MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

First I must apologise for my tardiness in not posting a new blog sooner. In my defence returning to work, my daughters 30th birthday and Christmas just have taken all my energy and time.

So hear it is

HOMEWARD BOUND

The weather has certainly turned autumnal in the last few days, the leaves are falling from the tree’s and there is a dampness in the air, but I love the smells of autumn and the changing of the seasons. The colours are changing to from the vibrant greens of spring and summer, to the browns and yellows of the coming winter. People are lighting their fires, (not us yet) so the drifting smoke adds to the whole scent of the new season.

On leaving Rugeley we headed to Fradley Junction were we turned on to the Coventry Canal, there are only a couple of locks and we were helped through the first by lockees, but by the time we reached the second they had gone for their lunch. But much to our surprise an old friend was on the lock, Julie Hancox, and her husband Phil was steering the boat. We first met when we did the River Thames with St Pancreas boating club, and have met up a couple of times since. They have renamed their boat, it was A Perfect Match, as they met on Match.com, but as a sign of respect they have called it Norwind II, Norwind was Julies fathers boat. We arranged to meet in the Dirty Duck, or to give it its proper name The Swan later.

https://www.swaninnfradley.co.uk/

Then the heavens opened, and boy did it rain, we were so glad to be moored up. When it was pub time the rain had stopped luckily

It was great to catch up with them, they have decided to try continual cruising this winter rather than staying in a marina, its something I have never fancied. So we will see how they get on. The time flew and it was soon time to part ways, hopefully we will catch up again soon, maybe they will come down to Coventry at some point.

The trip to Fazeley was cold and windy, but we got to go to Fazeley chippy for our tea. I got my much anticipated kebab, and the Captain had his fish and chips and curry sauce. The portions were huge and great value for money.

https://www.facebook.com/Fazeleyfishbarfazeley

Next day, and we decided to give Polesworth a miss and moored for the night at the bottom of Atherstone locks. On our way we met up with Rick, a working boatman selling gas, coal and fuel. The Captain got him to fill us up with diesel, no shortages on the cut. After saying earlier we hadn’t had a fire as yet we decided we needed one that night.

There are 11 locks in the Atherstone flight, they raise the canal by 80ft over 2miles.

We set off and at the first lock I had help from the crew of NB Orkney, we chatted and they were only going to the middle pound, whilst we were heading for the top. I hoped to see them at the next lock but the heavens opened and I decided they had stopped to let the rain ease. We just kept going, and eventually the rain stopped and the sun came out. We met a lot of boats heading down the locks, some were helpful, some not, but we made it to the top in a respectable 2hrs and moored up.

Now there are 2 great things about Atherstone, the Angel Ale House and Bates Butchers, which do the most amazing faggots.

https://www.facebook.com/theangelinnrealalehouseatherstone/

https://www.facebook.com/BatesOfAtherstone/

When we set off for the village it was getting late in the afternoon, but I decided to try Bates anyway, it looked closed but the door was open so I went in, I had to shout to get some ones attention and was disappointed when there were no faggots, but the very nice young man assured me there would be some tomorrow.

The Angel was quite busy, I spotted Eric off NB Cherie who we had met in there before, but he was busy with friends. As all the tables were occupied it would seem we would be standing at the bar to enjoy our pint. A lady sat at a table nearby kept looking over, and she seemed familiar. She turned out to be the crew I had met at the first lock, and she very kindly asked us to join them. Lesley and Nigel have been living aboard 7 years like us, and they met on the internet like us, so we had lots to chat about. They are staying out on the cut for the winter, hopefully they will make it Coventry at some point. Lesley is a crafter, making necklaces and bangles out of beads and semi precious stones.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/606636937173737

We had a difficult decision next day, the weather was forecast to be heavy rain all day, but we really needed to get to Hawksbury junction about 11miles away. After I had called at Bates for our faggots we bit the bullet and set off. And yes it did rain the whole time. I was lucky as I could disappear downstairs into the dry now and again, but the poor Captain just had to stay and steer, he did have his trusty golfing umbrella which kept him quite dry, and it was actually me that got the wettest as I didn’t fit under the umbrella fully. I did manage to light a much needed fire on the 3^rd attempt. So by the time we were moored up the boat was warm and cosy and we could dry out. Of course we had to nip to the Greyhound for a pint when the rain subsided.

The final leg of our journey back home to Swan Lane was uneventful, apart from a rude hire boater, who after the Captain had let him come through a narrow bridge first never said thank you, but curtly asked if they could turn in the entrance to Springwood Haven marina, rather than going down to the next winding hole. We said it wasn’t normally the done thing and they carried on.

Back at the wharf, and it was great to see familiar faces and catch up with old friends. Keith was there, as busy as ever, and we have new moorers to meet. Neville and Fliss on NB Edith Annie, and Mickey on Nb Water Rail, we also have a couple more boats joining us, so it will be a squash in the wharf this winter.

We still have one final cruise, we are going to Trinity Marina on the Ashby canal to catch up with our besties Col and Mags on NB Henry.

4 CANALS IN 7 DAYS.

 The Lower Peak, Upper Peak, the Macclesfield and the Trent and Mersey. A journey of 36miles, 32 locks, 1 lift bridge and 2 swing bridges. It includes 2 tunnels, the Woodley and the Hyde, and 3 aqueducts, Marple, Watery Lane and Red bull. And it took us a week.

Monday was our last night in dry dock, Dan got us up early to do the necessary welding on the new anodes and the skeg. Pete Findlow called to see us again with a gift for me. He has an extensive music collection, and on his previous visit I had told him about a band I used to know called Persian Risk (early 1980’s). He had compiled a CD of their music for me which was lovely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Risk

Tuesday, and dear old Avalon Two was refloated and we set off, but not before thanking Dan for his help and saying hi to Guy who had returned from his holibobs.

The newly blacked sides made the boat look very shiny and new, but it wont last.

The first of the tunnels was Woodley Tunnel, its 176yds long and has a kink in it, so not a favourite of the Captains, this is closely followed by Hyde Bank which is 306yds long, but so straight you can see daylight at the end. We stopped off at our old moorings in Hyde, but Captain Jack Sparrow wasn’t about so on we went

The wonderful Marple Aqueduct, which carries you over the River Goyt, is the highest aqueduct in England at 90ft and is 105yrds long. The aqueduct opened in 1800 and it was built by Benjamin Outram, a familiar name to those of a certain age who came from my home town of Ripley in Derbyshire. It was the name of the towns secondary modern school for many years, before merging with the grammar school and becoming Mill Hill. He also built the 16 lock Marple flight which was on the agenda for the next day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marple_Aqueduct

As we cruised across the aqueduct I spotted a bird high up on the trees, it turned out to be a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, and then a bright blue kingfisher darted down the side of the boat.

After a night moored just below the locks we set off to do the 16, which raise the canal 214ft in just 1 mile and was opened in 1804. We were not alone as we had 3 hire boats with us. Their crews had differing amounts of experience, which made it an interesting day.

The first 8 locks were a doddle, even with no boats coming down. But at lock 8 we met the first coming down, and with the bad news that the next 8 locks and pounds were extremely low, and they had struggled, scrapping the bottom of the canal at times. This has been a reoccurring problem all summer, and there should have been lockees on to help with water management, but there was no one in sight. After struggling through lock 8 and 9 I walked up to lock 12 with one of the hirers and decided we needed to let water down to alleviate the problem, but how much I had no idea, so just had to wing it. The captain in the meantime was on the phone to CRT trying to get us some help, this proved to be unsuccessful as they had no one available to come to our rescue.

The going was slow and painful, boats had to be gently coaxed out of the lock making sure they didn’t get stuck on the cill, and then negotiate the empty pounds trying not to get grounded.

Eventually an off duty lockee called Roger turned up and apologised for the lack of assistant, there should have been a lockee on but no one had seen him all morning. The 4 crew’s worked well together, and eventually we were all out of the last lock and on our way. That’s when the duty lockee appeared, with no apology or explanation of were he had been at our time of need.

We were now on the Upper Peak Forest canal, but only for a few moments as we then turned on to the Macclesfield canal and moored up for the night.

Off to the pub we went of course, a little micropub, The Samuel Oldknow and we weren’t disappointed with the selection.

https://www.samueloldknow.co.uk/

The top half of the Macclesfield is unkempt and uncared for. There is a lot of overgrown vegetation, and in most places it is impossible to get to the side to moor. So we had to go all the way to Macclesfield to find moorings on pontoons. Even the bank side visitors moorings here are being left to nature.

North Rode was our aim for Saturday as there was a Vintage Transport Show on, both the Captain and I are partial to old vehicles of all types. I especially love traction engines of all sizes, but to my disappointment there were only 2 miniatures to admire, but there was a good selection of cars, lorries, stationary engines and assorted stalls, which kept us happy for a good few hours. The Captain treated me to a burger for tea, we had a very enjoyable day.

We moored at the top of Bosley locks to attended the show. We had planned to do a pump out at the CRT facilities there before doing the 12 locks in the flight. But disaster, even though the machine had only been fixed that week, it ate our card and then nothing. The Captain spoke to a couple of CRT employees who happened to be on site, but they just shrugged it was not their problem. A phone call to CRT but still no help, they couldn’t get anyone out until the next day. So what to do, stay and wait for someone to come, or head down the locks and get to Sherbourne wharf, hoping the toilet would last an extra day.

We decided to do the locks, which turned out to be great fun, with lots of boats and crew about to pass the time of day. But not before a lady tried to tell me how to do locks, it did not go down well, as after 10yrs of boating I am pretty sure I know our way and the right way.

We moored at Congleton for the night but didn’t visit the town, but we did go to the pub, The Wonky Pear, another micropub discovered on a previous cruise. It belongs to Beartown brewery and had the Creme Bearlee stout for the Captain.

https://www.facebook.com/thewonkypear/

We got our pump out at Sherbourne wharf next day, and headed to Red Bull and on to the Trent and Mersey canal. We called at the Red Bull pub, no darks on, but the menu looked interesting.

Next time the Harecastle tunnel and Stoke.

IT’S BLACKING TIME.

And we are off to Portland Basin to see Guy and do some much needed maintenance on our beloved Avalon Two. It really should have been blacked last year, but with Covid as with a lot of things it had to be postponed.

Now what is blacking? Some of you might ask. It’s a way of protecting the hull of the boat using bitumen. First the hull is cleaned using a high powered pressure washer, then 3 coats of Bitumen are applied using a brush first then a roller. You have to get in all the little nooks and crannies. We will also be painting the side of the boat up to the gunnels, checking the anodes, the propeller and prop shaft. Basically having a damn good look at what we can’t normally see. And we will be doing the work ourselves, because its cheaper.

Our journey out of Liverpool went without a hitch, and with the help of the Vol Lockees and Sid it didn’t take long. After lunch and a shopping stop at Litherland, and saying goodbye to Norman, we set off again. The Captain had a plan and knew how far each day we needed to travel to get us to Portland basin with a day to spare. So it was a long day for us and we moored up around 6pm in the MONW. It was nice to be out in the countryside again.

Next day and the aim was Burscough, 15miles and quite a few swing bridges for me to do. The people on the towpath were very friendly and we spotted a kingfisher as it darted ahead of us. After another long day we moored up and headed off for a pint in The Thirsty Duck, they had a Liverpool Spiced Stout on, so the Captain was a very happy bunny.

Wigan next on the agenda, not such an early start, but back to doing locks for me. It was a bit like the M1 as we left Burscough, we passed 6 narrowboats and 2 widebeams in quick succession. I checked on the bins at Bridge 35 and happy to report that everything was clean and tidy, albeit the skip was getting ready for emptying.

There are 5 locks between Burscough and Wigan and at one of theses we met Darren Obrian and his very distinctive boat called Carlsberg. We met him a couple of years ago at his moorings in Crooke. He was heading to Parbold for a few pints.

At the last lock next to the dry dock we met a boat coming down, and one waiting. Unsure what was happening I spoke to the Captain of the boat in the lock, he told me the boat waiting had refused to share the lock with him, I could not understand why, it was another narrowboat not a fibreglass crusier, but then I saw all the fenders hung round it and assumed its Captain didn’t want another boat bashing his. Which is a natural part of boating life.

All this meant they had a wait for us to come up the lock, and I soon realised that they were not experienced boaters at all. The crew helped with the paddles and first thing they did was to take of the pawl or ratchet as I call it. This is a safety feature which protects the operator and the paddle gear if the windlass should slip off whilst winding the paddle up. I immediately told the women to replace it and explained why, my blood ran cold when she explained that her Captain had told her to do this at all the locks they had done. I walked away thinking they could be a disaster waiting to happen.’ Hopefully I was wrong.

We moored up and headed into town as the Captain needed to pick up a prescription from Boots. On the was back we called in at the Swan and Railway and had a great chat with the landlord and lady. To end the day we finished off at the Wigan Central.

Sunday, Neil Kath and Rosemary joined us for a cruise to Appley Green. Neil and his daughter Rosemary took turns at steering. We had a lovely day. We also caught up with Will off NB Wills Way. We hadn’t seen him since Langley Mill were he did a walk through video of our boat for his vlog, he is a very friendly chap and it was great to see him again.

https://youtube.com/user/parlou38

Next day and we wound our way into Manchester for the night. We scrumped some apples, saw a ginger cat up a tree who I thought might be ‘Charlie Clarkson Ginger King of Everywhere’ a cat from Facebook, his owner ghost writes about his adventures, but it turned out not to be his highness.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/735992183137728/user/100026100994252

The water was very clear but it looked like we were in the middle of some roadworks when I spotted 8 traffic cones in the water one after the other. I also spotted a 2ft long pike.

We moored in Castlefield basin and had a chat with some local boaters before setting off to Cask, a real ale bar. It was expensive so only the one, then we headed to The Moon Under Water, a Wetherspoons were I treated the Captain to tea.

I was not looking forward to the trip out of Manchester, there are 9 hard locks called the Rochdale 9 that take you through the city centre. The biggest issue for me with them are steps used to climb on to the lock gates to access the offside which are awful (there are no bridges). Luckily, we had help from volunteers at the last 3 and we were soon moored up at Thomas Telford basin, a peaceful secure mooring we have used before.

The next day the locks continued with the 18 on the Ashton Canal, it was another long hard day, and wasn’t helped when I had a nasty fall whilst picking blackberries. At the time I was more concerned with the blackberries I dropped than what damage I had done to myself, but luckily I am well padded and came a way with just a few grazes and a bruised knee.

We took a short detour to Hyde as we had a day to kill. There is a Samuel Smith’s pub called the White Gates near the canal. Its a proper locals pub, and as with all Sam Smith’s pubs no mobiles, tablets or other electronic devices are allowed. This encourages people to talk. We were made very welcome and encouraged to join in the conversation.

So into the dry dock we went, after a good look round everything seemed in order, the problem the Captain thought we had with the prop and shaft turned out to be rubbish round the shaft, but we did need a couple of new anodes and a small crack in the skeg, the bit that supports the rudder. He spent the afternoon giving the bottom of the boat a good going over with the pressure washer and we decided to leave the painting to the next day.

We got on very well the next day, and in about 3 ½ hours we had 2 coats on bitumen on.

After resting for the afternoon we headed into Manchester for a meal at Try Thai with Neil and family, it was lovely.

http://trythai.com/

Neil came to give us a hand next day and after we had finished Pete Findlow, another old work mate of the Captains turned up. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon with them.

Anodes were welded on and the skeg repaired by the very helpful Dan and we are ready to go back in the water and continue our journey but that’s for next time folks.

LOVELY LIVERPOOL

 

I have to start this blog with the sad news that the Captains Auntie Rita passed a way peacefully in her sleep. The fall just took too much out of her. RIP Auntie Rita xx

Due to our early start we found our pontoon and moored up around lunchtime. We had neighbours, NB Nuggler. We said hello and had a chat.

After lunch we decided to take a wander round. It was a lovely afternoon, but you know were this is heading, of course to the pub. The Baltic Fleet, a very good real ale pub not far from the moorings. However, as we were a bit earlier than usual it wasn’t open, shock horror, good news it opened at 4pm in about 20mins. But by using the ever knowledgeable Google, I found a micro brewery with its own bar a short walk away and it was open, the Black Lodge brewery. So we took a walk, never ones to pass up a new experience. The beer was very good, but also very expensive as they sold it by 3rds, for us, obviously working in pints the prices (around £4.25) didn’t seem to bad, but that was for 2/3rds or a schooner. Their excuse, its craft beer and that is the measure craft beer is sold in. We have seen this in other places and it tends to put us off. It did say sold by 3rds on their menu, but in very small writing. So only the one.

By this time the Baltic Fleet was open so we cut our losses and head there. The Captain was very happy with Dark Matter Stout and Birra Morreti for me.

https://www.balticfleet.co.uk/

While we are on the pontoons in Liverpool we have shore power. So next day I decided to make the most of this and spring, well summer clean the whole boat, wash the sofa covers, bedding, clothes, hoover and mop the floors, the whole caboodle. The Captain was told to stop in bed out of my way, which he was more than happy to do. But at the end of this I decided I deserved a pint so off we set. We had a nice gentle walk round before heading for The Richard John Blackier, a Wetherspoons as we knew it had Titanic Plum Porter and Hobgoblin on. We walked in and the noise hit us, we had forgotten how busy city centre pubs can get, but we managed to find a seat and sat back to do some people watching.

Malvern, a fellow boater had recommended we try the Thomas Rigby’s and it wasn’t too far from were we were, so after a pint we decided to take a walk. The walk took us past the famous Cavern Club and although we didn’t go in at least now I can say ‘I was there’. The Thomas Rigby’s turned out to be a bit of a disappointment with no darks on, so we had a pint and went home. We were visited by a very inquisitive boaters dog, who just had to check out everything on the boat never mind how much her owner called her.

Family time next day as the Captain’s daughter Hannah and family came to visit. It was great to catch up, as due to the virus we had not seen them for quite some time. We ended up back in the Baltic Fleet before they came back to the boat, were 3yr old Stanley was fascinated by the jelly fish swimming in the dock.

Now last time we were in Liverpool I had a rather strange encounter with a gentleman at the bar in the Baltic Fleet, he seemed to be chatting me up, and then caught me by surprise when he name dropped the Captains surname into the conversation. He turned out to be an old RAF buddy of the Captain who had seen on Facebook were we were and had decided to come and find us. Well this time we got in contact with Norman (so no surprises) and he came to visit on Sunday. We hadn’t planned to have a session, or a pub crawl but this is what happened. After chatting on the boat for a while we decided to take a walk to the pub. As Norman is very familiar with Liverpool and its pubs he led the way. Firstly to Ma Pardoe’s a rather quirky and very busy place. They were serving lovely looking food, but the beer selection for the Captain was limited, so he had Carlsberg whilst Norman and I tried Poretti lager. One in there then off to the Denbigh Castle, here the Captain found a Budvar Dark, which to my surprise he really enjoyed (budvar is usually a hoppy lager). So 2 in there. Finally, The Old Post Office, a real old fashion boozer but don’t ask me what we had, I was getting a little tipsy. It didn’t help that we hadn’t eaten before coming out, I was planning to do a Sunday roast on our return but this went out the window. Norman left us in the Post Office with plans in hand to join us on our journey out of Liverpool the following Thursday, and we ended up in Burger King for tea.

The day after the night before was Monday, so a quiet day, whilst the Captain did some running repairs to our cratch cover I spent my time trying to sort out a new blogging platform. I had had an email from Simple Site, where my blog has been based for free for the last 5/6 years, saying that they were no longer offering a free platform, and that I would have to have a Pro account at £13per month in 45days time. I turned to Facebook for recommendations, and a number of sites were suggested. I tried a few to see which was the easiest to navigate and decided on Blogger. It was a very frustrating process as I am not all that tech savy, but I have the Captain to help me, and we eventually managed to produce a new blog page that I liked and did everything I needed. I am not sure when I will move across completely to the new site but it will be in the next couple of weeks.

In an earlier blog I mentioned that a passing boater had recommended an all you can eat Asian restaurant, and it had been our intention to try it out, but something better came along in the guise of Fogo Brazil, a Brazilian rodizia, or an all you can eat with 8 different bbq meats, salad and hot dishes.

https://fogobrazil.co.uk/

The Captain treated me to lunch and it was amazing. The lamb, rump steak, beef ribs, sausage, pork, gammon, chicken hearts and chicken wings were ‘to die for’, and the choice of salads and sides unbelievable. I can not praise the staff enough, attentive and friendly. A great experience in every way.

And for afters we headed to the Lime Kiln with an Oatmeal Stout for the Captain and a bramble gin for me. A wonderful end to a great visit to Liverpool.

It was an early start the day we said goodbye to Liverpool, Norman joined us at 7.30am and we set off at 8pm to do the 6 locks out of Liverpool and back on to the canal.

That’s all for now folks.

PUMP OUT PLANS AND DISGUSTING BINS.

 As mention in the last blog the dear old Captain was having problems scheduling our next 2 pump outs. A plan had been agreed to return the 3 locks and one swing bridge to Plank Lane were there is a CRT machine. But it was obvious that this plan did not sit well with him. As Friday was meant to be a nice day he decided we would do the run from Wigan to Scarisbrick marina, a total of 15miles, 5 locks and 3 electric swing bridges in one day (a very long way for us). This meant passing through Burscough, a small town that I wanted to stop at, as there is a large Tesco there and I needed some shopping. He said not a problem, we would get the pump out and return to Burscough next day. So this is what we did.

It also meant I could dispose of our rubbish (or so I thought) as there are bins just outside the town we have used before, and if not a small bin compound at Burscough wharf. But it was not to be, the first bin, which is actually a skip was full, with rubbish bags all a round it on the ground, and even on top of the skip lid. I couldn’t add to the mess, so on to the wharf, only to find out this had been closed a few weeks earlier due, according to CRT, to misuse. This means that there is only the 1 bin location for over 80 miles from Anderton boat lift to Liverpool, and it was unusable. I have reported this to CRT via Twitter, and emailed the regional director and the CEO of CRT with the pictures that I took. It is not really good enough, and with more people taking to the water the problem will only get worse.

As we cruised through Burscough I was hailed by the Captain of NB Union Belle who reads my blog. Thank you very much sir.

We reached Scarisbrick Marina and phoned them to book our pump out for next morning, then moored up for the night.

The gentleman who did our pump out next morning was very chatty and friendly. We also bought some coal, which is a terrible thing to do at this time of the year. But hopefully, we shouldn’t need it until October, fingers crossed.

We were soon on our way back to Burscough where we squeezed in behind Union Belle. We had a chat with her Captain (who is starting his own blog) and a passing boater called Ken. The conversation soon turned to the situation with the bins. We were all in agreement that CRT are not doing enough for boaters. Union Belle’s Captain also informed us there are bins at Appley Bridge and Litherland, but these do not appear on the CRT facilities map. So how are boaters to know?

My complaint to CRT has had a number of interesting responses.

As the regional director was on holiday my complaint was handled by Liam Cooper, Boating and Customer Service Manager, who replied to all the points I raised in a very detailed email. I agreed with some of his answers, but not with others, so I fired off another email and then had a surprise phone call from him to discuss the bin situation, and other boaters concerns around the facilities in the area. It turned out he is a boater, which didn’t come across very clearly in some of the answers in his email. He is based at Red Bull, which we will pass on our way back to Coventry, so I hope to say hi to him there in person.

Ken turned out to be a member of the National Association of Boat Owners and tried to recruit me. I am thinking about it.

Helen Hutt a Boaters Rep on the CRT council has taken up the baton about the bins also.

And finally, I got a mention on Peter Underwoods ‘News from the Water’ podcast, fame at last.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/26001922752/user/1272544109

At least I seem to have made a small difference, making life better for boaters.

In the midst of all this we found a lovely little bar at Burscough Wharf called The Thirsty Duck. They had a Rum porter on for the Captain, and I was very happy with Freedom 4 lager. We also tried a packet of Black Pudding and Mustard crisp from Fiddlers, interesting.

https://thirstyduck.co.uk/

We continued our journey towards Liverpool, next stop was the Ship Inn at Haskyne, but not before passing NB Huffler, whose Captain recommended an all you can eat Asian buffet in the St John’s area of Liverpool, we will definitely be looking into his recommendation. At the Ship Inn no darks as usual, but the Captain took a liking to Manchester Craft lager by J W Lees. I will convert him back to lager eventually.

Along this stretch of canal there are quite a few swing bridges, and I was very pleased as some of them had been converted to all electric operation since the last time we were here, so all I do is put the key in and push the button. Even the ones were some manual input is required (pushing the bridge open) seemed easier than before.

As we cruised I spotted a sweet little water vole climbing out of the water and disappearing into the bank side, and a heron caught a fish as we passed by. The Captain even spotted a kingfisher, but I missed it.😟

The night before we were due to go down the Stanley flight into Liverpool, the Captain received a phone call from Sid the CRT employee who organises the passage on the locks, asking if we wanted to go down earlier, around 10am, as opposed to the normal time of 1pm, this been due to youths jumping in locks and making a general nuisance of themselves. Of course we jumped at the chance. We were joined by Sam and Mark on NB Scallywag and Frank on NB Hector.

We stayed the night at Litherland, the bins there weren’t in great shape either, but as we moored up a skip turned up and a guy from CRT started clearing the mess, and he made a very good job of it too.

An early start next morning, and we set off in convoy with us leading the way. At the first lock I was pleased to see a plethora of volunteer lockies, and of course the all important Sid. These are double locks, so we paired up with Scallywag and I jumped off to help out. We were soon down the 4 locks and we led the way having done the trip before, and although Sam is a true Scouser it was all new to her.

The trip to our moorings in Salthouse dock is amazing, as you see Liverpool and its docks in a completely unique way.

Our time in Liverpool is for next time folks.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SUMMER?

 

As we all know the English summer can be unpredictable, and this year is no different, the forecast has been wet, dull and windy. Not great cruising weather, but we make the most of a bad job on days like this.

We stopped at Leigh for the night and took a walk to The Bobbin micro pub which was great, with a good selection of ales on and very friendly staff.

https://www.thebobbinleigh.co.uk/

We also tried one in the White Lion, a dark on for the Captain so a happy bunny, the regulars were watching the football which gave it a friendly atmosphere. But when I tried paying with my Tesco club card I don’t think the barman knew what to make of it. So he and the Captain had a laugh at my expense.

Leigh has a brilliant indoor market which doesn’t seem to have suffered as badly as some others we have visited, we really enjoyed walking round and picking up some great bargains, including Bury Black Pudding and Henderson’s Relish.

We are planning to stay in Wigan for a couple of days before heading to Liverpool, however this has caused a problem with our pump out schedule. There is a serious lack of pump out locations in this area, and no matter how the Captain tried to work it out we ended up with being a couple of days early on the next one, or a couple of days late on the one after that, which is not really doable, early yes late no. Its still all in the air, he will make a decision eventually.

On the way to Wigan is Plank Lane lift bridge which is electrically operated, all I need is my BW key. This is where I love to say ’I have the power’ as I stop the traffic with the push of a button. There are quite a few of these bridges on the way into Liverpool, so I will be power mad by the time we reach there.

I must admit I have had a quiet time recently with no locks for me to do, but going into Wigan there are 3. At the first a single hander turned up when we were already in the lock, it appeared he was going to turn (it was only a short boat), but he couldn’t manage it and moored on the lock landing. As I let the Captain out he asked me for help. As he had vertigo and couldn’t climb the ladders to do the lock. I of course agreed and sent the Captain on his way. I am not sure how long he had had NB Hecate, but he didn’t seem to have much experience. Whilst waiting for him to enter the lock I was joined by the crew of a boat coming down which made life easier. As the Captain of Hecate took so long to enter the lock another crew member came down to see what the hold up was. Eventually he was in and I walked up to the next lock with the lady who had come to see what was occurring. We had a nice chat, then we waited and waited for the little boat to appear, but it didn’t, instead the crew we had left behind came up to tell us he had decided to try and turn above the lock. My Captain didn’t think this was a good idea as the pound was quite shallow. So up we went and left NB Typhon and crew to deal with whatever situation Hecate was in.

We moored up in Wigan just before the rain came and were joined shortly by NB Ebony. I went to help them moor and had a quick chat with the Captain, Steve and crew Ann. Of course in the conversation beer came up and Steve turned out to be a real ale lover, so of course I told him about the Wigan Central micropub which we would be visiting later.

https://www.wigancentral.bar/index.html 

As usual we headed to the pub around teatime, and just as we stepped off the boat Steve and Ann were taking their 2 dogs Sharkey and Milo for a walk. We walked together to Trencherfield Mill before going our separate ways and they said they might join us later.

The Captain was very happy in the Wigan Central, they had Porter O’Call by Bank Top Brewery, and before we left they put an Oatmeal stout on too. We had 3 pints and were just thinking about heading home when Steve and Ann turned up. We had a lovely night (and another pint) with them. They are reasonably new liveaboard boaters and seem to be loving the life.

I managed to say goodbye to them as they left next day. We will keep in touch through Facebook and hopefully meet up again.

We tried another real ale pub next day, The Swan and Railway, it has recently undergone a major refurbishment and is beautiful inside, with wonderful tiles and woodwork. They usually have at least 6 hand pulls on, and to make the Captain even happier London Stout on tap. The Porteresque, salted caramel porter from Hophurst Brewery was lovely. The staff were very friendly and the landlady had just found out they had won CAMRA’s Historic England Conservation Award, and well deserved too.

https://swanandrailwayhotelwigan.co.uk/

Next day we caught the train and headed for Bolton to meet up with his sister Sheila and her husband William.

But before we did we had a quick chat with Barbara and her family on NB Wild Ishie in the pouring rain.

We were visiting his Auntie Rita, a lovely independent lady in her late 90’s. We were meant to be taking her out for a meal, but she had had a fall the previous night and didn’t feel up to it. So we called at the Southfields, a Sizzling pub, for a bite before heading off to see her. She seemed a little out of sorts, obviously, but brushed off our concerns about her fall whilst we were there. It was great to catch up with her. Unfortunately we found out next day that her neighbour had called the doctor and she was in hospital with fractured ribs and bruising. A very brave lady.

Wigan to Liverpool, but that’s for next time folks

RUNCORN AND THE BRIDGEWATER CANAL

Before getting on the Bridgewater canal at Preston Brook we had to negotiate 3 tunnels, not the Captains favourite thing to do. As a precaution he removers the front catch cover corners so if we hit the wall they don’t get damaged

Firstly Barnton Tunnel, 572yards long, one way working but at least you can see the other end, so its straight in.

Then the Saltersford Tunnel, slightly shorter at 424yards, but this one has a kink in it so you can’t see the other end.. One way working again, but timed to ensure 2 boats travelling in opposite directions don’t meet in the middle. We could enter the tunnel on the hour until 20past the hour.

And lastly Preston Brook Tunnel, 1239yards long, one way working and timed again, at this tunnel we followed a boat through.

On exiting we we’re now off CRT waters and on the Bridgewater canal owned by Peel Holdings. We had to book, but it doesn’t cost anything as long as we only stay on for 7 days outward journey and 3 days return.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater_Canal

This canal connects the Trent and Mersey Canal with the Leeds Liverpool canal at Leigh.

We decided to take the short trip down to Runcorn were the canal also used to connect with the Manchester ship canal and Mersey using 2 sets of staircase locks, the old and new lines. The old line locks fell into disuse in the late1930’s and were filled in in 1949, and the new line was closed in 1966, these lock gates were removed and installed at Devizes on the Kennet and Avon canal. There is a plan to reinstate the old line, as a considerable part of the lock chambers are still intact, and this would allow a new cruising ring, linking the River Weaver via the Manchester ship canal with the Bridgewater without using the Anderton Boat lift.

https://unlockruncorn.org/runcorn-locks-restoration-society/

It was well worth the visit. We enjoyed cruising the 4 ½ mile, lock free canal, it is a very pretty and peaceful. At the basin at the end we winded and moored up outside the Brindley Theatre (as recommended by facebook). We walked the site of the old line locks all the way down to the Manchester ship canal, we could see what was left of the locks and the route the new locks would have to take, which included right through the parking for some rather posh flats over looking the ship canal. It could be interesting to see the residents reaction to the plan.

At the end of the walk is a rather splendid Georgian house which looks out of place amongst the new building. This is Bridgwater House built in 1771 by the Duke of Bridgewater for himself to live in whilst the canal and locks were being built, he liked to know what was occurring. After his death it became the offices of the Bridgewater company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater_House,_Runcorn

The walk back took us past the local Wetherspoons the Ferry Boat, although they had Cherry Dark on by Titanic brewery the Captain decided he wanted something cold and refreshing, so we both had a bottle or 2 of Singha lager and he treated me to a burger for tea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singha

One more fascinating fact about the basin at Runcorn. The pub that features in 2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, starring Will Mellor and Sheridan Smith, is located by the basin and is now a Buddhist Meditation Centre, it was called The Waterloo in real life and the Archer in the series.

We only spent one night in Runcorn but we will definitely be back, I would highly recommend a visit to passing boaters.

A friend I have been trying to catch up with is Chris on NB Ceiriog, unfortunately we only managed a wave as we passed going in opposite directions, maybe another time.

A night was planned at Lymm, so we set off early to ensure good moorings there. It was very busy but we found a great spot and headed off to the Brewery Tap, this belongs to Lymm brewery, and they always have a stout or porter on. The Captain wasn’t disappointed as they had 2 to chose from and he opted for the Dunham Massey Porter which is brewed by their sister brewery

https://lymmbrewing.co.uk/

Whilst enjoying our pint we were regaled by a fellow customer who was telling his companion, (rather loudly) all he knew about boating and electrics. I could tell the Captain was tab hanging intensely and was not too impressed with the guy who we dubbed Mr Know-it-all. It was not unkindly meant but I think we have all come across people like this. And it turned out he was moored opposite us.

Off to Sale next and a bit of shopping. We were pleased to see a couple of new micro pubs had opened in the precinct but didn’t give them a try, one was extremely expensive (£6 a pint) and the other had no darks on. So strangely for us we didn’t venture to the pub that night.

We crossed the wonderful Barton Swing bridge next day and were very sad to see it looking very tatty and uncared for.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Swing_Aqueduct

In previous blogs I have ranted about the lack of bins on the system, and I think this stretch of the canals is about the worst. There are no boaters bins on the Bridgwater, so this means you have to cruise a staggering 40+ miles from Anderton to Burscough, which can take a while depending on your cruising habits. All the time we accumulate food waste, packaging, bottles and cans.

So when we got to Worsley and stopped for water, which was no longer there either, I was desperate, and ended up using the public bins in the park to alleviate the problem. Now I don’t like doing this as this is not what they are there for, but sometimes needs must. I would love to see a proper survey and consultation between boaters and CRT aimed at improving the facilities provided and their locations.

We moored up in lovely location and settled down for the rest of the day. Around teatime our peace was shattered when a hire boat sped past us, it was so fast I thought it had lost its water skier. We both yelled and the Captain and crew jumped like naughty children and slowed down. Well until they had passed us, then they sped up again. Now we don’t usually report such things, but on this occasion it just had to be done ,and the Captain sent the hirer company a message on facebook. Much to our surprise we got an almost immediate reply, full of apologies and assurances that they would be contacting the errant boat forthwith. This they did and assured as that the hirers sent their apologies and it wouldn’t happen again. We met them the next day doing a very sedate speed, which was great to see, and hope they have learnt that canals aren’t built for speed.

Next day and we were back on CRT waters and the Leigh Branch of the Leeds Liverpool canal at Leigh.

That’s for next time folks.