You can visit a floating Christmas market with riverside stalls – and it’s travelling the UK
IF YOU’RE on the hunt for an unusual Christmas market to visit this winter, then we might’ve found two just for you.
Canal traders will take to the UK waterways later this year, bringing their floating fairs to two different locations across the country.
The Roving Canal Traders Association, a volunteer-led group, will open its first Christmas market of the year in Leighton Buzzard on November 22.
Running from November 22 until November 24, the fleet of trading boats – decorated with fairy lights – will be moored at the Bedfordshire canal selling homemade gifts.
The festive market will be open from 12pm to 8.30pm on Friday and Saturday.
Linsdale Christmas Market will be located on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal near the Globe Inn.
The canalside boozer serves a range of traditional pub grub like beef and ale pie and fish and chips.
Other attractions in Leighton Buzzard include Mead Open Farm and Ascott House and Gardens.
After its appearance in Bedfordshire, the canal traders will move to Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire.
The Kennet & Avon Winter Floating Fayre in Bradford-on-Avon will run from November 30, 2024, until December 1, 2024.
Canal traders will be selling their unique gifts from their boats, with some expected to play musical instruments – although this has yet to be confirmed.
The festive market will be located on Upper & Lower Wharf on Frome Road, with traders selling their wares from 11am until 4pm.
While the Kennet and Avon Canal is an ideal location for a wintertime stroll, there are plenty of other things to do in the English town.
Located on the edge of the Cotswolds facing the River Avon, the pretty English town is known for its quaint architecture, including its 13th-century arches and old weavers’ cottages.
Other attractions include Bradford-on-Avon Museum, Moulton Hall and Westwood Manor.
There are plenty of other unusual Christmas markets to visit, including Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market in southern Germany.
Located between Hinterzarten and Freiburg, the German Christmas market is set underneath the 40m-high Höllental Railway Viaduct, making it look like it’s been plucked straight from a Harry Potter film.
The Christmas market is home to over 40 stalls that sell a range of handmade items, including wooden toys, cuckoo clocks and ornaments.
Three other unusual Christmas markets to visit
HERE are three other unusual Christmas markets to visit in Europe.
Kerststad Valkenburg, the Netherlands
The award-winning Christmas market covers every corner of the town, with events at several locations, including several underground caves. One of these is the Velvet Cave Christmas Market, which is situated underneath Valkenburg’s ruined castle. It is home to more than 50 stalls selling handmade gifts and other items.
Fraueninsel Christmas Market
Every winter, the island of Fraueninsel (also known as Frauenchiemsee), in Bavaria, Germany is transformed into a festive attraction thanks to its Christmas market. Fraueninsel is the second-largest island on Lake Chiemsee in Bavaria and is the only island in Germany with its very own Christmas market.
Fraueninsel Christmas Market has been described as one of the “most wonderful” in Bavaria by The Best Places to Visit in Germany. The Christmas market spills across the entirety of the island with both decorations and lights hung from trees and lampposts. There are over 90 wooden stalls at the market that sell handmade gifts, mulled wine, and local delicacies.
Winter Wonder Weeks, the Netherlands
Each year, Leiden in the Netherlands is transformed into a picturesque winter wonderland. The award-winning Christmas Market covers the entire city, with attractions held outside Hooglandse Kerkgracht (a gothic church) and Garenmarktplein (a square in the city).
Known as Winter Wonder Weeks, the Christmas market was previously named the best in Europe in 2016. The Christmas market spans across the entire town, with one of its most unique features being its floating ice rink.
Meanwhile, this travel writer thinks their hometown has the best Christmas attraction in the UK.
A city in Germany has been dubbed “Christmas city” because it has one of the world’s oldest and most famous Christmas markets.