Nicholsons Guides to the Waterways

Nicholson's Waterways Guides started out in 1969 with a guide to the Thames, and within a couple of years had spread to cover the southern, midlands and northern canal system.  An early guide covering the Fens and Broads lasted only edition, as did a more recent guide covering Scotland.  The range expanded to seven guides in their present format in 1997, with the most recent editions being published in 2009, plus a somewhat abbreviated guide to the Broads making an appearance in 2010.

The guides have always featured mapping by Ordnance Survey, in full colour since 1997, and for this reason are usually considered the best waterways guides available.  After an introductory few pages, each of guides is divided up to deal with the waterways in that area, in turn, in alphabetical order.  There is an introduction and some historical notes at the start of each waterway, and then the route is dealt with in chunks of about five miles at time, usually working along South to North. 

The Ordnance Survey maps give a generous coverage along the waterway corridor, places of interest are pointed out, boatyards and marinas are marked on the maps, as are waterside place to eat and drink.  There are notes for boaters, walkers and cyclists, and historical snippets, and then detailled information for each boatyard, restaurant and pub marked on the map.  A recent innovation is the addition of postcode information for all these useful places, which makes them easier to find for motorists relying on Satellite Navigation.  Distances along each waterway and the towpath side are also marked on every map.

Although the guides are generally the most comprehensive available, for those travelling the waterways the perhaps obvious information missing is the location and detail of shops and other services such as banks, launderettes, medical facilities, etc.  At present such detail is really only available in the First Mate guides.

Because waterside businesses open, close, change hands and revise their arrangements all the time, no such guides can ever hope to have every detail correct and up-to-date all the time, but usually the Nicholsons Guides are more detailed and up-to-date than most, and thoroughly revised for each new edition, about every three years.  Many keen boaters make a habit of renewing their guides with each new edition. 

The main seven guides (retail £14.99 each) each have about 175 pages each, with the Broads guide (retail £7.99) fewer at 96 pages.  This latest guide is particularly welcome as there are few good guides covering the Broads, but it is still very much a work in progress, with much less detail and not yet such a useful publication at the other seven.

Taste in guide books can be a very personal thing, but few serious boaters will venture out without a Nicholson's Guide.  There is a wealth of information that even the most experienced cannot hope to keep abreast of, and the guides are welcome valuable for cyclists and walkers too.  There is also an accompanying basic route planner map to accompany the Guides (£7.99).

For further details on each guide, and to order on-line: 
No 1 - Grand Union, Oxford and the South East 
No 2 - Severn, Avon & Birmingham 
No 3 - Birmingham & the Heart of England 
No 4 - Four Counties & the Welsh Canals 
No 5 - North West & the Pennines 
No 6 - Nottingham, York & the North East 
No 7 - River Thames & the Southern Waterways 
Norfolk Broads