PIRATES OF THE CANAL, 8-14 August 2016
Mother & Daughter adventure
Sean Conway Adventure Scholarship - Investing in Dreams
Extreme endurance adventurer Sean Conway, firmly believes that we should all lead a more adventurous life. Seans' #FindYourBeard Adventure Scholarship is about giving people the opportunity to get up and have an adventure of their own by offering a grant of up to £1000 to fulfil a dream.
We are truly honoured to be the winners of Sean Conways' 2016 Scholarship that will undoubtly transform our dream into an incredible adventure!
'The more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves.'
-Roald Dahl
130 MILES
7 DAYS
1 BLOW UP BOAT
2016 John MacGregor
2016 SEAN CONWAY



Finalists in 3 categories:
Inspirational Individual of the year
Sporting Achievement of the year
Outstanding contribution
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On the 8th August 2016, Athina and I kayak down the historic Liverpool-Leeds canal in our very own inflatable ´Boaty McBoatface´.
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This adventure combines some of the things we love best: sports, nature, history and living more adventurously!
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We plan to cover around 130 miles (around 210 km); UKs longest canal.
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We will travel through history and stop at many iconic places on route such as: The International Slavery Museum, Saltaire Mills and the Royal Armouries.
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We aim to kayak for 7 consecutive days, at least 10 hours of kayaking daily.
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We will enter and exit the canal at least 100 times (!) in order to go round the locks and tunnels. We will do this carrying our 17kg boat and our supplies.
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We will camp along the way and we will be joined by our favorite teddy; Bobby Bear. We are the scary ‘Pirates of the Canal’. Argh!
What does say?
"Pirates of the Canal provides a unique opportunity to revisit some of the past glories of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in a way emphasises the hard work and endeavour that characterised the British canal system in its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century heyday.
Indeed, the aim to complete the journey from the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool to the Royal Armouries in Leeds in seven days is roughly the same timeframe that horse-pulled barges would have hoped to complete the same journey two hundred years ago!
This mother and daughter adventure also helps us to remember the harsh experiences of thousands of families of canal-boat people who lived and worked on the British canals during the industrial revolution and beyond."
Read more
Dr Peter Maw
Lecturer in 18th Century History
(University of Leeds)
Dr Maw is author of Transport and the Industrial City: Manchester and the canal age (Manchester University Press, 2013). He has also published articles on canals in The Economic History Review, The Journal of Transport History, and The Industrial Archaeology Review.
What do the experts say?
'Addi and Athina’s trip will show people just how easy and fun it is to get into canoeing and what wonderful experiences families can have together on the water.
The mother and daughter expedition also coincides with the British Canoeing athletes being in action in Rio, illustrating perfectly the diversity of the sport.
If you have been inspired by Addi and Athina’s adventure head to the British Canoeing website, where you can find full information on canoeing opportunities near you.'
Cadi Lambert at British Canoeing
Go Canoeing Development Officer

Meet the Pirates of the Canal

#LittleLobster
Aka: Athina
8yrs old and the 'Sensible adult' in our little home. Like all lobsters, she loves being inside the water and she's so tasty sometimes I want to eat her.

#HumanPenguin
Aka: Addi
Possibly 12yrs old and refusing to grow up :) Happiest at most when it's cold outside and fed fish.

#BobbyBear
Aka: The 'brains' of this adventure.
He's a scary pirate and wears an earring because he thinks it will improve his eyesight.

Boaty McBoatface
went to Liverpool after all!
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What does the say about us?

“It has been amazing to watch Addi and Athina prepare, take part and complete this epic challenge! We are currently celebrating the bicentenary of the Leeds and Liverpool canal, this is a wonderful way to highlight this incredible piece of waterway history.
By taking part in this adventure Addi and Athina have shown what a fantastic resource canals are for exercise, nature spotting and quality family time together. We hope that this will encourage others to seek out experiences on their own local waterways.
The Canal & River Trust supports over 2,000 miles of waterways, ensuring that canal adventures can be enjoyed now and forever. If you would like to support our work, please visit https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/donate”
MANY THANKS TO:






