• ceo@blueotterboats.com

Bespoke English Narrowboat Holidays

  • About Usour story
    • Our Holidays
    • On the Canals
  • Our BoatsYour Journey
    • Skipton
    • Wootton Wawen
    • Pricing & Booking
  • FeaturesWelcome aboard!
    • What’s on Board
    • Happy Packing
  • Journal & EventsCanal news
  • Contact UsBy email
Navigation
  • About Us
    • Our Holidays
    • On the Canals
  • Our Boats
    • Skipton
    • Wootton Wawen
    • Pricing & Booking
  • Features
    • What’s on Board
    • Happy Packing
  • Journal & Events
  • Contact Us

All posts tagged: "well-being"

    Five ways a narrow boat holiday is good for your mental well-being

    By CEO / 23rd January, 2022 / Blog / No Comments

    The Health Benefits of Being By Water

    Be it a canal, a lake or an ocean, scientists are quantifying the positive cognitive and physical effects of water and why it induces a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer, more creative, and more capable of awe.

    Many a scribe, poet, painter, and sailor have attested to the feeling of wellness and joy when they’re in, or near, water. Albert Einstein had his most important realisations while sailing—water taught him physics principles, and though he wasn’t much of a sailor, he spent as much time as possible in a boat.

    In 1908, when Kenneth Graham wrote his classic novel ‘The Wind in the Willows’, he already knew then about the benefits of boating. Ratty informs Mole, “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

    More recent research, coined Blue Mind Science—the study of aquatic environments’ health benefits – has revealed that being around water could offer the natural cure for your stress, anxiety, anger or general mood swings.

    One thing the world can agree on, the pandemic has taken it’s toll on us all; lockdowns, quarantine, isolation and travel restrictions have amplified the importance of looking after our mental well-being and for this, many of us have taken to the therapeutic vistas of the great outdoors.

    In addition to water’s natural therapeutic effect, we thought we’d share the National Health Service’s recommended five steps to mental well-being, and explain just how a Blue Otter narrowboat cruise can help provide you with that all important daily dose of joy.

    5 steps to mental wellbeing

    1. Connect with other people

    When you are on a narrowboat everybody waves from the towpath and don’t be surprised when complete strangers call out with a cheery ‘Hello’. According to the NHS, connecting with other people helps you to improve your well-being by sharing positive experiences.

    A narrowboat holiday presents the perfect opportunity to get away from it all…and meet new people through new experiences. Simply passing the time of day with a pedestrian on the towpath when opening a bridge, chatting with a lock-keeper or spending quality time with people in a more relaxed environment can be just the tonic to give your mental well-being a boost.

    1. Be physically active

    Wayfinder on the Leeds Liverpool Panal in Gargrave, Yorkshire, citing The Pennine Way and Malham Cove.

    A relaxing holiday doesn’t necessarily translate to being lazy. Canal holidays require tiller work, hopping on and off the boat to open swing bridges, working the locks, all while savouring the views and then mooring up wherever the mood takes you.

    Canals also intersect with hiking routes, such as The Pennine Way in Gargrave, Yorkshire, so you can spend a day exploring the Yorkshire Dales or hiking a hill before heading back to your floating home.

     

    1. Learn new skills

    Lock entrance into Stratford-upon-Avon

    With Blue Otter Boats we give all our first-time guests full tuition on boat handling, spending the first few hours literally teaching them the ropes. From how to pilot a boat, navigate bridge openings, traverse the locks and the mechanics of lock paddles, to mooring up for the night.

    We only leave our guests to go it alone when they feel confident with the new skills they’ve acquired. A strong wind can play havoc, especially when you’re trying to navigate a series of bends. But that’s all part of the fun, and you’ll feel at ease when going through a series of locks, opening bridges and emerge out of dark tunnels smiling.

    1. Give to others

    Random acts of kindness offer a sense of reward, purpose and enhance positive feelings. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, small acts of giving will help to improve well-being. Helping out a fellow boater at a lock or offering advice about narrowboat cruising, a tip about a shop or restaurant at the last town you cruised through, all these are hugely appreciated by boaters. Such is the sense of community on the liquid highways, it’s another reason why narrow boat cruising is good for your well-being.

    And if you enjoy your canal holiday so much that you don’t want to stop there, The Canal & River Trust has a wide range of volunteering opportunities that also help you to connect with others, learn more skills, be physically active and give of your time – four ways to improve your well-being!

    1. Be present

    Enjoy some down time on the bow of Blue Otter Skipton

    Paying more attention to the present moment, also known as mindfulness, has been shown to improve mental well-being. Canals are fascinating water highways, forming a network which offers travellers a glimpse into a very different way of life as it weaves it’s way 2000 miles across England’s landscape.

    Long or short, straight or surprisingly bendy at times (our Skipton guests in particular enjoy a ‘Curly Whirly’ stretch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal between Gargrave and East Marton), canals transform your world into one where the top speed is 4 mph, often even slower. Taking the time to soak up your surroundings – the countryside, the wildlife, the old mills and the industrial history of the landscape – within minutes on board, you’ll see things differently.

    It’s little wonder that The Canal & River Trust’s slogan is ‘Life’s better by water‘. The only thing you now need to worry about, is how to pack for your well-being holiday on the canals?

    We’re able to help you with that as well…

Instagram

blueotterboats

Blue Otter Boats
Merry is the month of May . . . #wildgarlic #blueb Merry is the month of May
.
.
.
#wildgarlic #bluebells #yellowlily #canalholidays #blueotterboats #blueotterskipton #leedsliverpoolcanal #may #summerholidays #canalholiday #changingseasons #yorkshire #canal #nature
A gorgeous towpath walk from Slaithwaite to @stand A gorgeous towpath walk from Slaithwaite to @standedge_tunnel  in #Yorkshire. One day we’ll make it there with Blue Otter Skipton. 

Sadly the locks along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal are notoriously difficult and require more maintenance - @canalrivertrust please look at this for the boaters. It’s losing the heritage and much-needed tourism potential for towns such as Marsden and Slaithwaite. More boaters would go if the locks weren’t so dammed hard to operate. 

The visitor centre at Standedge Tunnel is well-worth a trip and a lovely setting for the cafe.
Cruising with a cuppa. What’s your brew? Who’ Cruising with a cuppa. 
What’s your brew? Who’s your boat matey?
#narrowboat #narrowboatlife #canalholidays #blueotterboats #bespokenarrowboatholidays
Wishing you a Happy Easter. Wishing you a Happy Easter.
Liz and Ben did a test cruise to Kildwick and back Liz and Ben did a test cruise to Kildwick and back...Blue Otter Skipton is all ready to begin welcoming guests this weekend in Yorkshire. 

The first couple are from Colchester, Essex, cruising for two weeks heading East along the Leeds Liverpool Canal. 

England's longest canal at 127 miles, traversing East from Skipton takes you down the Bingley Five Rise, through the UNESCO town of Saltaire, on to Leeds and along the Calder & Hebble navigation.

Some availability still on our Warwickshire and Yorkshire boats this year, click here to explore and book your narrow boat holiday https://blueotterboats.com/
#narrowboatholiday #blueotterskipton #canalholiday #leedsliverpoolcanal #skipton #kildwick #Yorkshire #selfdrive #privatecruise #privatecharter
* You're welcome! * It’s the beginning of #Eng * You're welcome! *

It’s the beginning of #EnglishTourismWeek22 with @visitbritainofficial and we're celebrating the culture of our 2,000 mile network of canals, maintained by @canalrivertrust 

Explore our website www.blueotterboats.com and to book you'll be redirected to our agent @hoseasons where you can plan with peace of mind that your booking is protected and secure.
#canalholiday #canalsofengland #blueotterboats
Join Robbie Cumming on his canal journey from Wiga Join Robbie Cumming on his canal journey from Wigan to Ripon in the third series of Robbie Cumming’s Canal boat voyages 

Available to watch from today on BBC iPlayer  and BBC 4 📺
#canalholiday #leedsliverpoolcanal
A Sunday excursion to @foxton_canal_museum and Fox A Sunday excursion to @foxton_canal_museum and Foxton Locks…and we spotted an otter!
#canallife #leicestershire #marketharborough #foxtonlocks @canalrivertrust
For our guests in Skipton arriving back or departi For our guests in Skipton arriving back or departing on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month, The Boat House Bar is the place to enjoy some live music. 

The sessions begin at 2pm. You never know who will turn up, which instruments will be played and all are welcome to join in!

If you are cruising with us and play an instrument, you would receive a warm welcome from the local musicians. 

#canalculture #livemusic #skipton #folkmusic #blueotterskipton
Keeping busy in the winter months, with no cruisin Keeping busy in the winter months, with no cruising Ben from Blue Otter Skipton has painted a few items that are now for sale. 

If you have an item you’d like decorated, or a canal scene photograph you’d like painted on a piece of wood, a pot, bucket or scuttle, get in touch and we’ll have a chat. 
#canalart #bespokepainting #acryllicpainting #yorkshire #leedsliverpoolcanal #benhopkinsartist #blueotterskipton #localartist #canalpainting
Easter, Father’s Day, Royal Jubilee, birthday… Easter, Father’s Day, Royal Jubilee, birthday…or just because…there’s always a good time to cruise. 
#celebration #canalholidays #staycation #narrowboatholidays
Wishing our past and future guests, followers and Wishing our past and future guests, followers and friends and very Merry Christmas. 

From a flurry of Christmas Eve bookings for holidays next summer, we know who’s been naughty or nice! 🧑‍🎄🎄😊

#christmas #holiday #presents #narrowboatholiday #blueotterboats
In Skipton we start the static stay season next we In Skipton we start the static stay season next week, and our guests enjoy dining in the numerous restaurants in town. Today’s pumpkin and fennel soup at @elsworthkitchen is definitely a treat of the season. 
#Skipton #staticstaysaway #canalboatlife #yorkshire
Wonderful to host @ian_h_ohfortunate1 and @rosemar Wonderful to host @ian_h_ohfortunate1 and @rosemarythewitt again on Blue Otter Skipton, this time cruising to the centre of Leeds. 
Thanks for lovely feedback, guys, and to hear how we’re just an extension of your living room, a home away from home. 
#blueottersboats #leeds #leedsliverpoolcanal #narrowboating #narrowboathire
Waking up to an Autumn morning in #skipton #narrow Waking up to an Autumn morning in #skipton #narrowboatlife #narrowboatholiday #canalboat #canalboathire #blueotterboats
“What a week” is a frequent comment in our gue “What a week” is a frequent comment in our guest reviews
#blueotterboats #guestreviews #canalholidays #narrowboating
Autumn cruising...last minute availability until e Autumn cruising...last minute availability until end of October on Blue Otter Wootton Wawen. Blue Otter Skipton is fully booked for 2021.

Bookings open on both boats for cruising in 2022.
#narrowboat #canalboatsofinstagram #canalholidays #autumn #cruising #canalsofengland #canalsofinstagram #blueotterboats
"Didn't fully know where we were going! Thoroughly "Didn't fully know where we were going! Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, lovely countryside and some fabulous pubs"

Trip descripton from our latest guests on Blue Otter Wootton Wawen for a week in September.

Check out our last minute cruising availability until end of October: https://lnkd.in/dSGTmQmF
 #Canalholiday #Warwickshire #Narrowboating #blueotterboats
Scenes you don’t see from a road. #lifesbetterb Scenes you don’t see from a road. 
#lifesbetterbywater #canallife #narrowboating #waterways #canalholidays #travel #england #canalsofengland #lifeonwater #narrowboathire
More from our towpath tour around Stoke Bruerne # More from our towpath tour around Stoke Bruerne 
#canalheritage #narrowboatlife #canalculture @canalrivertrust
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Social Media

Newsletter

Sign up for Blue Otter’s news, events & offers

© Copyright 2022

  • Our Boats/
  • Pricing & Booking/
  • Privacy Policy/
  • Contact Us/