Hitchhiker And 1000! 13th March

Norbury Junction to Goldstone Bridge 55

Tilly was allowed some shore leave as we had breakfast, thankfully she returned home before we’d finished so no mad cat woman required on the towpath. Mick made a call to his dentists in Scarborough, they were still seeing people. However where we are right now isn’t the easiest place to do a day trip from, so he has moved his appointment to May when we hopefully should be nearer.

Up at the junction a boat was already on the waterpoint, they nudged back and made room for us to pull in. Water topped up, yellow water emptied and rubbish disposed of we were ready for our days cruise.

Good job there is room at the junction as there isn’t by this bridge!

What has happened to the etiquette of not mooring close to bridge holes? Just through Norbury Bridge on the off side is a permanent mooring, on the towpath there is normally a short distance before the 48 hr mooring sign, leaving a space by the bridge. This seems to be happening more and more.

Scaffolding
The other side

On we pootled in a northernlyish direction. Our next bridge was High Bridge, the bridge with the double arch and telegraph pole right in the middle of it. Just how many photos have I taken of this bridge? But my photos today would be different as the south face was covered in scaffolding.

That one will have been in the way

Evidence of more trees that had come down in the storms. One huge trunk turned out to be just a limb that had peeled itself away from the main part of the tree.

A Green Fergie

On through Grub Street cutting. The boats are still here along with the beautiful blue Daimler half under wraps.

Get that roof mended please!

I think the roof of the shelter will need some attention very soon!

Well worth a stop if you’ve never been, of even if you have

The chap on the fender boat stuck his head out to ask if Tyrley was open again. Past The Anchor, too early in the day to stop for a pint of 6X.

Boats, boats and more boats

Lines of moored boats slowed our progress, not quite as bad as at Goldennook up towards Chester. Sheep grazed in fields above and below the canal, some chomping away on crops laid in lines where they had grown.

Still no bedoingy lambs

We passed an immaculate NB Percy, Nev had been on board a few days ago but there was no sign of life today, we waved anyway.

Please would you come and give Oleanna a polish?

This morning we’d pin pointed two possible moorings, depending on when the rain arrived would determine how far we got. Black Flat Bridge arrived and we only had a touch of drizzle in the air, so we continued.

Looking out for fish

A couple of churps. A Kingfisher. We both looked up as a blue flash passed us at the stern. Normally a Kingfisher would carry on skimming the surface of the canal to quite a distance up ahead to find a perch. Not this one though!

Oleanna trying to keep quiet behind the bags of coal

He swooped up onto our cratch cover and caught a ride with us for a few minutes.

Thankfully there was enough time to get my camera out and take a few photos.

Look at those markings

Being only about 50 ft away I managed to get some good photos showing off his plumage. Wow! What a treat! We felt like we’d been chosen. So beautiful.

Just Wow!

Then he took off and headed back to where he’d come from. Thank you for spending a few minutes with us.

The rain was now trying harder, so we had a go at pulling into possible moorings on the embankment, with great views. But the Shropie shelf thwarted that idea.

Great views along this stretch

Soon we reached the next visitor mooring with rings at Goldstone Bridge. No view but a suitable place for Tilly to keep amused and us to stay dry for the remainder of the afternoon.

I browned off a pack of pork mince, then split it in two. One for the freezer, the other for a bolognese sauce which will last us a couple of meals. This sat on the stove top gently bubbling away the afternoon as we watched the news regarding the virus.

Okay

It doesn’t seem like it will be long now before numerous events will be cancelled and everyone’s life will be contained to some degree. What a strange time lies ahead for us all. Stay safe and well my friends.

0 locks, 7.74 miles, 1 straight, 5 trees, 1 bridge, 2 kingfishers, 1 hitching a ride, 2 outsides, 1 damp day, 70% rent, 500 grams when cooked equals 360 grams, 1000th Oleanna blog post.

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7 thoughts on “Hitchhiker And 1000! 13th March

  1. adrian2013

    Always enjoy a morning email popping into my inbox from Oleanna congratulations on the 1000th blog! Some dedication that.
    Cheers

    1. pipandmick Post author

      Thank you for reading my posts for so long Ade. You and a few others have read many of my words, including the 988 posts from the Lillian blog. I wonder how many words I’ve written in not quite six years? Cheers Pip

      1. adrian2013

        It’s a great blog and a credit to you, I do get my canal fix from it ! Us armchair boaters rely on seeing the word through your eyes.
        Always a pleasure.
        Cheers

  2. Lucy Neatby

    Hi Pip, we are due to be headed canalwards in a week or so and are seriously debating if it is appropriate to come. How are CV precautions impacting the canal community? I’m currently sequestering myself having just returned from NZ.

    1. pipandmick Post author

      Hi Lucy

      We haven’t noticed anything really as yet. We keep moving, but have only seen a handful of boats in a day. So far we’ve started to wash our hands more frequently when using locks, lock beams being the only things we tend to touch that others have. Apart from that it’s just normal life, yesterday we did some shopping and being around so many people in a supermarket was what we had to do. Being quite a solitary life I don’t think things will affect us too much, unless cruising get curtailed.
      The latest from C&RT on Friday was

      ‘Boating and coronavirus

      The Canal & River Trust is following government advice on coronavirus, working with employees, volunteers and partners to keep our A man enjoying steering a narrowboatwaterways open and available for use. Contingency plans will ensure we can continue to provide our day-do-day service for as long as possible.

      Other than for planned maintenance works, or recent flood damage, our canals, river navigations, towpaths and museums remain open for use, providing important green-blue routes and spaces in many towns and cities across England and Wales, connecting urban areas to the countryside.

      Indeed, whilst the advice from Government is for people to carry on their lives largely as normal, our waterways remain a great option for those looking for time in the fresh air, or a route to work that’s away from the hustle and bustle of more crowded environments, or as places to visit whilst foreign holidays are restricted.

      Latest government information on coronavirus can be found on the Department for Health and Social Care’s website.’

      NB Halsall is still trading and we’re hoping to see them soon.
      I suspect the waterways will stay quiet. If we hear anything else I’ll let you know.

      Pip

  3. Dave (Scouts)

    Congratulations on your 1000th post. You provide my canal fix inbetween our yearly week or so and lets hope ours in April doesn’t get cancelled. Currently the boat yard is BAU so fingers crossed.
    At least Tilly now has Trees.

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