About Ellerbeck Narrowboats
Daily and evening canal boat hire
Ellerbeck Narrowboats Description
Our three self steer canal dayboats are 30' long available for hire on an 11. 5 mile lock free stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, between Wigan Top Lock and Johnson's Hillock Locks at Wheelton although they are not permitted through the locks.
Along the way towards Wigan is Haigh Hall Country Park with a café and playground facilities. Towards Wheelton you could visit Botany Bay which has children’s play activities, a museum, café, and shops. There are many waterside pubs in both directions with lovely rural views of the Douglas Valley and the Rivington Moors.
The boats are ideal for groups of up to 10 people and are easy to handle with full instructions are given before departure. They are equipped with a flushing toilet, a grill with two or four burner hob, hot and cold water supply, kettle, cookware, crockery and cutlery. Buoyancy aids are provided as required.
Reviews
We offer a range of gift certificates and gift vouchers that make excellent Christmas presents for an experience to look forward to after Christmas has finished.
Please see our website at www.boatstohire.co.uk/gift for full details.
Like us and Mention this Facebook post when purchasing and we'll deduct £20.00 from the price of Day hire gift certificates if you purchase before 20th December (The last Royal Mail posting date for first class post).
... Call Lucien on 01257 480 825 or text 07970 115 487 and he'll get back to you.
Have a great Christmas and New Year and we hope to see you here at the boatyard sometime soon.
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We'd like to wish all of our customers, old and new, a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2019We'd like to wish all of our customers, old and new, a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2019
Visit The Boatyard Bus Café at Ellerbeck Narrowboats for a great Christmas lunch for only £15.00 if you mention you saw us on Facebook.
Our Boatyard Bus Café is looking for a part time cook....anyone interested or knows someone who might be?
Thank you
Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats
Why not come along to The Boatyard Bus Cafe for a bite to eat?
We also offer a take away service so if your short of time just grab something to take away with you.
We're a fairly unique setting in a 1990 Leyland double decker bus beside the canal at Heath Charnock in the same boatyard as Ellerbeck Narrowboats.
... We are open from 9am to 4pm Wednesdays to Saturdays and 9.30am to 4pm on Sundays.
Hope to see you soon.
Adam, Lucien, Denise and Sue from next weekend @ The Boatyard Bus Cafe
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Have you tried one of our amazing cakes? They’re proving very popular with our customers. Our suppliers, The Blackrod Cake Company, have this fantastic offer on, among others, and provide cakes for ANY occasion!
Head over to their page and have a look! 🍰🎂😊
Who says the canal is not a great place to be in the autumn?
With it being half term next week, if you wanted a boat it will be within 7 days of booking and you'll get £20 discount making it only £80 to hire a boat for the day Monday to Friday or £105 for Sunday from 9am to 5pm or 10am to 6pm.
An inexpensive day out for all the family if your trying to think of different days out for the children.
... See our website at www.boatstohire.co.uk or call me on 01257480825
Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats
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So our new venture, The Boatyard Bus Cafe, is now up and running. Please Like & Share our new Facebook Page and help us spread the word...
The Boatyard Bus Cafe
We hope to see you all soon!
Yet again another fantastic day out on one of the Ellerbeck Narrowboats. Lovely maintained boats with all equipment needed. Fantastic service and beautiful weather to top off a lovely family day.
Thank you we will be back next year
Would most definitely recommend. Really easy and carefree. Everything arranged at click of a finger. A really good family day out doggies included. Thank you so much for making dads 50th birthday so special.
What a fantastic day we've had today on the canal for my birthday with these guys. The boat are great and the staff there are so friendly especially Lucien which is why this was our second trip with them. We was talking at the end about how we would have liked to bring some more people but they would have struggled getting on and off but he said they had planks to put accross so its not as much of a stretch and went and showed us and if we needed anything diffrent to let him know and they could try to put something together. A+++++ will deffinatly be back again.
We've had a great day today , despite it being a drizzly December day. The boat was very well equipped and clean and the staff at Ellerbeck are very helpful and friendly. We'll definitely be back again soon !
We have just enjoyed our second full day aboard your canal barge (Crossley) There was plenty of room for us 9 adults. Had a most leisurely time cruising along in the sunshine. Having drinks on board then stopping off for Sunday lunch at Malt House Farm. To complete the trip we pulled up at Fredrick's Ice cream Parlour. Just perfect. We will definitely do it all again. Thank you to Ellerbeck Narrowboats. 👍
We had a lovely day out for our first ever trip on the canal. Ideal for all the family from toddlers to great grandparents. Lucian was really friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely recommend and cannot wait to do it again!
We had a fantastic family day out yesterday, staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.
We had a fantastic evening on the narrowboat. Brilliant and friendly service, thank you.
We had a fantastic day today on the Canal. Booked as a surprise for my husbands birthday and we all loved it. Highly recommend a day out on the barge with Ellerbeck. Thank you for everything. 👌🏼
Thoroughly enjoyable day out with friends and colleagues in celebration of National Volunteers Week yesterday. Lots of fun and games on the canal bank inbetween having a lovely relaxing glide down the canal and stopping off at Fredericks Ice Cream parlour for a gorgeous cooling ice-cream on the way back.
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend hiring one of Ellerbeck Narrowboats to anyone looking for a nice relaxing day out with Family, friends or work colleagues.
This was my first experience of sailing on - and driving - a narrow boat. Ellerbeck is easy to find with plenty of space for parking. The staff were very pleasant and provided a comprehensive talk on safety features an canal rules. Our boat was ready and waiting when we arrived, clean comfortable and with everything that we needed from a stove and kettle to crockery and cutlery. The toilet was very clean and very useful to have on board! Seating up front for about 8 - 10 people on wooden benches - but cushions were provided. Also seating indoors should the weather turn inclement. Steering the boat was such a lot of fun - but fairly easy once you got the hang of it. We headed off in the direction of Chorley where the trip terminates at the first lock at Walton Summit. You can moor here for a picnic lunch or stop at one of the pubs on the way. You can also moor outside Botany Bay if you fancy a quick mooch around. On the way back, stop at Fredericks for a superb ice cream experience - just a very short walk from the canal bank. Then continue your journey back past the boatyard and into the more rural side of the trip. Plenty of opportunities for photographing some wonderful scenery. We spent 6 relaxing hours just gently cruising up and down. Fabulous if the weather is nice but would imagine that it would not be quite as good on a rainy day. We intend going back and setting off in the opposite direction next timed. Check out the website for all the information that you need. Life jackets also provided. A fantastic experience.
Thankyou Ellerbeck Narrowboats for a lovely cruise this afternoon at Botany Bay Canal Fest. We thoroughly enjoyed it, you were all very hospitable. The barge is beautiful and the skipper was fantastic with the children.
Thanks very much Lucien, we had a fabulous day and really enjoyed our sail.
Thank you Adam much appreciated for the work you did for me.. Will defiantly recommend you and Lou
Spent a very relaxing day with family celebrating Dads 70th Birthday on the Mirlees. After an informative safety chat with Lucien (very friendly, helpful & patient) we set off. Five minutes in on the way to Botany Bay my brother in law spotted his first Kingfisher! Can't recommend this enough, a really fab way to spend the day laughing, chatting & watching the world slowly go by drinking endless cups of tea, what's not to like! Thank you Ellerbeck, we will definitely be returning in the future & have already recommended to friends & family �
Our 2nd time with you in March had a lovely evening cruise for a mothers day treat off my hubby. All the family enjoyed it and we will be booking again.
Myself and 4 friends have now hired boats from Ellerbeck on two separate occasions and each time everything has been top notch. The first outing was in the pouring rain, however, we still enjoyed the experience. The second was a glorious day and we even made use of the onboard cooking facilities to whip up some meaty treats.
Lucien is very polite & helpful and makes the day go smoothly right from the off. I could not recommend Ellerbeck enough. We've hired the Red boat (Ruston) and the Green boat (Crossley) so far, I think next time we'll complete the set with the Blue boat (Mirlees).
Keep up the good work!
Just come back from our second family trip on Ellerbeck narrow boats and had a fantastic time. Friendly, helpful people and a brilliant family day had by all of us. We'll be booking again for next summer! Thank you
Honestly can't thank Ellerbeck enough for making my Grandma's 70th birthday. The boat was clean and tidy and John the skipper was extremely patient and friendly especially with the inquisitive children! Letting them take turns at steering the boat, they loved it. Nothing was too much trouble for him, we all had an amazing day. The friendly service we received prior to booking and following was perfect. Thank you so much ��
Having a great time sailing to wheelton for my birthday
Had another great time on the narrow boat today with friends! The weather was awful at first but at around lunch time the sun ☀️ took pity on us & made an appearance!👏👏
We moored up at one of the pubs on route for lunch before continuing on our way, thoroughly enjoying every minute!! I think we have been on every colour of boat now! 😊
The boats are all fully equipped for a lovely day out with crockery, cutlery, kettle, frying pan etc hot/ cold water, toilet & are clean & tidy. The only thing I would say is that maybe the green boat now needs a little TLC, the seating & floor areas are tired looking, but this didn't spoil our day it's just an observation.
Thanks again & see you next Summer 😊
Had an amazing day last Sunday with family and friends. Such good fun for young and old. Can’t wait to do it all again next year. Thank you Ellerbeck ��
Had an absolutely lovely evening on the canal with my son and grandaughter safety talk was very informative and very helpfull made,left me very confident and the whole time more enjoyable thank you very much ellerbeck highly reccomend yous
Had a lovely day out today on the Ruston for my dads birthday. Despite all of us being complete novices, Lucien made the instructions for enjoying the boat and the canal very straightforward and was very helpful. The boat was clean and well maintained and we enjoyed every minute. Hope to be back soon.
Had a great time for a friends birthday booked by his wife. Really fun and interesting thing to do. Will be doing it again for sure!
Had a fantastic day, lots of fun and very relaxing. Would love to do it again and go through the locks next time. The boat was very well equipped, with everything we needed.
Thank you
Had a fantastic day out on Mirlees today, weather was pouring down but that didn't stop us. So relaxing. First time on the canal and will be doing it again. Thank you Lucien for an experience and a half. Booked already for July
Great day out on the narrow boat for the father's 60th surprise. Will definitely be coming back and hopefully a regular in years to come. Staff were great very simple explanations and friendly. Standard poodle and baby on board, plenty room.
Fantastic day, great boats and a lovely experience. The staff are, as stated by previous posters top notch. Thanks Lucien, for a great day!
Fantastic day out, we hired the green boat (Crossley) which now has a cover over the outside deck. The weather wasn't good so the cover was ideal. Boat was clean and well equipped. Great value.
Fab evening for my husbands birthday. Thank u so much, will definitely return and sure beats sitting in a restaurant for hours with three small kids for a birthday meal.
Brilliant customer service, brilliant narrow boats and was an absolutely wonderful day, especially with the weather being on our side!. The 12 mile stretch of canal is more than enough to relax and slowly travel along enjoying the scenery and wildlife around the canal. The pricing is absolutely wonderful, not too expensive and great value for money, especially for a full 8 hours! I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We will definitely be booking again soon
Booked the Rushton on Saturday for the day, for my 50th birthday celebrations..had an amazing day travelling up towards chorley... once we got the hang of driving and steering it made for a much needed stressless day..the boat was very clean and very well equipped for our needs with plenty of room for our party 10 in all... thankyou Ellerbeck Narrow boats for a truly special experience..
Absolutely fantastic day out been on the boat about four times now, hire it out every summer for a get together with friends. Amazing value and Lucien is very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend to everyone, families, friends... Something that everyone will enjoy!!!
A really superb experience. Keith and Vera met with us on arrival, showed us around the boat and explained everything that we needed to know and were so helpful. We hired the boat for 3 hours during the evening (18.00 to 21.00) on the Spring bank holiday Monday and then set off and travelled south to Chorley. The boat was extremely clean and all was in working order. There was a toilet, kitchen and seating area inside and sufficient seating outside for us all. There were 7 of us including 3 children (ages 3, 5 and 10) and they enjoyed every minute. I would have no hesitation recommending Ellerbeck Narrowboats and we will certainly be returning again.
A lovely day out and very friendly service. Would recommend Kelly's Kitchen food too. Very nice. Made the day feel like a real treat.
A little late in leaving feedback (sorry) but had a fabulous barge hire evening thanks to Ellerbeck Narrowboats.
Booked for my mums 65th birthday and retirement and she loved it.
We took some nibbles and drinks and the barge was really wasy to drive.
WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
A great day out for the family. Lucien and his team were brilliant in looking after us!
Had a lovely family day out on one on Ellerbecks Narrowboats.. Lucian was helpful and informative with his instruction and safety guide. Every thing we needed on the boat and it was clean & comfortable. 7 adults & 3 children plus our little dog.. Good fun & memorable family time.. we would definately recommend them and we will do it again next year
Yet again another fantastic day out on one of the Ellerbeck Narrowboats. Lovely maintained boats with all equipment needed. Fantastic service and beautiful weather to top off a lovely family day.
Thank you we will be back next year
Would most definitely recommend. Really easy and carefree. Everything arranged at click of a finger. A really good family day out doggies included. Thank you so much for making dads 50th birthday so special.
What a fantastic day we've had today on the canal for my birthday with these guys. The boat are great and the staff there are so friendly especially Lucien which is why this was our second trip with them. We was talking at the end about how we would have liked to bring some more people but they would have struggled getting on and off but he said they had planks to put accross so its not as much of a stretch and went and showed us and if we needed anything diffrent to let him know and they could try to put something together. A+++++ will deffinatly be back again.
We've had a great day today , despite it being a drizzly December day. The boat was very well equipped and clean and the staff at Ellerbeck are very helpful and friendly. We'll definitely be back again soon !
We have just enjoyed our second full day aboard your canal barge (Crossley) There was plenty of room for us 9 adults. Had a most leisurely time cruising along in the sunshine. Having drinks on board then stopping off for Sunday lunch at Malt House Farm. To complete the trip we pulled up at Fredrick's Ice cream Parlour. Just perfect. We will definitely do it all again. Thank you to Ellerbeck Narrowboats. 👍
We had a lovely day out for our first ever trip on the canal. Ideal for all the family from toddlers to great grandparents. Lucian was really friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely recommend and cannot wait to do it again!
We had a fantastic family day out yesterday, staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.
We had a fantastic evening on the narrowboat. Brilliant and friendly service, thank you.
We had a fantastic day today on the Canal. Booked as a surprise for my husbands birthday and we all loved it. Highly recommend a day out on the barge with Ellerbeck. Thank you for everything. 👌🏼
Thoroughly enjoyable day out with friends and colleagues in celebration of National Volunteers Week yesterday. Lots of fun and games on the canal bank inbetween having a lovely relaxing glide down the canal and stopping off at Fredericks Ice Cream parlour for a gorgeous cooling ice-cream on the way back.
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend hiring one of Ellerbeck Narrowboats to anyone looking for a nice relaxing day out with Family, friends or work colleagues.
This was my first experience of sailing on - and driving - a narrow boat. Ellerbeck is easy to find with plenty of space for parking. The staff were very pleasant and provided a comprehensive talk on safety features an canal rules. Our boat was ready and waiting when we arrived, clean comfortable and with everything that we needed from a stove and kettle to crockery and cutlery. The toilet was very clean and very useful to have on board! Seating up front for about 8 - 10 people on wooden benches - but cushions were provided. Also seating indoors should the weather turn inclement. Steering the boat was such a lot of fun - but fairly easy once you got the hang of it. We headed off in the direction of Chorley where the trip terminates at the first lock at Walton Summit. You can moor here for a picnic lunch or stop at one of the pubs on the way. You can also moor outside Botany Bay if you fancy a quick mooch around. On the way back, stop at Fredericks for a superb ice cream experience - just a very short walk from the canal bank. Then continue your journey back past the boatyard and into the more rural side of the trip. Plenty of opportunities for photographing some wonderful scenery. We spent 6 relaxing hours just gently cruising up and down. Fabulous if the weather is nice but would imagine that it would not be quite as good on a rainy day. We intend going back and setting off in the opposite direction next timed. Check out the website for all the information that you need. Life jackets also provided. A fantastic experience.
Thankyou Ellerbeck Narrowboats for a lovely cruise this afternoon at Botany Bay Canal Fest. We thoroughly enjoyed it, you were all very hospitable. The barge is beautiful and the skipper was fantastic with the children.
Thanks very much Lucien, we had a fabulous day and really enjoyed our sail.
Thank you Adam much appreciated for the work you did for me.. Will defiantly recommend you and Lou
Spent a very relaxing day with family celebrating Dads 70th Birthday on the Mirlees. After an informative safety chat with Lucien (very friendly, helpful & patient) we set off. Five minutes in on the way to Botany Bay my brother in law spotted his first Kingfisher! Can't recommend this enough, a really fab way to spend the day laughing, chatting & watching the world slowly go by drinking endless cups of tea, what's not to like! Thank you Ellerbeck, we will definitely be returning in the future & have already recommended to friends & family �
Our 2nd time with you in March had a lovely evening cruise for a mothers day treat off my hubby. All the family enjoyed it and we will be booking again.
Myself and 4 friends have now hired boats from Ellerbeck on two separate occasions and each time everything has been top notch. The first outing was in the pouring rain, however, we still enjoyed the experience. The second was a glorious day and we even made use of the onboard cooking facilities to whip up some meaty treats.
Lucien is very polite & helpful and makes the day go smoothly right from the off. I could not recommend Ellerbeck enough. We've hired the Red boat (Ruston) and the Green boat (Crossley) so far, I think next time we'll complete the set with the Blue boat (Mirlees).
Keep up the good work!
Just come back from our second family trip on Ellerbeck narrow boats and had a fantastic time. Friendly, helpful people and a brilliant family day had by all of us. We'll be booking again for next summer! Thank you
Honestly can't thank Ellerbeck enough for making my Grandma's 70th birthday. The boat was clean and tidy and John the skipper was extremely patient and friendly especially with the inquisitive children! Letting them take turns at steering the boat, they loved it. Nothing was too much trouble for him, we all had an amazing day. The friendly service we received prior to booking and following was perfect. Thank you so much ��
Having a great time sailing to wheelton for my birthday
Had another great time on the narrow boat today with friends! The weather was awful at first but at around lunch time the sun ☀️ took pity on us & made an appearance!👏👏
We moored up at one of the pubs on route for lunch before continuing on our way, thoroughly enjoying every minute!! I think we have been on every colour of boat now! 😊
The boats are all fully equipped for a lovely day out with crockery, cutlery, kettle, frying pan etc hot/ cold water, toilet & are clean & tidy. The only thing I would say is that maybe the green boat now needs a little TLC, the seating & floor areas are tired looking, but this didn't spoil our day it's just an observation.
Thanks again & see you next Summer 😊
Had an amazing day last Sunday with family and friends. Such good fun for young and old. Can’t wait to do it all again next year. Thank you Ellerbeck ��
Had an absolutely lovely evening on the canal with my son and grandaughter safety talk was very informative and very helpfull made,left me very confident and the whole time more enjoyable thank you very much ellerbeck highly reccomend yous
Had a lovely day out today on the Ruston for my dads birthday. Despite all of us being complete novices, Lucien made the instructions for enjoying the boat and the canal very straightforward and was very helpful. The boat was clean and well maintained and we enjoyed every minute. Hope to be back soon.
Had a great time for a friends birthday booked by his wife. Really fun and interesting thing to do. Will be doing it again for sure!
Had a fantastic day, lots of fun and very relaxing. Would love to do it again and go through the locks next time. The boat was very well equipped, with everything we needed.
Thank you
Had a fantastic day out on Mirlees today, weather was pouring down but that didn't stop us. So relaxing. First time on the canal and will be doing it again. Thank you Lucien for an experience and a half. Booked already for July
Great day out on the narrow boat for the father's 60th surprise. Will definitely be coming back and hopefully a regular in years to come. Staff were great very simple explanations and friendly. Standard poodle and baby on board, plenty room.
Fantastic day, great boats and a lovely experience. The staff are, as stated by previous posters top notch. Thanks Lucien, for a great day!
Fantastic day out, we hired the green boat (Crossley) which now has a cover over the outside deck. The weather wasn't good so the cover was ideal. Boat was clean and well equipped. Great value.
Fab evening for my husbands birthday. Thank u so much, will definitely return and sure beats sitting in a restaurant for hours with three small kids for a birthday meal.
Brilliant customer service, brilliant narrow boats and was an absolutely wonderful day, especially with the weather being on our side!. The 12 mile stretch of canal is more than enough to relax and slowly travel along enjoying the scenery and wildlife around the canal. The pricing is absolutely wonderful, not too expensive and great value for money, especially for a full 8 hours! I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We will definitely be booking again soon
Booked the Rushton on Saturday for the day, for my 50th birthday celebrations..had an amazing day travelling up towards chorley... once we got the hang of driving and steering it made for a much needed stressless day..the boat was very clean and very well equipped for our needs with plenty of room for our party 10 in all... thankyou Ellerbeck Narrow boats for a truly special experience..
Absolutely fantastic day out been on the boat about four times now, hire it out every summer for a get together with friends. Amazing value and Lucien is very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend to everyone, families, friends... Something that everyone will enjoy!!!
A really superb experience. Keith and Vera met with us on arrival, showed us around the boat and explained everything that we needed to know and were so helpful. We hired the boat for 3 hours during the evening (18.00 to 21.00) on the Spring bank holiday Monday and then set off and travelled south to Chorley. The boat was extremely clean and all was in working order. There was a toilet, kitchen and seating area inside and sufficient seating outside for us all. There were 7 of us including 3 children (ages 3, 5 and 10) and they enjoyed every minute. I would have no hesitation recommending Ellerbeck Narrowboats and we will certainly be returning again.
A lovely day out and very friendly service. Would recommend Kelly's Kitchen food too. Very nice. Made the day feel like a real treat.
A little late in leaving feedback (sorry) but had a fabulous barge hire evening thanks to Ellerbeck Narrowboats.
Booked for my mums 65th birthday and retirement and she loved it.
We took some nibbles and drinks and the barge was really wasy to drive.
WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
A great day out for the family. Lucien and his team were brilliant in looking after us!
Had a lovely family day out on one on Ellerbecks Narrowboats.. Lucian was helpful and informative with his instruction and safety guide. Every thing we needed on the boat and it was clean & comfortable. 7 adults & 3 children plus our little dog.. Good fun & memorable family time.. we would definately recommend them and we will do it again next year
Yet again another fantastic day out on one of the Ellerbeck Narrowboats. Lovely maintained boats with all equipment needed. Fantastic service and beautiful weather to top off a lovely family day.
Thank you we will be back next year
Would most definitely recommend. Really easy and carefree. Everything arranged at click of a finger. A really good family day out doggies included. Thank you so much for making dads 50th birthday so special.
What a fantastic day we've had today on the canal for my birthday with these guys. The boat are great and the staff there are so friendly especially Lucien which is why this was our second trip with them. We was talking at the end about how we would have liked to bring some more people but they would have struggled getting on and off but he said they had planks to put accross so its not as much of a stretch and went and showed us and if we needed anything diffrent to let him know and they could try to put something together. A+++++ will deffinatly be back again.
We've had a great day today , despite it being a drizzly December day. The boat was very well equipped and clean and the staff at Ellerbeck are very helpful and friendly. We'll definitely be back again soon !
We have just enjoyed our second full day aboard your canal barge (Crossley) There was plenty of room for us 9 adults. Had a most leisurely time cruising along in the sunshine. Having drinks on board then stopping off for Sunday lunch at Malt House Farm. To complete the trip we pulled up at Fredrick's Ice cream Parlour. Just perfect. We will definitely do it all again. Thank you to Ellerbeck Narrowboats. 👍
We had a lovely day out for our first ever trip on the canal. Ideal for all the family from toddlers to great grandparents. Lucian was really friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely recommend and cannot wait to do it again!
We had a fantastic family day out yesterday, staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.
We had a fantastic evening on the narrowboat. Brilliant and friendly service, thank you.
We had a fantastic day today on the Canal. Booked as a surprise for my husbands birthday and we all loved it. Highly recommend a day out on the barge with Ellerbeck. Thank you for everything. 👌🏼
Thoroughly enjoyable day out with friends and colleagues in celebration of National Volunteers Week yesterday. Lots of fun and games on the canal bank inbetween having a lovely relaxing glide down the canal and stopping off at Fredericks Ice Cream parlour for a gorgeous cooling ice-cream on the way back.
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend hiring one of Ellerbeck Narrowboats to anyone looking for a nice relaxing day out with Family, friends or work colleagues.
This was my first experience of sailing on - and driving - a narrow boat. Ellerbeck is easy to find with plenty of space for parking. The staff were very pleasant and provided a comprehensive talk on safety features an canal rules. Our boat was ready and waiting when we arrived, clean comfortable and with everything that we needed from a stove and kettle to crockery and cutlery. The toilet was very clean and very useful to have on board! Seating up front for about 8 - 10 people on wooden benches - but cushions were provided. Also seating indoors should the weather turn inclement. Steering the boat was such a lot of fun - but fairly easy once you got the hang of it. We headed off in the direction of Chorley where the trip terminates at the first lock at Walton Summit. You can moor here for a picnic lunch or stop at one of the pubs on the way. You can also moor outside Botany Bay if you fancy a quick mooch around. On the way back, stop at Fredericks for a superb ice cream experience - just a very short walk from the canal bank. Then continue your journey back past the boatyard and into the more rural side of the trip. Plenty of opportunities for photographing some wonderful scenery. We spent 6 relaxing hours just gently cruising up and down. Fabulous if the weather is nice but would imagine that it would not be quite as good on a rainy day. We intend going back and setting off in the opposite direction next timed. Check out the website for all the information that you need. Life jackets also provided. A fantastic experience.
Thankyou Ellerbeck Narrowboats for a lovely cruise this afternoon at Botany Bay Canal Fest. We thoroughly enjoyed it, you were all very hospitable. The barge is beautiful and the skipper was fantastic with the children.
Thanks very much Lucien, we had a fabulous day and really enjoyed our sail.
Thank you Adam much appreciated for the work you did for me.. Will defiantly recommend you and Lou
Spent a very relaxing day with family celebrating Dads 70th Birthday on the Mirlees. After an informative safety chat with Lucien (very friendly, helpful & patient) we set off. Five minutes in on the way to Botany Bay my brother in law spotted his first Kingfisher! Can't recommend this enough, a really fab way to spend the day laughing, chatting & watching the world slowly go by drinking endless cups of tea, what's not to like! Thank you Ellerbeck, we will definitely be returning in the future & have already recommended to friends & family �
Our 2nd time with you in March had a lovely evening cruise for a mothers day treat off my hubby. All the family enjoyed it and we will be booking again.
Myself and 4 friends have now hired boats from Ellerbeck on two separate occasions and each time everything has been top notch. The first outing was in the pouring rain, however, we still enjoyed the experience. The second was a glorious day and we even made use of the onboard cooking facilities to whip up some meaty treats.
Lucien is very polite & helpful and makes the day go smoothly right from the off. I could not recommend Ellerbeck enough. We've hired the Red boat (Ruston) and the Green boat (Crossley) so far, I think next time we'll complete the set with the Blue boat (Mirlees).
Keep up the good work!
Just come back from our second family trip on Ellerbeck narrow boats and had a fantastic time. Friendly, helpful people and a brilliant family day had by all of us. We'll be booking again for next summer! Thank you
Honestly can't thank Ellerbeck enough for making my Grandma's 70th birthday. The boat was clean and tidy and John the skipper was extremely patient and friendly especially with the inquisitive children! Letting them take turns at steering the boat, they loved it. Nothing was too much trouble for him, we all had an amazing day. The friendly service we received prior to booking and following was perfect. Thank you so much ��
Having a great time sailing to wheelton for my birthday
Had another great time on the narrow boat today with friends! The weather was awful at first but at around lunch time the sun ☀️ took pity on us & made an appearance!👏👏
We moored up at one of the pubs on route for lunch before continuing on our way, thoroughly enjoying every minute!! I think we have been on every colour of boat now! 😊
The boats are all fully equipped for a lovely day out with crockery, cutlery, kettle, frying pan etc hot/ cold water, toilet & are clean & tidy. The only thing I would say is that maybe the green boat now needs a little TLC, the seating & floor areas are tired looking, but this didn't spoil our day it's just an observation.
Thanks again & see you next Summer 😊
Had an amazing day last Sunday with family and friends. Such good fun for young and old. Can’t wait to do it all again next year. Thank you Ellerbeck ��
Had an absolutely lovely evening on the canal with my son and grandaughter safety talk was very informative and very helpfull made,left me very confident and the whole time more enjoyable thank you very much ellerbeck highly reccomend yous
Had a lovely day out today on the Ruston for my dads birthday. Despite all of us being complete novices, Lucien made the instructions for enjoying the boat and the canal very straightforward and was very helpful. The boat was clean and well maintained and we enjoyed every minute. Hope to be back soon.
Had a great time for a friends birthday booked by his wife. Really fun and interesting thing to do. Will be doing it again for sure!
Had a fantastic day, lots of fun and very relaxing. Would love to do it again and go through the locks next time. The boat was very well equipped, with everything we needed.
Thank you
Had a fantastic day out on Mirlees today, weather was pouring down but that didn't stop us. So relaxing. First time on the canal and will be doing it again. Thank you Lucien for an experience and a half. Booked already for July
Great day out on the narrow boat for the father's 60th surprise. Will definitely be coming back and hopefully a regular in years to come. Staff were great very simple explanations and friendly. Standard poodle and baby on board, plenty room.
Fantastic day, great boats and a lovely experience. The staff are, as stated by previous posters top notch. Thanks Lucien, for a great day!
Fantastic day out, we hired the green boat (Crossley) which now has a cover over the outside deck. The weather wasn't good so the cover was ideal. Boat was clean and well equipped. Great value.
Fab evening for my husbands birthday. Thank u so much, will definitely return and sure beats sitting in a restaurant for hours with three small kids for a birthday meal.
Brilliant customer service, brilliant narrow boats and was an absolutely wonderful day, especially with the weather being on our side!. The 12 mile stretch of canal is more than enough to relax and slowly travel along enjoying the scenery and wildlife around the canal. The pricing is absolutely wonderful, not too expensive and great value for money, especially for a full 8 hours! I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We will definitely be booking again soon
Booked the Rushton on Saturday for the day, for my 50th birthday celebrations..had an amazing day travelling up towards chorley... once we got the hang of driving and steering it made for a much needed stressless day..the boat was very clean and very well equipped for our needs with plenty of room for our party 10 in all... thankyou Ellerbeck Narrow boats for a truly special experience..
Absolutely fantastic day out been on the boat about four times now, hire it out every summer for a get together with friends. Amazing value and Lucien is very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend to everyone, families, friends... Something that everyone will enjoy!!!
A really superb experience. Keith and Vera met with us on arrival, showed us around the boat and explained everything that we needed to know and were so helpful. We hired the boat for 3 hours during the evening (18.00 to 21.00) on the Spring bank holiday Monday and then set off and travelled south to Chorley. The boat was extremely clean and all was in working order. There was a toilet, kitchen and seating area inside and sufficient seating outside for us all. There were 7 of us including 3 children (ages 3, 5 and 10) and they enjoyed every minute. I would have no hesitation recommending Ellerbeck Narrowboats and we will certainly be returning again.
A lovely day out and very friendly service. Would recommend Kelly's Kitchen food too. Very nice. Made the day feel like a real treat.
A little late in leaving feedback (sorry) but had a fabulous barge hire evening thanks to Ellerbeck Narrowboats.
Booked for my mums 65th birthday and retirement and she loved it.
We took some nibbles and drinks and the barge was really wasy to drive.
WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
A great day out for the family. Lucien and his team were brilliant in looking after us!
Had a lovely family day out on one on Ellerbecks Narrowboats.. Lucian was helpful and informative with his instruction and safety guide. Every thing we needed on the boat and it was clean & comfortable. 7 adults & 3 children plus our little dog.. Good fun & memorable family time.. we would definately recommend them and we will do it again next year