Ashby Boat Company Limited, Canal Wharf, Stoke Golding, Warwickshire, CV13 6EY | 01455 212671 | sales@ashbyboats.com

Quality in Tourism Assessment Rating

The Ashby Boat Company is a relatively small hire company, with fifteen narrowboats offered for hire. Two of the fifteen being dayboats which do not come under this scheme. Thirteen of our hire boats received their annual assessment in April 2012, by the organisation Quality in Tourism. We are proud to report that of the thirteen boats put forward for assessment, eleven received a four star rating, one received a three star rating, and one boat, Badger was awarded a two star rating, more on Badger later. Note that all our weekly and short break hire boats have “Quality in Tourism” ratings.

Weekly Hire Boats (Saturday to Saturday)

SHENTON (2) ***
CARLTON (2 + 2) ****
MEASHAM (4 + 3) ****
SHACKERSTONE (4 + 1) ****
OAKTHORPE (6 +4) ****
HAWKESBURY (6 +4) ****

Short-break Boats (Friday to Monday or Monday to Friday)

BADGER (2) **
ASHBY (2 +2) ****
MOIRA (4) ****
GOLDING (4 +3) ****
AMBION (5 + 3) ****
WILLOUGHBY (4 + 2) ****
BOSWORTH (6 + 4) ****

We feel it necessary to point out that due to the defined procedures for assessing narrowboats for hire, Badger was unable to achieve higher than a two star rating because it does not have central heating, but it does have a solid fuel stove, and it does not have fixed sleeping accommodation.

The quality of the interior was not in question, and Badger is priced to account for its design. It is a fact that Badger is a very popular lower priced short-break hire boat, especially amongst younger and “young at heart” couples.

Further information on the assessment criteria of narrow boats offered for hire can be accessed by downloading the Quality in Tourism – Hire Craft and Hotel Boats Standards (in .pdf format) obtained from the Quality in Tourism website.

Links are provided above, via the boat names, to web pages relating to each individual boat in our fleet, offering comprehensive views of the interiors.