About Chas Hardern Boats
A narrowboat hire company based in the heart of the beautiful County of Cheshire. Running for over 40 years Chas Hardern Boats has built up a reputation for excellent, well priced, boating holidays that the whole family can enjoy.
Chas Hardern Boats Description
Canal holiday hire on UK canals is quite unlike any other experience. Both in the variety of the surroundings and in actually having time to look at them, canal holiday hire provides an escape from the rush and monotony of ordinary life.
But there is also a magic at work. Sometimes it is the looking glass magic of familiar scenes viewed from a new angle and in a different light - these are the rural stretches, the fields with the inquisitive sheep and cattle, the swans bringing their dignified selves to accept your bits of bread, the ducks who loudly demand the same, the endless variety of trees and bushes and flowers, of flying and swimming and scuttling wildlife, the nice humpy bridges.
And the industrial stretches have a curious and potent charm all their own - you often have a feeling of having dropped through time straight back into history. Much of the old workmanship is so good and so enduring, the old warehouses and wharfs and tunnels with their beautifully set bricks are memorials of the strength and assurance of a bygone age. Then there are the huge embankments, the aqueducts, the deep, still cuttings where the trees twist into fantastic shapes as they somehow cling to the rocky sides, and bridges incredibly high and slender soaring up into misty shade. Canal holiday hire opens up a world only seen in dreams, or occasionally glimpsed in a very old engraving!
Reviews
So many wonderful places to go,
Boxing Day evening entertainment provided by Chas on keyboard and Kirsty and George along with family and friends.
We would like to wish all of our customers and friends a very Happy Christmas and the best of times for 2019. From All of us at Chas Hardern Boats.
Chas realised that Alfies birthday present goes a bit faster than he thought!
Beautiful all year round
Our boats are at Aqueduct Marina for dry docking over the next few weeks. Busy times for Chas and George.
Thorin in Stratford upon Avon, picture and sonnet shared to us. Today is bright & sunny with amazing autumn colour . Great boating weather.
Due to the forecast bad weather this weekend Chas finds somewhere to hide! Even when cleaning out a watertank Chas still has a smile on his face- although that might be to do with the offer of tea and cake!
Late booking offers! Monday 15th October Thorin 40ft 2 berth due to a cancellation was £670 now £440. Also available on the 22nd October at £400 or take both weeks for £800 plus fuel. Contact Lindsay at chasboats@aol.com
Due to a cancellation we have Elbereth 45ft 4 berth available from the 12th to the 19th of October. Was £770 now £450 plus fuel . Please contact Lindsay at chas boats @aol.com
Interested in a Winter holiday? We have boats available for Christmas or New Year. Thorin and Roheryn have lovely toasty coal fires plus the usual central heating, the others are central heating only. Individual start / finish dates and times open to negotication. Contact Lindsay via chasboats@aol.com
Jason just putting the finishing touches to out sparkling newly painted workshop.
Due to a cancellation we have Roheryn 50ft 4 berth available on Monday 17th September for a week. Was £860 now £600 plus fuel. please email Lindsay at chasboats@aol.com if interested.
He has been around a while has Chas! Chas is steering 'Dorset'. Not sure if he counts as a 'civic dignitary' though!!
chas was so very helpful, friendly and professional, a top chap and i'd recomend Chas Hardern Boats to every one, i'd give chas ten stars
been to a lot of different country's but the best Holliday was on chas harden boats seen some lovely places each night we stoped we seen so many different animals so peace full and quite I was a bit worried about driving the boat but when I went to pick the boat up I was shown how to drive the boat how to turn round and do the locks by Chris the instructor I did not know how easey it was the most hardest thing was to get my wife to call me captain Dave jean from Wales
We took Shadowfax out at the end of October and had lovely relaxing week. Nowhere particular in mind to go but we visited Chester, Middlewich, The Anderton Boat Lift, Church Minsull, Barbridge, Nantwich and Audlem. We were so lucky with the weather apart from the Tuesday when we ended up coming up the Middlewich branch sideways in a torrential gale, well done Mr Geeeeeee for navigating that one. Thanks to Chris for sorting us out with a decent pub on the Friday night before we left on the Saturday, his recommendation where to go for breakfast before we left, and his very entertaining tutorial! Thanks to Chas and Lindsay for a comfortable boat and chance to see this beautiful part of the country. We'll definitely recommend you to our friends. Kind regards - Andy and Sal Mason and Mr Geeeeeee x
We hired one of their boats. We had a great time and their attention to detail and information and help when we picked up the was fantastic. Unlike lots of other hirer's who send clients a dvd of how locks etc work Chas Harden actually come with you through the first couple of locks and show you what to do. Very well priced as well.
We hired Thorin for a week in June for our first boating experience. After very entertaining tuition with Chris, we set off on our wonderful relaxing journey. After a couple of days of bumps and knocks we finally got the hang of steering and the trip to Llangollen aqueduct and back was great. we met some very nice friendly people who were all willing to help the "rookies". Would certainly recommend it and hope to do it again soon.
We had the most amazing week on Elbereth in Oct. We had brilliant training from lovely Nik before we set off. She was easy to handle and extremely comfortable for the four of us. The kids loved doing the locks and racing us to the next bridge and the trip up to Llangollen was awesome. We've booked Shadowfax for two weeks next summer. Cannot wait...
We had the most amazing trip on Strider this past week - and could not recommend Chas, George and Lindsay enough! The training was superb - we felt comfortable and well informed from the get-go. The boat covered all of our needs - even when traveling with a teenage daughter! Already thinking about when we can do this again...... The photos along the way were incredible and we have many jealous friends at home now :). Thanks so much for a much needed holiday!
We had an amazing time on Elbereth for our honeymoon! The boat was fab and the service superb ! Thanks to Chas, Lindsay and Chris who were really friendly and helpful and gave a great intro into how to steer the boat and they even do your first lock with you - our hound Bella had a lovely time too - thoroughly recommend - we'll be back !!!
We had Strider for a short break and had a really great time. Chris provided an entertaining and excellent tuition session for us absolute beginners. Strider was fully equipped, and very comfortable. Chas & Lindsay are lovely. The kids loved the experience and the little gift shop. We will definitely try and go again for a longer break, if you are thinking of hiring here I can highly recommend it. Many thanks.
We can't recommend CHAS HARDERN enough....As first time boaters and apprehensive at the sight of a 60' narrowboat ...We were soon put at ease with the excellent friendly welcome from Chas (even though we disturbed his meal) The tutelage from Nick was perfect. He was sensitive to my nerves and instilled confidence with enthusiasm and had plenty of time for any questions we had even the obvious ones....We will be back !!!
We booked a week on Shadowfax and took to the canal life like ducks, throughly enjoyed it and Chas and Linsey are the perfect hosts. We will be back very soon as we are struggling to adjust to life on land. Thank you for a lovely experience x
Our first narrow boat experience and wow! Totally stress free pick up and return.. Went for it big time with strider 65ft home for the week. Comprehensively shown...(not a dvd) practical instruction on how to control the boat and operate locks. Comfortable and well equipped and what beautiful surroundings cruising the Llangollen. Thank you Chas, Lindsey and team
Just back from our fourth fabulous holiday with Chas Hardern Boats. Shadowfax was our comfortable and well equipped home for the week. Once again we were very well looked after by Chas, Lindsay and Nik. Their location gives you a great choice of cruising routes and the opportunity to experience lots of canal features. We loved our week on the cut, and will be back for more!
If your a first time narrow boater I would urge you to choose these guys for your holiday. Both Chas and Lindsay are amazing people, very friendly, patient and knowledgeable. We had the extra worry about having a camera crew with us but after our first hour with Chas and co. I couldn't have been more at ease, so much so we have booked a summer holiday with them.
Had a truly amazing week on Shadowfax with my husband ,kids and 83 year old grandparents. Booked the boat to visit inlaws who live on their own boat. We went all the way down to Ellesmere port and it was wonderful. Lindsay and Chas were very very helpful with everything and went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect for us. Would definately reccomend Chas Harden Boats. Claire and Family xx
Had a fabulous week end of April on Shadowfax, with Dave, Dave, John, John and Richard, all called Dave by end of week! So good we booked for same time next year on same boat and can't wait to try new routes. Lovely cruising on lovely stretches of canal. Boat was great, clean and tidy and all mod cons, central heating at night if it got a bit chilly but toasty inside!
Fantastic week on Shadowfax on our "daz mongland" tour. Boat did us all proud yet again and an amazing trip. Next trip will be june 2019 in the warmer months. Cheers again #teamchas
Enjoying a fabulous holiday on Shadowfax. Would definitely recommend Chas & Co; such lovely people and Shadowfax is everything we need. Very comfortable. Still got another week to enjoy too �
A little apprehensive as it was our very first experience of a Canal boat holiday, but we need not of worried, what a wonderful week we had on 'Thorin' a super little boat just the right size for the two of us, so cosy. A big thank you to George who gave such clear and helpful instruction and put us at ease, coming aboard and showing how to handle and turn the boat, and guiding us through the first lock! Chas Harden boats is a lovely small family business and nothing is too much trouble a wonderful caring gem of a find! We arrived in hurricane Ophelia, and weathered storm Bryan, traveled 50 miles up the Llangollen canal to the magnificent Aqueduct and negotiated 52 locks and countless lift bridges! to be recommended and we hope to return soon. A big thank you to Chas, Lindsey and George!