Scarecastle - Halloween at Harecastle Tunnel, October half-term 2024

Details

About this Event

Come along to the Harecastle Tunnel this half term for our annual Halloween Spooktacular Scarecastle event. Our site will be decorated and we will have a variety of Halloween themed activities available on site including,

Face Painting,

Spooky graveyard,

Children's quiz

Floating Traders and

A boat trip through the historic Harecastle tunnel

This is a once a year opportunity to spend 30 minutes deep underground in the cold, dark, damp, historic Harecastle tunnel on one of our trip boats. Unless you have access to a boat this is the only way of seeing the interior of this historic, landmark, Wonder of the Waterways, running for almost 1.7 miles between Tunstall and Kidsgrove.

We have refreshments for sale including hot and cold drinks and snacks as well as a number of floating traders selling food.

There is limited parking available on site at the South Portal (Tunstall end - ST6 4PX) of the tunnel.

Please follow staff instructions at all times and respect our site and neighbours by disposing of your litter at bins on site and keeping the noise down when arriving on site, during the event and when leaving.

Please note that this year for the first time we are all having a night off! We will be running the event from Friday 25 October to Sunday 27th October. There will be no trips on Monday 28 October but then we start again on Tuesday 29th through to 31st October

All trips start and finish at the South Portal (ST6 4PX) of the tunnel. Please note that we do not have the facilities to deal with people wanting to join us at the Kidsgrove end of the Tunnel. We will transfer you by minibus either before or after your boat trip to ensure that you end the event back where you started ie the South Portal (Tunstall End of the tunnel).

Please ensure that you arrive on site 45 minutes before your passage time. This gives us time to fit you with a buoyancy aid and for alternate trips to transport you by minibus to Kidsgrove before getting the boat back to the South Portal

Please note that the design of the trip boats means that access is via a couple of metal steps. Staff will be available if you need a helping hand.

Bookings

Please book a ticket for every person in your party (including all children).

All under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For small children please bring along your car seat for the mini-bus journey.

The site is uneven so you will need to wear sensible footwear. It will be cold and damp in the tunnel so make sure you have warm clothing - particularly for smaller children.

This event is over subscribed every year. If for any reason you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket via Eventbrite and please e-mail us at [email protected] as soon as you can, to allow us to re-allocate your seats. Last year we ended the event with still over 100 disappointed people on our waiting list.

Each night the last trip through the tunnel will end at about 9.45pm. The site will be locked up at 10.30pm

The Canal and River Trust retain the right to refuse access to any participant on safety grounds.

The Canal and River Trust do not make a charge for this event. We are a Charity and we will ask visitors to make a donation on the night. These donations allow us to continue to run this and other community based activities throughout the year. This year donations will be by Credit card, debit card or good old fashioned cash.

To follow us on Facebook @Harecastletunnels to keep up to date with the latest news and events.

Event Host

Canal & River Trust (West Midlands)