Volunteering

We always need extra volunteers – click here for current vacancies

A picture of a volunteer demonstrating to three young school age client how to let the helmsman know that she is ready to open up the lock side gates

A picture of a volunteer on the bank of the canal just north of the lock at fisher inn Hemel hempstead

Maintenance day which 4 of our regular volunteer helpers armed with a cordless drill,kettle, broom and a metal rod on board Sheldrake 3

a picture of 3 of our wonderful volunteers togged up in wet weather gear as the rain comes down

Picture of three of our vulunteers enjoying s quick cup of tea waiting for the lock to fill up

A picture of one of volunteers getting ready to close the lock gate as we see the rear of sheldrake 3 with helmsman and client on board

Volunteers onboard our boat Close Shave on the Grand Union Canal

Volunteers with bikes by a lock on the Grand Union Canal

Volunteer onboard our boat Close Shave at the Rickmansworth Festival

Volunteer fixing curtains onboard our boat Close Shave at our boat base

Volunteers by a lock on the Grand Union Canal

Volunteer with out 3rd birthday cake in Visitor Centre at our boat base

Volunteers on back deck of our boat Sheldrake III at our boat base

Volunteer cleaning our boat Sheldrake III on the Grand Union Canal

Volunteer on the tiller of our boat Sheldrake III on the Grand Union Canal

A group shot of volunteers at our boat base

CORONAVIRUS

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

7/9/20
Very sorry everyone, **hopes** aren’t always fulfilled! The details of accommodating passengers in the new circumstances are proving a little more complicated than we expected, but a decision will be made as soon as possible. In the meantime, we can confirm that when we are in position to start returning to the water, we’ll only be able to accept bookings on our two smaller, 12 person boats and these will be for single household/bubbles only. People with bookings in the diary for the upcoming weeks will have been contacted by our team.

Please continue to contact our Bookings Team on 01923 723819 (Option 1) with any queries. We will update this page just as soon as we are able to start accepting bookings again.

10/8/20

Our volunteer teams are working hard on arrangements for re-starting trips safely for single household groups and we **hope** to be able to offer these in September. If you had a booking for August, we’re sorry that these won’t be going ahead.

To register your wish to book a trip for September, please submit a booking enquiry via this website

6/7/20

The Government’s guidance on passenger boat operations has just been eased and our Health & Safety experts are busily working through the extremely detailed guidance on safe operations during these dangerous times. Social distancing on our boats is going to be challenging but we very much hope that before too long we’ll be able to confirm bookings for at least single household/bubble groups. Please watch this space or if you’d like to speak to the bookings team about a trip that you’ve booked in the coming weeks or for a booking later in the year please call them on 01923 723819.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 15/6/20

Sadly we are still unable to offer boat trips, but the recent easing of restrictions mean that we can begin to open up our base for volunteers to get back to boat maintenance and gardening. Because of the need to maintain social distancing on the wharf we regret that from today, our pump out, water and rubbish disposal facilities will no longer be available to passing boaters.

We are obviously keeping our eyes on the government’s guidance for waterway businesses and will start operating trips again just as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

Waterways Experiences

4.9

Carole Anne

2020-03-08T16:43:52+0000

Had a lovely time. Can get as involved as you do or don't want to, with regard to the opening/closing of locks and steering the barge. Well looked after and the time flew by.read more

Aksenia Belsham

2020-03-01T17:46:29+0000

Had a fantastic time , can't wait to go again 😊

Nikki Savage

2020-02-26T13:47:43+0000

Had a fantastic day out with family. From booking until our day was over, everyone was so kind, informative and helpful. We will be booking again, very soon. The children loved being involved, steering the barge and opening/closing the locks. Highly recommend for all ages!read more

Sue Duncan

2020-02-02T17:19:07+0000

everything! I crew on the boats, and every trip is different, but the one constant is how happy people are when they finish their trips. ❤️read more

Carol Preedy

2020-01-06T16:42:52+0000

Great day out for all the family, we had three generations onboard, crew were great and we are got the opportunity to steer if we wanted and help with the locks. Will definitely book again in the summer.read more

Caroline Warner

2020-01-05T17:49:03+0000

What a fabulous afternoon we have had celebrating my daughters birthday with her friends. The volunteers were great and involved the children opening the locks etc. We will definitely return again ! Big thanks from the Warner Familyread more

Jo Renhard

2019-12-22T17:39:53+0000

Had a great trip with my family we all thoroughly enjoyed it and we had 3 generations with us. There was something for everyone and would recommend it to anyone thinking about it. All the volunteers that looked after us today (Ian, John, John & Rob) were awesome. Thank you u made our family time really special.read more

Becky Osborn

2019-12-16T19:47:31+0000

I couldn’t recommend Waterways Experiences enough! What an incredible bunch of people offering an incredible experience. It was a great day out and so much fun! Thanks so much to all the team there, you’re amazing people💗read more

Julie Cutler

2019-12-16T12:33:23+0000

Amazing experience. Having a great time

Sarah Osborn

2019-12-16T07:07:10+0000

Great leisurely afternoon to have a little bit of food and drink with a bunch of friends while getting on and off to help at the locks and being allowed to steer the barge. The guys who took us out were all volunteers and looked after us fantastically.read more

Jenni Hicks

2019-12-09T08:16:41+0000

We absolutely loved Waterways Experience! From the moment we arrived to board ‘Close Shave’ the volunteers could not have been more accommodating. They helped us carry on the mountain of food and drink that we brought with us, and cheerfully explained what we needed to know before setting off. The boat is well equipped, comfortable with plenty of seating and table space, plus lots of windows so you don’t miss the passing scenery. You can help with the locks, or steer the boat, with guidance. We went as far as the Winkwell Pub, before turning round and making our way back to base. Our next trip (we’ve decided to make it a new Christmas tradition now!), we’ll hopefully go in the other direction. We were lucky enough to have a lovely, bright, chilly day, so some of us spent quite a bit of time outside on deck, whilst others were happy to stay cosy inside. I really can’t say enough how much we all enjoyed this day out - something a bit different for all of us. The volunteers are amazing!read more

Doug Gordon

2019-12-06T18:36:51+0000

A fantastic charity with 3 wide beam boats which can take on board wheel chairs and have disabled toilets, and very experienced trained crews to give you a great time cruising the Grand union canal in comfort, And clients can have a go at the helm and working locks too!read more

Ruth Sayers

2019-10-29T15:24:27+0000

I've been on boat trips with them with the Day Centre I help at, The Armoral Hill Day Centre, they meet on Thursdays at The Age Concern Hall in St Albans, Herts. I like boat trips anyway, & I've really enjoyed the ones I've been on with them. The crew on the boats are always really kind to everybody, & they're very understanding. They let people steer the boats and operate the locks if they want to. I've never done that. They've got lifts on the boats so people in wheelchairs & people whose mobility isn't that great can get on & off the boats easily.read more

Becky Hollick

2019-10-26T16:32:31+0000

Just back from a fantastic birthday trip for our daughter, everyone was so lovely and the trip so peaceful! It was perfect! Highly recommendedread more

Martin Williams

2019-10-18T15:37:35+0000

I have just signed up to volunteer and had my first trip today. I had a great time out on the water with a great bunch of people with endless banter. A great way to spend a relaxing afternoon. Come and try it, you won’t be disappointed.read more

Elaine McGarrigle

2019-09-26T19:16:56+0000

Spent the day on Sheldrake 3 today with some folks from work. All older people and some less mobile than others, and what a great day we had. The skipper, Graeme and his crew were brilliant. The boat is fully accessible to everyone and is very well equipped. A few of the people used the lift down into the boat which was a godsend. Thanks so much to everyone at Waterways experiences, you do a fantastic job, you’re all amazing 😊 Elaine and the Creasey Park lunch clubread more

Nicole De Souza

2019-09-18T12:41:55+0000

A wonderful day spent with the family on the Sheldrake II . Friendly staff and so much fun for kids and adults

Karen Latham

2019-09-01T16:37:28+0000

We enjoyed the most wonderful day today with Waterways, a beautiful birthday celebration for Nanny, much fun was had by all our ages ranged from 4 to 80. The crew were amazing so helpful, informative and kind and encouraged us all to help with the locks which was great fun. I would thoroughly recommend a day out.read more

Ruth Goodmaker

2019-08-31T19:04:08+0000

Great afternoon with the Random Cafe we all had a fantastic time thank you

Jennifer Rogers

2019-08-05T19:34:32+0000

A lovely family day out . Enjoyed by all. Family enjoyed helping out with the locks and driving the boat . Thank you to the crewe for there help.read more

Roz Tann

2019-07-26T19:22:41+0000

Just got back from a fabulous day out at Waterway's Experience. Our residents are a group of mixed special needs adults. All the staff were amazing. I was shown around the boat first (Sheldrake III) & told where everything was. We took our own packed lunch, but ordered fish & chips for dinner, through contacts from the boat. Which were then delivered on the boat for when we needed them. Everyone had a great time. We were able to get off & on at various points along the way. It catered to our needs perfectly & they all talked about it on their way home. We will definitely be back :-) Thanks again for a truly amazing day, which we will all remember.read more

Carol Nash

2019-07-24T14:49:17+0000

Just had a brilliant cruise with a lovely group of residents from our care home in Stevenage. A really attentive crew who went above and beyond! Excellent fish n chips on route. A truly lovely experience, would highly recommend this. xread more

Carol Walls

2019-07-19T19:42:19+0000

A great cruise along the Grand Union Canal. Amazing Crew and great company. Highly recommend Waterways

Lorraine Law

2019-06-27T17:04:41+0000

Friendly crew clean barge great facilities well organised fish and chip lunch nothing to dislike

Amy Edwards

2019-06-21T08:05:46+0000

Great day out lovely crew. Couldn't of asked for better experience.

John Oliver

2019-06-10T22:39:59+0000

Relax and chilled. Great crew. Clean tidy boat

Linda Margaret Bailey

2019-05-20T20:35:42+0000

Lovely serene trip, lovely staff ! Thanks for arranging the weather !!!

Tracy Harper

2019-05-05T18:21:18+0000

10 of us went out for 4 hours and enjoyed every minute. Clean, spacious and lovely crew made the trip a wonderful experience.read more

Martin Crook

2019-04-27T16:16:30+0000

Very good but very windy We were with a group called the clowns. Fallen down tree lands on a narrowboat and across the Canal at Nash Millsread more

Christine Linskey

2019-03-10T15:31:46+0000

great staff , really made it fun for the children , kept us well informed about the things to look out for .Thank you .

Maggie Stanley

2019-03-10T15:15:03+0000

lovely afternoon, lovely staff, so good with the children, thanks to all.

John Bowman

2019-02-22T14:51:36+0000

With three large wide beam canal boats, half and full day trips are available. See website for details. Priority rates for disadvantaged groups. All boats have wheelchair access. A great way to relax.read more

Elise Valentine

2019-02-18T07:48:57+0000

Absolutely wonderful day out. Crew were friendly, fun, knowledgable and great with the kids. Best of all, my less abled mum was able to come up to the outside and get on and off the boat so we could all help out at the locks and have a go at steering. Weather was amazing for February. As a plus we did enjoy our fish and chips 😋. Would definitely recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️read more

Dionne Stockton

2019-02-17T17:03:12+0000

Wonderful day, catered for our needs. Great canal trip. Perfect . Definitely do again. Thank you so much

Trevor Longuet

2019-01-10T11:43:30+0000

we had a great day kids (3+5) really enjoyed it, pretending to steer and lots to see from above and below deck, lots of room to move about below deck and tables to do drawing and still see the views, Fish and Chips are yum and a large portion 😃read more

Janet Horne

2018-12-27T19:35:12+0000

so glad I booked this and exceeded anything we hoped for.Cannot recommend highly enough--thank you to all the volunteers for making this such a special experience --my grandchildren loved it as did we 😊read more

Becci Brown

2018-11-17T21:42:22+0000

We had a fabulous afternoon for my mum's birthday with waterways experience, amazing friendly staff who were very welcoming, my little man LOVED it, he was able to help with the locks/steering 100% recommend and will definitely be booking again! 😀read more

Susan Gordon

2018-11-11T17:02:06+0000

Excellent crew Very relaxing trip. Lovely to feed the ducks and swans. Can have a go at locks and steering if you wish. Thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an afternoon and amazing valueread more

Jacky Atkins

2018-09-24T17:05:00+0000

Lovely time on Shelldrake with our ukulele group. 4 hours of relaxing and having fun together. Lovely crew, tasty fish and chip lunch and all near Hemel Hempstead!read more

Jo Neville-Rye

2018-09-05T20:51:16+0000

Had a wonderful time On the Close Shave with skipper Malcolm and his crew. Would definitely recommend the experience. All the volunteers were really dedicated to ensuring we had the best day. A special thank you to Anne for showing us the Dinosaur :)read more

Stephie Denton

2018-09-03T15:51:23+0000

Brilliant afternoon on ‘Close Shave’ for my mum’s 70th birthday. Skipper Roy and his crew were great with the kids explaining how the canal and locks work and letting them join in. Booking was easy and the volunteer staff were really helpful and flexible allowing us to arrange for a company to deliver cream teas. The boat itself is very roomy and very well equipped and also very clean and tidy. Would recommend to anyone for a lovely day out.read more

Benn James

2018-09-02T19:42:12+0000

What a fantastic day, everyone who joined me to celebrate my 21st birthday had a fantastic time. The boat had so much room but the crew were amazing, helping the young children do the locks and steer the boat. Totally awesome day. Thank you to everyone involved..read more

Sam Denton

2018-09-02T19:23:28+0000

Fabulous afternoon on 'Close Shave', the crew were so helpful, the kids loved helping with the locks and steering. A wonderful afternoon for a family birthday. Thank you.read more

Shirley Galsworthy

2018-08-31T21:05:33+0000

Every thing went extremely well. The booking and the payment process very easy. All staff where very helpfull with all our members some had to use wheelchairs and walkers and this was delt with kindness and compation. Lovely day .read more

Hollie Cooper

2018-08-29T16:26:27+0000

Thank you to Malcolm and his crew for making my Father in Laws 80th birthday so special. We have all had the perfect day and are already booking up for the Christmas trip.read more

Laura Waller

2018-08-08T15:31:35+0000

What a fantastic trip today-3rd time I have taken a group of older people on Sheldrake lll and it gets better every year. The crew were lovely and all the staff back at base were so helpful. Special thanks to John the Skipper and Sue for being so good with my young daughter. We will be back!read more

Lorraine Arnott

2018-07-21T21:57:00+0000

Absolutely fantastic night. Loved every second of it doing the locks and the drain things. Even applied to volunteer to b boat crew in near future. Thanks for giving up your saturday night . an amazing time was had by all xxxread more

Vivienne Morris

2018-06-07T18:09:31+0000

We were with a large group of friends, enough to fill the boat yesterday 6th June. We were blessed with the most amazing weather sun, sun, sun. The crew made us welcome from the beginning and the knowledge they conveyed was very informative. Many of us helped at the locks and some of us even took the tiller.....without any mishaps. This was a terrific afternoon, and when we got back to base a bit too early, we carried on in the opposite direction to stretch the time. A super afternoon highly recommended.read more

Rachel Scott

2018-04-09T13:16:33+0000

I would just like to say a big thank you to the crew( francis,nigel and sorry can't remember the 3rd crew member)l on our trip yesterday 8.4.18, we had a great time and the patients of the crew who showed my grandson how to work the locks and let him steer the barge it was great to see him so happy, also with my granddaughter who was into everything they also let my sister join the group further on the trip as she was running late nothing was to much trouble for them and i would recommend this experience to anyone.read more

Joseph Kikta

2018-04-02T19:15:07+0000

Paul Trubridge

2018-03-17T20:25:16+0000

A heartfelt thanks for our trip with you in February. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Your interaction with the grownups and children was great and you made us all feel very much at home and relaxed. The weather was a tad fresh but the sunshine showed off the canal at its best. It was great for everyone to be involved or just taking in the scenery and also very comforting chilling and warming up below deck with a cuppa. The fish and chip delivery was a great idea and of high quality. Hats off to all of the volunteers - those who crew the boat and also those that work behind the scenes with booking and payment. A great family day out.read more

Louise Hartley Madley

2018-02-04T19:43:48+0000

We booked one of your boats for my husbands 40th Birthday yesterday afternoon. Thank you so much to Peter and the crew for making the whole experience a memorable one. They were cheerful and really helpful.The boats were fully equipped with everything we needed. We hope to book again soon and would fully recommend!read more

Lynne Hubbard

2017-12-04T06:58:52+0000

I work for a company who support adults with learning disabilities. I have booked 4 trips and we had our first one on Saturday. It was an amazing day the crew were brilliant and the boat was adapted brilliantly for wheelchairs. They had mince pies, Xmas crackers, everything supplied for whatever hot or cold drink, sauces and condiments for the fish and chips that they had delivered onto the boat. We had a brilliant time and all the service users had a really special day Thank you so much I will deffo be booking more trips.read more

Lorna Hill

2017-12-03T08:42:03+0000

Brilliant day for all the family what ever age

Iris Lynch

2017-11-02T12:25:41+0000

Magpie club loved the boat trip.Excellent fun and a great crew always.Will book again.Thank you.

Andrew Knowlman

2017-10-27T18:45:04+0000

I would like to thank you for a great day on Monday September 23rd. Everything has changed for my family and me, since I was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in April 2015. Now in a wheelchair, unable talk and eat, the time on the boat gave me time to be somewhere different. Peaceful, relaxing and a time for family and friends to be together. Our children, Sebastian and Valentina, enjoyed steering the boat and opening the locks, as did the adults. Everyone enjoyed the picnic and endless tea. There was plenty of space on the bow, for my wheelchair. Helpful, knowledgeable staff. Thanks very much from the Knowlman family.read more

Georgie Rose Drew

2017-10-16T19:34:19+0000

Had my sons 5th birthday party on board was fantastic and very unique the crew was amazing and we had the best time, thank you xread more

Sue Prowse

2017-10-11T21:11:12+0000

Always had a brilliant time when I've taken groups on the Waterways Experiences evening cruises. Amazing Value and the crew is fantastic too.read more

Joy Lawrence

2017-08-26T17:04:08+0000

Emma Scrivens

2017-08-02T13:51:20+0000

Helen Craig

2017-07-02T21:49:08+0000

Stephen Hunt

2017-05-29T16:03:47+0000

Chris Maybank

2017-05-29T11:30:05+0000

Lots of fun, thanks. Staff great 👍 highly recommend for a good day out on the canal, something a bit different.

James Skinner

2017-05-29T09:10:58+0000

Great day out ! The kids had such fun and we will be talking about it all for years to come :)

Lesley Carr

2017-05-13T12:01:01+0000

Wow, what lovely people. Very wheelchair friendly. Great way to spend a few hours on the canal. Highly recommended and to top it off delicious fish and chips delivered to the boatread more

Kirsty Stickland

2017-04-16T06:03:36+0000

We had a brilliant family day out along the canal yesterday. We all had a fun time, the children loved getting involved, from helping at the locks to helping to "drive" too. The crew were lovely, so friendly and knowledgeable (Michael, Malcolm & Margaret). Would highly recommend this.read more

Gary D Small

2017-03-30T07:23:47+0000

Lovely way to spend a day or more with family and friends.

John Blair

2017-03-27T10:15:37+0000

Sian Evans

2017-03-26T13:02:28+0000

Aine O'Shaughnessy

2017-03-13T12:27:57+0000

It was great day on the canal boats it was meet up with a group of ladies my mum trained with over 30 years ago and families I thought it was great we had our boat and open the gates for the boat to in and out and go along the canal it was great fun !!read more

Adam Langford

2017-02-19T13:08:49+0000

David Bentley

2017-01-09T14:15:32+0000

This what memories should be for children, slow pace along the cannel with fish and chips lunch if you want one (reasonable price). We had a 4 hour trip, the children had supervision while helping at the locks. Certificate for each child. Fresh air, nice skipper and crew. It's outdoors in a fully enclosed long boat. We will do this again.read more

Lucy Pinkstone

2016-12-04T23:15:09+0000

Fantastic opportunities to work the locks and steer a canal boat. Beautiful wildlife including Herons and swans.

Katie Trotter

2016-12-04T16:18:36+0000

Ish Gallagher

2016-10-05T13:36:20+0000

Eddie Gunning

2016-09-26T15:33:53+0000

Hilary Robinson

2016-09-18T12:36:59+0000

Andrew Walker

2016-09-17T20:40:23+0000

Lucy Dunham

2016-08-02T20:26:10+0000

Waterways experience was amazing, enjoyable and totally relaxing. The volunteers were fab, very friendly and made us all feel welcome. Having the opportunity to steer the boat and to open lochs was brilliant, will deffo do it again! The fact that they were all giving their time as volunteers was amazing, thank you !read more

Lisa Metselaar

2016-05-16T08:49:33+0000

Had an absolutely beautiful day out yesterday! Fabulous! Thank you to all the crew for making it such a memorably day outread more

Joanne Lewis

2015-07-30T11:42:56+0000

Nate Koorbwen

2015-07-11T18:23:18+0000

We had an absolutely fantastic day! Highly recommended for everybody.

Duncan Radband

2015-07-11T16:16:24+0000

Nicky Eve

2015-05-17T06:45:14+0000

Great charity offering wheelchair-accessible canal boat trips to the local community.

Tracey Carr

2014-10-17T14:27:48+0000

Gill Ward

2014-09-18T17:12:03+0000

Gill Ward

2014-09-18T17:12:01+0000

Matthew Howard

2014-07-01T09:41:10+0000

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