Sailing ships are, to some people, romantic and rustic symbols of adventure and freedom. One of the special things about life in the Netherlands is that these beautiful old ships, some of them a century old, line canals in the centre of the cities: reminders of the days when life was gallant, and much slower. Today, many ships that once transported wheat and coal on the inland waterways are considered too small for freight. But many have been given a new lease of life and have been converted into canal homes.
Most of the barges on the Dutch canals are between 14 and 30m long, and 2.5 and 5m wide, drawing between 0.6 and 1.4m and those with flat bottoms have significant floor space, making the life on board, ideal. And, if you fancy sailing your ship, it is possible to travel on inland waterways from the Netherlands through Belgium to the South of France, to Bulgaria, to Russia and down through the Ukraine to the Black and Caspian Seas! More....
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