Most cars weigh somewhere around 1.25 tonnes, give or take, and they’re mostly made of metal. This month I took the helm of a 1.25 tonne, metal vehicle designed for moving six or so people, albeit with a few changes.

Although we only went about 50 miles, that was more than enough to get a good feel for the test vehicle. Powered by a 40hp marine-diesel engine and designed for a speed of around 3-4mph, this month’s review is a little different; spent at the tiller of the 65ft narrow boat, Isla.

I’ve done a few canal holidays before, so I knew what to expect and how things worked. But, with a four-year intermission, remembering the nuances of steering something 65ft long and only 7ft wide – and doing so from the very back – took a little remembering. Once it all came ‘flooding’ back, though, it was ‘plain sailing’.

With the network designed for barges being towed by a horse, speed clearly isn’t going to win any top trump battles. I spent the week at a maximum speed of around 3-3.5mph, and handling is something that takes some getting used to. Brakes – well, quite frankly, there aren’t any. And the two-speed gearbox isn’t going to win any drag races either.

But the ability to sleep six, play games on the go, make a brew and cook breakfast certainly beats most cars. The TV didn’t get much signal, and the navigation consisted of a map book – proper old school, but only fitting for a mode of transport designed for the 19th century.

Relax and unwind between periods of frenetic lock-opening activity

A canal boat is a whole different pace of life. When everything happens at a walking pace, you have no choice but to slow down, relax and actually unwind between periods of frenetic lock-opening activity.

We took this holiday over half term with the kids, the dog and a couple of friends, and even in October or November it can be really enjoyable. We were lucky with the weather, but with a slower pace of life comes a lack of worrying about how long you can cruise for – it’s more about where you can moor up for dinner and a pub!

Our kids are nine and twelve and both were able to handle helping out on the locks, and were even happy to wear life jackets… the dog not so much.

Boat life can be relaxing, easy to adapt to and (at this time of year) somewhat muddy, but it really is very enjoyable.

A note on routes though: make sure there are enough locks to keep it interesting, but also remember that they can be hard work, so you’ll sleep well! On the route we did, there were two flights of locks, and we turned around at the midway point, so we did them twice – 26 in total. We also did two tunnels (twice), which were more of a challenge and probably not for the uninitiated.

Would I recommend a 65ft long, 7ft wide ‘vehicle’ for a family looking for something different? Absolutely.