Madeline Easter Bunny Canal Cruises

About

Join our Easter Bunny on the Madeline for a cruise setting out from Hollingwood Hub where there is a café and toilets. Madeline is a purpose built narrowboat licenced to carry 12 passengers. The cruise will include at least one lock. There will be an Easter Egg for alll children and a hot cross bun (or similar) for adults.

Unlike rivers, canals can’t go up and down hills! Learn about the working of the 250 year old locks which raise and lower the boats from one level in the canal to another. Locks use a lot of water – each time we use a lock, it takes about 100 cubic metres of water to re fill it. That's the equivalent of about 2500 baths! The water isn't wasted though, it eventually finds its way back into the river.

Keep a lookout for wildlife – dabbling ducks and moorhen, the majestic heron or iconic kingfisher, martins as they swoop and skim low over the water, tree lined avenues and swathes of bluebells and other spring flowers.

The route of the Chesterfield canal was originally surveyed by canal engineer James Brindley and he employed John Varley as his clerk of works. Brindley died in 1772 and Varley took over as resident engineer. The canal opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles from Chesterfield to West Stockwith on the River Trent.

In its heyday, the canal carried malt, hops, gravel, pottery, coal, iron ore, iron products, lead and stone. The boats were all horse-drawn and were called 'cuckoo boats'. Prior to canals, cargoes were carried by horse and cart. The maximum load a single horse could pull in a cart – and remember the roads were rough, muddy and full of potholes – was about one tonne. The same horse pulling a canal boat could pull up to 30 tonnes.

All trips are crewed by qualified volunteers of the Chesterfield Canal Trust, and the profits from all trips go towards the restoration of the last few miles of the Chesterfield Canal.