Families looking for spooky days out this October are being encouraged to visit Foxton Locks, where a programme of themed activities will bring Halloween fun to one of Leicestershire’s most iconic waterside destinations.
Throughout October half-term, the Canal & River Trust is hosting a series of Halloween craft sessions, alongside a spectacular Foxton Fright Fayre, offering plenty of opportunities for families to get creative and enjoy exploring the historic flight of locks.
The charity is inviting visitors to take part in hands-on craft activities including stained-glass Halloween lanterns, ghost wind catchers, Halloween luminaries and pumpkin painting sessions. The workshops, held at the Foxton Locks Welcome Centre, are suitable for children aged six and over when accompanied by an adult.
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On Sunday 25 October, the ‘Foxton Fright Fayre’ will see the water in the locks turn an eerie shade of green, with weird and wonderful creatures lurking under the surface. Visitors will be able to try their luck at frightful games and enjoy a hauntingly good day beside the canal. The event runs from 10am until 2pm.
The UK’s longest, steepest flight of staircase locks, Foxton Locks is a marvel of engineering. The locks were built by hand more than 200 years ago to help raise cargo-carrying boats 75ft uphill. Set among 34 acres of green space, the site welcomes more than 400,000 people each year, with visitors able to enjoy the site’s cafés, pubs, nature trails and historic remains of the Foxton Inclined Plane – a Victorian boat lift designed to haul boats up the hill and now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Emily Davis, Volunteering Leader for the Canal & River Trust, said: “Foxton Locks is a pretty spectacular place to visit at any time of year, but there’s something particularly special about autumn – and our Halloween activities promise to bring some extra seasonal fun to your visit.
“We can’t wait to have some spooky fun and welcome families to come and discover this wonderful historic site, where there’s so much to explore.”
The Trust cares for Foxton Locks as part of its 2,000-mile canal network across England and Wales. Over 100 volunteers work year-round to help the charity care for the historic site, lending a hand to operate the locks, welcome visitors and improve the locks and surrounding land for people and wildlife.
For more information about the Halloween events, including booking details, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/halloween-events-at-foxton-locks-4805225/.
