We are thinking about taking a narrowboat holiday on the English canals for a week in summer. Can you advise which company to go with and where to spend our week? There are only the two of us and I am fond of my luxuries (good bed, comfy seats, good shower, TV). - Juliette Fraser, via e-mail

Times Travel expert Julia Brookes responds: Your first port of call could be Holidays in the UK (0845 2262485, www.holidayuk.co.uk), which has a large selection of canal holidays in more than 50 locations.

Its website contains all the information a narrow-boating novice could need, from advice on how to negotiate locks to virtual tours of boats, which are graded according to comfort, and suggestions for one-week itineraries.

A week on the Hereford (highest comfort rating and suitable for beginners) on the Kennet and Avon Canal would cost £1,210 in mid-June. From its base near Trowbridge you could meander towards Bath and Bristol.

Alternatively, if you fancy cruising the highest canal and the first trans-Pennine route, climbing up the Calder Valley to cross the Pennines before meeting the Bridgewater and Ashton Canals at Salford, book a trip on the Lady Julia with Bronte Boat Hire (01706 815103, www.bronteboathire.co.uk). It costs £950.40 for a week in late June.

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