Most school students in Sixth Form may want to spend their holidays revising for their AS or A2 exams. Some may want to at least feel guilty about not revising and spend half of that time with friends. I opted for the latter, as the 2nd Cuddington Explorer Unit headed to the canal capital of the UK.

During the first week of the Easter holidays, the Unit took three canal boats and 25 people from Tardebigge, Worcestershire, around the Warwickshire ring that cuts through Birmingham, Warwick and Coventry. This included, of course, the infamous Tardebigge Locks on the last stretch, bringing the total lock count of the week to over 90.

Most people on the trip took turns steering the boat, grappling with the controls and the tiller, and furiously revving the engine every time we got stuck. Generally, everyone had grasped the concept by the end of the week. And, of course, when there are no locks to deal with, you have to find ways to amuse yourself. It’s quite surprising how much tea you can go through over the course of a week when you’re having three cups an hour.

Apart from the locks - which involved endless running backwards and forwards, opening doors, raising gates, closing doors, prepping the next lock, mooring, more gates and doors – the week was very laid-back, some even bringing a guitar to pass the time. There is no greater feeling than to be sitting on the roof of a canal boat on a sunny day playing guitar. The weather got better and better as the week progressed, until most of us were in shorts and sunglasses soaking up the sun and tanning. A true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn’t miss.