So don't take our word for it, see what thousands of our customers are saying about us!
Wonderful customer service. Excellent communication before, during and after our canal boat rental.
21 May 2026
Unseasonable weather (not fault of ABC!) but the canal is in a very poor condition. Very shallow, meaning a maximum speed of 2 mph. Many facilities shown on the cruising guide were closed down or non-existent and SOME existed, but weren't shown on the cruising guide. Canal & River Trust really need to work on this beautiful canal. I wish ABC had advised that there was a better LOCAL cruising guide available as Nicholson's Guide was not as helpful as it should have been.
20 May 2026
Excellent boat; helpful staff although I bit thrown out with our departure plans when staff member decided to move our boat for refueling 15 mins. before we were due to handover the vessel.
20 May 2026
As above, ABC did everything they could to make it a perfect week.
19 May 2026
Our first ever canal holiday could not have been better. The welcome was wonderful and flexible given a delayed arrival. Instruction was full and sufficient, advice good. Our boat was clean, tidy and really well eqipped, especially in the galley. There were lots of thoughtful things we weren't expecting, especially needed the waterproofs. All comms were excellent, and the staff really friendly, knowledgeable and helpful - big shout out to Tom. Already planning a return, we ain't goin' nowhere else. Thank you, ABC.
19 May 2026
After 5 and a half days the red "toilet tank full" light came on in both cabins. This strongly suggested that neither holding tank was empty when we took over the boat. Each tank has a capacity of 350 litres and each time the toilet is flushed 2 litres of water goes into the tank. By simple arithmetic, if we had filled the tanks from empty in 5 and a half days both toilets would have had to have been flushed at least 30 times per day - VERY HIGHLY UNLIKELY, especially as we always "go ashore" whenever possible to minimise the boat's toilets usage.
19 May 2026
My wife & I have been hiring narrowboats annually now for 40 years, and have a wide experience with many different companies. We hired Knot Sandpiper from Alvechurch for a week in May. The Alvechurch Sandpiper class comes in two variants, the original and the re-fitted versions. If you look at their website the layout plans and video tour relate to the original version, and the photo stills show the interior of the re-fit style, which looks more modern and user friendly. Knot Sandpiper is one of the refitted boats. It is easily the best narrowboat we have ever hired, with a comprehensive inventory, extra wide double beds, and the most up-market bathroom we have ever experienced on a narrow boat. It has LED lighting throughout, and one novel feature was the skirting-board mounted lighting throughout the vessel which could be switched on manually but also came on automatically when the headlight was switched on to go through a tunnel. The engine is very quiet, and the boat handles beautifully. However, there were 2 things which detracted from our experience. The first, relatively minor one being that the layout plans show a hanging wardrobe in both double cabins and in the saloon. Unfortunately, the centre cabin in the retro-fitted version does not have a hanging wardrobe, and in fact, has no storage space at all. The more serious problem was that the boat manual states that the holding tanks for both toilets will be empty when you take over the boat, and should provide at least a week's usage. However, when we took the boat over, the engineer who showed us around said that if we needed a pump-out during our week's cruise just get one from a marina and ABC would re-imburse us on production of a receipt. I thought this a little odd, as we have never needed a pump-out in 40 years. More to come in part 2.
19 May 2026
The location was lovely and no issues with boat or service
18 May 2026
Excellent, boat in good order and easy to use. Only problem was the Lounge seating foam has collapsed and needs replacing
18 May 2026
Boat setup great. Handover good and useful by friendly and helpful staff.
17 May 2026
Service great. Friendly and professional. Useful information and important updates on the route. Lock gates closed Monday so needed to be through them if going to Llangollen. Boat setup great. Packed waterproofs and got sunburnt. Not complaining.
17 May 2026
I was pleased with the service and the narrow boat provided.
16 May 2026
Thank you for sharing your 5-star experience with us. We are glad that the service and the narrowboat met your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back on board soon. ABC Boat Hire
16 May 2026
The only thing I could fault with my time on the boat was the narrow part of the canal near Llangollon. It needs a trafic light system to avoid reversing the boat. Otherwise excellent holiday.
16 May 2026
Thank you for sharing your 5-star experience with us. We are glad that the service and the narrowboat met your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back on board soon. ABC Boat Hire
16 May 2026
Good service and as described
16 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found the boat clean and exactly as described, and that our team provided friendly and efficient service throughout your stay. It’s also great to know the parking, reception, and handover process all helped make your experience smooth and enjoyable. We hope to welcome you back again soon. ABC Boat Hire
16 May 2026
Excellent parking, Reception friendly and efficient, handovers well organised and comprehensive. The boat was clean and as described
16 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found the boat clean and exactly as described, and that our team provided friendly and efficient service throughout your stay. It’s also great to know the parking, reception, and handover process all helped make your experience smooth and enjoyable. We hope to welcome you back again soon. ABC Boat Hire
16 May 2026
