Dudley Canal Trust

What better way is there to start the festive season, than putting on a hard hat, jumping in a canal barge & going deep into the limestone caves underneath Dudley?

No I haven’t gone potty. I’ve just got back from a fantastic afternoon searching for Santa and being entertained by an underground pantomime put on by the Dudley Canal Trust

Dudley Canal Trust is a great trip under normal circumstances, but their Christmas special is a brilliant way to get into the festive spirit. The trust is run as a charity and all the staff are volunteers.

For £9.95 per person, (same price for adults & children) you are treated to a journey through an underground winter wonderland. Each child gets to meet Father Christmas and receives a gift. The photograph is £6 on top, but there’s no obligation to buy, nor is there any hard sell. Each adult receives a hot drink & mince pie as part of their ticket.

Everyone dons an attractive hard hat, as the tunnels have very low rooves, and after a brief talk about what to do in an emergency, you’re off.

The driver gets the whole boat involved in shouting out & drumming up excitement. Any children at the front of the boat are asked to call out if they think they can see the way to Santa’s grotto.

It’s very important to practise the ‘boo’ & ‘hiss’ as the first stop on our search is the underground pantomime. This year it’s Snow White, and with a cast of four characters you get a good story, a fantastic wicked Lady (ahem!) Dudley and the chance to call out ‘Behind You!’, ‘oh yes he is!’ and there’s time for three songs & the campest Prince Charming I’ve ever seen!

You then find the secret way to Santa’s grotto and meet ‘Tiny the fairy’ who is Santa’s helper. He helps you call for Santa who appears with a huge sack of toys and an elf photographer. He comes in board the boat and spends time with every child. This takes quite a while, but Tiny chats to all the children and everyone’s turn comes around.

Santa was lovely, he had a quiet, personal chat with each child, and they had their picture taken and that could be with their brothers/sisters if that’s preferred.

And then it was all over! The whole trip takes an hour, and by the end everyone was singing along to the piped Christmas songs – altogether now: “jingle bells….”

We chose to have our hot drinks & mince pies at the end of the trip, and we let the children open their presents. My 4 year old boy got a beautiful wooden fishing game/jigsaw; and my 7 year old girl got a juggling Diablo, again beautiful quality. And yes, we decided to buy the photograph of the children as it was a nice way to remember a great day (even if Grandma is lurking in the background!)

I’m feeling very festive now, so apologies if I suddenly burst into song or randomly thrust mistletoe in your face!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

What is the Dudley Canal Horror?

Dudley Canal Horror This Halloween in the Dudley Caverns will be a boat trip with with a difference. This has to be seen to be believed! A trip to take you into the depths of the caverns.

The story The Dudley Canal Horror at Halloween Event is only for those prepared to come face to face with their deepest fears. Imagine entering a dark world where you come face to face with the long dead - as well as the undead and the eternally possessed. The Dudley Canal Horror at Halloween Event is an incredible and frightening water-borne trip via barge that's for adults only. It's not for the squeamish. And it's certainly not for the kids.

Boat departure times
24th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm • 25th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm
26th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm • 27th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm
28th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm • 29th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm
30th October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm • 31st October 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm and 9.30pm

Dudley Canal Trust (Trips) Ltd; the tripping side of DCT have been operating out of a wooden shed since the 70's but are now in the advance stages of planning and application for a learning and access hub. Funding for this will be hard sought. If you would like to know more about the plans and even donate please follow the link.

New range of goods have been added to our gift shop Popcorn, Candy Floss, Marmalade, Jams, Chutney, Shortbread, Traditional sweets. 

Our Project.... In Your Community.
Come along and find out more about our exciting new
project and you could win a free family tunnel trip.

Dudley Canal Trust (Trips) Limited is developing plans, with support from the Heritage Lottery
Fund, for an exciting and innovative new Learning and Access Hub. The Hub will help enhance
the experience for existing and future visitors and provide more opportunities to learn about
the site’s internationally significant heritage.

We want the Hub to be a community facility and we are inviting you to visit us at Todds End
just off the A4123 at Birmingham New Road, Dudley, anytime between 10am and 4pm on
Saturday, 18th June 2011 to find out more about the project and share any thoughts, ideas
and concerns.

As well as displays and representatives from the project team there will also be a range of
hands on activities and fun things to do.

As an added bonus anyone who attends the event will be eligible to take part in the great Dudley
Canal balloon race for the chance to win a festive family Santa trip through the illuminated
tunnel and limestone mines.

The importance of the Dudley canal tunnel has recognised with the award of a Red Wheel plaque by the Transport Trust. This award will be unveiled at a special ceremony on 1st April 2011. More details to follow The Transport Trust is the only national charity established to promote and encourage the preservation and re...storation of Britain's unique transport heritage in all its forms - by air, land and water.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has granted the tripping arm of Dudley Canal Trust the sum of £118,000 to work up plans for an exciting Learning and Access Hub adjacent to their current operations at Todds End, Dudley.  Mike Duley, Chairman of the Trusts' steering group for the project said " this is fantastic news that will enable to move forward to develop this hard worked for facility"