Category Archives: Leeds Liverpool Canal

I’ll Race You To The Locks. 17th July

Riley Green to Pipe Bridge 115A

Shortly after we’d finished our breakfast NB Billy cruised past, Clare saying good morning with a wave. Would we manage to catch them up before Blackburn locks so that we could share? Would the locks be long enough for us to share? By the time we’d got our selves ready we were most probably half an hour behind them.

Four and a half damp miles to the locks. Plenty of gardens backing onto the canal have made the effort. A K6 phone box sat in one garden along with a post box and stamp machine.

Then neighbours obviously have different opinions on ducks!

A young lad sat on his bike waiting for our arrival, as we came up alongside him he said ‘I’ll race you to the locks!’. Well we had no chance he’d have easily beaten us there if he’d tried. Instead he coasted along with the occasional pedal, at one point he hopped off saying that walking would be fairer, all the time all of us were getting damper.

Divers, at least they were getting wetter than us!

Through Hollin Bridge we could see the stern of NB Billy mid channel, were they stuck? Then a Police officer walked towards us in high vis, they had divers in the canal below the locks, but we were clear to go up. Pete had walked up ahead and was emptying the bottom chamber. A quick check with Clare that we could share and we were on our way.

With a slightly over long boat you have to get yourself in past the bottom gates, so Billy headed in first and then Clare pushed the stern across the lock and reversed back behind the gate. Mick could then bring Oleanna in alongside slowly, Clare pushing the boats apart. Second gate closed and a thumbs up the lock could be filled.

Locks 56 and 55 are very close together the pound between them dropping quite a lot as we filled the bottom lock. Coming down hill here last time we so nearly flooded the C&RT offices as we hadn’t double checked the paddles were down at the top of the lock, so water flowed through the lock and into the pound, the lower lock already full. But today we just needed to empty the top lock to make sure we had enough water to get over the cill.

Four lads came along interested in what was going on. Pete offered them windlasses and ended up hardly having to do any work at the next couple of locks as the lads were keen.

A pause was needed to empty a cassette and the we were back on our way again, heading up the rest of the locks. The pounds were a touch low, only the occasional bump and scrape on the bottom as the boats passed through.

An interesting box attached to a wall on the offside caught my eye. It resembled a new water point, but on closer inspection Mick could see a solar panel and a mobile phone aerial on the lid. Anyone have any ideas what this might be please?

Once up the last lock, the drizzle that had kept us damp dried up. We were heading straight on, but Clare and Pete planned to stop for some shopping. Phone numbers were exchanged a possible plan of sharing the Barrowford Locks in a couple of days.

Mick pulled us out of the lock, I hopped on after closing the gate. He knew we’d picked something up on the prop but was hoping it wouldn’t inhibit our progress too much. Well we only just managed to limp to the side where I held the centre line whilst he cleared the prop of plastic and a fishing fish with a big hook on it!

We now followed NB Billy, the going slow. Plenty of weed and the bottom being too close to the top for any speed to be had.

The wallpapered K6 outside Graham and Brown is still there and under Sour Milk Hall Bridge the large flock pattern brightened up the day, well until it was Billy’s turn to have problems with their prop, they were stuck. No help was needed just patience to get themselves back on the move again, so we took the lead and headed off.

We’d already decided where to moor for the day quite a few more miles on. Luckily the drizzle stayed away and we had lunch on the go. Progress was slow due to weed, but that gradually petered out and apart from the odd lumpy bit the depth improved too.

Now on the long pound to Barrowford Locks the canal winds it’s way along a contour for 23 miles. Views every now and again. Granada studios and Blackburn in the background, all the houses roofs blending into one long slope down the hills.

Over the M65 aqueduct the motorway making far more noise than it should for the amount of traffic on it.

Gaggles of geese lined up ahead of us. I wonder if the white goose felt out of place or not?

Another sight we maybe wouldn’t have seen coming the other way was the beehive coke ovens near Oswaldtwistle. Lumps covered in turf have collapsed in parts showing the brickwork inside. Here the remains of Aspen Colliery lie buried, 24 coke ovens (known locally as Fairy caves) and what once was a canal basin where coal and coke used to be transported from. More info found here. If we had more time we’d explore here more, another for the next time list.

Just after Simpson’s Bridge 111A a large cream wall has a rather good painting on it. Two creatures sit on a pennyfathing, long sticks tied to their feet to reach the pedals. One looks out with a bent spy glass and behind them they trail clouds, letters and paper aeroplanes float in their wake. I’ve tried looking this up on the internet, but nothing is there. I suspect it may have been commissioned by a recruitment agency in the building, but I have no idea who the artist is.

Church Kirk Changeline Bridge has been modified since horses pulled boats, it’s not a patch on the snake bridges of the Macc.

Just beyond is a mile marker, the halfway point between Leeds and Liverpool. Around it fretwork panels celebrate it’s position. Oleanna can now tick off half the L&L canal, Liverpool to Wigan in 2017, Wigan to half way now, over the next few weeks she’ll cruise the other half along with two of the wonders of the waterways.

We now had to deal with the first of the swing bridges, Church, Rileys and Foster. These have anti vandal locks on them, you then use your windlass to raise a bar to unlock them. Lining everything back up to re-lock them is a bit of a pain.

I was just about to cross Church Bridge when a pickup drove along and stopped half way across. Puzzled for a few moments whilst a chap closed a barrier behind, locking up the access to a work site, he then pulled away end of the working week.

Rileys proved to be slightly problematical. Blimey it was stiff! I shoved and pushed and pulled, bounced it eventually getting it to move. I think the base that the closed bridge sits on needed clearing. If I’d had a bucket of water and a stiff brush I’d have given it a clear out.

Then Foster’s didn’t want to line back up properly to be locked, requiring a kick.

Our mooring now lay in front of us just after the not so picturesque pipe bridge. One boat was already taking advantage of the view, but there was plenty more space for us. If only it was a touch warmer we’d have had a barbeque and sat out to drink up the view. Instead Tilly managed to do a touch of self catering during her meagre hour and a half shore leave. A long day for all, maybe we’ll have a day off tomorrow.

6 locks, 15.23 miles, 3 swing bridges, 1 boat held up, 1 locking partner, 2 divers, 1 race, 4 helpers, 1 coconut, 2nd day of lunch on the go, 2 K6’s, 1st August? 1 view, 1 crunchy friend.

https://goo.gl/maps/eHjApCcpfM7fqY7u7

Hillocks. 16th July

Haigh Golf Course to Riley Green

The alarm had been set so we wouldn’t be lazy this morning, however we were both awake before it went off. For some reason I decided to put my waterproof padded trousers on today, there was plenty of water hanging in the air and after the last few days I thought I might not overheat!

The western end of the Leeds Liverpool has been dashed through before, avoiding trouble spots, keeping our heads down whilst it rained and dashing to avoid stoppages. So today despite us still being on a touch of a mission we had more time to look around us as we cruised. Going in the opposite direction is always different anyway.

Mile posts sit strong and proud along the towpath counting up from Liverpool and down to Leeds. At 47 miles from Liverpool we got a glimpse of the mile post, you’d not see if going east to west. It went by too quickly for a photo, so here is someone elses which must have been taken a few years ago as now the trunk of the tree has grown round it, hugging all but the Liverpool mileage.

We don’t remember much about this stretch, just that there are a lot of moored boats to pass slowly. I seemed to take the same photos though, a widebeam called Chug, it’s name once red, now faded.

A C&RT van sat by a bridge a short distance on four chaps stood on the towpath. There was a lot of pointing going on at the crumbling wall on the opposite bank. Then a generator was lifted onto the towpath and a drill plugged in, a five foot drill bit ready to bore a hole into the concrete bank which would then be filled with resin/foam to help hold the bank and eliminate leeks.

On the off side visitor mooring at Adlington we passed NB Freedom whom we’d followed down the Marple flight, they must have passed us when we were moored up in Droylsden Marina.

The Leeds Liverpool Canal bridges tend to have the archway stones painted white, well at one time they were, the weather having worn a lot of it off now. The key stone obviously sits in the centre of the arch, but this is not the centre of the navigation due to the towpath taking up some room.

To one side of the key stone there tends to be a white line painted, aim the centre of your boat at this and you shouldn’t touch the sides.

More moored boats as we came into Botany Bay, one being NB The Grenedier that we came across on the Grand Union a few years ago, their beam just a touch too wide for them to be able to share broad locks and necessitating the need to have both gates open.

Up ahead we saw the first of two moving boats, a day boat. The lady at the helm must have panicked when she saw us, arms moving outwards to express her concern, bringing the bow round to full on collision course with our port side! Mick put Oleanna into reverse as quickly as he could, getting us out of the danger zone. I know the gunnels already need a touch up but a big dent would need more than paint!

The day boat managed to get back on a straight course and we passed as if nothing had happened.

Botany Bay Mill was once a place to visit, the towpath was always quite busy here, but today there was not one boat. The Mill used to house a number of stalls selling all sorts, clothes, gifts, furniture, I suspect a good place to browse. But in February last year the 1855 mill closed its doors, repairs to the building no longer viable and redevelopment now on the cards. Botany Bay Outlet Village, an ‘iconic lifestyle destination’ that’s trendy bollocks for shops, houses, maybe a cinema next to an old mill and a motorway junction.

Through bridge 80 we spied the bottom of the Johnson’s Hillock flight, nestled through the bridge hole was NB Billy all locked up and nobody to say hello to. Two day boats had stopped for their lunch, the crews spotting us came out to watch us at the locks.

On the right the locks climb the canal up another 65ft 2″, but to the left another channel heads off. This was the Walton Summit Branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, originally this branch continued onto Clayton Brook, quite close to the junction of the M61 and M65. From here a tramway headed north west to Preston crossing the River Ribble and connecting up with the Lancaster Canal.

Waterway Routes has a free downloadable map of the abandoned canal and tramway should you be interested. I was quite surprised at how close we were to the end of the Lancaster canal, 7.2 miles as the crow flies, back in 2017 the Lancaster felt like it was in another country due to crossing the Ribble Link.

Back at the Johnson’s Hillock flight the lock landing is quite overgrown at the moment, a bit more foot fall is needed. The bottom lock was full, wide locks on our own would mean a lot of walking round them as there is no route over the top gates. I think I must have walked over the bottom gates about five times at each lock, my step count for the day was around about half that of when we came up Wigan and here we only had seven locks not 21!

We pulled a large crowd. The day boaters, who are considering moving onto a boat, today was their first time and they have a week booked later in the summer. Shame they didn’t hang around to help push lock gates, maybe I made it look like hard work and put them off! Then there were couples out for a walk and Dad’s with their kids. A look around for that glint in someones eye desperate to push a gate and help, but nobody showed any sign of interest, maybe they didn’t want to touch the lock gates.

We quickly got into our rhythm, Mick closing up as I walked on ahead to empty the next lock. Still no one offered to close gates as Mick walked his way round the locks.

A fisherman kept one pound ahead of us pulling out a 2 to 3 pound pike at one point. Someone else had been fishing here too, magnet fishing. A line of rusty windlasses sat on the lock beam at 62 along with a rudder! If you’ve ever lost your rudder maybe it was yours, we didn’t bother picking it up as a spare.

I soon felt I was over heating so my coat was handed to Mick, nothing much I could do about my trousers unless I wanted to carry on up the locks in my pants! Drizzle came and went as we climbed up the locks. At the second lock memories came back to me from either September 2014 or October 2016 when a couple from New Zealand were ascending the lock on a boat they had hired for several months, the lady was of slight build, could it have been Graeme and Clare on Mr Blue Sky?

Ascending the penultimate lock I could see the top lock was being emptied, when the gate finally opened I tried signalling to them to leave the gates open, Mick even bipped the horn, but it didn’t catch their attention and the gates closed.

As the boat came towards me I wondered why I knew the name NB Hannah May, we’ve come across it before. Then as it came alongside I remembered why, it’s a Stillwater boat our original boat builders!

We still wanted to get a few more miles under our belt before stopping for the day, just as well as the visitor moorings above the locks were full. We ducked under the M65 surrounded by green and meadow sweet filling the air with its sweat aroma.

You’d never guess we were about to go under the motorway

The curve towards Riley Green came into view, the road noise still audible, but just far enough away, we pulled in and tied up onto the armco. Round the bend there would have been rings, but here was further away from a road and much better for Tilly for her two hours shore leave.

7 locks, 12.11 miles, 1 rightish, 2 moving boats, 1 damp day, 1 cancelled pamphlet, 2 hours shore leave, 3 miles walked, 1 noisy mooring, just what would it have been like in April?

https://goo.gl/maps/cTQJbK6jE7j2k33Y9

Fonts. 15th July

Haigh Golf Club

As we had our morning cuppa in bed we discussed what we should do for the next few days. Ahead of us lie three lock flights before we reach the summit pound of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. We’ve been right across the L&L a couple of times, east to west, but never west to east. Our first hire boat together was from Silsden through Foulridge Tunnel and then back across to Bingley for the five and three locks. So on this side of the Pennines we’ve not explored so much, we’ve been looking forward to it.

However. Lock 51, the bottom of the Barrowford flight has a problem with its cill, an attempt to mend it took place on Sunday, but didn’t work. Engineers were due to have a look on Monday, but they were too busy elsewhere so today they would access what would be needed. This meant that until we hear what the prognosis is we won’t be rushing to the bottom of the flight, it’s a 15 hour cruise away.

The other thing that affects our route is C-19. The area that we will be travelling through currently has a spike in cases, not as high as Leicester, but still high. For the last few days the local news has been talking about special measures being imposed in Blackburn and Pendle with the hope that the number of cases can be brought back down, therefore avoiding local lockdowns. Even before we knew about the spike, our current covid world meant we were unlikely to spend much time in the towns and cities, doing our best to avoid being with too many people.

So now we have a slight dilemma. We would quite like to speed through the next 40 odd miles to avoid a possible lockdown but we also don’t want to be stuck waiting for a lock to be mended right in a Covid hotspot.

It was raining, so we decided to stay put for the day and await the engineers report later on. The back doors were open for an excited Tilly who was given a full 9 hours shore leave. Except the damp air didn’t go down too well with her! Much of the day was spent staring at the outside from the dryness of the pram cover, occasional trips out but not for long.

Mick went off in search of milk and bread, retracing our route then cutting across country to Whelley where there was a Tesco Express.

Meanwhile I got on with a touch of work. Vanessa from Separate Doors has asked me to do an illustration for the cover of a Crisis pamphlet. A couple of days ago I’d sent her some ideas and yesterday she’d replied as to which one to go with, luckily my preferred one.

Time to work out the layout and then search for a suitable font. Our new computer has a huge list of fonts, but half of them you have to download. Not a problem, except to see what they look like it means downloading them all! A tiresome task, not one I fancied today. So I just worked my way down the list of those available, selecting possibles for an audition. Once I had my shortlist I then gradually wheedled them down to one. Then that needed manipulating, all taking loads of time.

With the correct size and spacing I then traced the lettering onto the page only to discover that my centre line was just slightly off and some spacing of letters looked a touch odd leaving small gaps! A bit of nudging about and it was better, good enough for a mock up to send Vanessa for approval.

This afternoon Mick took the opportunity to lift the engine board and give Oleanna a service. Her last service had been 250 hours ago at the beginning of March. Just an oil change and filter today along with checking coolant levels and belts. We also renewed our RCR membership which had lapsed in the last week.

Two boats came past today. First NB Billy, Hellos and waves were passed from our dry position at the dinette to Clare’s soggy one at the helm. Then mid afternoon another boat came past heading towards the locks. I think we may have found the quietest stretch on the network at the moment, this of course may change when we reach Yorkshire.

By the end of the day news came through from C&RT that scaffolding would be erected at Lock 51 tomorrow and they hoped that the repair would be finished on Friday, with the navigation reopening in the evening. Great news.

Then on the local news there was more talk of re-imposing measures to try to take control over the spike. We took a closer look at our maps. Pendle covers a large area which includes Barnoldswick and Greenberfield Locks, the other side of Foulridge Tunnel! Hopefully for these communities the measures they are bringing back in will work and for us hopefully we’ll be through should a full lockdown be enforced. We’ll just have to come back to explore this section another time.

0 locks, 0 miles, 3.5 hours for Wigan yesterday, 4 pts milk, 2 loaves bread, 1 stocked freezer, 1 damp day, 4 muddy paws, 1 illustration in danger, 10 fonts down to 1, 51 broken, 9 litres oil, 1 filter, 1 bronze membership, 2 spikes en route, 1 west side still to explore.

Up Up Up! 14th July

Scotsman’s Flash to Haigh Golf Club, Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Main Line

The view yesterday hadn’t really been worth lining up with our galley window. The bank being really quite high meant that even when stood up on tip toes the view of the flash sat behind the towpath.

We tip toed around the goose pooh and pushed off reaching Poolstock Bottom Lock a little before 8am. These locks are locked overnight to help conserve water levels in the Wigan area. We’ve come across one of the pounds being very very low before in Wigan, the wait for C&RT to fill it sufficiently for us to scrape along the bottom took into the afternoon and Mick even managed to polish some of Lillian’s mushroom vents whilst we waited. This morning the locks were unlocked and waiting for us, plenty of water about.

By 8:20 we’d ascended the two locks, clicking the anti vandal locks back on at each paddle. At Wigan Junction we turned right, a quick look to the left and we could see crew working the lock, this was likely to be NB Billy who we had a rendez vous with just around the bend.

Last night on the Wigan Flight Crew page there was mention of another boat moored below the locks and four facing the top of the flight, possibly waiting to comedown this morning. We pulled in behind NB Merganser and I walked up to chat with the Lock Keepers. We had arranged to share the locks with NB Billy, but Billy is a historic 62ft long boat and the Wigan flight is a maximum of 62ft, would it be wise for us to share with them? In some locks they might need to go a touch on the diagonal meaning one boat at a time. The Lockies suggested we shared with NB Merganser and they’d let NB Billy know what was happening.

Four young lads stood by the bottom gate, were they here to help or hinder? One Lockie said he knew a couple of them and they were alright. The lady from Merganser (Lindsay) said that they had helped a single hander yesterday and he couldn’t stop singing their praises. So all of a sudden we had six crew and other volunteers about too.

I stayed around as the lads closed gates and lifted paddles, the oldest suggested he was a volunteer, he certainly knew about each lock and which ones to take extra care on, he’d trained up his two brothers to help and it was the forth chaps first day with them. He had a meeting to go to so wouldn’t be around all morning. Once the boats were rising the lads walked up to the second lock to empty it ready for us. With the gates closed behind us I lifted a paddle for NB Billy who was just appearing behind us with quite a few blue topped volunteers in tow.

The railings around the house suggest mooring round here wouldn’t be a good idea

At the second lock the lads closed gates and lifted paddles, with the boats past the cill I was happy to walk on to the next lock to set it. The older chap headed off back down the flight leaving his crew with us. As Mick came into the third chamber we conferred regarding the help on hand and just so long as either Lindsay or myself stayed with the boats the extra assistance was very welcome. The lads were great at setting locks, opening gates etc, but if something went wrong would they know what to do?

Well that was the last we saw of them, we could see they were setting ahead for NB Billy, but we seemed to have lost our extra pair of hands. Never mind, we soon picked up an official volunteer on a bike with a life jacket who just headed on up the flight ahead of us setting the next locks.

Lindsay and I worked the locks whilst Mick and John moved the boats. Lock after lock after lock, all the time Dixie (?) their dog sniffing around and taking note.

Gates with winding gear were new to Lindsay as were the box ground paddles (do these have a name), I warned her about the clough ground paddles they’d come across the further they got towards Leeds.

The men chatted away at the stern whilst us ladies caught little glimpses of conversation as and when we could hear each other due to the water. They have been moored at Aqueduct on the Middlewich Branch this winter. Out for three weeks they are hoping to reach York and then head south on the Trent and move to Dunchurch Pools Marina near Rugby. They had left Aqueduct last Friday and come down the Trent and Mersey working their way through 9 locks compared to our 91! No wonder it’s taken us a touch longer!!

On reaching Lock 77 we were told by John, on his bike, that we’d we swapping with boats coming down hill in the next pound. You could tell by the amount of water coming down the bywash here that they wouldn’t be the only boats we’d encounter.

Between 76 and 75 we did this again, two single handers with several volunteers assisting. This was handy as it meant more people to hold the towpath side bottom gate slightly open. If this gate goes back into it’s recess it is a right bugger to get out to close the lock again. Add into the equation social distancing! Lending a hand to close a gate right now is almost pointless, because if you stand 2m away and pull the gate all your effort is minuscule compared to being able at the end of a beam.

John warned us of the next few locks which would need to be filled quickly as the bottom gates leak and the pounds above are short, so taking your time means you run out of water. With Mick and John warned to stay well back we wound the ground paddles up and then cautiously the gate paddles.

Not being able to see what the water is doing from your gate paddle is a touch concerning, but Lindsey and I watched out for each others, a nod for more water, a hand up to stop. This worked pretty well.

One top gate was more than just a waterfall. As both boats came in the bows got a good wash down. Glad we’d elected to have the cratch cover closed (normally open on narrow lock to save them getting torn). Once up both boats had to retrieve bow lines that had been washed off gas lockers into the chamber.

Now we appeared to have picked up another crew member an octogenarian with a walking stick who insisted on the chain being wound a certain way on one of the gates and then walked up to open the next gate for us. I did my best to keep my distance whilst he insisted on helping to pull a gate closed.

The count down to the top was now in full swing, arms, legs and backs starting to complain a touch, was now a good time for a muffin? Yes but we’d forgotten to bring them outside with us and with all doors locked it was a touch too much effort to get them.

Two left to go and we had helping hands again from the volunteers. The penultimate lock has top gates that really don’t want to stay shut, so as we closed them a paddle was quickly opened to set it for NB Billy now only a couple of locks behind.

The top lock 65 takes time to fill, the amount of weed sitting above the top gates is not wanted in the flight or adding to problems with gate paddles so only ground paddles are allowed. This does mean you get the chance to chat with the chaps. As John and Lindsay were going to head straight off and we were after water they pulled out first.

We may see them again as the Barrowford Flight is currently out of action up to the summit, but they are likely to zoom on ahead with places to go and miles to cover, whilst we take our time. It was lovely sharing with them.

We pulled in at the services, set the water going, collected rubbish for the bins and emptied the yellow water making use of the elsan.

As we finished topping up NB Billy rose in the final lock, the young crew having a ride in the large well deck as the volunteers wound the paddles. Thanks all round for the crew, although I think the lads were hoping for more than just a handshake!

We pushed off again aiming for a mooring we’d stopped at in 2014 on Lillian the night before we decended the flight. A quick check of Waterway Routes and Paul confirmed it’s location with a big M suggesting there would be armco to aid our mooring.

A restful afternoon with Tilly avoiding walkers and cyclists and the occasional golf ball being teed off across the way.

We should manage that by the end of August

During the morning I’d been sent a link for The Garden. When I’d first chatted to Lynda regarding the show over a year ago, her producers brief was that they wanted the show to be ‘Lovely’. Since then lots has happened and the play has been re-imagined into the Lockdown Edition. I know I’m biased but it certainly has turned out to be ‘Lovely’. The thought of all the actors recording their lines on their phones at home, Firielle under her duvet to soften the sound and then sending them in to Amy (director) and Penny (digital production) who have put images to text to sound to animation to music (a lovely song by Rhiannon Scutt) to my illustrations. Lovely.

23 locks, 4.5 miles, 1 right, 1 left, 1 swap of partners, 4 going down, 3 up, 4 lads, at least 5 volunteers, 1 bike, 1 woofer, 1 dry day, 1 broken down cruiser, 2 locking pals, 1 full water tank, 1 empty wee tank, 0 rubbish, 6 covid handshakes, 4 tasty muffins, 1 friendly cover mooring, 1 lovely production, 2 pooped boaters, 215 foot 6 inches higher.

https://goo.gl/maps/veqYTx8UoTbcAGwZ7

Waiting For Tarzan. 13th July

Gerrards Bridge to Scotman’s Flash

With drizzle in the air we took our time before moving this morning and with hindsight we should have let Tilly dictate what time we left, but it’s rare we let her out on mornings we want to move.

Things dried up a touch so we pushed off around 11:30 with the intention of reaching Scotman’s Flash, leaving the two Poolstock Locks for Tuesday morning as we’d rather not moor overnight below lock 85.

The canal is a bit samey samey. Wide with concrete edges that seem to have moved through the years, some downwards and some inwards due to mining subsidence. All the route is green, very green, so green that there are very few views to be had through the trees, just the odd glimpse of water.

There were a couple of boats at Dover Locks where two locks have been removed, the gate recesses still visible where the cut narrows.

A toppled branch now seems quite settled halfway across the canal, I think we chopped a chunk out of this when we were on our way to Liverpool a few years ago.

Now the banks are high and so over grown. Fat greenery at the narrows where bridges once used to be make the canal look like it is a narrow waterway. Ferns, brambles all sorts, we were just waiting for a yodel and then for Tarzan to swing into view.

Through Moss Bridge we could see the large flash of water stretching out towards Wigan, sailing boats lined up on the shore. There was a gap in the over growth so we pulled in, then adjusted ourselves so that the galley window would have a better view, all the time avoiding the mountains of goose pooh.

A gaggle of Canadian and Greylag Geese suddenly made a dash for it as a lady walked up to them. They were heading in her direction despite the two dogs on leads, they knew what she had in her blue plastic bag was going to be tasty.

The towpath is quite wide, we both took it in turns to have a look over the other side. We’d expected there to be a bank of some sort which trees grew out of before the waters edge. But no it was a sheer drop. A conferring H&S huddle was had, verdict sadly for Tilly that it was an incident just waiting to happen and with the water maybe 10 ft below the top of the wall, we’d not be able to assist should some footing on the trees go wrong, No shore leave today!

Too high should any tree climbing go wrong!

During the afternoon I scanned the sketches I’d done yesterday and wrote a lengthy email to Vanessa with my suggestions. I also had queries for The Garden regarding what materials I’d used for my illustrations, so that this could be added to the audio description.

Then a spot of baking, a sugar rush might be needed tomorrow on the locks, so I made a half batch of blueberry muffins.

Access to notes from the Wigan Flight Crew were read and a link sent to my phone. One of the crew has complied handy notes for ascent and descent of the locks, so I should know which locks on the flight have troublesome gates and when to use all the paddles and where not to. Apparently above the top lock there is lots of weed at the moment, so it’s best not to use the gate paddles as the weed would be sucked through and clog the grills, luckily this lock has newer gates so holds it’s water well.

As the evening progressed numerous groups of teenagers walked by all heading in the same direction. None of them came back, maybe there was a big party happening somewhere, at least we couldn’t hear it if there was.

0 locks, 3.78 miles, 1 grey day, 1 green cruise, 0 Tarzan, 10ft wall of death, 1 bored cat again, 6 muffins, 5 sketches, 1 day until The Garden goes live, 5 years an amputee.

https://goo.gl/maps/ezFZ1PDz9pvFHAxz8

Ramp My Ar**! 12th July

West of the M60 to Gerrards Bridge 6, Leeds Liverpool Canal, Leigh Branch

We nudged our way closer to Wigan today, we plan on ascending the 21 locks on Tuesday. A few days ago Mick put a notice on the Wigan Flight Crew page of facebook to see if we could team up with anyone, or see if any volunteers might be around to assist. By the end of today we had arranged to team up with NB Billy who are approaching from Liverpool, so we will rendez vous below Lock 85.

The towpath was busy today, the sun had brought everyone and their distant relatives out to enjoy themselves alongside the water. Our arms became tired from all the waving we were having to do to youngsters. One little lad told us ‘You’re on a boat!’

Through Vicars Hall Bridge we could see the pithead at Astley Green. We’ve never visited the Lancashire Mining Museum, currently closed, maybe we’ll stop next time we pass.

Yellow lilies fill the offside, most winding holes are full of them, today their green leaves shone out at us before they ducked under the surface. Boats were on the move too, most we’d seen yesterday so they must have been on an out and back trip for the weekend.

Dusty smelly and noisy. Hope they were enjoying themselves

In the distance all morning we’d been able to hear gun shots, a shooting range somewhere, this was however soon taken over by numerous motorbikes at Astley Raceway MX. The raceway was open to prebooked bikes and no spectators were allowed, despite this the track was heaving! Talk about pollution! Both noise and from the fumes, we didn’t hang around to watch.

Gardens with ornaments kept us occupied, a little wendy house occupied by Monty and Montee (we think that is what female gnomes should be called).

Just a little bit further along I thought I could see two more gnomes, Darth Vader and R2D2, but disappointingly they turned out to be a toadstool and a water pump!

For the last few days Mick has been listening to the England West Indies Test Match. But today it was absent, yet he knew how we were or were’t doing. In the corner of the Waterway Routes map, he’d managed to get the score to show. Not good as we lost mid afternoon.

A peloton came towards us, the man out in front smoking a fag, all this exercise is good for you!

Three shades of hydrangia, back gates held together with yellowing expanding foam and the mill now refurbished, the windows on the corner looking right down the canal.

A new looking building at one of the little arms looks interesting, and the wild flowers alongside the moorings were stunning.

At Leigh Bridge 11 we left the Bridgewater Canal and joined back onto C&RT waters, the Leeds Liverpool Canal, Leigh Branch.

Footbridge 10 came into view and we started to look for somewhere deep enough to be able to pull in, it wasn’t that hard, we just had to do our best to avoid the woofer deposits. Tilly thought this would do for the day, we weren’t too sure though.

After lunch Mick set off with a bike to pick up a click and collect order half a mile away. On his return he had to call me for assistance as the footbridge did not have a ramp as he’d hoped. As I go to the bridge some cyclists who’d just crossed over the bridge were offering to help the old man with his shopping! We managed and were soon able to continue on our way.

But how much further? Pennington Flash looked appealing, but the shear volume of people about put us off.

The housing around Plank Lane has now been finished, every house with solar panels on the roof. It’s all quite different from when we first came here on NB Winding Down and we’re sure the basin is much bigger than it was back then. The housing may be complete on the east side of the bridge, but more houses are going up on the west side.

Mick pulled us over so that I could hop off to work the bridge, but we’d been beaten to it by a boat coming the other way. The chap turned his key of power, then pressed the button. Flashing lights, barriers and up the bridge went. They came through first then it was our turn. A quick count of cars suggested we’d held up 16 vehicles, but I suspect it was more.

We pootled along, the towpath now not so pristine, far fewer people. Pulling in a short distance on we were happy until I spied an ants nest, so we nudged up a few hundred yards further along a nice stretch of armco making mooring easy.

Out went Tilly to the birds displeasure and we settled down for the remainder of the day and a roast chicken. Tomorrow we’ll edge closer to Wigan to the last nice mooring before Poolstock Locks.

0 locks, 7.38 miles, 2 canals, 152 mx bikes, 58 kids to wave at, 4 aching arms, 0 ramp, 1 lift bridge, 16 minimum, 1 quieter stretch, 3 hours, 5 covid sketches, 1 roast chicken.

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Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna