Canal boat holiday hire on the Ashby canal Market Bosworth. Enjoy the historic town of Market Bosworth, the final scene for King Richard iii or just relax in luxury.
Every year the small village of Shackerstone hosts a family festival with lost of things to do, including Craft, Medieval re-enactments and food stalls along-side much much more.
The event usually draws up to 15000 people every year and this year there is even more. Why not stay on a Luxury Narrowboat and enjoy the festival that runs from 1st and 2nd September 2018.
In 1804 the Ashby Canal was completed and served the coalfields in Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Running from Bedworth on the Coventry canal to Moira further north, the lock free Ashby canal ran a distance of around 30 miles but in 1944 the Moira section was closed and a further closure of the section from Snarestone was also closed in 1966. The section at Moira based within the national forest later received funding and was restored back to its original glory in 2000, this included the restoration of bridge 62 and further winding holes were introduced.
The Moira canal festival is held every year to raise funds for the further restoration of the Ashby canal and this year hopes to entertain the public with live music, medieval re-enactments, Narrowboat exhibitions, Morris dancing, children’s crafts and a memorial flypast.
Opening hours are from 10:00 – 17:00 and admission prices are £5 for adults and £2.50 for children with free car parking available. Further reading and link to the official website can be found here.
To visit the Moira canal festival Follow the festival signs to the Moira Furnace Museum, Furnace Lane, Moira, DE12 6AT.
Why not spend that weekend living on a Narrowboat? We offer luxury canal boat holidays on the Ashby canal based at Bosworth Marina a stones throw from the festival. All prices and further information can be found on our website by clicking here…
This spring Midland Mallard are introducing a new product to enable better communication between the captain and group members whilst steering the boat.
Having listened to your suggestion in 2017 we are introducing two way radios to help you speak with your group. Long gone are the days when you are desperate for a coffee but your group are relaxing at the Bow of the boat whilst you steer them about, Canal boat journeys around the Ashby canal will no longer be a waiting game for the Skipper, you can now contact them instantly, that’s right there will be a constant flow of drinks for the Captain!
Order your cup of tea or coffee at the click of a button or send your helpers out to look for mooring spaces in advance with the Motorola H20 waterproof two way radios.
The new system will be in operation from the Spring of 2018 and on-wards and we are awaiting your feedback. Why not book for this spring and be the first to test them out?
The Ashby Canal is one of the most beautiful canals in the country and spring is one of the best times to see it in its full glory so why not book your Canal Boat Holiday with us!
2017 has been a great year with lots of happy customers enjoying their holiday on the Ashby canal with Midland Mallard. But it’s not time to say goodbye to 2017 just yet! With Just a few slots still available there is still time to book a break in September or October 2017. Please see our contact us page to make an inquiry or click on the availability button to see what dates are still available.
Its Not Time to Say Goodbye to 2017 Just Yet
However, if you wish to book a weeks holiday or just a short break in 2018 our prices are now available on the prices page on our website. Returning customers can enjoy a 10% discount on all dates for 2018 when booking direct through us!
If its you first time booking with us then you may want to read our FAQ page with lots of useful information regarding steering the boats and what you can expect to see on the stunning Ashby Canal!
Midland Mallard canal boat will be available during the week from 28th August to September 1st, why not try out both? We offer a six berth family boat with two bathrooms and wifi.
Prices start from as little as £735 including all the necessary instruction, safety equipment and fuel all included.
The rail ale festival which took place at the weekend was a great success with lots to see and do. Our visitors Angela and Gary from London had a great time at the festival enjoying the plethora of ales, music and comedy.
There were lots of traction engines as always again this year some of which are shown below…
We are taking bookings for next year so be sure not to miss out on this family festival in 2018.
Thanks for viewing canal boat holidays on the Ashby canal in the Midlands.
This years Market Bosworth Rail Ale festival is nearly upon us! Why not spend the weekend living on-board our luxury narrowboat just a stones throw away from the annual festival based at the Market Bosworth steam train station?
Real Ale Festival 2017
Serving up 80 Real Ales Over 30 Ciders & Perries Pimms Bar Featuring Steam Trains Live Entertainment – Dr Busker and Natalie Nightingale Traction Engines Morris Dancers Hot/Cold Food Children Welcome
Book a six berth narrowboat with friends or family and enjoy the festival. Or why not take a steam train up and down the Battlefield line and visit the historic site of Bosworth Battlefield?
Click here to contact us and book your stay for three nights four nights or a full week.
This week we took a journey from The Lime Kilns Pub to the Rising Sun Pub on the Ashby Canal.
The Lime Kilns Pub is great place for a Real Ale and a Pie. Voted the Hinckley and district CAMRA pub of the year 2016, it sits neatly aside the Ashby Canal at bridge No 5 and can be found in the Good Beer Guide. When we entered the pub “for the first time” there were instant home made aromas coming from the kitchen, as it turned out there were a number of home made pies being cooked up for guests. Having never stepped foot in the Lime Kilns before I was unaware of the Landlord or Landlady. So I was surprised to find out later on that the man I had just walked past at the door giving out free home made smoked cheeses was in-fact Gary the Landlord. We soon began chatting and it soon became apparent that this is the type of place “The Lime Kilns” is, and a place that we have become unaccustomed to since the rise of the large multi-national beer companies back in the 80’s and 90’s. A place to relax and see craft in action in the form of great food and ale kept as fresh as a daisy with a lot of history and great scenery to back it up.
Keep up the great work Gary and we will be back soon!
The next Pub we will be blogging about will be the Rising Sun located at bridges 52 and 53 in the picturesque village of Shakerstone just a short trip up the Ashby Canal in the Midlands.
