Escape the Rat Race

The Leading Provider of 'Liveaboard' Narrowboats

Explore the Boats

We were the first to specialise in long term canal boat breaks and remain the largest. We have now been supporting clients to 'liveaboard' for 19 years. We've learnt a lot in that time and pride ourselves on our service. We love nothing more than helping people to discover the waterways and make them their home.

Whether you are looking for a longer term Narrowboat holiday, or to live on a narrowboat permanently, we can serve you. We have a growing fleet of narrowboats, at a far lower cost than long term holiday hire. Bookings range from 3 months upward, with rates starting from £1100 a month, depending on the length of term and the season.

Our service is fully legal. Our canal boats are properly insured and licensed, as well as being professionally prepared and maintained. We provide you with everything you need to enjoy your cruise. Our fee covers this care.

Escape The Rat Race supports you while providing maintenance as required. You are simply responsible for what you use in the form of gas, diesel and logs etc.

Journal

Will Escaping the Rat Race Leave You Behind?

July 2026

We Can Serve You

Perhaps you're visiting Great Britain for a few months, newly retired, or would like to try things out while deciding whether to 'liveaboard' permanently.
Perhaps you want to live on a narrow boat but without the hassle of maintaining or investing in a boat of your own.
Perhaps you've enjoyed narrowboat holidays in the past, but would like to spend time enjoying Britain's huge canal network over a number of months.
Perhaps you work remotely and want to escape the rat race without leaving it behind entirely — bring your laptop and set your own pace, wherever the canal takes you.
Maybe you have a narrowboat of your own but would like to invest this with our management service.

Contact Us!


What Our Customers Say:



We are a retired Australian couple who hired the narrow boat ‘Wind Rose’ from Escape the Rat Race in this strange, crazy year of the Covid pandemic. We were due to come onboard in early April of 2020 and in the lead up we were holidaying in Portugal. When it became obvious that borders were going to close we managed to get the last flight out to the UK. Alex and his team organised ‘Wind Rose’ in record time so we could go aboard 10 days earlier. It was lovely to discover that ‘Wind Rose’ was a beautiful, airy light modern boat with everything you could require to feel like you were ‘home’. In spite of having occasional limited movements due to Covid restrictions, we still managed to have a far reaching and wonderful adventure for 5 months and at no time did ‘Wind Rose’ let us down. The wonderful thing about Escape the Rat Race’s operational model is that they entrust the boat to your care and give you total freedom to cruise where and when you wish without restrictions always knowing there is dependable back up if needed. We loved the life so much that we have in fact purchased our own narrow boat. We would particularly like to thank James for his initial ‘run through’ and the continued comfort he gave us that he was just a phone call or text away if needed for anything. Thank you Alex, James and Escape the Rat Race, our experience lived up to everything you had promised.

Ric and Stephanie Kalesh - Wind Rose, Summer 2020
We fully expect use ETRR in the future and recommend them to anyone.

Geoffrey and Lauren - Pegotty, June 2015
We had such a lovely time aboard the narrowboat Sweetpea. It was the perfect little getaway for the two of us, with a cosy layout and a kitchen that was just the right fit for our needs. Althgouh we did experience a few issues with the board during our stay, Alex and Clive were incredibly quick to respond and so helpful in getting everything sorted which really made a difference. Thanks to their support, we were able to relax and enjoy our short time on the water.

Caitlan and Samuel - Sweetpea, June 2026
So grateful to Escape the Rat Race for facilitating my 'escape'. Catalyst has been wonderful to liveaboard, and Alex was quick to respond to any issues or queries I had.

Simeon - Catalyst, December 2014
I've loved being on the boat and will miss you guys! It's been an amazing experience and I suspect I will end up back on the water at some point.

Sam - Christine Emma, August 2014
The wonderful thing about Escape the Rat Race’s operational model is that they entrust the boat to your care and give you total freedom to cruise where and when you wish without restrictions always knowing there is dependable back up if needed.

Ric and Stephanie - Wind Rose, 2020

Why Choose Escape the Rat Race?


Fully legal, licensed and insured — many informal long-term boat arrangements aren't, and won't hold up if something goes wrong.
19 years specialising exclusively in long term liveaboard narrowboat hire — we were the first to focus on this and remain the largest.
Ongoing engineer support throughout your stay, with regular visits and someone on call if you need them.
Freedom to roam the whole connected canal network in England and Wales, not just a fixed tourist route.
Narrowboat cruising a canal near a bridge

Start Your Escape

Ready to find your boat and set your own pace on the water? Get in touch and we'll help you plan your escape.

Enquire Now