Review GoBoat Paddington. At the weekend we were invited to try out a Goboat trip around central London. If like me you had never heard of them before Go Boat operates along London’s canals just by Paddington Station. Offering eco-friendly boats to explore regents canal and the surrounding area including Little Venice boat hire. It is an area of London we have never explored before so what better way to do it than by boat. We decided to drive to London because we wanted to go to the RAF Museum afterwards. There are several car parks a short walk away. We opted for Bell Street which cost us £11 for four hours.
Review GoBoat Paddington
GoBoat is very easy to find just by Merchant Square. There are a couple of cafes close by which are the nearest toilets so we stopped for a hot drink before boarding our boating experience. Charlie was delighted that he got to choose a captain’s hat as he put his life jacket on. I was very impressed with the quality of the life jackets and buoyancy aids. Unlike some other boat rides we have been on, these looked brand new and there was a lot of them lined up behind the kiosk. Harry naturally needed some gentle persuasion to put it on as we had a safety briefing.
Once on our own boat, we were shown how to operate it. Despite it being our first time operating an electric boat before it was very simple and straightforward to steer. We had a short test drive up to the end of the canal before turning around and dropping off our instructor. Then we were free to do what we wanted. There are quite a few barges on the canals but because we opted for an early slot it was not busy. This gave Hubby a chance to get some practice in. You can hire the boats from 1 hour to 4 hours. We had a two hour trip booked from 11 am to 1 pm. We noticed that the canals got much busier towards the end of our session with Go Boat Paddington.
Maps of the canals – GoBoat Paddington
You are also given a map of the network of canals and Paddington Basin on a clipboard. It gives you a rough indication of how long it takes to get back to base camp. We managed to get pretty much all the way up to Camden lock before turning around and coming back. This saw us go past various points of interest with the best bits being ZSL London Zoo,regent’s park, Primrose Hill, a beautiful red Chinese restaurant and my favourite Little Venice. I loved seeing all the multi-coloured barges up and down the side of the regent’s canal. It definitely made us think that we would like to have a little break on the Norfolk Broads once Harry is a little older. It looks like a very relaxed way of life.
The route we took with GoBoat Paddington
At the end of Little Venice, you have to go through a 25m tunnel, called Long Maida Hill Tunnel. This will take you up to Camden Lock Market and the canals of North London. The GoBoat has a light on the front as it is very dark inside the tunnel. You have to make sure that there is nothing coming in the opposite direction when you enter. As it’s not wide enough to pass in the metre maida hill tunnel. The GoBoat electric boats definitely has an advantage over the barges which are much more cumbersome. Although that may sound daunting we managed to navigate it each time. As the tunnel is straight so it’s pretty easy to work out if you can go or not and it adds to the sailing experience. It really adds to the experience of Little Venice boat hire.
Food & drink on our Little Venice Boat Hire
In the middle of the GoBoat there is a large table which we filled with our own food. It was a little challenging feeding the boys, capturing photos and making sure Harry didn’t jump off the side! However, I could imagine sitting enjoying a glass of cold bottle of wine and watching the world go by. Understandably they do limit the amount of alcohol you can take onto the boat and with the boys, we didn’t take any. But of course, one can dream… It would make a great excursion with a group of friends. It is a good thing that you bring your own food, as with picky kids it gives you the chance to bring good food for them.
On our two-hour hire we purposefully followed the map to the right as far as we could go. I think if you had a longer hire I would have been tempted to try out the lock. At Bird Island, you could also go off to the left towards the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal. There is less to see this way and when we visited there was also a lot of weed in this part of the canal. So we decided against it. Plus it will give us an excuse to go back and try another boating adventure.
Review GoBoat London – our conclusions
We all had a great time on the canals with GoBoat and would highly recommend a visit. The sustainable boat rental allows you to go at your own pace. And get a new perspective on london’s canal compared to your standard riverside walk. The boys loved being their own captain. Operating throughout the week with peak times at the weekend. You can book in fifteen-minute time slots from 10 am to 6 pm depending on the length of your booking. Prices start from £59 and you can get up to eight people in a boat. They also have two other Central London locations – Goboat Kingston upon Thames and Goboat Canary Wharf. Next time we are planning on taking the grandparents with us as we had such a fun day and it is suitable for the whole family. You can find out more and book online here at Go Boat Paddington.
Have you been on a Goboat experience? I would love to hear what you thought in the comments below.
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We were given a two-hour session on a GoBoat for the purpose of this review. All words and opinions are my own.
PIN for later – Review GoBoat Paddington – Little Venice Boat Hire
43 Responses
Oh so fab, I love boats! Must take my daughter!
We came across some of these boats when we did the Paddington Bear tour last year and we thought what a relaxing area it was just steps away from all the hustle and bustle!
Always amazing to be messing around in boats!
This looks like an amazing day out. I really want to do this – it’s mikes from where I live but it would make a great weekend away adventure. Thanks !
looks so much fun, ive only been on boat to zoo in london
We have alot of canals around where we live in Yorkshire. I particularly like the Skipton Canal boats and the kids enjoy them x
this looks like a great day out x
this looks like a really lovely day out
One of my favourite posts and the top photo of the boys is perfect!
I had never heard of GoBoat,either, but it looks like a wonderful trip. As always, lots of really useful information to help me plan. Thank you.
This looks like so much fun. My kids would love a day out like this!
I’ve been on canal boat trips before, but never driven one myself. If you are thinking about going on a boathouse holiday, a trip like this is a very good idea just to try it out and see if it’s something you would enjoy.
Looks loads of fun – something our family will love
I love London, my dad lives in Walton on Thames right next to.the river so you can walk to Hampton court palace
What a fabulous day out – amazing family fun!
Sounds like a really unique way to explore. Lovely photos.
This looks like a great day out, your boys certainly look as though they enjoyed themselves. Must take my nephews.
This looks like a lot of fun
Wow it’s beautiful thou have never heard of it before but it sure looks fun and fascinating.
This looks like so much fun. We’ve never been on a canal boat before! We might have to give it a try.
Wow. I just watched this from movies and did not realize that it is a real thing. Such adorable kids too. What a great time for bonding really.
What an amazing day out, and not your typical London visit, instead a side of London that you may never realise. Love the photographs, they really set the scene. Love to experience this. Thanks for sharing
My hubby would love this, it looks so lovely and the your pictures are delightful x
aww it looks like the kids had a wonderful time and enjoyed their experience.
This is such a great day out idea – I love the idea of being able to control your own boat and choose exactly where you go! I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before either
What a great way to explore! Love boating through cities for some reason – always such a great way to see it.
This looks like such a great activity to do with kids! <3
Aww what a fun family day out and something a bit different too! An interesting way to see the London area 🙂
These goboats looks so fun. I would really love to ride in one of these boats someday. I bet it would be so relaxing.
This must have been such a fun adventure! Makes me want to be a kid again and see it from their perspective. Actually, I don’t care if I’m a kid – I just want to go boating like this. Also: awesome picture of the colorful jacket matching the colorful background!
It looks like you all had a great time, I love all places that have a canal you can ride down. It’s so peaceful to do, Thanks for sharing
I have never been there but it looks like a nice and fun experience with your boys and the place look so peaceful.
What a detailed and comprehensive guide! This really looks like great family fun and I can just imagine how exciting that tunnel must be for little boys.
omg, how cool is that! the kids feeding the ducks, going through the tunnel. It looks like so much fun
Thanks for sharing your GoBoat adventures. I would love to be there.
Beautiful pictures. This looks super fun x #bloggerclubuk
This looks like such fun. Definitely on the list for our next trip to London.
This sounds like a really fun thing to do with the kids over half term. It’s really well priced which help 🙂
I’d absolutely love to do something like this. It would certainly be a different and more interesting way to see the city! And not as expensive as I was expecting.
Looks like a great day out – the boat matches my favourite rainbow coat!
Sounds like a fun day out
Brings back memories of holidays on the Norfolk and Suffolk broads!
This looks like soo much fun and worth a visit on our next trip
Fun times – loving the outfits!