Reviews

Your recent holiday on Finch - Red Poll Finch from Goytre Wharf

On arrival we did not feel the customer service was good, when we were shown our boat Red Poll Finch. The hatch did not open fully and we pointed this out and were initially told that was as far as it opened. However Mr Gray banged his head and we asked them to do something with it as it would be a problem. Despite trying they did not manage to fix it. We were unable to set off until late due to the hatch problem. On mooring the first night, we then realised the door could not be locked securely, one bolt was hanging off and the other had a piece missing so did not lock. Mr Gray had to padlock from outside and then come in from the other end. The other end door also did not fit securely as the window was loose. Half way through our holiday, the table leg disappeared into the floor, as the socket broke while we were eating tea. We called early the next day and they did come to fix this and the door however, they did not contact us to check repairs and when we returned they had only fixed one of the bolts on the door. Despite being only two of us, the red light came on the toilet one day before we returned which has never happened to us before. Overall this was a disappointing trip as the water levels were very low in the canal and we had to use the pole to dislodge the boat almost every day. On returning to the marina the night before return of boat, we asked for assistance on where they would prefer the boat to be moored and they said it was up to us which was not helpful, we wanted guidance.

Your recent holiday on Lark - Tawny Lark from Hilperton

Problemlose Buchung. Bei der Einweisung wurde sehr auf uns eingegangen. Die Matratzen waren leider etwas durch gelegen.

Your recent holiday on Thrush - Chestnut Thrush from Anderton

Firstly, when we booked we were not told about the issues with the canal network which is accessible from Anderton Marina. This meant that we could not complete the Cheshire ring as we had planned. Within two days we an engine power failure resulting an engineer (Dan) coming to meet us to put over a litre of oil in the gear box. By day 4, before our companions joined us, the middle toilet tank was full and as result there was an extremely unpleasant smell emanating into the boat. For the two of us, this was our fourth holiday and we have never experienced the tank being full even at the end of a full week. Our guests joined us on day 5 (Friday) and again we had power failure. Dan returned to check the engine but there was no obvious fault found. On the morning of day 6 we had an electrical power failure (even the radio would not work) so we started the engine early in the morning as instructed in the manual. The red light appeared in the ignition panel which obviously mean the engine wasn't charging the battery. Again, for the third time in a week, we had to call for an engineer. Trevor came, who was very helpful on day 1 when we expressed our disappointment that the Cheshire ring was inaccessible and gave us alternative routes. On this occasion, when he arrived with a jump lead to obviously sort an known fault, he was quite short with us, suggesting that we must have left something running (eg the light after leaving the tunnels) - all basic stuff - which we did not do. He fixed the fault immediately. All in all, three engineer visits and having to return to base to get a "pump out" has left us extremely disappointed with our experience for the first in the four holidays with ABC. It also left us extremely embarrassed in front of friends who had never experienced narrow-boating before, for all the reasons stated above (THE BOAT JUST SMELLED). When we did get a pump out at Anderton, an older grey haired gentleman intimated that the pump out might have been missed at turn-around. Overall a very disappointing experience.

Your recent holiday on Thrush - Swainsons Thrush from Hilperton

Excellent, efficient and courteous service

Your recent holiday on Goose - Blue Goose from Hilperton

had a very nice time with my family excellent

Your recent holiday on Finch - Red Backed Finch from Goytre Wharf

The old used Tampon behind the bathroom bin and a Hoover not man enough to pick up any bits cost you the single star

Your recent holiday on Lark - Horned Lark from Alvechurch

really well maintained boats as usual and very helpful when we came back to a car with a flat battery, only downside to the holiday was having to hand the boat back, a fortnight is not enough

Reply from ABC Boat Hire:

Your recent holiday on Dove - Turtle Dove from Aldermaston Wharf

We had a brilliant holiday but we have had a few canal boat holidays before so new the procedure. The hand over was ok but could have been a little more informative even though we informed him we were 'novices'. The boat was very well equipped with everything that you required, almost home from home. We had planned to go to go upstream but on arrival we were informed that the bridge at Aldermaston was under repair and only open twice a day and there were problems at Crofton and above. It might have been useful to know this in advance by email so that we could have made alternative plans. As it happened we continued upstream and it was ok and we had a lovely time. We loved the fact that there was privacy doors to block of the bedrooms. We broke a microwave plate and informed ABC of this. We also lost a windlass in the lock but managed to buy a replacement one for Â£5!! Bargain! We had brought our own map but it might have been informative to include a map with the information file. Feedback. 1, The throttle quadrant came loose after a few days and when we passed ABC boatyard a person came straight out to fix it. Absolutely brilliant. 2,From day one the shower in the aft bathroom did not heat up even though the pipes to the shower were hot. One reason why we booked this boat was so the 2 couples had a bathroom each. We had to share a bathroom for the week. 3. The door catch in the aft bathroom door did not work so the door always swung open! Bit embarrassing! 4. The red light for the bilge tank in the stern bathroom toilet came on after 5 days. We were informed it would last 7 days or more before it needed pump out. This was not used to excess! 5. Cleanliness was adequate but the crockery cookware and cutlery required washing before use. 6. The linen was clean but the quilt and pillows smelt 'used'. We hope the feedback is positive and informative, we had a brilliant holiday but taking notice of the few points would make it outstanding.

Your recent holiday on Woodpecker - Green Woodpecker from Aldermaston Wharf

We and another couple over 70 spent a week on the Kenet and Thames Rivers on the Green Woodpecker, a 63 foot narrowboat. It was fabulous. Charming villages and hundreds of beautiful historic and modern homes line the canal. Lots of good restaurants along the way. The boat was in great condition and very clean. We had everything we needed. It was a great adventure!

Your recent holiday on Wren - Winter Wren from Wrenbury

The Llangollen Canal is a beautiful canal to cruise and the Winter Wren was an equally perfect home for the trip. It was well kept and clean on pick up. With only two of us aboard there was plenty of storage and the extension to the width of the bed made sleeping so much easier. I would recommend it to anybody.

Your recent holiday on Tyne - Sigrid from Worcester

Worcester marina. All staff professional,helpful,efficient, very friendly and welcoming.

Your recent holiday on Gull - Little Gull from Alvechurch

Well maintained boat, delightful, helpful staff.

Your recent holiday on Swan - Whistling Swan from Hilperton

From my first initial enquiry, everybody we dealt with were so helpful and friendly. The handover when we got on the boat was first class, and the boat was really well equipped. We cant wait to go again!

Your recent holiday on Weaver - Village Weaver from Aldermaston Wharf

First time on a boating holiday - surpassed all expectations!

Your recent holiday on Thrush - Swainsons Thrush from Hilperton

Det var en helt underbar resa i promenadtakt med fina omgivningar. Det gÃ¶r vi kanske om.

Your recent holiday on Dove - Emerald Dove from Gailey Wharf

Brilliant service and helpful staff

Your recent holiday on Grebe - Little Grebe from Union Wharf

excellent team enabled stress free hand over of NB Little Grebe for start of very relaxing holiday

Your recent holiday on Thrush - Chestnut Thrush from Anderton

We had a great holiday! The boat was lovely - a great size and so well equipped with lots of extra touches like bottles of toiletries in the bathrooms. It was a little well-worn, but that didn't detract too much, other than shower heads that had to be held as they didn't fit the holders and had buckled a terrible 'clunk' on the tiller! The team at the marina were good, especially the guys at the boats - it was very busy in the office & we had to wait a little time, but once it was our turn the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. We took some friends who had never done a canal boat holiday before - they loved it and will be going with their family as soon as possible!

Your recent holiday on Warbler - Aquatic Warbler from Worcester

ABC is a superb company supporting newbies to canal life; tuition great, boat v comfortable, super clean and well stocked with all the kit we needed. Just the right amount of guidance balanced with the freedome to discover boating. A truly blissfully week. Highly recommended for families of 10-15 year olds battling against the tide of the gaming culture. We laughed more together this week than we have in a long time. Do it.