Enjoy a boat trip through London's longest canal tunnel whilst enjoying a warm fruit punch and a delicious locally-baked mince pie with cream! Guided
cruises pass through the tunnel twice and to/from St. Pancras. Five dates in December. All tickets include a museum visit.
Guided Cruises
Departures at
Mince Pie Tunnel Trips. In December we're running mince pie cruises on five dates departing at 1030 1145 1330 and 1445, lasting about one hour. The route is through
Islington Tunnel and back to St. Pancras, then return to the museum. A guide will offer commentary and serve a luxury mince pie from a local bakery with a warm fruit punch
(or the option of tea/coffee). 3rd 10th 17th 28th and 29th December.
Prices 2023
Our 2023 boat trip charges are:
December Mince Pie Tunnel Trip
Adult £20, Concession £18, Child £15
All trips include free museum admission.
Departure times 1030 1145 1330 and 1445. Be sure to allow time to visit the museum before or after the cruise.
Dates: Sundays 3rd 10th 17th December, also 28th and 29th December
The cruise lasts approximately one hour. Delay can occur on canals.
The route is from the museum through Islington Tunnel, turn at Islington and head back to St. Pancras, turn, and return to the museum
The boat is enclosed and has background heating
Fruit punch is not alcoholic
Adults and accompanied children are welcome. All passengers require a ticket however young or old. The guide's commentary is primarily intended for adults and older children
Our boat Long Tom has big windows so everyone gets a window seat
Book Here
The calendar shows the dates when boat trips are running.
The Boat
The passenger boat Long Tom
will normally operate all our trips. It is jointly owned by London Canal Museum and Islington Community Canal Boat Trust.
It is a purpose-built passenger craft seating 12 people at tables with very large windows. A toilet is provided on board but you are asked to use facilities in the museum or other buildings if possible.
The routes
Disabled Visitors
The boat trip is suitable for blind and visually-impaired people, deaf and
hearing-impaired people, and those with moderate walking difficulties on all
dates but access is via stairs. Assistance with boarding is available, but there is no wheelchair lift
on the boat. Access to the cabin is via stairs. Please contact us to discuss your access needs and we will try to help if we can.
How to Book
There are 12 places on each trip and early advance booking is very highly recommended. Bookings are not refundable.
It may sometimes be possible toamend a booking, e.g. to transfer it to a different time, if you give us plenty of notice (at least a week.
This can only be requested by e-mail or using our Online Booking Support Form. Please do not
telephone asking to change your booking.
Boat trips should be booked online. Bookings are made online and immediately using our online booking system. Payment is by credit/debit card and will be
processed on behalf of the museum by Tygit Ltd.
In the 15 minutes before departure any unsold places on the boat can be purchased in person from the museum shop.
A Taste of Tunnel
About Islington Tunnel
The tunnel was largely complete by 1818 and opened in 1820 with a procession of boats carrying
dignitaries. The engineer was the canal's engineer James Morgan, and the tunnel is the
major work of his life. Originally it was worked by "legging", which means that
men lay on their backs on planks mounted on boats and pushed against the walls
or roof of the tunnel to propel the boat. This was necessary because there is
no towpath through the tunnel. Later, in 1826, a steam chain tug was
introduced. An iron chain rang the whole length of the tunnel and was wound
around a drum on board the tug, which was turned by a steam engine. Thus, the
tug was pulled along the chain and it could tow several barges behind it. This
speeded up traffic considerably. This method of towing boats and barges through
the tunnel lasted almost without a break until 1926 by which time diesel tugs
were available. The tunnel has lasted well since 1820 and remains in frequent
use. You will be able to see the original brickwork and some sections that have
been repaired in more recent years. It is 960 yards long and it will take about
20 minutes to pass through it in each direction on your trip. Your guide on the
trip (except when cruising to Little Venice) will tell you more.
