Back when canal transportation was the norm, John Dickinson & Co operated an express overnight boat service from Apsley to their warehouses in Paddington. The trip is 35 miles and includes 23 locks. ‘The Dickinson Dash’ took just 8 hours – so the products made on that day were available for sale in London the next morning.

 

We’re reenacting the ‘Dickinson Dash’ to raise funds for the restoration of Apsley Paper Trail’s canal ferry boat – The Bryan Donkin. An intrepid team of six on the canal boats ‘Mo Fiddler’ and ‘Storm’ will set off at 7am Saturday May 25th. With modern speed restrictions we won’t be able to do the trip in 8 hours but our challenge is to finish within 12 hours. Please give generously.

 

The Bryan Donkin is run by the Apsley Paper Trail charity to provide trips along the River Gade and Grand Union Canal for schools, community groups, special needs groups and all other visitors to Frogmore Paper Mill – the world’s oldest mechanised paper mill, birthplace of paper’s industrial revolution.