This page has been created on our website to keep you up to date with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) situation as it affects us here at Ellerbeck Narrowboats.
Unless there is a “With effect from” date, the information below applies to any booking from today’s date. Please come back here to see the latest constantly changing information. This will apply to your booking regardless of any previous information.
Get the latest Coronavirus (Covid-19) guidance and information.
Government advice from gov.uk Guidance from the Canal & River Trust

With effect from Monday 19th July 2021 we are able to return to a maximum of 10 people from multiple households but we strongly emphasise that you should be conscious that Covid-19 is still amongst us and that you make your own personal judgements on your safety.

Update with effect from Monday 19th July 2021

As you will probably be well aware, the Government has relaxed most restrictions with regards to Covid-19 with effect from 19th July 2021.  This does not mean that Covid-19 has disappeared and it would be irresponsible to f us not to consider this in our day to operation of our boats.

When booking hiring a boat with us we would like to remind you that the boats are small which means social distancing between you is not possible and that there is a single toilet on board for all to use during the day.  You should be conscious of the risks involved and be able to make your own decision on you and your party’s personal safety.

Staff will hand the boat over maintaining social distancing to protect you and them.  You may request staff to wear face coverings if you would feel more comfortable with this.

We are all keen to get back to normal but please keep yourselves safe and others around you.

Many thanks for your continued support and patience.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats

Government roadmap phase 4 update from Monday 21st June 2021
Taking guidance from the Government website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#may-whats-changed it is now necessary to restrict all bookings between 21st June 2021 and 18th July 2021 to the Rule of Six as per Phase 3 of the Government Roadmap.  Until and including 18th July 2021 we will be following the 17th May 2021 update as detailed immediately below.
 
Any new bookings during this period will be subject to the Rule of Six and if you already have a booking with us you will be sent an email detailing your options.  If you have not received an email from me by the end of tomorrow (Wednesday 16th June 2021) please check your junk/spam email folders or call me on 01257 480 825.
 
Also, please note that the crockery and cutlery etc will still be removed from the boats until 19th July 2021 so please continue to bring your own food and drink and stuff to eat and drink it with.

Many thanks for your continued support and patience.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats
Government roadmap phase 4 update from Monday 17th May 2021
Taking guidance from the Government website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#may-whats-changed we have decided that if you exercise caution with regards to social distancing when booking a boat with us that we can follow the “Rule of Six” to allow two households up to a maximum of 10 people, as per our insurance requirements, or a maximum of 6 from more than 2 households.
 
The guidance is as follows: “New guidance on meeting friends and family emphasises personal responsibility rather than government rules. Instead of instructing you to stay 2m apart from anyone you don’t live with, you are encouraged to exercise caution and consider the guidance on risks associated with COVID-19 and actions you can take to help keep you and your loved ones safe. Remember that the risks of close contact may be greater for some people than others and in some settings and circumstances, there will be specific guidance that you will need to follow even when you are with friends and family.”
 
If you understand that our boats are 30ft (9.144m) long and 6ft 11ins (2.1m) wide, that their is a single toilet and you understand the risks then you are more than welcome to book under the Rule of Six.
 
Please reserve online HERE or call me on 01257480825.
 
If you already have a booking with us you are more than welcome to follow these guidelines too even if your booking states “Single households only”.
 
Many thanks and we look forward to seeing you.
 
Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats
Issuance of Canal & River Trusts Business Boating Guidance – Tuesday 2nd March 2021 

Since the PM’s announcement on 22nd February the Canal & River Trust have today finally announced its guidance for boating businesses and to be honest it doesn’t really explain what to do for Self Drive Day Hire with both interior and exterior spaces. To be on the safe side and a responsible hirer we will consider all 3 of our boats as being “enclosed”.

The guidance can be seen on the CRT website at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/…/43297-business-covid…

Given this information, in summary, we are open for hire from Monday 29th March to 20th June for single household bookings only without any cutlery, crockery or cooking utensils on board.

Then from 21st June we are reverting back to our standard terms of hire offering bookings for multiple households with cutlery etc included.
 
Some of you may notice that with effect 17th May the guidance allows 6 people or 2 households if a vessel is enclosed. What the guidance does not take into account is that each person/household still have to social distance themselves from each other and given the size of our boats this is not possible so single household bookings with have to continue until 21st June.

I you have made a booking under these conditions or wish to reserve at www.boatstohire.co.uk/availability, if these dates change and you are unable to take your booking we will of course offer you a refund or ask if you’d support us by rescheduling to a later date.

Stay safe everyone, continue to follow the rules so that we can all get back to normal and we’ll see you soon.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats
Government “Roadmap” announcement on 22nd February 2021

Following on from the Prime Ministers announcement yesterday for a Roadmap out of Lockdown, it is still clear that we are to all legally required to stay at home until at least 29th March 2021 and as a result we will remain closed until at least then.

I have contacted the Canal and River Trust who assure me that their interpretation of the roadmap and how it will affects businesses on the inland waterways will be released later this week once they have digested all the information.

In the mean time we are still following the “Booking Guidelines for 2021” below for April onwards although 29th to 31st March will now be included as if an April booking.

I hope this makes sense and I’ll update this page as soon as I have anything further to announce.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats

Booking guidelines for 2021

First of all, a very happy new year to you all.

We are embarking on another difficult year with regards to Covid-19 with many uncertainties and lots of confusion going forward although we can hopefully expect life to get back to normal as the vaccinations roll out.

As with everyone else we are enduring the lockdown but this does mean that we are unable to hire out boats at the moment although we are still in the office to provide services to existing boat owners who liveaboard.  Not only do they require repairs should they require them such as heating failure, frozen pipes etc, they also require diesel, gas, coal for heating, waste tank pump outs and fresh water refilling.  While we are still here serving to them, we are also able to take bookings over the phone for our day boat hire.

It is very difficult to plan ahead so we have had to come up with some realistic timescales to book a boat with us.  These are object subject to change as and when the National Covid-19 situation changes.  (The following relates to dates of hire and not the date the booking was made):

January and February 2021 – We are expecting the lockdown to last until at least to the end of February 2021 so to enforce extra safety we have decided not to take any bookings for this period;

March 2021 – As this month is still uncertain, we are accepting reservations only but will not be taking the initial deposit to confirm.  If you have a boat reserved with us and we find ourselves in a position to accept your booking then we will contact you to confirm but you will be under no obligation to do so should your requirements or personal situation change.

April to June 2021 – Hopefully we will be coming out the other side of any lockdown and will be able to accept bookings.  At this stage we believe it will be a gradual release so we will be willing to accept bookings for single households (inc legal support bubble arrangements) only.  There will not be any crockery or cutlery on the boats and other venues may or may not be open for lunch so prepare to be self-sufficient for the day.

July 2021 onwards – we are proposing to accept bookings as per our usual terms of conditions of hire which means a maximum of 10 people from multiple households.  We would ask you to confirm your booking in the normal way by asking for 50% of the total cost with the balance and returnable security deposit required on the day of hire.  If your booking is unable to go ahead then you will be able to reschedule or we will happily refund your initial deposit should you require it.

I have tried to make this clear but if your unsure as to the above timescales or have any further questions then please let us know.  Otherwise, if you will like to make a reservation/booking then please see our prices at Here or make a reservation on our website Here.

For any bookings made before 1st July 2021 the the information below with effect from 1st October 2020 still applies.

Thanks again for all your support, stay safe and we look forward to see you all again very soon.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats

Latest information regarding bookings from Thursday 1st October 2020 until further notice – Single households including support bubbles only

Current restrictions and changes to the way we operate are as follows:

  1. As the restriction situation is ever changing it is very difficult to administer and following complaints of confusion from our customers we are only accepting bookings from single households including any legally permitted support bubble. The restrictions themselves are obviously out of our control but we have a legal duty of care to ensure that we maintain a “Covid Secure” environment;
  2. A support bubble can be included within each household but must be legally binding (Please click here for an explanation). Your own defined “family” support bubble is not acceptable;
  3. If you are a single household the “Rule of Six” does not apply and your household and support bubble arrangement must not exceed a maximum of 10 people to comply with our own business marine insurance requirements;
  4. During your trip, you must socially distance yourself from any other canal users by remaining at least two meters apart or at least one meter with face coverings at all times;
  5. Venues along our stretch of canal are cautiously open and this should be considered while on our boats. There may be limited availability and inevitably there may be queues to get in or you may need to book ahead. We strongly advise that you continue to be self sufficient to avoid disappointment. You must agree to follow any arrangements each venue has in place to remain Covid Secure;
  6. We can provide a buffet lunch from The Boatyard Bus Café for £8.50 per head using disposable plates and cutlery but they do need at least 48 hours notice before your booking;
  7. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drink but there will not be any cutlery, crockery or cooking utensils available from us on the boat due to the risk of contaminated surfaces. There is a gas hob on board each of our boats so we have left the kettle on board which is externally sanitised between bookings;
  8. We are not offering evening hire until further notice to ensure that thorough cleaning can be carried out between hires;
  9. We are not offering skippered trips due to social distancing until further notice as this would mean there are two households on board the boat;
  10. We will still be offering a full safety brief to everyone and full handling instructions for those without or limited previous experience, both following social distancing guidelines.
  11. Other restrictions or relaxations may be introduced or removed without notice given current Government guidelines in force at the time of your booking.  Follow this page or our Facebook page for further updates.
Latest information regarding bookings from Monday 14th September 2020 until Wednesday 30th September 2020 – The “Rule of Six”

Current restrictions and changes to the way we operate are as follows:

  1. A maximum of six people aboard our boats whether from one household from a restricted geographical area or from two households from a non restricted area. The only exception to this is if a single household consists of more than 6 people but still can only be a maximum of 10 to meet our insurance requirements and cannot book with another household even from a non restricted geographical area.
  2. A support bubble can be included within each household but must be legally binding (Please click here for an explanation). Your own defined “family” support bubble is not acceptable.
  3. Please click here for the current list of geographical restrictions for the North of England when they come into force or the restrictions are eased (If you would like book from further afield please click here for details for the rest of England); 
  4. During your trip, you must socially distance yourself from any other canal users by remaining at least two meters apart or one meter with face coverings at all times;
  5. Venues along our stretch of canal are cautiously open and this should be considered while on our boats. There may be limited availability and inevitably there may be queues to get in or you may need to book ahead. We strongly advise that you continue to be self sufficient to avoid disappointment. You must agree to follow any arrangements each venue has in place to remain Covid Secure;
  6. We can provide a buffet lunch from The Boatyard Bus Café for £8.50 per head using disposable plates and cutlery but they do need at least 48 hours notice before your booking;
  7. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drink but there will not be any cutlery, crockery or cooking utensils available from us on the boat due to the risk of contaminated surfaces.  Please bring your own if you would like these for your own food or disposable tableware sets can be purchased from The Boatyard Bus Café for £1.50 per head;
  8. We are not offering evening hire until 1st April 2021 to ensure that thorough cleaning can be carried out between hires;
  9. We are not offering skippered trips due to social distancing until 1st April 2021;
  10. We will still be offering a full safety brief to everyone and full handling instructions for those without or limited previous experience, both following social distancing guidelines.
  11. Other restrictions or relaxations may be introduced or removed without notice given current Government guidelines in force at the time of your booking.  Follow this page or our Facebook page for further updates.
Latest information regarding bookings from Saturday 4th July 2020 until further notice
(Updated on Friday 31st July 2020 and Wednesday 26th August 2020 – Item 2)

Current restrictions and changes to the way we operate are as follows:

  1. You can hire in groups of up to two households (your support bubble counts as one household), unless you live in one of the areas listed in item 2 below. You should socially distance at least one meter from anyone not in your household at all times while on board. You will need to sign a declaration that you will observe and accept this prior to departure;
  2. With effect from Friday 31st July 2020 – If you live within one of the following areas: Greater Manchester (City of Manchester, Trafford, Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford), Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale) and West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees) You will only be able to hire a boat with members of your immediate household plus any support bubble arrangement you may have in place.  You can view the latest Government guidance Here.  With effect from 26th August 2020, Wigan will be removed from the local restricted areas list and will revert back to national restrictions as per Item 1 above.; 
  3. During your trip, you must socially distance yourself from any other canal users by remaining at least 1 meter apart at all times;
  4. Venues along our stretch of canal are cautiously opening and this should be considered while on our boats. There may be limited availability and inevitably there may be long queues to get in. We strongly advise that you continue to be self sufficient to avoid disappointment;
  5. We can provide a buffet lunch from The Boatyard Bus Café (Although it is not open for service) for £8.50 per head using disposable plates and cutlery;
  6. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drink but there will not be any cutlery, crockery or cooking utensils available from us on the boat due to the risk of contaminated surfaces.  Please bring your own if you would like these for your own food or disposable tableware sets can be purchased from The Boatyard Bus Café for £1.50 per head;
  7. We are not offering evening hire until 1st April 2021 to ensure that thorough cleaning can be carried out between hires;
  8. We are not offering skippered trips due to social distancing until 1st April 2021;
  9. We will still be offering a full safety brief to everyone and full handling instructions for those without or limited previous experience, both following social distancing guidelines.
  10. Other restrictions or relaxations may be introduced or removed without notice given current Government guidelines in force at the time of your booking.  Follow this page or our Facebook page for further updates.
Latest information regarding bookings from Friday 5th June 2020 until and including Friday 3rd July 2020

With effect from 5th June 2020 aboard our blue and red boats and 20th June aboard Crossley, our green boat we have been given permission to start to operate again.  A statement from the Canal and River Trust can be read here. 

Current restrictions and changes to the way we operate are as follows:

  1. Groups must be from the same household or within a permitted “Support bubble”, and will have to sign a declaration to that fact before departure;
  2. During your trip, you must socially distance yourself from any other canal users by remaining 2 meters apart at all times;
  3. Apart from a limited/restricted ice cream service at Frederick’s, there are currently no other venues open along the canal for lunch;
  4. We can provide a buffet lunch from The Boatyard Bus Café (Although it is not open for service) for £8.50 per head using disposable plates and cutlery;
  5. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drink but there will not be any cutlery, crockery or cooking utensils available from us on the boat due to the risk of contaminated surfaces.  Please bring your own if you would like these for your own food or disposable tableware sets can be purchased from The Boatyard Bus Café for £1.50 per head;
  6. We are not offering evening hire until 1st April 2021 to ensure that thorough cleaning can be carried out between hires;
  7. We are not offering skippered trips due to social distancing until 1st April 2021;
  8. We will still be offering a full safety brief to everyone and full handling instructions for those without or limited previous experience, both following social distancing guidelines.
  9. Other restrictions or relaxations may be introduced or removed without notice given current Government guidelines in force at the time of your booking.  Follow this page or our Facebook page for further updates.

If you have already had a booking cancelled by us and would like to revert back to your original booking or would still like to reschedule please see our availability page to make a reservation or check which dates are currently available and call me on 01257 480 825. It may be that if your original booking was cancelled, the date has now been taken by another group. If this is the case then please accept our apologies.

There are many ways to contact us, send an email to info@boatshire.co.uk, via Facebook messenger here on our website to the bottom right of this page, by WhatsApp via our Facebook page or through our website Contact page.

Many thanks for your support and understanding at this difficult time and I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Lucien @ Ellerbeck Narrowboats