"Simple Is Great"

Trips on narrowboat “Northeaster” once again feature as part of the Leicestershire Youth Service - Area South Holiday Activity Programme. We have been offering a day-trips, overnights and residential ventures aboard the narrow-boat “Northeaster each summer since 1999 as part of the old Blaby District Youth Sub-group. This year trips were on offer to groups from the Harborough, ‘Oadby & Wigston’ and Blaby districts.

For 2007 the trips on “Northeaster” used the River Soar, Grand Union (Leicester Section and Mainline) and North Oxford canals. The purpose of these trips is to give young people from South Leicestershire the chance to spend some time on the local inland waterway system.

Each group brought its own leaders and David Popham (Area Youth Work Co-ordinator) or Gary Bedford acted (Youth Development Worker) as “skippers” (project staff members). The “skipper” was responsible for the safe operation of the boat, locks and general safety on the waterway, youth workers retained responsibility for their group and their behaviour.

This year our journey took “Northeaster” on a trip of more than 150 miles and through 133 locks over the two weeks. This was an average of 22 lock miles or 6 hours working each day. Our route involved passing through the Foxton and Watford Staircases and negotiating the tunnels at Braunston, Crick, Husbands Bosworth and Saddington on several occasions.

“Simple is Great” the comment by young person on their experience of a day on Northeaster.