Narrowboating inspired my girls' 'canal-do' attitude
Marie, a Guide Leader in Yorkshire, loved the way her unit bonded on their canal boat trip
I felt so proud of how the girls worked together... their friendships blossomed.
It wasn't hard choosing a water-based trip for my unit as we have our own narrowboat, the Spirit of Guiding. So we sailed it along the Rochdale canal - from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge and back - over a weekend.
It was so different than their regular Guides night
While onboard the girls completed their Water Safety badges, made crafts and helped operate locks. I was so proud of how the girls worked together. They were constantly on and off the boat during the locks. And their friendships blossomed. Spending a weekend together in such a small space was so different to the usual hour and a half on Guides night.
I will never forget cooking s'mores (a biscuit and marshmallow sandwich) over candles over the towpath. It looked so pretty in the pitch-black night.
What girls say about the trip
Emily, 10, says, 'I learned how to open the locks, how deep they are (much deeper than I thought) and never to swim in a canal. I loved staying up late chatting too.'
Charlotte, 15, also really enjoyed the narrowboat trip, 'It was like a sleepover but on a boat. Locks are very hard at first but I eventually learned to like them!'
Water lot of fun
We run a Narrowboating Scheme so you can train to be a skipper and take girls on holidays on a canal.
