Canal holidays have never looked so appealing for families, with flotilla bookings for bubble breaks proving more popular than ever.

Narrowboat operator Black Prince Holidays has seen a 190% increase in bookings over the past four weeks, with almost three times the normal level of searches for narrowboat holidays in under-the-radar destinations including Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

There's been a big rise in 'flotilla' bookings for two or more boats, with extended families attracted by the seclusion and ease of social distancing on a narrowboat.

Leighton Jones, operations manager at Black Prince says: "Holidaymakers are swapping lockdown for locks.

"Canal holidays are about as socially distanced as you can get, but they are great fun too. Families groups who haven't seen much of each other over the last few months can book multiple boats and share the experience without stepping on each other's toes.”

New Canal & Castle route launched
Black Prince has launched a selection of new routes that are tailored to families. They include Canal & Castle, which can be taken as a 10 or 14-night cruise from Napton along the Warwickshire Ring. Boaters can stop for attractions that include Warwick Castle, Cadbury World and Drayton Manor Park & Zoo and conquer Hatton Locks, nicknamed the Stairway to Heaven for its steep incline.

How: Canal & Cruise costs from £2,925 for four sharing for 10 nights from 23 August (black-prince.com, 01527 575 115). Diesel is extra, at around £10 per day.

The company has also teamed up with family adventurer David Mellor to create the Towpath Activity Guide, with a selection of on-and-off the boat activities for children to complete on their cruise.

Says Leighton Jones: "Our new routes have been a great success. Creating routes for families gives parents the confidence that there will be plenty to keep their children active and entertained."

• For details of Black Prince's new family routes, https://www.black-prince.com/family-friendly-narrowboat-holidays/
• For Canal & Castle, https://www.black-prince.com/family-friendly-narrowboat-holidays/routes/canal-castle/

Notes to editors:
About David Mellor
David is a teacher and the founder of Potty Adventures, an award-winning blog dedicated to helping all families get outside more. He champions the use of play and exploration as a means to development and family bonding and regularly speaks at major festivals, such as BBC Countryfile Live and Carfest, about adventuring with children.

New COVID-19 procedures in place for guest safety
Black Prince has been working closely with the British Marine Federation to put in place strict safety measures to keep guests safe on their holiday. These include a new socially-distanced check-in procedure and boat handover, and a new cleaning process with extra emphasis on high-touch areas.

About Black Prince Holidays
Black Prince Holidays offers canal holidays from nine bases across the UK. The company has a fleet of modern, award winning narrow boats with two to 10 berths available and its team are British Marine Federation accredited for hire boat instruction and handover procedures.

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