When you really want to get away from it all where better to retreat to then a houseboat. No traffic noise, no noisy neighbours to contend with and just the peaceful splash of the resident ducks to listen to.
That's exactly what we needed when we stayed on this houseboat on the canal side in York when I was pregnant. Some peace and quiet with just a hint of adventure.
It was very nicely decorated inside and felt like a modern hotel, clean, spacious and with some lovely details like this paneling.
The large deck was great for soaking up some early spring sunshine and we also barbecued out here.
The great thing about a houseboat is that the view is exceptional where ever you look. We could see all the way down in to York, including the tops of the York minster.
After we checked in we decided to hire one of the little pleasure cruisers you can rent from the side of the river, next door to our houseboat.
It's not expensive and anyone can drive it, as long as you wear your life jacket and you get to see the best of York canal from a really unique vantage point.
I must have walked over this bridge countless times but getting to see it from below, we were able to take in all the beautiful architectural details. It could rival anywhere on the River Seine in Paris.
There are plenty of mooring spots on the river with amazing pubs to stop off for a drink, but of course being pregnant that wasn't an option for me. I enjoyed watching the revelers from the boat though - York is a great day/night out and attracts lots of hen and stag parties.
The buildings are gorgeous and I loved this row of terraced town houses with an amazing view but could be a bit hairy when the tide rises, though.
It's such a nice pastime on the river and its almost like a little sub culture of its own with everyone wishing you a good day as you pass by them.
Imagine living here and jumping on your boat to travel into work or to the shops!
York is full of character and history and there's some unique secret tunnels that may have been used in the olden days for smuggling....well that's what I imagined anyway.
Our little boat didn't move that fast but we made it into the centre of York and back in around an hour and a half but you could hire it for a full afternoon if you were planning on mooring up for a few drinks.
We were convinced that we now wanted a boat of our own
Someone enjoyed playing captain for the day, despite the grumpy face.
There were some lovely narrow boats which would be lovely homes to live on if you could get used the motion on the ocean all day and night.
Just outside of York centre was stunning countryside in each direction, and such a lovely way to get outdoors and enjoy nature.
This building reminded me of the colleges in Cambridge when we went punting on the river....
We spent a little bit of time exploring York itself and the museum and minster gardens are always lovely to visit no matter the time of year.
There's all sorts of old buildings and ruins to roam around and just sitting in the park people watching is lots of fun.
Soon it was time to climb back aboard and set sail back to the houseboat for a BBQ and a relaxing evening by the log burner.
All in all a lovely little mini break in York and somewhere we would go back to for some R&R in the future.
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