European Waterways

{{Infobox company

| name = European Waterways Limited

| logo = EW Logo Wide with ESTD 1974 High Res.jpg

| logo_size = 200px

| type = Private limited company

| foundation = 1974

| location = Datchet, Berkshire, United Kingdom

| key_people = Derek Banks, John Wood-Dow

| area_served =

| industry = Travel

| products = Hotel Barging

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| num_employees = 50 - 75

| parent =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|europeanwaterways.com}}

| footnotes =

}}

European Waterways is an international company based in Berkshire, England that operates a fleet of 17 river cruising vessels along the rivers and canals of Europe. The company takes old trading barges and converts them into hotel barges.

Company history

European Waterways, a UK company based in England, was established in 1977 by owner Derek Banks with the purchase of an existing French inland waterways cruising company which had been created 3 years earlier in 1974.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} The first hotel barge was Anjodi, which was originally purchased in 1982. In 1994 the company built the 12 passenger La Belle Epoque followed by its sister ship, 12 passenger L'Impressionniste, in 1995. After these acquisitions European Waterways expanded steadily and, as a result of cooperation with several companies in the travel industry and additional acquisitions, now operates a fleet of 17 hotel barges along the inland waterways of 9 countries in Europe.

Banks, the company founder, was brought up on the River Thames and has enjoyed all aspects of life afloat. It was as a result of this early exposure to the inland waterways that he was inspired to move to a lock house in the middle of France in the mid 1970s and start a barge cruising company.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

The company originally focused on the Canal du Nivernais in central Burgundy, France, but as of 2018 operates throughout Europe. {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

=Current fleet=

class="wikitable"
Ship name ! Year built ! Length ! Crew ! Guests
La Belle Epoque \| 1930 \| 128 feet \| 5 \| 12
L'Art de Vivre \| 1917 \| 100 feet \| 4 \| 8
L'Impressionniste \| 1960 \| 128 feet \| 5 \| 12
Rosa \| 1907 \| 98 feet \| 4 \| 8
Enchanté \| 1958 \| 100 feet \| 4 \| 8
Spirit of Scotland \| 2003 \| 126 feet \| 6 \| 12
Anjodi{{cite book \| last = Pritchard \| first = David \| title = Shooting the cook \| publisher = FSC AND Harper Collins \| year = 2009 \| isbn = 978-0-00-727830-5}}{{cite book \| last = Bowler \| first = Vivian \| title = Rick Stein's French Odyssey \| publisher = BBC Books \| year = 2005 \| isbn = 0-563-52213-5}} \| 1930 \| 100 feet \| 4 \| 8
Athos \| 1964 \| 103 feet \| 4 \| 10
Nymphea \| 1921 \| 80 feet \| 3 \| 6
La Renaissance \| 1960 \| 128 feet \| 5 \| 8
La Nouvelle Etoile \| 1964 \| 129 feet \| 5 \| 8
Scottish Highlander{{cite web\|url=http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Scotland-Barging.htm\|title=Barging Across Scotland, Clan History, Nature and Scottish Cuisine\|last=Gardner\|first=Alison\|publisher=Travel with a Challenge\|year=2009\|access-date=2 October 2009}}{{unreliable source?\|date=September 2012}}{{cite web\|url=http://www.intltravelnews.com/2009/02/cruising-scotlands-caledonian-canal-thomas/\|title=www.intltravelnews.com/2009/02/cruising-scotlands-caledonian-canal-thomas/}}{{unreliable source?\|date=September 2012}} \| 1931 \| 117 feet \| 4 \| 8
Magna Carta \| 1931 \| 117 feet \| 8 \| 4
Shannon Princess II \| 2003 \| 107 feet \| 5 \| 10
La Bella Vita \| 1960 \| 140 feet \| 5-8 \| 20
Panache \| 1959 \| 128 feet \| 6 \| 12

class="wikitable"

Ship name

! Year built

! Length

! Crew

! Guests

La Belle Epoque

| 1930

| 128 feet

| 5

| 12

L'Art de Vivre

| 1917

| 100 feet

| 4

| 8

L'Impressionniste

| 1960

| 128 feet

| 5

| 12

Rosa

| 1907

| 98 feet

| 4

| 8

Enchanté

| 1958

| 100 feet

| 4

| 8

Spirit of Scotland

| 2003

| 126 feet

| 6

| 12

Anjodi{{cite book | last = Pritchard

| first = David | title = Shooting the cook | publisher = FSC AND Harper Collins | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0-00-727830-5}}{{cite book | last = Bowler

| first = Vivian | title = Rick Stein's French Odyssey | publisher = BBC Books | year = 2005 | isbn = 0-563-52213-5}}

| 1930

| 100 feet

| 4

| 8

Athos

| 1964

| 103 feet

| 4

| 10

Nymphea

| 1921

| 80 feet

| 3

| 6

La Renaissance

| 1960

| 128 feet

| 5

| 8

La Nouvelle Etoile

| 1964

| 129 feet

| 5

| 8

Scottish Highlander{{cite web|url=http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Scotland-Barging.htm|title=Barging Across Scotland, Clan History, Nature and Scottish Cuisine|last=Gardner|first=Alison|publisher=Travel with a Challenge|year=2009|access-date=2 October 2009}}{{unreliable source?|date=September 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.intltravelnews.com/2009/02/cruising-scotlands-caledonian-canal-thomas/|title=www.intltravelnews.com/2009/02/cruising-scotlands-caledonian-canal-thomas/}}{{unreliable source?|date=September 2012}}

| 1931

| 117 feet

| 4

| 8

Magna Carta

| 1931

| 117 feet

| 8

| 4

Shannon Princess II

| 2003

| 107 feet

| 5

| 10

La Bella Vita

| 1960

| 140 feet

| 5-8

| 20

Panache

| 1959

| 128 feet

| 6

| 12

References

External links

[https://www.europeanwaterways.com/ Official website]
[https://www.beerandcroissants.com/barge-cruises-in-france/ Review of European Waterways barge cruise on Renaissance]
R[https://www.beerandcroissants.com/barge-cruises-in-scotland/ eview of European Waterways barge cruise on Spirit of Scotland]

Category:Cruise lines

Category:River cruise companies

Category:Privately held companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Transport companies established in 1977

Category:Shipping companies of the United Kingdom