Blue Otter Boats

Blue Otter Boats Blue Otter Boats offers bespoke self-drive holidays for 3 nights or more. Explore England's canal ne

Blue Otter Skipton offers bespoke narrowboat hire on the picturesque canals of Yorkshire and Warwickshire. Enjoy self-drive cruises, private charters, or static stays in our luxury narrowboats. We provide full boat-handling training and high-end interiors for a unique canal holiday experience. Explore serene waterways and charming landscapes with Blue Otter Boats, part of Hoseasons' premium Starboard collection, ensuring quality and comfort for your journey.

05/09/2026

Take a ride through Foulridge Tunnel with our past guests.

There’s something particularly special about welcoming guests back to Blue Otter. 💙🦦Anne & Jeff first cruised with us la...
29/08/2026

There’s something particularly special about welcoming guests back to Blue Otter. 💙🦦

Anne & Jeff first cruised with us last year and, within days of returning home, had already booked their next Blue Otter holiday. Then came a whole year of counting down the weeks until they could step aboard again…

And last week, they finally did.

This time they were able to take on the famous Bingley Five Rise & Three Rise Locks … something they missed last year when low water levels meant the locks were closed.

Their lovely handwritten message at the end of the week says it all:

“We had a lovely time on the canal… lovely welcome from Liz & Ben & lovely touches of w**e & fruit. Lovely friendly people on the canal & lovely pubs.”

Thank you, Anne & Jeff. It was an absolute pleasure to have you back aboard and to see you finally get your Bingley adventure. 🚤

And perhaps there’s something in their approach to holidays: when you find somewhere you love, give yourself another one to look forward to.

Our 2027 bookings are already coming in earlier than ever, and preferred dates can be secured with just a £50 deposit.

Here’s to having a Blue Otter adventure in the diary to count down to. 💙

CanalHoliday SlowTravel Yorkshire VisitYorkshire RepeatGuests

🌧️➡️☀️ GOOD NEWS FROM THE LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL!After the welcome rainfall of the past week, we’re delighted to share ...
25/08/2026

🌧️➡️☀️ GOOD NEWS FROM THE LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL!

After the welcome rainfall of the past week, we’re delighted to share another positive update this morning from the Canal & River Trust

🚤 Gargrave to Bank Newton is NOW OPEN

Navigation between Lock 30 and Lock 41 has reopened, with the locks operating daily from 10am–4pm.

🚤 Bingley Five Rise & Three Rise are NOW OPEN

The famous Bingley lock flights have also reopened today and will operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with timed morning and afternoon passages.

And, of course, our 18-mile Skipton Pound remains open, navigable and lock-free.

After such a prolonged dry spell, it’s wonderful to see more of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal becoming accessible again – and to give our guests even more choice when planning their adventures from Skipton. 💙

A big thank you to everyone who has shown patience and understanding while the restrictions have been in place – and perhaps a small thank you to the Yorkshire rain too! ☔️

⚠️ Conditions can still change at short notice, so please check the latest information before setting off.

NarrowboatHoliday CanalHoliday SlowTravel BingleyFiveRise

🌧️➡️☀️ GOOD NEWS FROM THE LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL!After the welcome rainfall of the past week, we're delighted to share ...
24/08/2026

🌧️➡️☀️ GOOD NEWS FROM THE LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL!

After the welcome rainfall of the past week, we're delighted to share another positive update this morning from the Canal & River Trust.

🚤 Gargrave to Bank Newton is NOW OPEN

Navigation between Lock 30 and Lock 41 has reopened, with the locks operating daily from 10am–4pm.

🚤 Bingley Five Rise & Three Rise are NOW OPEN

The famous Bingley lock flights have also reopened today and will operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with timed morning and afternoon passages.

And, of course, our 18-mile Skipton Pound remains open, navigable and lock-free.

After such a prolonged dry spell, it's wonderful to see more of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal becoming accessible again – and to give our guests even more choice when planning their adventures from Skipton. 💙

A big thank you to everyone who has shown patience and understanding while the restrictions have been in place – and perhaps a small thank you to the Yorkshire rain too! ☔️

⚠️ Conditions can still change at short notice, so please check the latest information before setting off. We'll continue to keep our website updated:

👉 blueotterboats.com/journal-events/

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Our latest reviews are in... and we couldn’t ask for a better way to round off the summer.“We thoroughly enjoyed o...
24/08/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Our latest reviews are in... and we couldn’t ask for a better way to round off the summer.

“We thoroughly enjoyed our time on Blue Otter… we were sorry to leave and can’t wait to return.”

“We enjoyed it even more than we expected to and found it incredibly relaxing.”

Our latest guests have given Blue Otter another two 5-star Feefo reviews, continuing our Exceptional 5 out of 5 rating. 💛

For us, the loveliest comments are about more than the boat itself. They’re about discovering canal boating for the first time, learning new skills, slowing down and enjoying a completely different pace of life... with the reassurance of a warm welcome, full training and support along the way.

And increasingly, guests aren’t waiting until the new year to plan their next escape.

We’re seeing more advance bookings than ever before for 2027, with both returning and new guests reserving their preferred dates much earlier. It’s a noticeable change in booking patterns and means some of the most popular weeks are already being snapped up.

So, if a Blue Otter escape is on your list for 2027, we recommend reserving early rather than waiting.

🗓 Just £50 secures your preferred dates.

Whether it will be your first time at the tiller or a return to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, we’d love to welcome you aboard.
https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/blue-otter-skipton-bh2610

🌧️ We don't often celebrate several days of heavy Yorkshire rain quite this much!After the prolonged dry spell and the r...
21/08/2026

🌧️ We don't often celebrate several days of heavy Yorkshire rain quite this much!

After the prolonged dry spell and the resulting restrictions on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, this week's rainfall has brought some very welcome news.

Our current guests, visiting us from Aberdeen, joked that they'd brought the rain down with them. At this point, we're inclined to thank them for it! ☔️😊

Following the rainfall and improving water conditions, the latest update means:

🚤 Bank Newton to Gargrave will reopen from 10am tomorrow, Saturday 22 August.

🔒 Some sections will remain closed from 2pm, as detailed in our graphic.

🚤 Bingley Flights will reopen from Monday 24 August, operating Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with normal summer opening times.

And throughout it all, our 18-mile Skipton Pound has remained open, navigable and lock-free, giving our guests plenty of beautiful Yorkshire canal to explore.

It's certainly been an unusual cruising season, and we're delighted to see conditions beginning to improve. 💙

As always, the situation can change at short notice and we'll continue to share the latest information on our website.

For our guest arriving or departing next weekend…check out Skipton Live concerts. Advance ticket purchase is recommended...
18/08/2026

For our guest arriving or departing next weekend…check out Skipton Live concerts. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

We’re delighted to be supporting this event as a community sponsor.

✨ 2026 is officially fully booked! ✨A huge thank you to all our new and returning guests who have chosen to explore the ...
18/08/2026

✨ 2026 is officially fully booked! ✨

A huge thank you to all our new and returning guests who have chosen to explore the beautiful Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Skipton with Blue Otter this year. 💙🦦

While the exceptionally dry weather has brought some lock restrictions, there is still plenty of cruising to enjoy. From our Skipton mooring, 18 miles of lock-free canal remain navigable, with wonderful countryside, villages, waterside stops and wildlife to discover along the way. 🌿🚤

And now our attention is turning to 2027…

If a self-drive narrowboat escape is on your wish list for next year, we recommend securing your dates early. We’re already 50% booked for the 2027 cruising season.

🔹 Reserve your preferred dates with just a £50 deposit
🔹 Luxury narrowboat holidays for two
🔹 Full tuition included
🔹 Dog friendly 🐾
🔹 Departing from Skipton, gateway to the Yorkshire Dales

Thank you for making 2026 another fully booked season for Blue Otter. We can’t wait to welcome everyone aboard — and to see where 2027 takes us. 💙

YorkshireDales SlowTravel VisitYorkshire NarrowboatLife UKStaycation

⚠️ IMPORTANT CANAL UPDATE – LOCK CLOSURESFollowing the ongoing dry weather and insufficient rainfall, further restrictio...
17/08/2026

⚠️ IMPORTANT CANAL UPDATE – LOCK CLOSURES

Following the ongoing dry weather and insufficient rainfall, further restrictions have now been introduced on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

🔒 Gargrave & Bank Newton Locks 33–41
🔒 Bingley 5 & 3 Rise Locks

are now closed and padlocked until further notice, with the situation due to be reviewed on 28 August 2026.

🚤 BUT THERE’S STILL PLENTY OF CRUISING TO ENJOY!

The Skipton Pound remains open, navigable and lock-free, giving boaters a beautiful 18-mile stretch of canal to explore without passing through a single lock (just plenty of swing bridges)

For Blue Otter guests, that still means plenty of opportunity for a wonderfully relaxed canal escape from our Skipton base – cruising through some of the loveliest scenery along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

The situation can change at short notice, so we recommend checking the latest information before travelling. We’ll continue to keep our website updated as new information becomes available.

👉 Latest Canal & River Trust updates:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/01a01018-1402-7a9a-8519-9e784a149b58

Address

Skipton
BB8 7

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5:30pm
Sunday 10am - 5:30pm

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