For teachers
School visits
A morning on the canal for classes of up to 24: one passage run, one lock lesson, one towyard, and cocoa.
The morning programme
Half a day, four subjects
Arrive and assemble
Groups of up to 24 meet at the basin pontoon. Coats on, names on stickers, and the first question answered before anyone asks it: no, the boats are not real canal boats either, they are smaller and more painted.
The passage run
One full passage run on Patience through the lower flight. The crew narrates the locks in working order, which is also the correct order for asking questions: while the water is doing something.
The lock lesson
At Lock 9 the crew runs the chamber slowly and deliberately, twice, so the class sees both fill and empty. The ground paddle demonstration is the reliable gasp of the day.
The towyard
A look at the painting benches and (through glass) the biscuit tin. Every class leaves with one painted wooden medallion, made in advance by the towyard, unvarnished claims of fame included.
The yard and the pump
The dry dock from the viewing rail, the 1911 graving pump in operation if a hull is in, and Win Harrow's ledger, shown at a distance calculated to protect its edges.
Back to the tea urn
Cocoa for the class, tea for the adults, and the last question of the day answered on the pontoon: yes, the horses still have a meadow, and yes, you may send them a letter.
The programme runs 9:30 to 12:30, term-time, Tuesdays to Fridays. Risk assessment pack, teacher notes and the access statement are all one email away, and the firm's rule about a person answering applies to teachers more than anyone.
What it covers
Local history, working water mechanics, folk art, and one impromptu physics lesson about why a full lock weighs nothing, asked and answered every single visit.
Step-free throughout
Pontoon boarding, viewing rails at the dock, and the towyard by stair or by the yard ramp. Tell the office what the class needs; the answer has never once been no.
Wet option included
Rain moves the lock lesson under the cargo shed awning and the passage run shortens by one lock. The cocoa does not move anywhere.