Peter's Waterways Blog Afloat Without Buying A Cruising Licence This was first published in IWA West Riding's Milepost in December 2015 as the fourth of a series of descriptions of cruising options where the navigator does not have to buy themselves a cruising licence.

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Boarding Prince Bishop on to upper deck

The attention-seeking headline is to remind those who own boats on the waterways network, and need a cruising licence, that it is possible to be afloat without one: a good plan is to lockwheel for someone else who has paid their licence, in exchange for an occasional cup of tea; or to hire a boat for an hour, or a day or a week or a month or for all summer. There are lots of trips available to paying passengers, with an additional interest of watching-the-world-go-by on waterways that are inaccessible or difficult-to-reach on your own boat.

For an isolated waterway, the River Wear encircling Durham has one hour trips with brilliant views looking up to the Cathedral, from £10 each on the Prince Bishop. Phone 0191 3869525 or see here. And there is a surprisingly similar encirclement and isolation by the upper River Severn of Shrewsbury, where, Sabrina will take you from the English Bridge to the Welsh Bridge and back again in 45 minutes for £8 each. Phone 01743 369 741 or see here. Peter Scott @peterjohnscott

Sabrina moored

Prince Bishop just fits under the bridge

Pondering the map of Shrewsbury