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The charity making life better by water

Accessible boat hire and trips

Did you know canal and river boats can be specially adapted for people in a wheelchair or with reduced mobility? There are a number of organisations across our waterways offering this service.

Two women in wheelchairs move from a boat onto the towpath

Everyone deserves to enjoy our canals and rivers and the unique experiences they have to offer.

For people in wheelchairs, or those who find moving around difficult, a specially adapted boat may open up new opportunities.

Accessible boat hire on our network

The following companies have self-drive hire boats available for holidays, from a weekend break to several weeks.

Please contact the organisation directly for up-to-date details and confirmation. This list is not exhaustive.

Accessible boat hire outside our network

Further information

Other websites offer information about accessible hire boat operators, such as Waterways Holidays and Narrow Boating Holidays.

Please note that this information is given in good faith. We cannot take responsibility for content on third-party sites.

If you run a boating business and would like to advertise your services to a wider audience, please look at creating a listing within our directory.

Accessible boat trips

You'll find two of our own trip boats are accessible for manual wheelchairs. One is at our National Waterways Museum in Gloucester and the other is at our Anderton Boat Lift.

The following organisations also tell us they offer accessible boat trips, but please contact them for confirmation and up-to-date information. Please also be aware that this list is not exhaustive.

Last Edited: 17 March 2024

photo of a location on the canals
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