our narrowboat
the trebalisa at wildside
Our narrowboat ‘The Trebalisa’ was purpose-built for us in 1993 under Urban Programme funding. It was designed to make a ‘floating classroom’ with access for people with disabilities and is licensed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to carry 24 passengers plus the skipper and crew.
​
We operate on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal and the Birmingham Main Canal. All our narrowboat skippers are fully qualified with the Boatmaster’s Licence (Tier 2, Level 1),and skippers and crew undergo regular training to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers.
on the water
trips
We operate the boat to enable groups to access the peace and quiet, unique wildlife and rich history of the local canal network. We take groups of all ages and abilities for school trips, community and corporate outings or private family bookings. Our youngest users have been babes in arms and the eldest so far was over 90.
access
There is a full accessible ramp from the centre down to the boat. A folding wheelchair is available for those who may need it.
There is a lift into the boat for passengers who use a wheelchair. Up to three wheelchairs can be accommodated each trip, and passenger numbers would then be reduced accordingly.
Unfortunately we cannot accommodate large motorised wheelchairs, recumbent wheelchairs or motor scooters due to the restrictions of the lift and space available on the boat. The maximum size for a wheelchair is 700mm wide x 1200mm long with a maximum weight of 20 stone.
booking your trip
We offer trips to the general public throughout the year, usually around school holiday times. These can be booked by passengers on a first come first served basis. If you would like to book the entire boat for your group, school organisation or even for a family party, this can be done by contacting us directly so we can confirm costs and availability. The various trips we offer are detailed below.
facilities
The Trebalisa has bench seating, central heating, lift access for wheelchairs and two toilets. We supply hot water flasks and tea and coffee as part of the cost of your trip. Boat trips leave from and return to our wharf at Wildside. Space is usually available in our car park for passengers to leave their cars.
relax and learn
You can take a trip simply to enjoy the pleasure of cruising down the tranquil local waterways, or we can arrange a talk on wildlife or canal history. On some of our trips you will go through locks to see how they work and if conditions are safe, you may get a chance, to operate the locks or steer the boat.
themed trips
Throughout the year we host themed boat trips, with themes ranging from pirates and fairy tales, to afternoon teas – even beer tasting trips for the over 18s. Even if there isn’t a specific theme we can supply quizzes, worksheets and pencils and paper to make every trip as enjoyable as possible. And if all that isn’t enough, there’s always the chance of spotting a kingfisher, a heron or a water vole as you drift along!
.jpg)