Month: July 2015

A lot can change in a week can’t it!? Here it is Sunday afternoon and Bob and Malcolm are in the pub – well that hasn’t changed!!! But our immediate plans certainly have. But first a starting point.

We were based in White Bear Marina all of last weekend to enable easy access to the train station for our regular/frequent trips to Moorfield’s Eye Hospital Outreach to address Bob’s longstanding issue. All started well Monday morning when we found the station to catch the train to Preston where we would change to one for London Euston. We arrived in Preston in plenty of time and were chatting to a New Zealand couple who were also in the marina while they went to Glasgow to visit a daughter. And then our train was cancelled. No problems we will get on the next one. We did but found it was not an express and we would be late – probably very late – for our 2pm appointment. All good – we can change at Crewe for a faster one. So we did and made the appointment with 10 minutes to spare!!!

The appointment went well and we now have a date for the cataract operation which was an unexpected positive. No guarantee regarding level of vision but optimism certainly expressed by our dear specialist, Nick. We then met up with our very supportive friends Chris and Sue and spent a few hours catching up and exchanging good news in nearby Harrow, before catching the underground back to Euston station for our journey home. We already knew that the trip from Preston back to Adlington was going to be by replacement coach making our arrival time after 11pm but…. The train was delayed in Rugby due to communication problems (a familiar theme in life!!) and then again in Wigan (oh so close to home!!) due to a runaway child saga, meaning we missed the coach and had to wait another hour!!

All Ok as we arrived back on Celtic Maid soon after midnight. And awoke at about 6 am to prepare for our Boat Safety Survey which is mandatory every 4 years. We arranged it for here because we only have another month until the current one was void and this was a convenient location to get it done. That all went very well (we are now compliant!) and then we awaited the arrival of friends from Australia, Juliet and Keith, who were catching up with us briefly as they travelled between York and the Lakes District with their travelling companions, Rosslyn and Trevor. It was a whirlwind catch up but we are so pleased they made the effort and we had a jam packed hour of chatting before they needed to leave. So great to meet their friends and I’m very sure they are enjoying their trip around England and Scotland.

Once we had done all the things we could to take advantage of the marina amenities we left our new friends – Mick, Heather, Ian and liz – and headed on toward the rendezvous point with Figment who had enjoyed watching the British Open golf on TV  and walking around the countryside around the Haigh Hall Country Club. And a break from our company!!!!

After a happy hour catch up we got some much needed rest as on Wednesday we arose early to tackle the 21 lock Wigan flight. Despite being “chased’ down by another boat (to whom our very articulate lockhands took pains to explain as to why they needed to stay a little behind us); managing fast side water flows forcing us to take evasive action (read very high revs and full rudder control) to avoid being thrown into a rock wall with great force (life’s like that sometimes!); avoiding being capsized by leaking lock walls, partially opened paddles and leaking gates; and all this while attempting not to crush a family of ducks between our two 20 tonne steel boat, we made it to the bottom, through one last lock to moor outside the CRT building in Wigan.

Before we left Bron had seen a quick email update from CRT about a leak found on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal along which we had to traverse before attempting the Ribble Link to get to the Lancaster Canal. Now we had been planning this trip since February and had been travelling in rain, wind, hail and sunshine (though rarely the latter to be fair!) to get ready for the crossing of the Ribble Link on 30th July. Once we checked into the CRT office on Thursday morning and they showed us photos of the leak they had discovered we knew that this particular goal of exploring the Lancaster Canal this year was not going to be achieved. So a change of plan, some very helpful advice and organisation by the wonderful staff in the Wigan CRT office and we are now going into Liverpool for 2 weeks on Wednesday this week!!!!

We took our time to venture into the shopping area of Wigan and to pick up a few supplies to tide us over until we arrive in Liverpool and then left on Friday morning to cruise to Hoscar (mooring yet again in the pouring rain), and travelling through Burscough on Saturday morning to find our current mooring very close to the Heaton’s Bridge Pub (where our boys are currently sampling the best Real Ales that the establishment has on offer!!)

Very good job that one of the narrowboater’s attributes is flexibility!!!!!

After a busy week we are now moored in the White Bear Marina catching up on jobs and located conveniently close to the train station for yet another trip to London on Monday for an eye check up.

We have been revising plans for the last week on at least a daily basis as we sought to get the timing right to arrive at this marina, get through three flights of locks and 37 miles of canal ,and avoid predicted heavy rains and high wind gusts. It is so much easier when you are just cruising with no deadlines to meet and the ability to just moor up and wait out the poor weather. But we managed it and only got very wet a couple of times but not stranded across the canal by the the wind as has happened before!!!!

Narrowboaters also rely on a combination of chance and the advice of fellow boaters to find safe and pleasant moorings. Fortunately Julia had received some very good advice prior to starting this trip and Bron got some excellent confirmation from Chris last week of appropriate sites and access to shops for top up supplies. Some towns and villages are very safe to moor in and some just aren’t. And sometimes you just get pleasant surprises!!!

After indulging in our delayed cooked breakfast lovingly prepared by Malcolm (usually we have it on Sundays), we made progress on Monday through the Barrowford Locks bound for moorings before bridge 135. We thought to top up with diesel at nearby Reedley Marina and were expecting to find mooring points (bollards or ability to use chains). However out came the mooring pins and we were able to get secure for the night. Just a short hop in the morning and we were able to get diesel, water and Figment availed themselves of the excellent pumpout services. Just one more requirement of living aboard!!!

Then we had a reasonably good run through Burnley to arrive at moorings near Bridge 115A (rated three ticks by our various advisors!!) with beautiful views both ways of farmland, villages and the sites of previous coal mines. We were moored beside Alan who had lived his life on the canals and waterways and had many stories and photos of how it all worked before other forms of transport took over. A wealth of knowledge and very happy to share it with us.

The opportunity to meet up again with Michael and Jane from NB Moody Blues as they were travelling along the Leeds and Liverpool in the opposite direction to us, was too good to miss. So we made plans to meet up near Bridge 106  on Wednesday night, where we also found Alan again!. He obligingly moved forward leaving enough room for Figment, Celtic Maid and Moody Blues to moor and their inhabitants to enjoy an impromptu shared BBQ meal and catch up. We hadn’t seen them since we parted at Braunston last September. We all had a very good night on the towpath sharing stories, swapping mooring suggestions and finding out more from Alan. Whilst both Bron and Julia are not looking forward to doing the Ribble Link onto the Lancaster later in the month, after hearing of Michael and Jane’s experience coupled with sage advice from Alan, we have decided to view it as a means to an end preferring to focus on the anticipation of enjoying the Lancaster Canal when we arrive!!

After bidding a sad farewell to Moody Blues we made good progress Thursday through the Blackburn Locks (amongst the dirtiest section of canal we have yet experienced!) finally arriving to more suggested moorings above the Johnson’s Hill lock flight by Bridge 84. We had an early night as we had decided to make an early start on Friday morning – 7.00am – unheard of!!!! Bob set the alarm for 5.45 (so he thought) to give us time for a cup of tea and to leave a little earlier than Figment to avail ourselves of the services at the top of the flight. When the alarm went off – at 6.45 – Figment had already left and were patiently filling with water when we arrived soon after 7!!!! They thought it a huge joke to cruise past us without waking us up!!!!

But we got through the locks and were surprised to find good moorings by 9.30am (usually we don’t set off before this let alone arrive at a mooring!) right outside the Botany Bay shopping complex. Julia had heard about these the night before from some people on a widebeam and despite the close proximity to M61 motorway, we found them to be safe and reasonably quiet overnight. And although the shopping complex did not have the things we were looking for we got some lovely sausages and bacon and delicious spelt rolls for Bron. So happy days!!!

On Saturday morning we only had the last 4 miles to do to arrive at the White Bear Marina in Adlington. After saying goodbye to Malcolm and Julia until we re-join them on Tuesday above the Wigan flight, we headed off and before long arrived and were directed to our moorings by the owner, Emmaline. Lovely facilities awaited us and even better neighbours (Heather and Mike) who offered to drive us to Tescos in Bolton for a big stock up shop even before we had finished mooring!!! The kindness of many on the canals knows no bounds. So after a long and much overdue skype chat with our friends Monica and Jo in Australia, we were driven by Heather to Tesco where we filled her car with provisions and two new chairs that we had been searching for to replace the wooden folding chairs in our saloon!! Killed the credit card but we have comfortable chairs and full fridge and cellar and enough provisions to last us through the next couple of weeks!!!!

And then we enjoyed a drink with the marina locals before a delicious dinner of cod loin and steamed vegetables and a peaceful night.

We awoke this morning to the sound of rain but were not worried as we knew we didn’t have to travel in it today. Bron cooked a big breakfast (though we can assure you it was not a touch on Malcolm’s that we have grown to absolutely love and anticipate!!) before we both got stuck into our general domestic and maintenance duties. By tonight our shower should be re-sealed, the weed hatch re-sealed, and new storage hooks fixed on the stern deck. Oh and of course the boat interior cleaned and laundry taken care of.

Its not all plain sailing you know!!!!!

Despite an early start on Monday 6th July to get through the Bingley Locks – two sets of staircase locks with 3 in the first and 5 in the second – we were delayed by factors beyond our control – a shortage of Canal and River Trust staff to operate the locks and too many boats in the queue each way!!! So it took us a good three hours for both Figment and Celtic Maid to make it to the top. But we had nowhere else we needed to be so patience was the order of the day. Julia chatted up the lock staff to ensure us all a smooth rise despite the challenges!

The next section until we moored Monday afternoon had seven swing bridges so Bob and Julia took turns to open and close them. Not sure what is more arduous – the locks or swing bridges! Anyway we have to get used to them as there are many on this canal.

We were determined to get to Skipton on Tuesday so we pressed on through pretty Silsden, 13 swing bridges (after one of which Celtic Maid ended up across the canal stuck forward and aft after being caught by a strong wind gust!), high winds and driving rain to arrive, soaked, cold and a little tired, at great moorings close to the main streets of Skipton. After drying off and eating some lunch Julia and Bron set off to get our bearings and quite by accident ran into Julia’s cousin, Peter, at Skipton Castle where he is a tour guide. After a warming coffee he drove us to his apartment in Eshton Hall – very nice!!- to meet his wife Josette. Given that Julia hid on arrival and all Josette could see was a stranger (Bron) we were treated very hospitably and had a good catch up before Peter returned us to Skipton and our men.

Malcolm and Bob had been busy too and were surprised to hear of our adventure. They had taken a walk and met author Steve Haywood on NB Justice moored close by. Steve has authored several books about life on the canals and has a regular column in the journal Canal Boat. Malcolm took his copies of Steve’s books to be autographed and bought the latest one before settling in to hear of our adventures and plans for Wednesday.

Peter and Josette had kindly offered to show us a little of their neighbourhood including Peter taking us around the Skipton Castle. So after Bob and Bron looked around the market we met up with the others to take the tour and with all of Peter’s knowledge had a fascinating insight into the history and life of the inhabitants of the castle and nearby church. After this we were off to the little village of Grassington with all of its old stone cottages and variety of small shops. We can see why the inhabitants are proud of this part of the country. We had dinner at a lovely pub nearby before being returned to our boats in Skipton. Peter and Josette were fantastic hosts and tour guides – great sense of humour, very giving and incredibly good company.

On Thursday we were off to Gargrave where Bron and Bob had arranged to meet their old friends and travelling companions, Jim and Chris from NB Sylph, who were travelling the reverse direction on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Whilst not a long journey there were still a number of swing bridges to conquer before the 3 locks to where Sylph was moored. It was such a joy to meet up with these friends, their dog Gina and friend Gilbert who was camping alongside them. We spent the afternoon catching up on the last 3 months – lots has happened to both of us – while Chris trimmed her many beautiful flowering plants that adorn Sylph’s roof!!! Dinner at nearby Old Swan pub finished off the day perfectly while Julia and Malcolm caught up with Peter and Josette again in the alternative pub offering in Gargrave – The Mason’s Arms!!

After a quick catch up on potential mooring sites for the rest of this canal, while Bob helped Malcolm and Julia up their remaining 2 locks, we bid a hasty but very fond farewell and hope to see them in Spring somewhere on our journeys. After another 9 locks, and some very winding canal which at times appears to be going up hill, we found some brilliant moorings and took advantage of the beautiful sunny day to catch up with washing followed by sunbathing and happy hour. Always a feature of sunny days is the 5 o’clock sit in the sun sipping a long, cold drink. Very sociable!!!!

Cruising through these sections of the canals is very peaceful and picturesque. We are high up on the hills and get to see all of the fertile farmland, busy villages and quite unique stone wall fences. It is hard to get tired of with new vistas around every bend. We have tried to capture some of this area’s beauty in the photos in the gallery.

Saturday’s journey was no different and we found very good moorings near Barnoldswick (pronounced Barlick by locals apparently!) which gave us an opportunity to get some provisions at the market stalls and shops in the village. Quite a walk but worth it to see the buildings, get some exercise and put a bit into the local economy.

We are always checking out the weather in an effort to stay one step ahead of being drenched, meeting our targeted deadlines and making the most of any predicted sunshine. So we made the very hard decision to forgo a cooked breakfast this morning and instead make tracks through the Foulridge tunnel (only 1640 yards and quite wide but still one way) to moor just before the flight of 7 locks near Colne. If it rains tomorrow we will stay put and tackle these on Tuesday. We are still in good time to get Bob to his eye appointment on the 20th and our date with the Ribble Link into the Lancaster Canal on the 30th.

For those of you who have been wondering about the origins of the name Figment here is a link to the Disney website’s description – Figment. He lives aboard the boat with Julia and Malcolm and can often be seen helping out in the planning of the itinerary, recording of the daily log and watching the tennis with Malcolm on the couch!!!!