[A lot of what follows is from memory that is two years old. The UK contingent can provide up to date info.]

The narrowboats have accomodations for anywhere from 2 to 12 people and costs run up to $1500 for a week. I think fuel is provided as well as bedding but you have to provide your own groceries and personal items. The boats are designed more for couples than for strangers so there are a lot of double beds.

England has about 2500 miles of canals so you can see a lot of it except that you will spend quite a bit of time working your way through the locks. When God designed that country he didn't make it flat enough so those clever people worked out ways to make boats climb hills and cross valleys.

The narrowboat companies have plenty of sites on the web featuring their services. You ought to check them out.

And yes, Mary, Tom and his wife have led tours using narrowboats to run from folk festival to folk festival and hit all the pubs in between. When I talked to him he reported they had a great time.