Houseboat vacation
Houseboat vacation is a form of tourism . The holidaymaker - often without any previous nautical knowledge - rents a houseboat for this purpose , which is used to spend a camping holiday on the water mainly on inland waters . The motorboat is both a means of transport and accommodation. The comfort corresponds to that of a holiday home with shower and toilet.
Operation of a houseboat
The use of the controls on the boat is relatively easy to understand. However, the handling of a houseboat requires some practice depending on the area (e.g. current area ) and weather conditions (e.g. cross wind ). After a short briefing and a test drive when taking over the boat, in most holiday countries that have houseboat areas, you can steer the boat inland without a sports boat license . There is an exception in Germany, where only certain waterways can be used without a driving license. The engine is throttled to an economical speed and allows a maximum speed of about 12 km / h, more is not possible due to the torso speed with displacers . To prevent damage to the boat during operation by inexperienced persons, it is equipped with rub strips made of hard rubber and fenders . In the event of technical problems, the charter base will send a breakdown service to help.
The holidaymaker can choose the route based on special waterway maps of the area . Depending on the route chosen, locks and lifting bridges have to be overcome during the journey , which requires the active cooperation of the boat crew. You can basically moor where it is not forbidden and no one is hindered. The night is spent in the port , in a marina or in suitable places in or outside the towns. You are no longer allowed to drive when it gets dark.
The rules of avoidance between watercraft must be observed; for public waters in Germany these are published in the Inland Waterways Regulations .
The drinking water should be replenished regularly . Water points are recorded in waterway maps. Tanks are available for drinking water as well as for gray and black water (shower, sink, wash basin, toilet). Feces should be pumped out after a week. With a crew of two, the tank can last for two weeks. For reasons of environmental protection, no wastewater may enter the water .
Houseboat areas in Europe
(Selection)
- There is an extensive network of waterways in the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders . It includes e.g. B. the Gent-Ostend Canal and the rivers Leie , Schelde , Dendre , IJzer . You can reach u by water. a. the cities of Ghent , Bruges , Ostend , Tournai and Ieper .
- The Mecklenburg Lake District is located northwest of the city of Berlin . It includes u. a. Sections of the rivers Müritz , Havel , Elbe , as well as the Schweriner See and the Plauer See .
- The Havel and its adjacent lakes, such as the Beetzsee , Plauer See , Pritzerber See , Breitlingsee , Templiner See and others in Brandenburg .
- Without a sports boat license, only certain waters in Mecklenburg , Brandenburg and Saarland are navigable.
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England
- The Midlands canal system between the cities of Liverpool and London includes e.g. B. Llangollen Canal , Oxford Canal , Trent and Mersey Canal and the Trent and Avon Rivers . The widely ramified canals have a total length of about 3200 km and are usually built particularly narrow. Most of them can therefore only be accessed by so-called narrowboats that are around two meters wide .
- The Norfolk Broads are on the east coast of England, east of the city of Norwich , and include a. the rivers Chet , Yare , Bure , Wavenay . You can reach z. B. the towns of Lowestoft , Great Yarmouth and Wroxham .
- The Thames is navigable for houseboats above the city of London. One reaches z. B. the cities of Windsor , Dorchester and Oxford .
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France
- In central France e.g. B. Canal de Bourgogne , Canal du Nivernais , Canal latéral à la Loire , Canal du Center and the rivers Yonne and Seine . One reaches on the water way u. a. the cities of Dijon , Briare , Nevers , Decize , Clamecy and Auxerre .
- In eastern France e.g. B. Canal des Vosges , Canal du Rhône au Rhin , Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne and the rivers Saône and Seille . One reaches u. a. the cities of Épinal , Chalon-sur-Saône , Dole and Louhans .
- In the south of France z. B. Canal du Rhône à Sète , Canal du Midi , Canal latéral à la Garonne and the rivers Lot , Baïse and Charente . One reaches u. a. the cities of Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue , Carcassonne , Toulouse , Nérac , Cahors and Cognac .
- In western France z. B. Canal de Nantes à Brest , Canal d'Ille-et-Rance and the rivers Vilaine , Erdre , Sarthe and Mayenne . One reaches u. a. the cities of Nantes , Brest , Rennes , Redon , Angers and Le Mans .
- In northern France e.g. B. Canal de la Sambre à l'Oise , Canal des Ardennes , Canal de la Meuse , Canal de la Marne au Rhin and the Marne and Moselle rivers . One reaches u. a. the cities of Paris , Reims , Verdun , Metz , Nancy and Strasbourg .
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Italy .
- The Venice lagoon with the cities of Chioggia , Venice and the lagoon islands such as B. Murano , Burano , Torcello
- Estuary of the Po River . You can reach z. B. Ferrara and Cremona .
- Brenta Canal , Sile River . One reaches z. B. Treviso , Caorle , Jesolo and Padua .
- The Grado lagoon with the cities of Grado and Marano is connected to the Venice lagoon by the Venetian waterway Chioggia-Trieste .
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Ireland
- The Shannon is a lake-like widened river that crosses Ireland from north to south. Through some waterways connected to it, such as B. the Grand Canal , as well as the rivers Barrow and Suck results in an interesting houseboat area. The revitalized Royal Canal in particular opens up new areas. One reaches the z. B. the cities of Dublin , Tullamore and Clonmacnoise , Mullingar .
- The Lough Erne is actually a majority in Northern Ireland and is therefore part of the United Kingdom . A re-established connecting canal (Ballinamore & Ballyconnell Canal) with the Shannon ( Shannon-Erne Canal ) results in a transnational houseboat area. One reaches z. The towns of Enniskillen , Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon . Both countries, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, are members of the EU.
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Netherlands
- There is an extensive network of waterways in Holland . From Amsterdam via Utrecht , Alkmaar , Rotterdam to The Hague , almost all major cities can be reached by water.
- In the province of Friesland , the Frisian Lake District consists of around 30 lakes, all of which are connected by various canals. One reaches z. B. the cities of Lemmer , Sneek , Leeuwarden and Drachten .
- The IJsselmeer may only be used with rental boats with the express permission of the lessor.
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Poland
- In Masuria , on the Great Masurian Lakes, houseboats have also recently been offered. One reaches z. B. the places Mikołajki (Nikolaiken), Giżycko (Lötzen) and Węgorzewo (Angerburg). Since July 1, 2010, a sports boat license is not required for houseboats less than 13 meters in length. Only houseboats with a draft of up to 0.75 meters are suitable for the lakes of the Masurian Lake District. There is no connection to the Baltic Sea for houseboats on this waterway, as the Masurian Canal was never completed.
- The Grande Lago is the largest reservoir in Europe with 250 km². It is located near the Spanish border and can be used all year round due to its southern location. One reaches z. B. the places Luz , Mourão and Alqueva .
- The Caledonian Canal crosses the Highlands between the cities of Inverness and Fort William and connects several lakes, such as B. Loch Ness and Loch Lochy . One reaches on the water way u. a. the cities of Fort Augustus and Invergarry .
- The Boorsrevier includes parts of the Vltava and Elbe rivers . One reaches z. B. Prague , Slapy nad Vltavou , Mělník , Píšťany , Ústí nad Labem and Poděbrady .
Fonserannes lock staircase on the Canal du Midi , France
Houseboat at Le Somail on the Canal du Midi, France
Bridge passage on the Canal de Bourgogne , France
Pénichettes on the Yonne in France
Narrowboat on the Midlands waterways in England
Houseboat in the harbor of Grouw , Friesland