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Ross's Gull is a nice boat that has a good engine and handles well. The single beds are comfortable (we didn't use the convertible dinette) and two bathrooms are a useful feature. The galley has good appliances but is quite small and lacks virtually any space to store food. It also has no drawers (other than two very shallow ones under the gunwale), nor are there any drawers anywhere else on the boat. This absence of any (useful) drawers is a serious failing that ABC needs to address urgently - lockers underneath the beds and dinette are a very inconvenient alternative that I wouldn't expect on a boat of this price. The ceiling lights on this boat are also poor (with none in the corridors) and really need upgrading to modern LEDs. We also had problems with the central heating, which would rarely fire up at the first attempt and on one occasion needed five restarts. (Reported to the boatyard on our return and hopefully fixed for the next customer.) Finally, Aldermaston Wharf is in desperate need of a winding hole. All boats are moored facing Bath - if you are going to Reading and the Thames then you first have to pass through the lift-bridge west of the wharf, close the bridge, turn the boat and then re-open the bridge (which has a built in delay) to pass back through the wharf - highly inconvenient! (Boaters travelling towards Bath don't escape this chore, as they are asked to asked to leave their boat facing the way they found it when returning it to the boatyard. This necessitates passing through the lock east of the wharf, turning the boat in the winding hole below the lock and then returning back through the lock.)
22 Sep 2020
We were lucky with the weather
22 Sep 2020
Fantastic weekend on skylark. Prior to our holiday Gail Jones gave me all the information needed to enjoy the experience. The kelpies was amazing and Falkirk wheel was very enjoyable. The Scottish canal volunteers were helpful with the locks and talkative. The barge had everything u need for a weekend away and the welcome pack much appreciated. Only downfall was reception on TV but u don't really need with the surrounding views. Would definitely recommend.
22 Sep 2020
Had a week of sun which helped, but also meant the canals were very busy and this led to some tedious delays. The covid restrictions take some of the joy off departure and finishing the holiday. Having to get the boat back by 8 am was a surprise. The Viking boat was showing its age and was shabby in places and only had one 240v socket, which meant a lot of juggling of electronic devices. The marina is in a convenient location, but lacks a lot of the charm of other marinas.
22 Sep 2020
Close to Ellsmere a pretty village with restaurants. The Montgomery Canal Well worth a visit, closest Marina to Llangollen.
22 Sep 2020
Generally good. Cabin battery was hopeless. Boat return took too long - 90 mins for 5 boats - knowing that they were all returning.
22 Sep 2020
The boat was well equipped and performed well although one of the toilet door handles kept falling off and the toilets seemed to smell throughout the week.
22 Sep 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed the holiday, and the weather helped hugely, but the handover was poorly organised, we arrived for 1.30pm and didn’t get to leave until 4pm because of the lack of communication, clarity and instruction. Also the return of the boat is far too early. We pretty much lost a day of holiday. It felt unorganised with lack of info on things like where to moor- we had to moor a fair distance away. The gates were late to be opened to start unloading. The boat was fine, clean, and good kitchen facilities, but the tv didn’t work, and it wasn’t that there was no reception, it didn’t even work just outside the marina. It’s a shame you don’t provide a map or timings of how far away each point is to another. It was very difficult to navigate how far to go or how many stops to make, with no info given from yourselves. The training didn’t feel sufficient and no mention of the one way systems and how to manage it. Thank goodness for comradely between boats. As I said, we did enjoy the holiday, but not so much the experience at the marina on departure especially. The initial man I spoke to felt to me to be quite irritated. The ladies though were very polite.
22 Sep 2020
lovely boat,lovely people, very helpful and accomodating
22 Sep 2020
We were blessed by the best weather we have ever experienced during any of our narrow boat holidays
22 Sep 2020
Well laid out boat - clean, comfortable, everything we needed. Just a couple of niggles - a broken glass left in cupboard, cooker knob broken, very dim lighting.
22 Sep 2020
Boat was well prepared and your staff were exceptionally customer focused.
22 Sep 2020
Excellent experience. very clean
22 Sep 2020
We have been using ABC BOAT for over ten years and as usual it was perfect from arriving at the boatyard till the end of the holiday. Boat was brilliant and super clean as always. Staff were very friendly and very helpful. Could not fault it in any way
22 Sep 2020
Lovely staff handover was straight forward enjoyable week
22 Sep 2020