Britain’s 3,000-mile canal and river network takes boaters into some of the nation’s best-loved towns and cities, steeped in history and ghost-sightings.
Drifters offers the choice of 500 narrowboats available to hire from 40 bases across England, Wales and Scotland, with a range of boats accommodating up to 12 people.
Narrowboats are like floating holiday cottages, with everything holiday-makers need on board for a self-catering family adventure afloat. All are equipped with essential home comforts, including central heating, hot water, TV, showers, flushing toilets, and most now have WiFi too.
2026 October Half Term hire prices start at £742 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for up to four people. Tuition is included.
Here’s a guide to Drifters’ Top seven spooky canal boat holiday destinations for Halloween and October half term 2026:
1. Visit Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein in Bath
On a weekend break from Hilperton on the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire, boaters can travel to the World Heritage City of Bath. The return journey travels 25 miles, passing through two locks (one each way) and takes around 13 hours. Once in Bath, boaters can moor up at Sydney Gardens and take a 15-minute walk into Bath city centre to visit Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, where there’s a multi-sensory museum dedicated to the story of Frankenstein, escape rooms and the Frankenstein Experience walking tour.
***The 49ft ‘Sedge Wren’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a 3-night break from Hilperton 30 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 for £760, saving £190. Price includes damage waiver, bed linen, towels, car parking, three pets, buoyancy aids, Wi-Fi and tuition. A fuel deposit of £60 is payable with the balance of hire. Fuel costs are approx. £15 per day.
2. Take a guided tour of Oxford Castle Prison
On a seven-night break from Lower Heyford on the Oxford Canal in Oxfordshire, boaters can cruise to Oxford. The return journey travels 29 miles, passing through 20 locks (10 each way) and takes around 16 hours. Once in Oxford, boaters can moor up at Aristotle Bridge or Jericho Footbridge and walk to spooky Oxford Castle Prison to take a guided tour through centuries of crime, power, legend and life behind bars.
***The 58ft ‘Duchess’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a 7-night break from Lower Heyford 24-31 Oct 2026 for £1,324. Price includes boat hire, non-refundable damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. Fuel is charged on return based on use, circa £15 per day.
3. Experience the Skipton Ghost Tour
On a weekend break from Silsden on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in West Yorkshire, boaters can cruise through Airedale to the historic market town of Skipton. The return journey travels 13 miles and takes around seven hours. Led by an enigmatic guide known only as The Butcher, the award-winning Skipton Ghost Tour talks of kings, queens, knights, witches and some of the creepiest ghosts in Yorkshire. Skipton Ghost Tours run every Saturday at 6.30pm from Skipton Castle and include a section of the canal. Book ahead at yorkshireghosttours.com
***The 57ft ‘Meghan’s Drum’ narrowboat for up to seven people is currently available for a weekend break from Silsden 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 for £885. Price includes boat hire, damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. A £70 fuel deposit is taken for short breaks (three or four nights), £110 for a week. Charge based on use, circa £15 per day.
4. Explore ancient Chester’s eerie haunts on a Chester Ghost Tour
On a short break from Bunbury on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire, boaters can cruise to the ancient city of Chester. The return journey travels 24 miles, passing through 18 locks (nine each way) and takes around 14 hours. When boaters reach Chester, they can moor up close to the city centre and take a guided ghost tour around the eerie haunts of Chester’s mysterious past, including tales of the spirit of a Roman centurion still standing at the Northgate. From September to November, tours depart on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from the Town Hall at 7.30pm.
***The 67ft ‘Buckland’ narrowboat for up to six people is currently available for a weekend break from Bunbury 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 for £975. Price includes boat hire, damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. A £70 fuel deposit is taken for short breaks (three or four nights), £110 for a week. Charge based on use, circa £15 per day.
5. Navigate through the spooky Blisworth Tunnel
On a short break from Weedon on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, boaters can cruise to the pretty canal village of Stoke Bruerne, passing through the spooky 1.74-mile-long Blisworth Tunnel along the way. The return journey travels 23 miles, passing through four locks (two each way) and takes around nine hours. Construction of Blisworth Tunnel, one of the longest on the canal system, began in 1793. Teams of navvies worked with picks and shovels for three years until they hit quicksand and the tunnel collapsed, killing 14 men. A new route for the tunnel was found, and it finally opened in 1805. Over the years, a number of boaters travelling through the tunnel have reported seeing lights and a second route emerging. But the tunnel runs straight through the hill so they have must have seen the flicker of candlelight where the first tunnel would have intersected with the main tunnel. Perhaps the ghostly navvies are still working there…?
*** The 55ft ‘Driftweed’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a 7-night break from Weedon 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 for £742, saving £131. Price includes damage waiver, parking, gas, bedding, buoyancy aids, towels and tuition. Fuel is extra, charge based on use, circa £15 per day. Pets are extra charged at £30 each.
6. Take the Hebden Bridge Ghost Tour
On a short break from Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, boaters can travel along the Rochdale Canal to the old mill town of Hebden Bridge. There they can join the Hebden Bridge Ghost Tour, led by The Ringmaster ghost. The tour explores Hebden’s haunted waterways, streets and bridges, telling tales of witchcraft, forgery and grim little goblins. Tours start at Pack Horse Bridge on Saturdays at 6.30pm and 8pm. Book in advance at yorkshireghosttours.com. The journey from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge and back travels 14 miles, passing through 20 locks and takes around 11 hours.
***The 56ft ‘Sussex’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a weekend break from Sowerby Bridge 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 for £1,022, saving £114. Price includes damage waiver, pre-holiday information, comprehensive instruction, fuel, gas, parking, buoyancy aids and bed linen.
7. Explore the sinister side of Shakespeare’s Stratford with a Ghost Walk
From Drifters’ narrowboat hire base at Wootton Wawen, on the Stratford Canal near Henley-in-Arden, it takes around six hours, travelling through 17 locks to reach Stratford upon Avon. Once in Stratford, boaters can moor up in Bancroft Basin, just a stone’s throw from the Swan Theatre and take a guided walking tour exploring the sinister side of Shakespeare’s Stratford, hearing tales of plague, murder, ghosts and witches.
***The 66ft ‘Poppy’ narrowboat for up to four people is currently available for a weekend break from Wootton Wawen 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2026 for £1,060. Price includes boat hire, damage waiver, gas, car parking, tuition on arrival, buoyancy aids, bed linen, towels and first pet. A £70 fuel deposit is taken for short breaks (three or four nights), £110 for a week. Charge based on use, circa £15 per day.
For more information about Drifters boating holidays call 0344 984 0322 or visit www.drifters.co.uk.
For more information about visiting the canal network go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
