Location: 501 Birmingham New Road, Dudley, DY1 4SB
Prices: £7.25 adult, £6 for children aged 3 and above. Under 3s are free. Family tickets available: 2 Adults 2 Children £23.50, 2 Adults and 3 Children £28.50.
All tickets if Gift Aided, include a 12 month free entry to the 45 minute boat trips.
During our first week of the school holidays we decided to explore the limestone mines under Dudley by going on a popular 45 minute cavern trip on the Dudley Canal.
We arrived just as a boat left (they run every 30 minutes) which gave us the chance to have a look around the brand new Portal Building which holds a museum and The Gongoozler Restaurant.
The girls loved running in and out of the tunnels, building a bridge,
pulling secret items out of the walls (part of the exhibition)
and trying out some of the ways people used to move boats through the tunnels (legging), using only your feet.
There were lots of sections to read and further your knowledge on such an exciting bit of history.
30 minutes was the right amount of time to spend on this section.
We then went outside by the canal, put our hard hats on and waited in a line to board the boat.
The tour took us through Lord Ward’s Tunnel,
into Shirts Mill Basin where we could see an old flooded mine.
Inside the 1989 canal tunnel, by the original rock tunnel into the Singing Cavern and Shaft where we were given a music and light show. And told that musical concerts used to be played down there many years ago.
It was a fantastic chance to marvel at the incredible limestone caverns carved by man to gain access to raw materials that have changed our world forever. During the tour the driver of the boat (skipper) gave a commentary about the fascinating and unique geology of the area which gave rise to such a key part of the Industrial Revolution in the Black Country.
It was a great tour and a fun morning out.
Find out more on the website, including information on the Tots Story Time for 60p per person and a 20 minute boat ride.