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This was our tenth trip on an ABC Swan class boat. The first from Aldermaston Wharf. Our previous adventures had been from Gayton Marina on the Grand Union Canal, the Kennet was to be a whole new experiance. As always the overall trip was great fun. Our first night stop was Woolhampton where we spent the evening in the Rowbarge PH. The meal was very good. Saturday we motored up to Newbury which we found to be a very pleassent town with a great choice of pubs and restuerants. Sunday we returned to Aldermaston Wharf and had an excellent Sunday Roast at the Butt Inn. Stayed onboard over night and handed the boat back 9 am Monday morning. The Kennet has a flow which slows progress towards Newbury from Aldermaston this needs to be factored in when planning your day. it also assists on the return. The lifting road bridge on the A340 is closed to boat traffic between 7am and 9am so to get the boat back to the wharf by 9am you need to clear the bridge before 7am. For this reason we decided to return Sunday evening. Hope to be back next year.
14 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear that your tenth trip on an ABC Swan class boat was just as enjoyable, and that your adventure from Aldermaston Wharf along the Kennet and Avon Canal was such a memorable one. It’s lovely to hear you enjoyed your stops at Woolhampton and Newbury, as well as the meals at the Rowbarge and the Butt Inn — it sounds like you made the most of the excellent local hospitality along the way. We’re also pleased you found the return journey smooth and that you were able to plan around the river flow and bridge timings with ease. Thank you for sharing your helpful insights for future guests, and we’re so glad to hear you’re already hoping to return next year. We look forward to welcoming you back again for your next boating adventure. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
The boat was great and let us have an awesome adventure!
13 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your adventure and found the boat in good shape, clean, and comfortable for your trip. It’s great to know Richard was helpful and reassuring during your checkout, and we’ll be sure to pass on your kind comments to him. We’re so pleased the boat helped you have an awesome experience exploring the waterways, and we hope to welcome you back again soon for another exciting boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
The boat was in good shape, and clean. I believe Richard checked us out, and he was helpful and reassuring.
13 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your adventure and found the boat in good shape, clean, and comfortable for your trip. It’s great to know Richard was helpful and reassuring during your checkout, and we’ll be sure to pass on your kind comments to him. We’re so pleased the boat helped you have an awesome experience exploring the waterways, and we hope to welcome you back again soon for another exciting boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Hired from Kings Orchard, good handover from Andrew. After 2 days one of the toilets stopped working (no lights). Sorted with Keeley at Kings Orchard and asked us stop at Springwood Haven on our way to Coventry, where the problem was quickly fixed. We have been hiring from ABC since 2012.
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip to Coventry and found the route more rural and scenic than expected, making for a lovely cruising experience. It’s great to know Andrew provided a good handover at Kings Orchard, and that Keeley and the team at Springwood Haven were able to quickly resolve the issue with the toilet and get you back on your way. We really appreciate your continued loyalty since 2012, and it’s wonderful to hear you still enjoy exploring the waterways with us. Thank you again for your detailed feedback, and we look forward to welcoming you back for many more trips in the future. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Helpful friendly staff,,clean and well equipped boat
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found our staff helpful and friendly, and that the boat was clean, well equipped, and well stocked for your trip. It’s great to know everything met your expectations and contributed to an enjoyable experience on the water. We really appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another fantastic boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Very nice trip to Coventry, a lot more rural countryside than we expected. Not as many water points as other canals but enough for us.
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip to Coventry and found the route more rural and scenic than expected, making for a lovely cruising experience. It’s great to know Andrew provided a good handover at Kings Orchard, and that Keeley and the team at Springwood Haven were able to quickly resolve the issue with the toilet and get you back on your way. We really appreciate your continued loyalty since 2012, and it’s wonderful to hear you still enjoy exploring the waterways with us. Thank you again for your detailed feedback, and we look forward to welcoming you back for many more trips in the future. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Helpful staff boat was clean and well stocked
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found our staff helpful and friendly, and that the boat was clean, well equipped, and well stocked for your trip. It’s great to know everything met your expectations and contributed to an enjoyable experience on the water. We really appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another fantastic boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Friendly and helpful. Especially good at calming my wife's first-time nerves. Really patient and informative, with a great sense of humour. John Drinkwater @ Hilperton Marina is a legend!
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found our team friendly, supportive, and professional, and that they were able to help put your wife’s first-time nerves at ease. It’s wonderful to know you felt well looked after from the pre-departure call right through to your time on the water, and that you enjoyed a clean, spacious, and easy-to-navigate boat for your trip to Bath. We’ll be sure to pass your kind comments on to the team at Hilperton Marina, especially John who will be thrilled to hear your feedback. We’re so pleased you had such a positive first experience and hope to welcome you back again soon for another great boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Clean and efficient boat with plenty of space and charm. Easy to navigate, even for a first timer... highly recommend trip to Bath. The marina team even called the day before to ask if we'd like to start the holiday early!!
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you found our team friendly, supportive, and professional, and that they were able to help put your wife’s first-time nerves at ease. It’s wonderful to know you felt well looked after from the pre-departure call right through to your time on the water, and that you enjoyed a clean, spacious, and easy-to-navigate boat for your trip to Bath. We’ll be sure to pass your kind comments on to the team at Hilperton Marina, especially John who will be thrilled to hear your feedback. We’re so pleased you had such a positive first experience and hope to welcome you back again soon for another great boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
I was nervous at first but after the staff showed me how ! I was away A three day adventure that was awesome
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you and your wife had such a fantastic time on your three day adventure and that our helpful staff were able to get you feeling confident on the boat from the very start. It’s great to know you enjoyed the boat and had such a lovely time away after a nervous beginning. We really appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another awesome boating experience. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
Fantastic time away in the ABC boat Helpful staff great boat lovely time 5 stars from myself and my wife
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you and your wife had such a fantastic time on your three day adventure and that our helpful staff were able to get you feeling confident on the boat from the very start. It’s great to know you enjoyed the boat and had such a lovely time away after a nervous beginning. We really appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another awesome boating experience. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
As detailed above, the team were lovely and everything went smoothly.
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you had such a lovely week on the Mon & Brec and that you found the team at Goytre Wharf friendly, helpful, and relaxed throughout your stay. It’s great to know the boat was clean, well equipped, and that the handover was just right, helping everything run smoothly from start to finish. We really appreciate your kind feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another enjoyable boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
I found the team at Goytre Wharf friendly, helpful and relaxed. The boat was lovely & clean and well equipped and the handover was just right. Couldn't fault anything :-)
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you had such a lovely week on the Mon & Brec and that you found the team at Goytre Wharf friendly, helpful, and relaxed throughout your stay. It’s great to know the boat was clean, well equipped, and that the handover was just right, helping everything run smoothly from start to finish. We really appreciate your kind feedback and hope to welcome you back again soon for another enjoyable boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
The staff at the marina were so helpful especially the housekeeper, I will definitely be returning once the Llangollen canal reopens.
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your week on the Shropshire Union Canal and that your journey from Wrenbury Marina to Chester and back was such a positive one. It’s wonderful to know our marina team, especially the housekeeper, were so helpful and made your experience even better. We really appreciate your recommendation and are so pleased to hear you’re planning to return once the Llangollen Canal reopens. We look forward to welcoming you back for another fantastic boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
I have just returned from a week on the Shropshire Union from Wrenbury Marina to Chester and back, the staff at the marina were fantastic with nothing to much trouble, I would highly recommend.
12 May 2026
Thankyou for sharing your 5 star experience with us. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your week on the Shropshire Union Canal and that your journey from Wrenbury Marina to Chester and back was such a positive one. It’s wonderful to know our marina team, especially the housekeeper, were so helpful and made your experience even better. We really appreciate your recommendation and are so pleased to hear you’re planning to return once the Llangollen Canal reopens. We look forward to welcoming you back for another fantastic boating holiday. ABC Boat Hire
17 May 2026
