Stourport Canal Ring - Tardebigge Flight

[thussain]

I am thinking of going on a canal barge trip next summer with my husband & 2 kids (will be 11 & 6). I really want a ring rather than an out & back trip.  The Stourport Ring looks best (especially with Cadbury World) but we are nervous about the Tardebigge Flight. How long does it really take? Can we do it in 1 day? Is it safe to let my 11 year old daughter help with the locks?  Any insight would be useful. Thanks.

[Buenchico]

No personal knowledge, just the results of a few web searches:

This site is someone's holiday diary. The time quoted for all 30 locks is just over 3 hours:
http://home.clara.net/hendricks/2000/118.html
(It looks as if the owner of this site, Paul Hendricks, might be the sort of person who wouldn't mind an unsolicited e-mail and could possibly give you some advice based on personal experience: [email protected] . When I need some information I often send polite e-mails to total strangers and usually get a positive response).

This site will sell you a video or DVD, which may show you what to expect, for just �4.99:
http://www.ldtv.co.uk/acatalog/Index_Narrowboating_Progr ammes_12.html

Other sites seem to suggest 4 to 5 hours to get through all the locks so you shouldn't have any problems doing it inside a day - other than exhaustion, possibly!

Safety? Well, I've been with kids on boats and, while you have to accept that there are some risks, I wouldn't be too worried about letting a sensible, well-briefed 11-year-old give a helping hand. (It's a bit like someone taking kids rock-climbing. You know that there can be risks but if there's an adult in charge who has the right skills - and the ability to communicate them - then there's nothing too much to worry about).

Chris

[vehelpfulguy]

Remember that in summer it could take even longer.

I hope your kids like canal holidays, I cannot see many kids of 11 and 16 being happy spending hours going up or down a flight of locks. 

Most canal 'rings' have an estimated time, or if you phone the company who are renting you the boat they will give you an idea of what rings are available and how long they take.

Remember that a canal boat only goes at 3mph so you do not travel a long distance in a day. 

[thussain]

Don't worry, vehelpfulguy, they are 11 & six, not 16, and they are as excited about the trip as I am!  Thanks for the rest of the advice.

[AllYourBase]

We used to do such holidays as a family when I was that sort of age (many years ago now) and as kids we loved it, and even made it part of an adventure - how quickly and efficiently we could do the run of locks. One would be preparing the next lock whilst the water was filling or draining from the current one. I think it would be fairly safe stil, though I would advise the six yr old os probably too young to work the locks, the 11 yr old will love it.

[spudqueen]

Hi thussain, first of all it's a narrowboat not a barge (a barge is one of the wide boats, and you don't get those as holiday boats - neither are they long boats as my auntie used to call them!). Secondly, how long are you going for? I don't think there's a ring you can really do in one week, you really need two. The Avon ring is really nice, lots to do and you get a couple of days in Stratford -On-Avon, and we did Cadbury World on it - you just go slightly out of your way and turn round again - no problem. You do have to do tardebigge though, though we have done it in half a day, so yes, even with 2 kids I think 1 day should cover it! A ring isn't better than an out and back trip though. With a ring you can end up being 'behind' and having to really push on for a couple of days to catch up or you can have a couple of days spare and no where to go! We have always enjoyed out and back trips as you just go out for half the holiday, turn round and go back. But the beauty is that you end up going back through places at a different time of day so you get to do different things. That lovely looking pub you passed at 10am suddenly becomes somewhere you are aiming for for an evening meal and towns and villages you just passed through because it was the wrong time of day/ can't stop everywhere you stop at on the way back. Whatever you decide I hope you really enjoy it. We've been on narrowboat holidays since the 80's and love them!