Monmouth holiday spot among the best in the UK by the water

A canal holiday by electric boat through the Monmouthshire and Brecon canals has featured among The Times' 25 of the UK's best places to stay by the water.

The canal holiday in south Wales which takes in some gorgeous villages in the picturesque Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park features on the list alongside popular holiday destinations in places like Cornwall, Windermere and Devon. 

The Monmouth holiday is one of two places in Wales to make the list with the Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen, Denbighshire, featuring inside the top 10.

The canal holiday in Monmouth was one of two places in Wales named among the Times' list. (Image: Getty Images)

The Times said: "The UK’s rivers and lakes invite relaxation, whether it’s a rush of water across a small burn, a beck or a loch. And there’s nothing nicer than holidaying right beside them."

The news outlet added: "If there’s a better way of spending a hot afternoon than by a riverbank with a glass in hand, I can’t think of it, and Britain’s riverside pubs are one of its great joys."

The best places to stay by the water in the UK

According to The Times, the 25 best places to stay by the water in the UK are:

1. Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland
2. Monkey Island, Bray, Berkshire
3. Beck Hall, Malham, Yorkshire
4. Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, Devon
5. Onderneming, Snape, Suffolk
6. Chainbridge Hotel, Llangollen, Denbighshire
7. Broad Leys, Windermere, Cumbria
8. Blackbird, Holsworthy, Devon
9. Achnacarron Boathouse, Taynuilt, Argyll & Bute
10. Scottish Highlander, Caledonian Canal
11. Lusty Beg, Co Fermanagh
12. The Taybank, Dunkeld, Perthshire
13. The Floathouse Amelie, Penryn, Cornwall
14. Sculthorpe Mill, Fakenham, Norfolk
15. The Trout at Tadpole Bridge, Buckland North, Oxfordshire
16. The Sheppey Inn, Wells, Somerset
17. Undercastle Cottage, Fordingbridge, Hampshire
18. Good Hotel, London
19. Canal holiday, Monmouth
20. Knotts End Boathouse, Ullswater, Cumbria
21. Ye Old Ferrie Inn, Symonds Yat, Herefordshire
22. Skiff boats, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
23. Falls of Dochart Inn, Killin, Stirling
24. Bowcombe Boathouse, Kingsbridge, Devon
25. Lakes by Yoo, Lechlade, Gloucestershire

The newest narrowboats on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canals use rechargeable lithium batteries. (Image: Getty Images)

What makes a canal holiday in Monmouth one of the best in the UK?

The Times said: "The newest narrowboats on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal use rechargeable lithium batteries, allowing guests to explore the small canalside towns and villages that run through the Brecon Beacons National Park at a gentle purr rather than a diesel belch (although the locks still have to be operated with old-fashioned human effort).

"The batteries last for about 18 hours and — alongside kingfishers, dragonflies and red kites — there are charging stations throughout the canal’s route."

According to The Times, seven nights’ self-catering for four on one of the electric boats starts from £1,211 (castlenarrowboats.co.uk).