The Summit At Last - Thursday 12th May

A lovely sunny morning so we made another early start travelling along this winding canal criss crossing the M65 and finally through the 559 yd tunnel which was straight and fairly dry.

We passed by many old Mills and Wharfs and this strange Egg shaped vessel made out of what appeared to be wood.

We negotiated the Weavers Triangle where the canal forms a Vee shape before crossing the Burnley Aqueduct. It is called the straight mile but is in fact only 3/4 of a mile long. There are great views of the surrounding hills and over the shops and rows of back to back houses. We moored up at the start of the embankment just above a Tesco Extra store and a short walk into the shopping centre.

The town has the usual range of shops found in most towns in a 60’s style shopping centre not as plush as that of Blackburn.

After coffee in M & S we purchased some more provisions and headed off down the straight and then back into the usual winding canal through wooded areas and others with super views of the Pennines up ahead. Of course we had to meet our first two boats on the move today at a right angle bend with a narrow bridge.

The canal here was very shallow and we had to go down the weed hatch a couple of times which has been unusual so far on the trip.

Soon we reached the Barrowford flight of 7 locks taking us up another 70 feet to the summit pound (at last). Although the paddles were very hard the views were spectacular as we went up, both in front and behind. We reached the top and decided to moor up on the Visitor Moorings which have more great views over the Barrowford Reservoir and surrounding hills.

No Bull - Wednesday 11th May

This morning we awoke to find a herd of Bullocks and this enormous Bull in the field opposite our mooring. However I did give some false info yesterday as I thought we had reached the summit pound but in fact we have a further 7 locks to do which will raise us up another 70 feet.

The journey to Hapton is a very winding route first taking us NE then SE and then NE and finally E. There are spectacular views over the Calder Valley and  as in the bottom left photo you can see the bridge in the middle where we will end up having negotiated a sharp left hand bend following the contour around the valley. 

The M65 follows closely the canal route and we have to cross it twice on an aqueduct in 3 miles of canal but only about one mile of motorway which goes straight across the valley. Here is Autumn Years crossing the first aqueduct and a little further on near Clough Bank Bridge is a boat yard with this either new or renovated floating dry dock. The winding hole has been made of stone and the buildings look as though they have been left unfinished because of running out of money.

At Bridge 112, Church Kirk, is a mile post which proclaims the distance to Leeds as 63.5 miles and the distance from Liverpool 63.5 miles ie exactly half from Liverpool to Leeds.

The houses of Hapton again can be seen from way across the valley up high on the hill with decking supported on stilts above the canal.

We moored up at the visitor moorings in Hapton and caught the train back into Blackburn. The trains run every hour and Hapton is a request stop ie you have to put your arm out to stop the train. It only cost £3.90 return for the 20 minute journey into Blackburn with super views of the motorway and canal which we had just travelled along.

The city has a new Shopping and Market Centre with all the usual shops. It was spotlessly clean where ever we walked and has some interesting art work dotted about. Although they knocked down some of the old buildings for the centre there is still the City Hall and Magistrates Court as well as the old Mills.

The Cathedral is well worth a visit with its tall spire and magnificent interior.

We met a Guide Dog Owner just leaving after a lunch time service and chatted to her and her lovely dog, Uffer, so we managed to get our dog fix for the day.

After a late lunch we caught the train back asking the conductor to stop the train at our station. On returning to the boat the swan who had started attacking our boat when we arrived was still pecking the gunnels presumably because he thinks his reflection is another swan and it is near his mate and nest. He continued all evening despite our attempts to shoo him off.

What a Difference a Day Makes–Tuesday 10th May

Where has the sun gone. Today we awoke to high cloud and a cool breeze it having rained over night.  Moving around the corner we came to the Boat Yard Pub where we had a lovely meal when we came up to look at a possible hire boat a few years ago. Unfortunately it did not meet our requirements and so we have had to wait until now to travel the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Soon the Blackburn suburbs came into view  with some nice tidy gardens backing onto the canal including this one with a telephone and post box on the canal frontage.

As we neared the centre we went across a short embankment with views over the valley and Burnley Football ground far below us.

The six Blackburn Locks took us up another 55 feet to the summit pound and this lock had some interesting features in that Carolann had to step out onto a platform over the lock to wind the gate paddle down and the bye wash is replaced with water pouring over the top gates in spectacular fashion.

Locks of course are never in  a straight line and always follow the contours so we had to negotiate some interesting turns in between locks.

Adjacent to Bridge 101 is a 24 hour ASDA. Mooring up on some rings we went and spent some more money on food. You would think we were in the Artic with all the supplies we have on board.

The town is full of interesting old Mill and Warehouses some of which have been re-utilised and others which look derelict. The houses in the bottom right hand picture are unusual in that they have a roof which slopes down at the angle of the street and yet the windows are horizontal making them very different.

Although Blackburn is an urban environment it was quite a pleasure to sail through and we were soon in the open country where we moored up for the night with these horses for company.

Still Climbing–Monday 9th May

This morning we had a late start as we wanted to call into PB Mechanical Services for a pump out and they do not open until 10.00am or there about. They used and old pump which looked like a nodding donkey used in the oil industry but it did a great job for £10.

We motored on passing Frederick’s Ice Cream Parlour adjacent to Bridge 73a. They are a family run business and produce over 120 different flavours well know for their quality in this part of the world.

Soon we entered Lancashire and on towards Chorley with more new houses on the outskirts.but with lovely views to the surrounding hills. At Botany Bay Moorings we stopped to fill up with water and have our lunch before pressing on passed the Botany Bay Village shopping centre.

The wind was very strong now with gusts of over 22 mph which made it difficult to steer in a straight line up the wide open stretches.

There are some lovely houses backing onto the canal at the bottom of the Johnson’s Hill Locks and one even had a fully stocked bar next to its BBQ. Shame we could not stop.

The bottom lock has what appears to be a river entering from the left but there did not appear to be any flow on it. The sign at the side of the lock tells us we still have 79 miles to go to reach Leeds.

Working well as a team we soon caught up a wide beam and narrow beam boat heading up in front of us. The views over the surrounding countryside are lovely from the locks. Carolann was up ahead preparing the next lock whilst June and Graham tend to the current lock.

Some of the locks are at very difficult angles to one another, particularly with the gusty wind and made it difficult to navigate in the pounds. At the top lock a boat was moored on the lock landing transferring bedding and equipment from their car onto the boat. They expected us to wait while they did this instead of letting us go up the lock but aswe had already been waiting for the two boats in front to go up we carried on up and they were only just ready when we had exited the lock.

Motoring on towards Riley Green we went  through some magnificent views and were treated to these young cows rushing down to the canal for a drink as we passed by. We found a nice spot to moor overnight just passed the M65 motorway and enjoyed afternoon tea and cake sitting on the bank in the sunshine.

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen - Sunday 8th May

This morning was Carolann’s birthday so we had to find somewhere special to celebrate.

We left our mooring later this morning as I had to spend some time removing a hoodie type garment which was tightly wrapped around our prop. However, there were some lovely views across the River Douglas Valley to enjoy whilst I did the job.

The canal to Adlington is very pretty and quite a contrast to that of Wigan with lovely trees coming into blossom along the towpath.

There are also great views of the Pennines and where we are going to have to climb in the coming days.

These masts stand on hills which rise to over 1500 feet, but at least we get a good TV reception.

We moored up in Adlington on the towpath; there are 48 hr Visitor Moorings on the off side adjacent to Jubilee Park. After morning coffee Graham and I went for a walk into the town to see if we could find a suitable place for a birthday Sunday lunch. We found the Retreat a lovely Grill, Bar, Restaurant in an old church. It had only been open 2 months and is already a very popular place such that you have to book for Sunday lunch.  It is a very smart place and serves lots of different cocktails which we could see being prepared from our table on the balcony. The food was excellent and plenty of it such that I could not finish all my roast beef dinner and had to refuse a sweet and June could not finish her whole roast chicken after a starter of toasted asparagus.

Sunday lunch is priced at 2 courses for £13 or three for £16 and my word you would need to have a big appetite to have the three courses.

Returning to the boat we decided to motor on passed the BWML marina which is closed on a Sunday and Monday and into the country area where we moored up for the night.

Wigan 21 - Saturday 7th May

The first pound was about 2 feet down on the overflow level and the bottom was uncovered in several places. The second lock was full so I would guess that it was leakage from the lock overnight which had caused it to happen. We entered the lock and a C & RT guy came down to say that he was letting some water down and it would be about 3/4 hour before the level was ok to proceed. June went off to get the paper whilst I did a bit of roof polishing.

After the 2 locks on the Leigh Branch comes Wigan junction with Liverpool to the left and Leeds to the right.

We turned right and who should be just walking down the first lock but Mark and Wendy who had come to help us up the flight. What great timing after an early start for them. We began to negotiate the first of the Wigan 21 locks raising the boat some 214feet 7 inches to a height above sea level of over 300 feet with still another 120 feet to go to reach the summit.

The towpath was quite busy with walkers and cyclists enjoying the sunny weather.

Mark with his training back pack on doing the locks and hoping to get fit for his triathlon.

On the other side were Carolann, June and Wendy doing what girls do best.

We stopped for coffee in the pound after lock 78 and then had some magnificent views over Wigan from half way up the flight. Almost level with the steeple of the church.

Reaching the top it was time to enjoy a refreshing pint and then a delicious meal at the Kirkless Pub sitting outside in the sun. Excellent value for money food and drink.

At the top lock is the T junction at what used to be the southern end of the Lancaster Canal.

We had moored right outside the Hovis factory and Graham was quick to notice this sign on the factory wall and I could not resist photographing it.

After lunch we said our goodbyes to Mark and Wendy and motored on to moor up opposite Haig Hall G.C.with super views across the valley and over the golf course.

Short Trip - Friday 6th May

Walked into Plank to the Newsagent for a paper.and noted that there is also a Spa shop, Indian and Fish and Chip shop amongst others.

This morning we made an earlier start than we intended because we saw the mower and strimmer men coming down the towpath, so pulled the pins in order that they could mow past us. We gently motored on to Plank Lane swing bridge which is actually a lift bridge. Boaters cannot operate the bridge between 8.00 and 9.30 to avoid the rush hour traffic, and it is a busy road.

We moored up at Scotman’s Flash which is separated from Ince Moss by a causeway with a concrete towpath and forms part of the Wigan Flashes, former mining subsidence areas now flood and turned into a Nature Reserve. 

We enjoyed morning coffee and afternoon tea sitting on the bank watching the boats sailing on the Flash and the water fowl enjoying themselves. These little goslings were enjoying the warm weather on the edge of the canal with mom and dad protecting them from passers bye.

Later I went a walk up to Wigan Junction and heard the first Cuckcoo over Ince Moss. 

Today we heard that Tiana has been accepted onto the Guide Dog Breeding Programme so we are looking forward to having one of her pups in the future.