Leafy Brecon Beacons is idyllic autumn break – afloat

A favourite canal for autumn breaks, according to Waterways Holidays, is the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, thanks to its route through the colourful woodland of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

“The canal is cut off from the rest of Britain’s waterways network, with an idyllic 20 mile stretch across the Brecon Beacons National Park to Abergavenny,” says managing director Nigel Richards.

This quiet canal cuts through mature oak and beech woods for many miles, offering some of the most scenic cruising in Britain, and a week’s holiday on ‘Nerys’ from her base at Pencelli is the ideal way to enjoy the spectacle. 

This 50ft narrowboat is easily handled by a couple on a canal that has only six locks on its entire length.  (Though with two fixed double beds, and the option to turn seats in the saloon into a third double, Nerys can actually accommodate three couples or a family of six.)

In a seven night holiday, travellers can cruise the whole of this picturesque waterway, chugging quietly at two or three miles an hour through Talybont Forest and the Glanusk Estate before returning to base.

A week’s hire of Nerys in October costs from £985, with a range of weekend or midweek start dates.  Short breaks of three or four nights cost from £715.  

Hire charges include all fuel used during the holiday, damage waiver, bed linen, car parking at base, canal guide book and a welcome bottle of bubbly.  One or two dogs are also welcome, free of charge.

For more information, visit waterwaysholidays.com.