Ratcliffe Bridge to Penny Street Bridge, Lancaster

No lying in bed with a cuppa this morning as Gary from All Seasons Covers was due with us early. He turned up a little after 8am with our covers over his shoulder. Then came the pram cover frame. Ray had been called away to a job in Liverpool so Gary was on his own to start with.

He started fitting the pram cover first, frame then the top panel. More fixing points were needed which were riveted into the cabin roof and rear doors. Once this was looking good he then started to add the sides. A fixing to the top panel needed moving slightly and then press studs were added to hold it to the cabin sides. The bottom edge of the cover just about lines up with the red grab rail and therefore our C&RT number is still visible. With all the port side fixed he moved onto the cratch cover.

Yesterday we’d moored bang opposite the water point here, so instead of Gary having to balance on the gunnel to add all the fixings to the starboard side we pushed Oleanna across so that he could stand on terra ferma for the drilling. Mick had already moved into the pram cover by this point. As soon as the cratch was fully fitted we topped up the water tank, with a load of washing on. Just as Gary was about to finish Ray arrived on the towpath. He was the only one who would have managed to get a photo of the whole of Oleanna with her new covers, sadly I didn’t. Once the last fixings were in position we pushed back to the towpath.

We have now lived without covers since April. In wet weather we’ve missed the extra protection that you get and somewhere to drip dry your clothes. But we’ve also now got used to not having covers. Oleanna’s cratch board is lower than Lillian’s so a stoop is all you can manage in there. Currently the flaps that roll up hang quite low when rolled up , this along with the bow lockers being quite high makes the opening quite small. We may see if the straps can be shortened and the press stud moved upwards which would give us another four to six inches. But we’ll live with them until we are back near Leigh and see what we think.

Closing them up will take a bit of getting used to. Dropping the pram hood we decided to remove the sides. These can then sit on the rear hatch before we folded down the frame. At the moment our internet aerial gets in the way of the frame folding flat onto the hatch. When sitting on the back it restricts your view towards the bow somewhat. So I had a go at removing the aerial and this improved it, but we may have to move the bracket that it is fixed on as the frame also catches this. However this will leave a hole at the back of the electrics cupboard and will need self tapping screws, so we may get someone to do this for us.

Having said all this, with all the covers up she looks very smart and we are very pleased, so is Oleanna.

After an early lunch we set off to catch Blackbird up at Galgate. As soon as we were under the first bridge our surroundings seemed to have a park like feel to them, slightly more grand than had been before. Were we suddenly surrounded by large grand houses? The canal meandered its way through lush grass and into a wooded cutting before we arrived at the junction with the Glasson Branch. Yesterday we’d decided to leave the branch and the smokehouse at the end for our way back south as a bit of a treat. Just at the next bend we could see Bridget, Storm and Max sat on the back of Blackbird, really hope Max hadn’t been sat there since yesterday waiting for us!

They had their pram cover down and sprang into action as we leap frogged them, the two boats now reunited and heading on towards Lancaster. We passed Galgate Marina where a quick photo of the diesel pump suggested that it is 98p a litre, I think we may be walking to the garage in Garstang where it is reported to be around 60p.

The next stretch was open countryside again and along the towpath every now and again there would be a picnic bench and a gap in growth, maybe here would be a good place to stop for a barbecue on our way back, should we ever have an evening suitable. Then we were back into another cutting, over hung by large mature trees, the bridges taller and less hump backed.

The approach into Lancaster with it’s view of the castle in the distance and some rather lovely double fronted terraced houses was a bit of a surprise.  There is plenty of mooring as we approached the town centre, but only one gap showed itself and this was about six foot too short for us, Blackbird also tried and they were too long too. Everyone was obviously in Lancaster including two of the boats we’d done the crossing with. We carried on under a few more bridges and managed to pull into(ish) the side just before a stretch of mooring rings. I say before as along the stretch there was plenty of growth, buddleia and even small trees , so instead we hammered pins in and left ourselves with a bit of a stretch to get on and off.

A walk around later on and we found much to keep us busy tomorrow when it is meant to be raining for much of the day. A couple of pints at The Sun before before we returned to carefully negotiated our way back on board around our new covers.

0 locks, 8.3 miles, 2 new covers, 2 big pushes, £20 pocket money, 1 straight on, 2 boats reunited, 98p! 2 small for us and them, 1 bakers, 1 butchers, 1 crafty centre, 8 pints all round, 1 green box full of poison, 5 minutes of shore leave curtailed.

Wyre Aqueduct to Dimples to Ratcliffe Bridge

Mick popped to the sorting office to pick up some fuses he’d ordered. Yesterday we’d seen one for sale for £12 at the chandlers, but our order contained four which including postage had come to just under £12. Bridget and Storm were ready for the off, we had yet to wind and we all needed the services just a short distance on so they went ahead as both of us wouldn’t be able to fill with water at the same time.

Pushing off we retraced our steps to Dimples winding hole. The Lancaster Canal certainly has made the most of it’s winding holes. This one had boats moored in it on the off side, yet we could spin Oleanna round without even worrying about getting too close. We then headed back towards the services.

Blackbird had finished and on the water point was a cruiser, getting a wash. There was space for us to pull in too, so we disposed of rubbish and put our hose by the water point showing our intent. The cruiser was very dirty and was getting a very good scrub down by a chap and his son. We were able to use our hose when they weren’t rinsing the boat down and as both hoses could be fixed to the tap the flow could easily be changed from one side to the other. This did however mean that we were at the water point for a good hour and a quarter. We popped the washing machine on followed by the dishwasher to make the most of being there.

The chap with the cruiser had appeared on Barging Round Britain when they did an episode on the Lancaster Canal. He’d cruised John Sergeant around for four days and yet he only appeared for a few minutes on the programme, the rest had hit the cutting room floor. He sells boats up here and the one being cleaned he’d just got on a part exchange. A local lady came up to use the elsan on her mobility scouter, she asked him a couple of questions about the boat and said it would be ideal for her daughter. Within ten minutes the daughter was there looking round it, not sure if a deal was done but it looked like he wouldn’t have the boat for long. Eventually our tank made it’s boom noise and we were ready for the off again.

We pootled along thinking that we’d catch up with Blackbird at Galgate later today, hopefully before the rain started. We stopped for a bite to eat and heard from Gary at All Seasons Covers. Tomorrow he has a boat to see that we’d just passed and then another about half a mile further on at Ratcliffe Bridge, so there would be ideal for us to be in the morning. There was space for us near the bridge so we pulled up for the day. Gary said he’d come to us first thing so that we could be back on our way to catch Blackbird up.

Mick took the advantage of being moored early to see if it was just the fuse that had blown on the bowthruster. It worked! but only for a short time. He’s tried to get at what might be up the thruster tube. There are grills on the tube so he used his long pincer to try to reach inside, but this didn’t really help. Another fuse and it can be used for very short blasts, but really it still isn’t working. This may sadly have to wait until we can get her out of the water.

I’ve decided to have a go at making my own spreads for lunch, hummus is getting a bit boring. Last night whilst cooking our pasta I steamed some broccoli and peas, which today I have zuzzed in the zuzzer along with some garlic and lemon juice. This will last me a few days, which I apologise to those I’ll be seeing as I think next time I make it I will halve the amount of garlic I put in it! It is tasty though, we’ll see what the carrot one is like in a few days.

Another boat pulled up behind and it turns out that Gary has been asked to quote for a pram cover on it. So we need to point it out to him in the morning.

In response to your comment this morning Duncan. Yesterday may have been the first time you have been mentioned on this blog, this now being the second. However you had six mentions on Lillian’s blog over the years, including a photograph, here are links just for you.

Jaye and Duncan leaving Scarborough, Duncan avoiding us, A quick mention, And another, Christmas lights, Last Goodbye.

0 locks, 5.69 miles, 1 wind, 1 rendez vous set, 1 blackberry pooh, 1 boat wash, 2 boaters with clean blood, 1 small clove next time, 1 change of plan, 3 boats lined up for the morning, 2 fuses now blown, 1 roll wallpaper ordered, 1 dodgy internet connection, 1 cat happy to stop early, 3 birds not so happy, 1 boat lagging behind.

Wyke Aqueduct. Scarborough

The last two days we’ve had a trip to Scarborough. Dentist for Mick and another blood test for me. The nurse at the surgery smiles with glee when I roll up my sleeves, she says she likes my veins. This worries me.

We hired a car this time as it was only a fiver more than a van for two days and would give us some more comfort for the journey right across the north. So yesterday we headed east leaving Tilly with plenty of biscuits they nearly forgot! and an emergency key with Bridget. I did warn her that if Tilly stuck her paw out of the bathroom window and shouted to just ignore her, she tries this on with passers by for sympathy, but it doesn’t wash with us.

Which route to take? A66 and then down the coast, A59 or M6 then M62 across. In the end we opted for the A59 which gave us the opportunity to spot places we knew along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, passing signs for Bank Newton, Gargrave and crossing over the double bridge at East Marton instead of going under it. We left the drizzle behind us and soon had sunshine on our way to the coast. First stop was Sainsburys for some lunch  where we bumped into our friend Dawn and were invited round for a cuppa after we’d got various things out of the way.

After the dentist we headed to our house to see how the builder has been getting on with digging up the kitchen floor. As we pulled up it was obvious that our tenants were going to be on hand as well. The work in the kitchen has taken some time and the builder, as builders do, hasn’t always turned up when he has said he would. Concrete has taken time to dry, a totally rusted through down pipe caused him to have to spend time on that. So our tenants have been waiting to get new carpets laid now for weeks. Here’s hoping that soon everything will settle down, water will stop finding it’s way into our house and we can stop spending money on it. Luckily when we had the two kitchens knocked together we got quite a few extra slate floor tiles which I didn’t manage to sell on ebay. So the builder has been able to replace the ones he’s had to take up, however there are a few chips on the ones next to where he’s working. It was good to be able to put faces to names of our tenants and hopefully we made the right noises to them. They are looking after the house and garden wonderfully, just a shame that the blue geraniums were thought to be weeds and have been cleared from a flower bed, they are however showing signs of fighting back through some gravel.

Next port of call was to catch up with Dawn and Lee. We have stayed with them a few times since we’ve been living afloat. A catch up on gossip around Scarborough and hearing news of all our friends over a couple of cuppas, a better way to spend the afternoon than looking at concrete and digging out tins of paint. Then we moved on to visit Jaye and Duncan.

Just about a year ago we were in Scarborough, for another blood test, and we happened to coincide with Jaye and Duncan’s final possessions going into a van. They were leaving Scarborough to live in Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. They have had a great year but for various reasons have just moved back. Two weeks ago they got the keys to their new house, which is actually old, an Edwardian semi. Now in a different part of town where large houses cling to the sides of a valley leading down to the sea, when I first moved to the town I coveted these houses. Some are storeys and storeys high with seven to ten bedrooms, however Jaye and Duncans isn’t quite so large.

We had a full guided tour of their lovely house. Many original features and with a bit of TLC and it will be a stunner. A bottle of fizz was opened to celebrate being their first over night guests. They hope to come and stay with us on Oleanna soon and be our first over night guests. There was a lot to catch up on, so we headed to an Italian restaurant, so that we could all concentrate on our news. Two more bottles of wine and a stagger back down the hill to their house. What a lovely evening, catching up with them. I have to say that as Duncan is an avid reader!

Waking this morning in a large bedroom where your toes don’t touch the wall opposite was strange. Not having to clamber over Mick and Tilly to get to the bathroom was also odd. The seagulls had managed to only be there in the background for atmospherics through the night which  was a relief. Both Jaye and Duncan were working people today, so we said our goodbyes and headed across town for my appointment with the vampire. A call into the letting agents to see if they could chivvy the builder along and then we could have breakfast.

Despite Mick living in this part of town for over twenty five years he’d never stepped foot inside Pic a Dish, coffee lounge and restaurant. We’d opened the door on  a time warp.Two people sat at separate tables with mugs of tea and some toast reading papers. This could have been any time since the sixties. There was only one breakfast to order in such a place, a two egg breakfast including tea and toast all for £5.25. It was exactly as we expected, good coffee lounge cafe food. No posh sausages with herbs, soda bread or field mushrooms, just straight forward breakfast. An hour before this would have been very frowned upon, but the vampire already had my blood, so no-one would know other than us.

With the car pointed westwards we started heading back to Garstang. A pause was in order for me to pick up some more of my morning tea from the Designer Outlet in York. We then chose to return by the M62 which was quite a bit quicker than the route we’d taken yesterday.

Mick had ordered some filters for the next service from Chandlery World which is based at the marina here, so we called in to pick them up. Easier said than done. Mick had had an email suggesting that they had been sent to us, to London, to my brothers, at our correspondence address. The ladies looked for them, but quickly remembered that a parcel for Mick hadn’t gone in the post yesterday, it had gone to the post office today. Phone calls were made and then one lady jumped in her car. We looked at just about everything in the shop before she returned. Our parcel had made it to the post office but hadn’t made it into the system. She was allowed to collect it despite not being the person it was addressed to. It even had on the label that we’d be collecting it.

Once the car was returned to Preston we visited all three supermarkets. Booths out of curiosity, then Aldi followed by Sainsburys to fill in the gaps. Tomorrow we will wind, fill with water and carry on northwards with NB Blackbird. We need to find a mooring close to a road so that our covers can be delivered to us on Thursday.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 day car hire, A59 pretty, M62 quick, 1 Tigger, 2 cuppas with Dawn and Lee, 4 chips at least, 2 determined geraniums, 2 tenants, 1 bottle fizz, 1 year in Grassington, 1 lovely house, 2 bottles, 15ft not 7ft room, 1 fabby view, 1 big thank you, 1 little scratch for blood, 1 week to finish please, 2 classic breakfasts, 2 douvet covers, 4 packs of tea, 1 wave to Daddy Fatso, 3 filters nearly on the way to London, 3 supermarkets, 1 happy Tilly.

Wyre Aqueduct to Wyre Aqueduct

The weather has been on my side today. Sunny, but not too hot to be painting.

Before breakfast the fertan was washed off the port side of Oleanna with the hope that by the time I’d finished my bowl of cereal it would be dry. It however needed a bit of encouragement. Once the curved ends of the Epifane were masked I could apply a coat of paint. It goes on so easily, just a shame I needed to be on my hands and knees to do it.

With there being a winding hole on the other side of the aqueduct it seemed silly not to make the most of a dry day. So whilst Bridget and I stood guard at our mooring Mick pushed off and winded Oleanna, bringing her back to the same space for me to start on the starboard side.

I have been allowed out for much of the day. Below the canal there is a large area of grass, all neat and fairly useless to find friends in, they tend to see me coming! But amongst the short short grass there are areas of sand. These are very good for digging in, deeper and far bigger than my box on the boat. Every now and then some people walk along with sticks and balls. The balls are hit high into the air before they reached the grass. I like chasing balls, but I decided to watch from the trees instead. They kept hitting the balls until they fell into a hole. Well that needed investigating. I can fit far more than my arm into the hole, in fact most of my head fits in there. But it is quite boring, no friends live in it and it’s not very deep. So it was back to watch the world go by on the canal and keep an eye on that Max.

Max sometimes stands on the back of his boat and looks at me. I stand on my boat and look back.

They went out for a walk earlier, so that gave me chance to check out Max’s boat. I had to check all of it, the cat walk is black like mine, but only wide enough for cats, so why has he got one?

When we came up the link the other day there was a lot of overhanging trees. We suspected that Oleanna hadn’t got off without being marked and once she was turned we could see what damage had happened. A scratch from front to back. After I’d sanded the gunnel I gave the whole side a wash down, hoping that the mark would disappear, but sadly it didn’t. Is it worth getting the T cut out to try polishing it out? We will leave it until next month so any damage on our return can be dealt with at the same time.

So with a coat of paint on both gunnels most of the day was gone. My back and knees now ache and I suspect I won’t be moving much this evening. If the weather stays good I might get chance to get some Woodskin on the cratch before the covers arrive, but the forecast for the week ahead has a lot of rain in it.

0 locks, 0.47 miles, 1 wind, 2 gunnels looking good, 11 complementary comments before it was painted, M6 builder, 2 stare offs, 1 friend, 2 sand pits, 1 hole, 6 balls, 1 woofer with a catwalk, 2 aching knees, 1 aching back.

Bilsborrow to Wyre Aqueduct, Garstang

A drizzly start to the morning but the day gradually brightened up. Bridget came past walking Max as we were having breakfast and asked if we’d like a paper getting. A very efficient papergirl she was too delivering our Saturday paper to our hatch.

We emptied tanks and got the rubbish ready and pushed over to the service block to deposit all our waste. A Heron sat at the end of the 24hour moorings and gradually nudged up as we pulled in, giving us room but never taking his eyes off the water.

Blackbird took the lead this morning as we finished off our chores. Drizzle came and went as we pootled along. We were surprised at the number of boats moving, but then we are on a large pound with no locks at a weekend.

A large chicken farm on the off side had cockerels competing with each other as to who’s crow was the loudest and most elaborate. Each pen had it’s own shed, it looked somewhat like a chicken housing development. Each pen had a different breed in it, from your Cochins to your pompom headed Polish chickens they were all there.

With the company of the West Coast Main line and the M6 for much of our journey we decided to carry on to Garstang. The moorings by the Wyre Aqueduct had plenty of space so we pulled in, both boats nudging the side. So far it seems that at visitor moorings you’ll be able to get into the side, but elsewhere a plank will almost certainly be needed.

Wyre Aqueduct designed by John Rennie and built 1797, has a single span which curves very pleasingly over the peaty river below. We walked into town along the river for an explore and to sus out where might be good for a pint or two this evening.  A small market town with plenty to look at, lots of shops, charity shops and pubs. I called into a sewing and craft shop to see if they had any double ended knitting needles. Once I’ve finished my current project I want to have a go knitting with four needles and see if my missing little finger inhibits this. Sadly the lady didn’t have the size I was after, I do have the correct size but wanted the next size in case my gauge wasn’t right. I did however get a ball of wool, so will see what happens. If it works then I’ll have another Christmas present ready.

Back at Oleanna I set about prepping the gunnels for a touch up coat of black. If the covers get fitted this week it would be good to have pristine gunnels before they add all the fixings, this will save me having to paint round them all which is just plain boring. So Painty Pip got ready and sanded down the Epifanes on both sides of the bow and then carried on down the port side. After the dust was washed off I applied some Fertan to the bits of rust. This was left to go off and weather permitting I’ll get a coat of paint on tomorrow.

This evening we wandered into town for a beer or two, or three. First we tried The Wheatsheaf which was busy but had seats. After a while a lady started singing to backing tracks which meant that the general noise level of conversation had to increase. So we decided to move on and see if we could find a quieter pub where we wouldn’t have to shout at each other and pretend that we’d heard what was being said back. Next we tried The Eagle and Child. The smell of disinfectant as we walked in was strong, the choice of beer was poor, especially as all they had was Guinness or Lagers so we turned round and tried elsewhere.

The Royal Oak Hotel came up trumps with a choice of beers and no entertainment. Maybe we should have started the evening here. We’ll know next time.

0 locks, 5.01 miles, 1 empty yellow water tank, 1 empty bucket, 27 breeds, 5 pompom heads, 1 aqueduct, 50gms wool, 0 3.75mm needles, 1 floral phone box, 2 holes of golf, 1 gunnel prepped and ready to go, 3rd pub lucky.

Swillbrook Bridge to Bilsborrow

Last night before going to bed we stood out on the back of Oleanna to see if we could spot any of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The sky was clear but we got a touch too chilly to carry on and didn’t spot  a thing. Tonight I doubt we’ll be able to see the sky for cloud, as drizzle has been on and off for most of the day.

Yesterday I’d bought some big field mushrooms in the market so we had these in a white sauce on toast for breakfast. They were yummy and made a nice change to the usual cereal.

Blackbird moved forward to fill with water and then nudged back so that we could top up too. As our tank filled I gave the port side windows a good wash. They had all been covered in a layer of spray when we crossed the Ribble and it was very hard to see through the front windows. Mick popped to Pendle Marine to see if they had a fuse for our bow thruster, but the chap said he’d not seen one of those for years. Maybe he just tends to see cruisers, we’ll try somewhere further on.

A plan was hatched for the day, to cruise up to Bilsborrow where we could explore the thatched village under umbrellas if it continued to rain. Storm walked ahead with Max whilst we brought the two boats.

Most of the bridges that we’ve seen so far have a hint of Macclesfield Canal bridges to them. They don’t quite curve in at the bottom like the Macc ones do, or spread as far. Instead the towpath side wall has been chamfered at an angle, maybe to reduce wear on the stone from ropes. The tops of the bridges up to today have been angled with a point at the top, now the design has changed to a more standard gentle curve.

We pootled along the four miles, very few places looked like you’d be able to pull in due to the amount of vegetation. A couple of gaps presented themselves close to Roebuck Bridge but we carried on to be greeted by Storm and Max stood by Owd Nells where there was mooring with rings. Children were feeding the mass of ducks which we managed to avoid squashing as we came into the side. It was very busy here, so we decided to nudge up a little further so as not to be directly outside the pub. Bridget had pulled in before the bridge which was a much quieter option as there is a kids funfair just down from us.

After lunch we decided to have a look round. Walking up to the next bridge and crossing the canal we found a shop for Saturday newspapers and then carried on up the hill to have a look at the church of St Hilda. Built 1926-7, with money left by Miss Sarah Jane Salisbury who died as a result of an accident at Brock Railway Station (long since closed north of Bilsborrow).

The church sits squatly in immaculate grounds, the flower beds are so full there is no air to breath between plants. The interior is simple stone and oak with only two stained glass windows which are in memory of two former vicars.

The village has three pubs, one reopening next weekend. None of them drew us inside. Back at Owd Nells we had a look around. Basically there is a restaurant/pub with various out buildings which has all been made to look Olde Worlde. Fake shops back onto the pub with window displays of plastic fruit and veg, but these are just doorways into the kitchens. Most buildings are thatched, one however has every type of roofing known to man. We’d been expecting a small village of thatched cottages a bit like Stoke Bruern, but here it is all just fake similar to Spital Farm on the way into Scarborough. Bridget suggested that maybe we’d found the location for my 50.5 birthday do. It has moorings, accommodation, space for a big barbecue and if we asked them nicely maybe they’d let people camp on the bowling green! Strangley enough the hunt continues for what might become a 51.5 birthday do.

The lure however of a chilled medication parlour pulled us inside. Here we stood in line whilst it took forever to serve the people in front. Eventually we got to the head of the queue, the price was reasonable and our single scoups would have been classed as doubles elsewhere.

It was nice of them to move the outside to a cat fun fair, just wish everyone would leave me to it. All those inflatables needing to be clawed.

0 locks, 4.38 miles, 1 swing bridge left open, 2 full water tanks, 1 rocket, 1 life boat, 1 grey day, 32 ducks about to get pressed, 1 fake village, 1 scarily immaculate church, 4 chilled medication cones, 4 x £2.20 = , 1 dog 1 cat eye contact made, 3 deflating castles.

Salwick Moss Bridge to Catforth Visitor Mooring

Waking as the sun rises has it’s advantages especially when the side of your boat looks out across the Lancastrian Serengeti Plain. Steam rising off the canal and the field opposite covered in dew, what a beautiful sight.

A slow morning putting things back in their proper places. The shower was emptied of tyre fenders and the hose, plants went back outside and the anchor was stowed as we won’t be needing it for a month.

We moved along a few bridges under the M55 where there was a perfect place to paint gunnels. I’d like to get a lick of paint on Oleannas before her covers are fitted, but today wasn’t going to be the day. Most boats up here seem to be cruisers so far, lines of tuperware filling up the moorings.

At Catforth Visitor Moorings we managed to get reasonably into the edge, well the bow did and there was space just before the water point for Blackbird. From the village a bus goes into Preston every two hours so after lunch we made use of the service. Storm wanted to check out Preston Bus Station and I wanted to get my phone into an EE shop to be mended.

For two thirds of the journey we had the bus to ourselves. Taking about twenty minutes we crossed over the canal twice and the route went by the basin, although we couldn’t see it. Hopping off the bus we headed in different directions, Bridget and Storm towards the bus station and us to Fishergate where the EE shop was. On the way we passed the outdoor market which pulled us in. Most of the stalls were tat but there was one where you could buy a whole box containing 176 matchbox vehicles for £100. The same chap had a box of buses too.

There was a line of K6 phone boxes just up the way. Most had TO LET signs in the windows. Two had been used at some point as they had a lot of electrical boxes fixed to the back walls. The final one actually had a telephone still in it. Of course Mick had to check that it had a ring tone, but at 60p he refrained from making a call.

At EE I explained that my phone was being stupid, the lady didn’t even bother trying to charge it, instead she took the Sim card out and filled out a request for it to be mended. My phone may be gone for 14 days, but I have been given a temporary one (Mend and Lend) to keep me going. Before we took it into the Trafford Centre Mick had done a back up to Google, so we should be able to set it up with everything my phone had. Except we have run out of data for the month as we updated our old PC and then Windows 10 decided to do a very big update on our laptop.

We then had a wander around Preston, taking in the sights. In my days working for Hull Truck we opened two shows at the Charter Theatre which is in the same complex as the Guild Hall. The last time I came the staff were about to be laid off as the venue was closing. Outside everything on the ground and first floors has had a revamp, the concrete having been clad with wood. But above this everything is still the same. The entrance used to be through a dated shopping centre with charity shops, pound shops and a cheap butchers. Now a smart restaurant fronts the arcade and a few smart shops guide you to the escalators taking you up to the theatres. Posters suggested that the Charter Theatre was open again, that’s if it ever closed. I had a nosy around and we returned back to street level from the balcony.

Across the way is a Victorian arcade with it’s smart front doors, tiled floor and glazed atrium. I had never had time to appreciate it when I was working here so it was good to be able to look around. Mick considered buying himself a Tilly hat to replace his ancient baseball cap, but they were far too expensive.

A fruit and veg stall in the indoor market provided us with what we wanted for tea tonight before we walked to the bus station to meet back up with Bridget and Storm.

0 locks, 1.55 miles, 2 jauntily moored boats, 1 boat back to normal, 2 buses, 1 wander around memory lane, 176 diddy cars, 6 K6 boxes, 60p to make a call, 1 blue and white phone, 1 theatre tarted up, £40 for a baseball hat! 250gramms cashews, 4 flat mushrooms, 2 courgettes, 1 revamped bus station, 1 cat walking to cat walk.

Tarleton Visitor Moorings to Salwick Moss Bridge 28, Lancaster Canal

Final preparations were done this morning, removing anything that couldn’t be tied down from the roof and well deck, this meant that the shower got quite full. Tillys escape pod was put on the dinette, the safest place as near the back doors just incase. A call to Harry to check on arrangements confirmed that we should make our way to the lock at 11:40, the wind was quite strong but he didn’t think it was bad enough to cancel the crossing. One thing that might was if Salwick Brook was in flood after all the rain we’d had. He would call us back when he’d heard from the link. This he did after about half an hour, all systems go. He ran through a few checks over the phone and then gave some advice as the wind was quite strong and northerly, instead of keeping right up the Ribble we should keep more to the left to avoid being blown onto the bank.

There were going to be five boats doing the crossing today and our two boats were first at the lock, a bit early which meant we had to cope with nowhere to moor up and avoid hitting other boats. Chaps seemed to keep on appearing from all over, none in C&RT blue. In the end seven men were there winding windlasses and pushing gates. Once we were in the lock Harry arrived to hand over a sheet of phone numbers, it felt a bit like meeting the custodian of the Ribble Link and being handed the key of entry.

At 11:55 the gates were opened and we were off. Oleanna led the way with Blackbird following. Trying to remember all the tips that we’d been given. Aim for the mast on the bank and then when halfway there keep to the centre. At around 2000 revs we cruised along the River Douglas pushing against the in coming tide, still managing around 4.5 miles an hour. The wind was obvious but not a problem and the sun was coming out to see us on our way. Flood banks are set back which means you get a view unlike on much or the River Trent, to our right we could see hills in the distance.

A boat yard with yachts in various states of condition and plenty on pontoon moorings was passed. At the next bend there was a green buoy, blimey we couldn’t remember which side we should pass it on so we went wide and passed it to port. Marshland now stretched out on both sides of the river and the water progressively got wider and wider. A cruiser came round a bend with some speed, helped along by the incoming tide. Turning into it’s wake we rocked over the highs and lows with out prop changing tone as we went.

There’s not many landmarks to navigate by and the map in the skippers noted suggests that there are more markers than there actually are so when a yellow sign stood out from the horizon we knew we were nearly at the steep turn onto the River Ribble. Line the buildings up with the Asland Lamp (spelling from the skippers notes) and then keep to it’s left and turn after it. If you turn before you are likely to end up grounding on a submerged wall or sandbanks. Looking behind after we’d turned we could see the estuary stretching out behind us, sea meeting sky, somewhere in the distance was Ireland and then America. NB Blackbird looked so small as we started to head our way up the River Ribble.

More markers here so we could count down our arrival at the 2 mile perch. From here we called Steve to inform him of our arrival. He was sat in a van at the side of the entrance to Savick Brook and flashed his head lights. The turn into the brook is where quite a few people get caught out, cutting the corner where there is a sandbank. Storm from Blackbird had been advised to wait until you could see down the brook before turning, doing a 90degree turn. The tide now going out made us drift slightly towards the bank, but we made it into the channel safe and sound at about 1:30.

The rolling sealock was open for us so we could sail straight on. Here we found another boat waiting on a pontoon. Where had they come from? Yesterday there had been eleven boats do the crossing as the previous day the weather had been bad. NB Mr Blue Sky had been the eleventh boat and the depth of the brook when they reached it had not been enough for them so they were diverted to Preston and finished their journey today.

We now had to wait for the other boats. On our way over we’d looked back expecting to be able to see the next two boats that had been penned down behind us, but they only came into view as we turned into the brook some two miles behind. Cups of tea all round as we waited and chatted. The next two boats arrived closely followed by the third and final boat. Kind of glad we were ahead as I suspect we’d have been tempted to over take them. Oleanna’s engine had enjoyed the crossing pushing against the tide and her temperature gauge had stayed at a steady just under 90 degrees, no need to run off hot water.

Now in the hands of Steve and another blue T-shirt wearing lockie we started to make our way up the link. From vast open views we were now in the Lancastrian Amazon. A narrow windy channel surrounded with bamboo and Himalayan balsam. The snake of six boats gradually made our way to the first lock which then lockies operated for us. As we’d been the first two boats to arrive we were now the last two to work our way up the five locks. This all took time, a reshuffle of boats up at the front and then a lot of faffing with ropes from the boats in front of us.

Once the Lockies had gone on ahead to work the staircase Bridget and I worked our two boats up. It was nice to be stretching our legs.

Arriving at the staircase you quickly realise why you have to do these backwards, both up and down. When they built them they were limited to what land they could use, so the angle of entry is really awkward. The above photo is not a panoramic view. To the left is Blackbird coming from the rest of the link, Mick has just pushed our stern out to back into the lock behind his right shoulder. Here again the Lockies penned us up the three chambers. Not quite like Bingley, more concrete, but odd to be rising with gates behind us. As we reached the top a group of waiting boaters (they leave tomorrow) were there to help us wind and get on our way.

At the junction with the Lancaster Canal we turned left and headed away from Preston in search of a pub. We passed two of the boats we’d done the crossing with and were soon surrounded with fields over crowded with sheep freshly shorn.

That woofer had been allowed on Blackbirds roof all day, now I got chance to feel the wind in my fur and watch the cows and sheep as i sat on the roof too. It was a suitable reward for having spent the day down below in my escape pod just incase. I didn’t mind it actually as the door had stayed open all day. Max was however allowed to jump off his roof, I wasn’t! So not fare!!

The Hand and Dagger looked like a good place to stop and our guides suggested that there were moorings. So on we pressed doing nearly another four miles to reach a goal of beer and food. The other two boats from our crossing were moored up here. So we tried to join them, but after a few attempts we weren’t going to be able to get far enough into the side. There had been some space back through the last bridge so both boats reversed back to see if we could get in there. Blackbird ran aground but managed to push off again. It was a lot of effort to then not be able to get fully into the side, we’d have had to breast up too and that wasn’t good near the bridge.

On we went just that bit further until finally we both managed to get close enough into the side to moor up. A quick spruce up and we were off back down the towpath to the pub. What an enjoyable day. Hope it’s as easy on the way back!

10 locks, 15.44 miles, 1 swing bridge, 5 boats increasing to 6, 4 to 5 with gusts of 6, 7 men at one lock, 1st out, 4 mile perch, 1 sharp right, 2 mile perch, 90 degree left, 1 long wait, 1 hello from Aileen and Mike, 1 hello back to you in France, 1 slow moving snake, 1 drowned zebra,  2 narrow not to get scratches, 1 staircase of three backwards, 2 men for 9 locks, 1 rope assisted wind, 1 left, 1 plank not long enough, 1 roof riding cat, 2 pints each, 1 exciting day, 4 boaters 1 dog 1 cat ready for bed.

Chicken Lock to Tarleton Visitor Moorings

Once down the last lock we turned into St Marys marina where we filled with diesel. Our tank was down to a quarter full as we last filled at Wheaton Aston almost a month ago. The chap came out to meet us and felt sure he remembered our boat from three years ago, that was until we said how old she was. At 59p you can’t go wrong and because of this their turn over is quick. 123 litres later we pulled out and carried on northwards.

Passing Old Rufford Hall we wondered if their apples were ripe yet. We visited the hall and gardens back in September 2014 on Lillian. Short of an apple to go in a stew that night, we somehow managed to leave the grounds with one in a pocket. It made all the difference to the stew.

Up ahead was a boat we’d seen following us down the lock and we tried to catch them up before the swing bridge. They were travelling with NB Bittern who had been in Liverpool with us. The bridge closed as they went through, but then as the lady started to cross she saw us and went back to swing it for us too. Above and beyond the call. Next we wanted to stop to fill with water and dispose of any rubbish. We thought everyone would be doing this but they cruised straight past. It is advised to cross the Ribble link with plenty of diesel and water. This stops any crud that may be in the bottom of your diesel tank from being swilled up into filters if there is a swell and should your engine start to overheat you can drain off a tank of hot water to help keep it cool.

With both tanks full we pulled up a bit further ahead for some lunch. However we should have kept going as a very dark line of cloud was coming towards us, as though someone had drawn a marker across the sky. It started to heave it down. After about an hour it settled into just raining so with full waterproofs on we carried on towards Tarleton.

The next swing bridge didn’t look right as we approached, it was neither open or closed. Mick had to give it a hoik with the boat hook so that I could get across, my arms were too short. A boat had come past us whilst we’d been moored in the torrential rain, I suspect he found it hard to lock it, or maybe thought he had but it had then swung back open.

The channel now becomes very narrow through plenty of reeds and weed that we’ve not seen since the Chesterfield last year. We passed quite a few canoeists who seemed to be enjoying getting very wet. Then came a boat, a widebeam with hanging baskets on the sides and plenty of flowers on the roof. Mick pulled as far over as he could, they got the tree side. As they scraped their way through a lady came from below telling the chap at the helm to mind the baskets in the trees. Did she know we were there?!

Several blasts of reverse to clear weed from the prop were needed to keep us going. At one point we ended up in the reeds. Mick pressed the girlie button, knowing it was a mistake as he did it. The bow thruster made a slowing noise and then nothing. No power, possibly a blown fuse, possibly weed.

As we approached the last swing bridge we could see a familiar black boat on the visitor moorings. NB Blackbird had made it to Tarleton earlier in the day and missed much of the rain. They had been for a nosy at the lock and around the town and were returning just as we were finishing tying up. They had very kindly been a postal address for us so two parcels were handed over. New non-slip shoes for Mick and some biodegradable bags for our composting toilet to try out.

Bridget and Storm have a woofer! Not too sure about this. He does seem a jolly chap, but he came to say hello on my boat! They didn’t think I’d noticed. Apparently we will be spending some time together, not sure about this either. Think I preferred travelling with Jaffa, he did look tasty. My preparations are done, escape pod has been put together and I’ve spent all evening checking that it’s still comfy. Verdict, it is, just so long as the door stays open.

Preparations for the Ribble were set in motion. Skippers notes printed off. Mick put together the new rope and chain with the anchor and laid it all out in the well deck for easy deployment. A loaf of ginger cake was made. A load of weed was removed from the bow thruster, but a fuse had also blown. So until we can get a replacement fuse we don’t know if there is anything else stopping it from working. Good job we spent three years without one.

We had a few hours working our way through a couple of bottles of wine with Bridget and Storm, catching up on each others news and comparing notes for tomorrow.

1 lock, 5.21 miles, 3 swing bridges, 123.88 litres, 1 empty yellow water tank, 1 full water tank, 1 blown fuse, 1 rendez vous, 2 boats ready for the next adventure, 4 slightly apprehensive boaters, 1 escape pod moved into.

Crabtree Swing Bridge to Chicken Lock, Rufford Branch

Last night I got a message from Gary at All Seasons Covers asking where we were as today the weather might be good for them to make patterns for our covers. So this morning we stayed put outside the Slipway pub.

At around 9am our shopping arrived. Once off loaded I was left to stow all our purchases away. It’s a good job we had it delivered today as last night the last of our two wine boxes ran out. But now the wine cellar is full again.

NB Blackbird have been in Burscough for a couple of days and were wondering if we’d be joining them down the locks on the Rufford Branch. But with Gary soon to arrive we suggested that they carry on without us, we didn’t know how long we’d be. Luckily they partnered up with another boat, we’ll catch up with them tomorrow.

A couple of boats arrived coming away from Liverpool and there seemed to be a lot of people stood around the control panel for the swing bridge. Then there were more, it wasn’t working. One chap started to try to encourage the barriers, but that wasn’t going to help, most probably make things worse. They called C&RT who said they’d send someone out. About fifteen minutes later another two boats had arrived , then a C&RT van turned up and parked by us. That was a quick response we thought, except they were here to find a work boat. They tried to get things working, but had no luck, so the ever increasing number of boats had to wait. In the end one of the Lock Keepers from Liverpool turned up, he seemed to take no time at all to get the bridge back working and penned the now six waiting boats through. Several more boats came and went through during the morning and everything worked fine.

Gary, Ray and JP arrived around half ten. A passing shower and gusts of wind this morning had threatened their pattern making but the sun was doing it’s best to break through and they persevered with the wind. Ray and JP set about making a pattern for the cratch cover. A large sheet of what looked like white tarpaulin was taped onto Oleannas bow over the cratch board. Once in position some nips and tucks were stapled into it to make a better fit and then the shape of the boats underlying metalwork and woodwork were drawn on. This was really quite quick to do. The stern was going to take a bit longer.

Gary started by fixing the hinged brackets that will hold the pram cover framework to the hull. Various lines were drawn in china graph across the roof and down onto the sides of the cabin. A discussion was had as to how far to come with the sides of the cover. One option was to stop where we have a scroll on the grab rail, this would mean the front of the cover would come round to meet it, but this would be very upright which isn’t good. The other option was to keep the front straight which would cover the scrolls, but give a better line to the canopy. We decided on turn buckles to fix it to the roof and these were riveted into place.

They had already bent three Stainless Steel tube frames to measurements Gary had taken when he’d visited us two weeks ago. These were temporarily put onto the brackets to check their heights. A few inches need to come off them and then they were linked together with twine being held to the cabin roof and the backdoors. Once the overall shape and height were looking good the other side was tied in place. Ray stood at the front of Oleanna to check they were sitting straight, once every angle had been checked they could then start on the pattern.

The framework had double sided tape on it and marks where the roof section would finish. More white tarpaulin came out, it was laid on each section of the roof in turn. All three of them worked on the patterns. The front panel was marked up and then separate sheets were used for the sides. When Andy Russell did our sign writing we had asked him to put the C&RT number where it was unlikely to be covered by a pram cover. The chaps today added the number onto their template so that the cover can be tailored round it as it will stretch that bit further along the cabin side than we’d first thought.

With all the templates done we chatted through windows and zips. We’ve chosen a blue canvas that best suits Oleanna’s blue cabin sides which should be with them tomorrow. All being well they will be back with us at some point next week to fit them. Other companies said that they had a 14 week waiting list and then they would need to do three visits and our covers would take 4 to 6 weeks to make. Gary and the chaps spend much of their time making covers for Collingwood Boats, but they are currently on what once was known as Factory Fortnight. So we have timed being in their area very well as at other times of the year we’d have had a much longer wait.

As the chaps packed up a familiar boat came into sight. NB Autumn Bliss was the boat a couple of weeks ago where the crew didn’t realise that they should maybe lend a hand at locks. Their steering skills have not improved, pulling up for the bridge they ended up managing to bump into a cruiser on the off side, they were so far over it looked like they were trying to wind. Really hope that they did no damage. The crew may have been the same that we’d seen before, but today they were more suitably attired. White jacket replaced with anorak and jeans. Wonder if they are making their way to Liverpool!

After lunch we decided to make the most of a sunny day and start to make our way down the locks on the Rufford Branch. Sadly there was no-one to share with, just a lot of gongoozlers. There is a swing bridge just above the first lock, would it budge, no way. Mick gave it some extra umph and we got it moving, his assistance was needed again to get it closed.

The locks have many similarities to those locks on the Leeds Liverpool canal much further east, with ground paddles in boxes and cloughs. Many of the bottom gates have geared paddles which takes a lot of winding. After the first two locks we lost our audience and got deeper into the countryside. it’s hard to think that two days ago we were leaving the centre of Liverpool and now that all seems a different world away.

Our diesel tank is down to a third full, tomorrow we will fill up at St Marys marina so we have stopped one lock up with fields all around us. Perfect friend country! So perfect that Tilly had to be picked up and returned to the boat before she found yet another friend.

6 locks, 2.82miles, 1 hard swing bridge, 0 held up,  1 delivery, 6 boxes wine, 3 pattern men, 3 frames, 1 broken bridge, 6 boats waiting, 1 lost C&RT workboat, 1 battered narrowboat, 1 squashed cruiser, 1 week till covers, 1 left, 4 friends, 3 quite tasty, 1 cat picked up before she realised.