Popular boat trips are making a welcome return to this year’s Melksham Food and River Festival.
The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust will be running two boats, ‘The Mary Archard’ and ‘Damselfly,’ across both days of the event.
The charity will be offering slow and scenic journeys along the river, with the chance to see lots of wildlife.
The festival takes place in King George V Park over the weekend of 30th and 31st August, with boats operating from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, and from 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday.
Trips can be prebooked on both days from the Trust gazebo at the top of the slipway beside the Adventure Centre.
The boat rides are organised by the charity’s Melksham, Chippenham and Calne branch.
Spokesperson Dave Maloney said, “The festival is a great occasion and one of our biggest fundraising events of the year, so we’re delighted to return.
“We’ll be running boat trips every 15 minutes, travelling upriver beyond Beanacre, with the chance to see lots of local wildlife, including swans, kingfishers and moorhens.
“Last year we carried around 300 passengers and raised more than £1,300 in support of our local restoration campaign.”
Boat ticket prices remain unchanged from last year, at £6 for adults, £3 for children aged up to 16, and £15 for a family of two adults and two children. Children up to two years old go free.
Skippers and crew are fully trained; volunteers will help with boarding and disembarking, and buoyancy aids will be available.
The Mary Archard is wheelchair-accessible but cannot take motorised mobility scooters.
People can learn more about the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust by visiting the charity’s information tent in the main stallholder area. Photographic displays will feature a wide range of local projects, including the stretch that has already been restored north of Lacock where volunteers are currently rebuilding a flight of locks, dry dock, carpenter’s workshop and bridge.
The aim of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is to restore the waterway from the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham to the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade and the River Thames near Abingdon, connecting Chippenham, Calne, Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon.
Visit www.wbct.org.uk for more information.
For further information about the boat rides email dave.maloney@wbct.org.uk
For further information about the Food and River Festival, visit www.melkshamfoodandriverfestival.co.uk
Pictured: ‘Damselfly’ and ‘The Mary Archard’ at last year’s Melksham Food and River Festival. Credit: Linda De Santiz.
Support Local News
Help us keep your community connected and informed.
Local news is under pressure more than ever. For just £2 a month, you can support independent reporting that shares local stories, investigates the issues that affect you, and keeps residents up to date.
Choose a monthly subscription or a one-off donation. All donations will be reinvested into producing local journalism for Melksham.
Donate Now
