Pennine Cruisers in Skipton is to stop holiday hire

Family-run Pennine Cruisers, which operates from Skipton Canal Basin and has been going for nearly 60 years, says the closure of locks, a lack of water, and the general poor maintenance of the waterway by the Canal and River Trust (CRT) means it is no longer able to offer boating holidays.

It says it will stop holiday hire from the end of the current season and add two more day boats from next year - taking its number of day boats up to eight.

CRT says it will "continue to help wherever possible" to support the business and is raising "significant sums" to meet the challenges of looking after the ageing network.

Pennine Cruisers is owned by Ian and Pam Clarke, and their daughter, Zoe.

A statement on their website says it is a decision the family has not taken lightly, but that they can no longer cope with the stress of potentially having to tell customers their holidays have been cancelled.

It says recent and future work on the seven reservoirs that feed the canal by the canal trust has left the waterway with not enough water to make it navigable for long periods of time, with more work planned for the 2025/26 season.

"The Leeds Liverpool canal is not being maintained to a high enough standard to keep it open and navigable," states the business.

"On top of the water resources issues we face the general maintenance of the canal network is lacking, hardly any preventative work takes place from the Canal and River Trust; it’s all reactive and therefore ends up in closures that last longer than necessary and cost the trust way more than they ever should do.

"These matters only seem to be getting worse, with more and more issues arises and CRT having less and less funds to fix them. The stress this causes us with the uncertainty of not knowing what to tell our customers is unbelievably difficult.

"Pennine Cruisers has been trading for nearly 60 years, and has always offered holiday hire.

"It is a real shame for us to now remove this from our business, but we have to plan and be realistic in order to future proof and protect our business."

The family says it will review its decision in 2026 and may re-start holiday hire in the future, but for now, will only offer day boats.

"Thankfully our daily boat hire and trip boats are unaffected by canal closures due to water resources as it’s the locks that get closed and these boats don’t use the locks.

"We are very grateful that we operate in such a lovely picturesque 17-mile lock-free pound and therefore we can diversify and expand these aspects of our business whilst the canal network is hopefully invested in by Canal and River Trust."

Statement from the Canal and River Trust 

A spokesperson for the Canal and River Trust said: “It is sad to hear the news from Pennine Cruisers.

"Our charity will continue to help wherever possible to support their business, including their day-boat hire.

"Canals were built for boats to navigate, and this is central to their purpose and a large part of their universal appeal today; with navigable canals bringing so many benefits.

“Our charity works to care for the nation’s canals and keep them alive for boats and people to enjoy.

"Nationwide, boating remains popular, with holiday hire a draw for tourists from all over the world.

“Our charity is raising funds to invest significant sums in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, to meet the increasing challenges of looking after an ageing network with its two centuries-old locks, bridges, tunnels and aqueducts.

"Costs continue to increase, and mandatory statutory safety works on reservoirs for the next few years will run into millions of pounds, at a time when government funding is reducing. Thanks to the support of boaters, canal businesses, partners, funders and volunteers, we’re working to close that gap, to ensure that our canals get the care and maintenance they need. Whilst there is some impact on canal users and businesses when major work is undertaken, we do everything we can to minimise the impact.

“In time, we want to see Pennine Cruisers return to holiday hire boating and we will do what we can to support that outcome.”