GoBoat Birmingham Review | Electric Canal Boat Hire In Birmingham

At the beginning of the month, we travelled to Birmingham for a day out. And one of the activities we embarked on was driving a boat on the city's canal system. Based at the Water's Edge, close to National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham, GoBoat offers self-drive electric boats on hire.

Ad | Contains affiliate links

The boats have a seating capacity of 8 persons including children. You can even bring your dog on the boat. Lifejackets/buoyancy aids are included in each booking and are located in the storage compartment of the boat. While wearing of the lifejackets is optional for adults, children on the boat must wear buoyancy aids or lifejackets at all times.

GoBoat's electric boats are simple to operate and you do not require boating experience to rent or operate a GoBoat.

Our GoBoat Birmingham Experience

We travelled to Birmingham by train and from Birmingham New Street station it was just a 15-minute walk to GoBoat's location (B1 2HL). Having enjoyed GoBoat in London, we had an idea of what to expect. On arrival, we were greeted by a member of staff from GoBoat who gave us the safety briefing, explained the rules of the waterway and also demonstrated how to handle the boat. It was a good memory refresher and the staff member also joined us for a short test run. And then we were ready to explore Birmingham's canals on our own.

GoBoat Canal Boating in Birmingham | The Route

There are two routes that you can explore with GoBoat Birmingham. Route 1 takes you through the Port Loop and Soho Loop while Route 2 takes you past the Mailbox to University of Birmingham and back.

When we visited Route 2 was not accessible as that part of the canal was closed due to the Conservative Party Conference 2022 taking place at the ICC, Birmingham. So we decided to explore Route 1.

We were lucky to have fabulous weather during our GoBoat experience plus it seemed to be a quiet day on the canals as we were the only ones on a boat on the entire route. We only came across a waterbus on our way back to the base.

GoBoat's boats are powered by a Torqeedo rechargeable electric motor and make almost no noise which is great for the environment and also for those on the boat as it makes for a more pleasant boating experience. The maximum speed of the boats is 4mph which is a comfortable cruising speed and allows you to take in the beautiful scenery along the way.

We had the boat at our disposal for 2 hours and it was the perfect amount of time to explore Birmingham's canal system and experience the city from a different perspective.

To sum it up, it was a fab experience overall, even with the partial canal closures, as we had the entire available route to ourselves. Right from the booking to handover of the boat after our ride, everything was well managed. We enjoyed the tranquil views along the canal and the 2 hours went by in no time. We thoroughly enjoyed our GoBoat experience in Birmingham and have no hesitation in recommending them.

 

If you are headed to Birmingham or are a local looking for something different to do in the city, then do give GoBoat a try.

GoBoat | The Water's Edge, 14T Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HL
Contact | [email protected]
Phone | +44 20 3887 6955
Opening hours | Seven days a week, 9 am to 3:30pm. Please check before travelling though as timings may change due to inclement weather.
Duration and pricing | 1 hour from £85, 2 hours from £125, 3 hours from £165.