Camden Community Cruises

Thanks to the generosity of our funders and money raised through the private hire of our canal boats, Camden Community Cruises (formerly the Rosedale Scheme) provide free and part-funded interactive canal boat cruises for SEND groups, families in hardship and people facing wider disadvantage to discover London’s waterways and experience canal boating first-hand. This cornerstone project has been running for over 25 years and is a key element of our service delivery, which seeks to tackle disadvantage and exclusion through canal-based recreation and training activities.

Fully-funded and heavily subsidised trips focus on SEND groups of all ages, families in hardship and their voluntary support services.

Part-funded trips allow us to broaden the service to benefit people facing wider disadvantage, along with voluntary organisations working to enhance their wellbeing and personal prospects - such as supported housing providers, Pupil Referral Units and youth groups.

Please note that the availability of free and part-funded Camden Community Cruises relies on the success of our fundraising and private hire activities and may vary throughout the year.

During a cruise, groups can relax and watch the world go by at the leisurely pace of the canal or get involved with the practicalities of boating by steering the boat or helping to work the locks - all under the sensitive guidance of our friendly, qualified team.

We operate two canal boats, 'Pirate Prince' and 'Black Pearl'. Our fully-accessible venue offers unrestricted access to the boats via a lift and wheelchair friendly ramps. Each boat can accommodate up to 12 passengers, in addition to our fully qualified volunteer crew - all of whom are trained in-house to rigorous national standards. For larger groups, we can run a sequence of trips or use both boats to meet demand.

Driven by our passion to make the canal and The Pirate Castle fully accessible, Pirate Prince was launched in 2011 after a long fundraising campaign. A dream come true, this 55-foot long widebeam was designed in consultation with NCBA’s Disability Officer and local disability groups to cater for the needs of disabled boaters. This unique craft has an accessible wet room, toilet and kitchen, wide fore and stern decks, wheelchair lifts and state-of-the-art throttle control and steering systems which can be operated by a skipper in a wheelchair or those with impaired mobility. ‘Pirate Prince’ can accommodate up to 6 wheelchair users, with space for up to 6 more passengers.

As well as being a purpose-built transport for people with disabilities, Pirate Prince’s wide, open plan layout and removable bunks makes her the ideal craft for groups of all ages and abilities to enjoy the waterways, either on a day trip or longer residential excursion.

Black Pearl is a traditional narrowboat. Although unsuitable for wheelchair users, her 57-foot long, open plan layout is great for people with low to mild mobility/ sensory restrictions, families and other groups to experience boating and the waterway first-hand. Her large decks and spacious engine room also make her the ideal training boat for visiting groups and our team of volunteer skippers and crew.

All Camden Community Cruises are return trips, departing from The Pirate Castle

If your group is interested in a Camden Community Cruise, please complete our APPLICATION FORM and return it by email to info@thepiratecastle.org. We'll then contact you to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, please call us on 020 7267 6605 for more information or to discuss availability.

We look forward to welcoming you on board!