‘The kids gaze as if it’s the Pantanal’: a cool canal break in Worcestershire

A sleek boat complete with mood lighting is the perfect vessel for the challenge of the mid-Worcestershire canal loop – covering 21 miles and 33 locks in a weekend

It was a decade ago that I first wrote about “cool canal boating”. I stayed on one of the first design-led barges, based in London’s Primrose Hill and explored east London’s canalside cafes, joking that perhaps even the dowdy canal boat-holiday company Black Prince would go all trendy.

Well, a decade on, with Hackney Wick’s canalside now as lively as Ibiza, it seems it finally has. Black Prince’s new Signature range has been upgraded, with naff orangey woodwork traded for cool grey tones, modern black radiators replacing perfunctory white, Scandi-ish furnishings and kitchen nooks reconfigured with sleek modern appliances. A new exterior paint job conjures a folksy, Gypsy caravan vibe.