Wales is home to some of the most scenic and idyliic inland waterways in the UK, excellent for slowing down and enjoying life in the slow lane - whether you be travelling by narrowboat, kayak, canoe or corracle!

The Llangollen Canal is one of the most popular spots in Britain for a boating holiday. The canal stretches from Hurleston Junction (near Nantwich) in Cheshire to the bustling market town of Llangollen in North Wales, with plenty to see and do along the way.

A typical cruise from Wrenbury in Cheshire to Llangollen takes around 3 days, with 12 locks and a number of lift bridges for you to operate en route. A round-trip to Llangollen and back is an ideal way to spend a week afloat, with plenty of time to stop off and explore your surroundings.

Llangollen itself boasts several museums and a working steam railway, and plays host to the International Music Eisteddfod each year in July. The nearby Valle Crucis Abbey and Dinas Bran castle are also worth a visit, as well as the stately home and art exhibition at Plas Newydd, and the 700-year old Chirk Castle, set amongst beautiful 18th-century parklands.

One of the highlights of any trip on the Llangollen Canal is the experience of crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This 200-year old structure towers 125 feet above the Dee Valley, and crossing it on a boat feels like floating in mid-air over the Welsh countryside. Your route will also take you over the Chirk Aqueduct, and through the peaceful market towns of Trevor, Whitchurch and Ellesmere.

The Montgomery Canal, derelict for many years, is now being reborn as a cruiseway through the picturesque Welsh Marches. From its junction with the Llangollen Canal at Welsh Frankton, the Montgomery meanders southwards for 35 miles towards Newtown. It is almost entirely rural - the largest settlement being the market town of Welshpool.

The canal is a true haven for wildlife and tranquillity with many Sites of Special Scientific Interest along the way. At present, only certain sections are navigable by boat, but the canal offers many opportunities for the walker or fisherman. More than half of this rural waterway is now in water.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal winds through 35 miles of peaceful countryside all the way from Brecon south to Cwmbran. Its pretty scenery and lightly-locked route make it understandably popular with holidaymakers. The terminus at Brecon has been completely revitalised in recent years. This is the only major settlement on the canal - otherwise, it generally keeps away from the beaten track.

The canal passes through a World Heritage Site, which also contains industrial landmarks such as the Big Pit Mining Museum. As the Mon & Brec is not currently accessible from any other waterway, most people cruise it on a hire-boat. There are several fleets based on the canal.

The river that defined the 'cult of the picturesque', the Wye carves its way through stunning borderland scenery attracting canoeists, sight-seers and walkers in equal measure.

The River Wye is born on the slopes of Plynlimon and carves its way through mid-Wales and the Marches until it reaches the River Severn,153 miles later. The ruins of Tintern Abbey, the rocky outcrop of Symonds Yat, and the commanding bulk of Chepstow Castle have attracted tourists in their thousands since the 19th century - and with good reason.

Popular today mainly with canoeists, the Wye has actually been navigated since Roman times. In its day the Wye was used for transporting stone, coal, iron and timber. Other bounty was cider from Hereford, wine from Italy, bark and hazel hoops. Wye trows (similar to the types of boats found on the River Severn), group-pulled boats, fishing boats, coracles and even a steam tug have come down this river.

Wye Valley Canoes

The Boat House Glasbury-on-Wye Herefordshire

Canadian canoes, double kayaks or single kayaks for hire to explore the River Wye

Monmouth Canoe & Activity Centre

Castle Yard, Old Dixton Road, Monmouth

We provide trips on the whole 100 miles of the legally canoe-able length of the River Wye, we are conveniently situated on the Welsh/English border in the small historic town of Monmouth on the edge of the Forest of Dean and on the rivers Wye & Monnow, close to main campsites and down the river from Symonds Yat.