Trips to the Seaside and More

Sorry that we haven't managed to do a posting to this blog for a while but there is always lots to do on the waterways and we just don't seem to have had time.

The Lancaster Canal is pleasantly rural for most of the way.  On Friday we cruised on to Garstang where, in the evening, our daughter Lucy and her friend Becca came to join us for the weekend. 

We've seen quite a lot of bluebells this year including this fine carpet in a wood next to the canal.

There are some fine aqueducts on the Lancaster Canal for the most part designed by John Rennie.  This one is over the River Wyre.  We noticed the similarity with the Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts on the Kennet and Avon and then discovered that he designed them as well.

This is the top of the Wyre Aqueduct.  We liked Garstang and did some shopping there to stock up with our visitors coming.











On Saturday we made good use of our new crew in going down the six locks to Glasson Dock which are on a branch of the canal linking with the sea.

Both Lucy and Becca had birthdays recently so Lucy had baked a cake and very tasty it was too.

Here is Lucy at the helm in the top lock of the Glasson six.  Just the other side of the bridge is the main canal going right to Garstang and left to Lancaster.

We were fortunate to catch up Ian and Tracy on Tangled up in Blue (a Bob Dylan song in case you want to know where the name came from).  So we shared the last three locks.  Here we are coming out into Glasson Basin, a large stretch of water linked by locks through the docks to the sea.

 Once moored this was the view through our windows.  You don't usually see lots of yachts from Leo, but these can go out to sea from this marina.  We didn't follow them!










On Sunday Leo stayed put and we went for a pleasant walk along the sea front in the morning with Lucy and Becca.  It is novel and fun to walk down to the sea from a narrowboat.

Glasson Dock has a 'hill' which rises sufficiently to give a good view over the River Lune  estuary and North to the Lake District though visibility was not very good.  The white building is Heysham Power Station.

And here we are down by the sea.  As we walked along the tide was coming in.  They say that it comes in here at the speed of a galloping horse.  Well it was not that fast but it did flow over the sand and mud at the speed of a mountain stream.

As a change from Grey Herons on the canal we saw this Little Egret on the shore.

This is the remains of Cockersand Abbey that we passed on the coast path.  Another victim of Henry VIII.

It was really hot on Sunday and we had lunch by the boat before Lucy and Becca had to leave us by taxi back to Garstang and then a long drive home.  It was lovely to see them.

Glasson Dock is still an active port with the bigger ships like this one staying on the river outside the dock and going aground at low tide.  Grain and furnace slack were the cargoes we saw being unloaded.









After saying goodbye to our visitors we spent Sunday afternoon going for a cycle ride up the cycle track by the River Lune part way to Lancaster.  So an active day of walking in the morning and cycling in the afternoon.

On Monday we joined Tangled up in Blue in going back up the six locks (these are the only locks on the Lancaster Canal if you don't count those on the Ribble Link).

Here is Tangled up in Blue following us into the first lock.

And here we both are in the top lock.  From here they turned right heading South because they cross back on the Ribble Link on Wednesday, whereas we turned left heading towards Lancaster.

Here is Leo moored just before the Water Witch pub which was very well patronised as it was a hot though windy afternoon.











We stayed two nights in Lancaster enjoying the sights.

We walked downhill from the Canal to the River Lune which is tidal at this point.  The picture is of the Millenium footbridge which allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross to the northern part of the city and on towards Morecombe.

Lancaster Castle was originally Norman but was extended 200 years ago and, until recently, was used as a prison.  It is still a functioning Courthouse and is famous for two trials, that of the Pendle Witches in 1612 and that of the Birmingham Six in 1975.  The convictions of the latter were quashed in 1991 but it would have been a bit late to reprieve the witches who were executed.

This is the John of Gaunt Gatehouse which is the entrance to the Castle.  We had a tour of the Castle yesterday (Tuesday) which was interesting and entertaining and extended to the modern court facilities as well as the Drop Room which led to the scaffold.

In Dalton Square is this huge monument to Victoria.  Round the base are reliefs of many prominent Victorians comprising politicians, scientists, novelists and artists.

The Priory Church stands on the hill next to the Castle and from there you can look across the town to the Ashton Memorial shown here.  We had seen this distinctive building from the M6 but had never visited it before.

This is the inside of Atkinsons Coffee Shop.  A real old fashioned traditional coffee importer and seller, Atkinsons has now opened a novel and popular cafe where we had lunch and two varieties of coffee served in curious retorts.

After visiting the Judges Lodgings, a fine Georgian House used by judges visiting for the Assizes, we walked across town to Williamson Park and the Ashton Memorial.  This was built in 1906-9 and given with the park to the town by Williamson who made his fortune manufacturing lino.   The park and gardens were originally moorland where criminals were executed.

The view from the Ashton Memorial is pretty good even though visibility was poor.  Here you can see the Priory Church on the right of centre and the Castle to its left.

The park has been restored in recent years, particularly this lake.  The fresh blossom was lovely.












After a couple of days looking round Lancaster we cruised on this morning to Hest Bank, crossing en route the Lune Aqueduct which is a truly splendid highlight of the waterways and another testament to the work of John Rennie.

This aqueduct was built in the late 1700s and has a grace and lightness that belies the fact that it carries a canal.  The canal is 60 feet above the river so this is quite a feat of engineering.

Here is the view from Leo while crossing the aqueduct looking down this impressive river.

At Hest Bank the canal runs within a few hundred yards of the sea and this is the view from the canal of Morecombe Bay as we approached Hest Bank.

After a hard afternoon of washing and polishing the boat we walked down to the sea.  This view is looking south towards Morecombe.  Signs here warn you not to venture onto the sands without a guide because of fast rising tides and quicksands.  This is where the cockle pickers died not many years ago.





Tomorrow we plan to catch the bus into Morecombe where Ian went for a couple of family holidays as a child.  Over the next few days we will be travelling on to the end of the navigation at Tewitfield which is now only 7 miles away.  We plan a number of excursions too, so watch this space.

The Ribble Link at Last!

After three years of trying to do the Ribble Link we finally succeeded yesterday and so we are now cruising on the Lancaster Canal.  So this is primarily the story of crossing the Ribble and it is a long post on this blog.  But let's start with a couple of other photos:

Having a boat called Leo means that we now have a collection of lion tiller pins.  This is our biggest and bravest lion.

We had plenty of time to meet our appointment with the Ribble (you do have to book well in advance for the crossing).  So we took our time going down the locks of the Rufford Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool that leads to Tarleton.  Some of it was flat and rather windswept as in  the picture here.  This section follows the old course of the River Douglas and still looks like a river.



Early Friday morning we set out with five other boats to lock through at Tarleton onto the tidal River Douglas below.  You go out of the lock about an hour before high tide, so you are fighting a strongish incoming tide in a narrow river at first.  This is so that there is enough water over the cill at Tarleton but you also have to reach the other end while there is enough water to cross a sea lock which rotates into the bed of the navigation, so it is no good leaving Tarleton on a falling tide.

We had been told to meet on the lock moorings at 8.30 a.m.  In fact there are so many boats at Tartleton that there are no moorings left for the lock.  So we milled about in mid stream and fortunately there was little wind.

We locked in with  Rowardennan as the first of three lock fulls for the crossing.  CRT chaps work the lock for you as it would not be possible to get back on below the lock!

The left boat goes first because there is a danger of the tide sweeping the boat to the right and up the river.  You have to come out fast and keep left aiming for the mast of a dinghy further downstream.

And now it was our turn.  We came out with the engine at 2,200 revs which is a lot for us, but it did prevent us being swept sideways and we began to make slow progress away from the lock against the incoming tide. We soon throttled back because we were catching Rowardennan.  Most of the trip we were at 1800 or less.

The River Douglas is narrow but not too narrow once the tide is nearly full.  At low tide, it is more of a muddy ditch.  We tried to stay away from the fastest flowing water in the middle and stayed a reasonable distance behind Rowardennan while not losing touch with them.

Here is the view looking back to Tarleton Lock on the right.  The disturbance to the water is due to two boats passing at high revs.

It doesn't look that much but this is quite a bow wave for Leo!

Having got round the first bend and under this pipe bridge, the channel starts to widen a little and the tidal flow is a little less.











From here, about a mile from the Lock, it gets a little easier.

On a couple of sharp bends in the widened river we passed Shephard's Boat Yard with a number of large yachts moored.

And then it really widens out into the estuary of the River Douglas.  Fortunately it was not windy so the waves were very small.  But it does feel a large stretch of water for a little narrowboat.

We saw quite a lot of wading birds and flocks of shelduck of which this is one.

And here's a sight you don't often see from your narrowboat - seaweed drifting past!













From here on we were looking out for the junction with the River Ribble and more importantly for sight of the Astland Lamp which marks the point beyond the shallows at the junction where you can safely turn right round the lamp and head up the Ribble towards Preston.

As you come to the end of the four miles down the River Douglas, if you look to the left you can see the open sea and, to the right, Lytham St Anne's.  Help, we're on the sea! Or at least it feels like it.

To the right of the boat in front, Rowardennan again, you can see the Astland Lamp with the yellow notice on top.  Rowardennan is about to make the turn and we will be following her.  The white waggly rope on our roof is the anchor warp.  On tidal waters we tie the anchor on at the bow but would deploy it, if we had to, from the stern.  We reckon this might be easier.

Here we are part way up the three and a half miles of the River Ribble.  Beyond the pylons you can see large public buildings in the centre of Preston.  The entrance to Savick Brook is hidden on the left before the first pylon.








In turning into Savick Brook you have to come in at right angles, allowing for the ebb tide, to avoid a sandbank just to the West of the confluence.  Boats have gone aground here.

Savick Brook is quite a bit smaller than the River Douglas and there was a slight tide flowing out.

Red and green posts mark the channel through sheep grazing either side.  The channel twists to and fro towards the white house where the sea lock waits for us.

The CRT chap in the life jacket stands by the sea lock which we are about to go through.  The gate of the lock rotates into the bed of the lock and comes up to hold water at a set point in the tide.

Just round the corner is a floating pontoon.  There was not enough room for all six boats to moor to the pontoon, so some waited in mid stream.  We had to wait here for 30-40 minutes to allow the tide to drop by about 18 inches to allow us to pass under the next two bridges.  Once the tide has fallen, the sea lock was closed so we were no longer on fully tidal water.




From here our route lay up the Savick Brook which is a twisty, muddy ditch.  You need to concentrate hard to get round some of the tight bends.

With the fall in the water level we had plenty of clearance under the road bridge.

This photo gives some idea of the cruise up the Brook.

Here is Amelia following us up Savick Brook.  You can clearly see how tidal it is.  We slipped off a mud bank part way up, but it has been dredged otherwise it would not be navigable at all.

After a series of twists and turns we finally reached lock 8.  Five locks follow as you cruise up the Savick Brook which has been converted into a river navigation.  A CRT volunteer, Ian, helped us up the locks which we shared with Amelia.







After five singleton locks, each deeper than the last, you come finally to the staircase of three very deep locks that lead you up to the Lancaster Canal which is about 70 feet above sea level.

There is a rather unusual manoeuvre to get into the bottom of the staircase.  First you twist left through this railway bridge.

And then right through a tunnel under a road.

As you come out from under the road bridge you enter a basin where the staircase is immediately on your left and back on yourself.  The only way in, having waited for the flow of water out of the lock, is to reverse into the lock and then reverse each step up the staircase.

Here you can see Ian concentrating as he carefully eases Leo backwards into the bottom of the staircase locks.  Tricky but possible and harder for Amelia that followed as there was a smaller target to aim for with Leo already in the lock.

At the top of the locks is a rather fine memorial to the chaps who built the Millenium Link to join the Lancaster Canal to the rest of the system.  What a splendid project, completed and opened in 2002.

Here is Amelia at the top of the staircase locks.  You then have to reverse out of the lock and turn (to the right of the picture) in order to leave the basin and join the Lancaster Canal.

And here you can see Amelia turning left onto the Lancaster Canal. You can also turn right into the centre of Preston.  We decided to leave Preston until just before we go back over the Ribble Link later this month.  So we also turned left.

We moored fairly soon as it had been a hard day of concentration.  I say 'moored' but you will notice the unconventional form of mooring with the back end hanging out.  This illustrates a problem with the Lancaster Canal in that the sides are often very shallow.  But there is very little passing traffic, so it didn't cause any problems.





Today we've had a pleasant cruise with our friends Meg and Graham with lunch at the Hand and Dagger, not far from where we moored last night.

So here we are enjoying a short cruise up to Swillbrook and back with good company on a fine sunny day.  What's not to like?











We aim to enjoy ourselves on the Lancaster Canal and tomorrow our daughter, Lucy, and friend Becca are coming to join us for the weekend.  We'll keep you posted.