My eldest daughter, born on a boat nearly five years ago, has just started school. So with that theme in my mind I thought I’d grab my satchel and an apple for teacher and seek out ways to get an education on the English canals and rivers.

Windlass Publishing are holding a family fun weekend in Thrupp on 29th and 30th September celebrating their Muddy Waters children books. These are colourful picture books about narrowboats where characters explore different waterways. www.muddywaters.org.uk

Community boating projects, like the Pirate Castle in Camden and South West Herts Narrowboat Project in Kings Langley offer a memorable experience for youth groups, schools, community groups and families. Find your nearest community boating project at the NCBA website and visit their blog to see what else community boating projects get up to.

If you want to learn boating skills yourself then Canal Experience offers a variety of fun experiences and serious training, such as the RYA helmsman course. In late September they begin their Jam and Sloe Gin courses; pick blackberries, damsons & sloes, then enjoy a demonstration of how to make jam & sloe gin.

You see what I did there, weaving children’s books into gin-making all in the same blog post? I’m not sure my teacher would be proud of that.

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a boat then this website is the easiest place to begin your research. So get your thinking cap on and your notebook out and let’s get this place looking ship-shape before the sun’s gone over the yard arm.

Peggy Melmoth
www.narrowboatwife.com

You may also like:
Living on a Boat: The Boatshed Guide (free) / New Boat Blog on the Block / Celebration Time / A slideshow of our boat of the moment./Blog Archive

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