The Canal centre is the HQ of the restored Basingstoke Canal, which runs for 32 miles from Greywell…read moreVillage in Hampshire to Woodham in Surrey, where it joins the Wey Navigation, which links it to the River Thames. As well as a display about the history of the canal, there's a small shop selling maps, basic toiletries and snacks for those on the adjacent campsite, games for children and souvenirs. The site has a small, popular cafe and a car park, and the centre has toilets. It's the starting point for walks along the canal towpath and those kayaking and canoeing along the canal. There's a small campsite adjacent. The canal itself was completed in 1794, running from the Wey Navigation to a basin in Basingstoke. It was never a commercial success, being undermined by competition from the adjacent railway from the 1830s. Commercial use ceased in 1910 and the canal gradually fell into disuse. It was used by nearby army camps during World War One. After the war, the efforts of a local man, AJ Harmsworth, maintained it for pleasure use and he purchased the canal in 1922. On his death in 1947 it was sold. Efforts to maintain the canal continued, but breaches in 1957 and 1968 ensured that it was essentially derelict by the 1960s. The Greywell tunnel, just short of Basingstoke had already partially collapsed in 1932, cutting the canal from its original destination. A campaign to restore the canal resulted in its purchase by Hampshire and Surrey Councils; restoration began in 1977 and it was opened in its current form in 1991. The Greywell tunnel remains closed and now houses a colony of protected bats, making restoration of the section to Basingstoke unlikely. The canal is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wildlife. Because of this and water supply issues, there is a limit on lock opening times and the number of boats allowed to use it. Short distance pleasure cruises are, however, operated from the canal centre.

The canal centre documents the history of the Basingstoke canal through dioramas, video, photos and…read moreinformation boards. An interactive model shows how a lock works. There's a cafe and small shop, plenty of parking and they cater for children with colouring pens and paper. At Christmas, they offer Santa cruises to take you and the kids to see Santa's secret grotto hidden in the woods a 10 minute ride from the centre. This year it was extremely well organised and Santa was very convincing and highly entertaining telling jokes, singing Christmas songs and talking to the children individually. The circular grotto (shed) was large, well protected from the elements, heated and strewn with hay. The canal centre was decorated too and the 'elf noticeboard' displayed all of the elf's qualifications such as sleigh driving and gift wrapping together with 'elf and safe tea' notices. Well worth the £10 per head including a quality reading book gift from Santa. If you want to book, do so early as tickets sell out very quickly.

Service was great, price was good and they recommended and booked me with a great can boat rental…read morecompany who were as great as they said they were. I was a bit worried because I had not rented a canal boat before and I am glad I used them. They recommeneded the route and said where I could get to on that route, they did not say though that to do the whole route would be hard for a beginner so did not get all the way on that route to see all the attractions they said. However the route was great so I do not care. They looked after me, it all went smoothly, the boat company they booked me with was a great location, company and I would use them again.

From the owner: Waterways Holidays provide self-drive boating holidays on the UK canals, rivers and Norfolk Broads…read more With a choice of over 1,800 hire boats (narrowboats, cruisers & yachts) from 80 locations, we can offer you the perfect holiday afloat. No previous boating experience is requiered as full instruction is provided at the satrt of your holiday.

We had a delightful afternoon tea cruise (1.5 hours) that was not only scrumptious (best scones I…read morehad this trip), but the guide was quite hilarious. Back to the food for a moment: Finger sandwiches, scones, cake, and tea! AND they had gluten-free option available meaning my spouse could enjoy as well (I did order in advance, but same day). We had a lovely cruise on the river and enjoyed seeing the Christ Church meadows, all the rowing clubs, and going through the Iffley locks. Our boat could accommodate eight people (maybe ten?), so it was a cozy experience. It was the first thing we did when we arrived in Oxford and it was a delight!

This was a nice float down the river, but not much more than that. I was looking forward to…read morelearning more about...anything really. The river itself, the wildlife, the connection to classic literary works, etc. Instead, the guide seemed to have limited information and only spoke about licensing on the river, the poor conditions of many of the boats, and the names of the colleges associated with the rowing houses (only some, though). He admitted hadn't been living there long and didn't know very much. He also let one group member dominate the trip, and spent most of the time answering his questions, which were completely unrelated to the river and really only related to himself. The trip started late because we were waiting for a group of seven, which was annoying. We had literally run from the train station to be there on time. The tour therefore felt rushed and still got back late, which made us late for our next event. Overall, I would not recommend as it is not worth the cost.

It was my husband's birthday this week, on a gloriously sunny day, and so I thought it would be…read morenice to take him out for a little row in our local park. I was right. :) Now, we've been on boat trips all over the world - along the Yangtze River in China, the Mekong in Laos and Thailand, through the backwaters of Kerala, island hopping in the Philippines, wildlife watching in Kinabatangan, Borneo... all sorts. With that it mind, little old Finsbury Park Boating Lake around the corner might have been a let-down. But but but, we'd never been on Finsbury Park Boating Lake and my husband isn't from the UK, so we kinda were exploring a foreign land, which is always jolly good fun. I also find that you sometimes have the most fun when a place isn't perfect. And I rather liked the imperfections of this lake - particularly the scummy, pervasive green weeds (please see photies). And the orangutans, proboscis monkeys and exotic birds we'd seen on other boat trips were replaced with duckies, moor hens, swans and geese. Just as exciting, no? And here you're allowed to feed the birds, stirring them up into a frenzy. We had great fun leading the quack-quacks a merry dance around the lake with our bird-feed. And if you come on a Saturday 1200-1500, dressed as a pirate (aaaargh!), you get a reduced price of £5 for your boat hire. Nice. Also worth checking out Groupon - they sometimes have deals on. Other than that, the fella working on the lake was very friendly indeed. We likey. Thoroughly recommend a row-row-row-your-boat in Finsbury Park, as long as you don't care about a bit of scuzzy weed and rubbish. All part of the fun, I say!

Great day on the rowing boats, feeding the ducks was a lovely extra. No more than 30mins is needed…read moreas the lake is more of a pond but in good weather and with tiny ducklings racing the boat it's worth a punt. Bonus is drinking is allowed on the boats and there's a 5 person bike boat that looks fun.

Brilliant place to hire row boats, canoes, kayaks and small motor boats. The Basingstoke canal…read moreoffers a lovely setting in either direction.

We visited Windsor yesterday and my husband felt it would be nice to do a river trip in the…read moreafternoon. The choice was a 40 minute trip or a 2 hour trip. As there was not much difference in price he opted to book us on the 2 hour trip. Below decks there's a bar/tearoom and toilets. Most people opted to sit on the top deck. This has plastic seating in the first 5 rows and the back rows have padded seats. Although it was a sunny day, it was cold whilst we were sailing - had I known we were going to do a river trip I wouldn't have worn a sun dress as I got quite cold! It was a pleasant trip. Commentary was via a pre-recorded cd talking about the sights and history to be seen along the bankside and it's quite fascinating to see all the lovely houses on the waters' edge. We asked for tea and cakes which was brought to us by the Captain's 'mate' a pleasant young lady with hair dyed green! It was an enjoyable trip aside from the fact that I'd taken my 5 year old granddaughter for whom the trip was just too long. She enjoyed going through the Bray Lock gates but at that age they don't understand the incredible engineering and history behind it. I would definitely recommend a river cruise if you want a relaxing afternoon but do take a blanket or some warm clothes!

Quite a pleasant cruise. Commentary is recorded and a bit too detailed for most people. Seats are…read moreplastic, so don't expect comfort. On the whole satisfactory.

I didn't know that was a private property , I crossed the bridge only to take a photo but the owner…read morewas rude and impolite , arrogant for nothing , beautiful house btw thank you grandad

I have been looking at buying a boat and therefore require a mooring. I came across this beautiful…read moreisland that also has mooring facilities. The owners are very welcoming and when I eventually buy a boat, I will definitely make this my first choice.