, we might even try an autumn cruising again .
05 Jul 2023
This was our first experience of a narrow boat and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The boat was clean, comfortable and extremely well equipped. This may have been our first experience but it will certainly not be the last.
05 Jul 2023
Friendly staff and a smooth handover meant that we were able to depart on our holiday quite quickly. Boat was well equipped however, some rubbish had been left behind the water hose by the previous hirers. There were a couple of issues with the boat - loose curtain retainers and a very loose drinking water tap which we reported to ABC and hope they were fixed for the next hirers. We were disappointed to see that ABC still hire to group stag parties despite issues last year when an ABC boat was sunk in the Midlands and other boats damaged. We witnessed a group being abusive to a live-a-board lady, hitting her boat and then throwing beer at her just after Bradford-on-Avon lock.
04 Jul 2023
We headed towards Bath but found mooring could be challenging due to the number of Live-a-boards and the overgrown towpaths. We were lucky to find mooring in Bath halfway down the locks and used that as our base for 48 hours to explore Bath and travel to Bristol by train. Staff assured us we would have time to travel to Bristol by boat but we decided that would require a couple of long days and we were concerned about limited mooring on the River Avon so opted to use Bath as a base. On the canal we found you needed to moor early afternoon to be sure of a spot. In the mornings there were volunteer lock keepers, but not in the afternoon. The Bath flight, though only 6 locks can be quite challenging due to leakages and problem paddles and gates. We did travel on The Avon as far as Saltford Lock. There is some mooring on the Bath section of the Avon but no other between Bath and Saltford.
04 Jul 2023
This is a really beautiful and peaceful canal trip to Llangollen the scenery is amazing and travelling over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct with its stunning views was a fantastic experience.
03 Jul 2023
As always we had a great holiday this year travelling from Wrenbury marina up to Llangollen on our boat Dune Lark which had loads of room. The engine on this boat was so much quieter than we have had on boats before. The boat was nice and clean and well laid out. We had great weather most of the time. Unfortunately we had some leaks when it rained, water came in through the extractor fan, one of the lights and around the closed sky light. Our horn didn't always work when the button was pressed as also happened with the front head light which didn't always turn on. We had to have a pump out which was really quick and easy as it was done at another ABC marina.
03 Jul 2023
Oscar was a super boat. As mentioned before , it was clean and well maintained. Super equipped.
03 Jul 2023
Right from our arrival , the booking receptionist was friendly ,and pleasant . . Helpful man explained all the technical details of what we had to do , to keep the boat working well. Boat was clean, the beds were ready made up, and the kitchen had all the equipment and bits and bobs that anyone could ever need. Having cruised before, we knew the scenery would be beautiful, but you never get tired of the wonderful countryside that you see , as you slowly chugg along , appreciating nature and the herons who wait alongside of you on the banks, studying you as you sail slowly by. The bridges and tunnels are interesting to study as well, when you are sailing though or under them . Places and a world that you’d never see when you are driving - rushing and flustered in your normal everyday life. Thank you for lending us “Oscar-“ he did us proud!
03 Jul 2023
The facilities and condition of the boat were excellent.
02 Jul 2023
