Half way from Leeds to Liverpool and beyond

We've just come down Johnson's Hillock, the 7 locks that lead to the top of the huge Wigan flight.  So, since the last update to the blog, we have passed a number of landmarks.  We've reached the summit and gone well down the western side of the Leeds and Liverpool, we've entered Lancashire after weeks of cruising in Yorkshire and we've passed the half way point of this, the longest canal in the UK.
The last update was on a wet and windy day on the 'Bends'.  This one is on a wet and windy afternoon near Chorley.  We're really having a good summer, aren't we?  So to continue the story:

In our evening on the Bends we saw a splendid rainbow.  The picture suggests the end of the rainbow is our side of the distant hill, so we should perhaps have sought out the pot of gold.

This is the famous double bridge at East Marton.  It is pretty much an icon of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

On Sunday we climbed the three Greenberfield Locks to the summit of the canal at 487 feet above sea level.  The bottom lock is to the left while to the right between the trees is a previous channel for the canal.  The original configuration here was a double staircase lock on a straight section of canal.  There were problems with this so the canal now uses three locks on a twisting course up the hill.

Mason's marks were much in evidence on the locks as you can see here (unless of course that is later graffiti).

We moored Sunday night near Salterforth and walked back for a drink at the Anchor. This pub predates the canal and when the canal was dug and embanked the ground floor of the pub effectively became a cellar and they built another storey on top of the pub. We had read about the cellar which seems to be under the modern road next to the pub and learned that it is full of stalactites. So we asked about it and the lady behind the bar kindly offered to show us down the stairs to the cellar and this is what we found. These are 'straw' stalactites which are hollow and grow fairly quickly, but we've never seen any as long as these which must be about 7 feet long.

And here is the view looking the other way. You can also see a couple of stalagmites rising from the floor. Fascinating and the beer was good too.

Here is the story in a plaque on the wall of the pub.

This is the county boundary as we crossed into Lancashire.

At Foulridge a mile long tunnel takes boats under the last of the hills to Barrowford on the other side. This is the tunnel through which reputedly a cow called Buttercup swam. Not sure when this is supposed to have happened but it is a canal story that is told and retold. Leo is waiting for the traffic lights to turn green to allow us through as broad beam boats cannot pass in the tunnel. The last third of the tunnel was very wet, perhaps because of all the rain we have been having.

After a stop for coffee we went down the 6 Barrowford Locks. The view is from the top with Leo moving into the first lock.

This view is taken as the canal snaked round the outskirts of Nelson.  The old warehouse has a roof to allow cargoes to be unloaded in the dry.

We think this boat is 'Su Perb' which is featured extensively at the moment in Waterways World. It is owned and cruised by two ladies who call themselves the 'Windlasses' and they have written a series of articles about their quest to collect Silver Propellor points. Sadly we didn't see anyone onboard: we would have liked to say hello.

We moored Monday night out in the country before Burnley and, as you can see, the sun shone and the washing dried on the whirly. The field opposite had llamas, shetland ponies and sheep in it and a fox visited in the evening

Pendle Hill has been dominating the views for the last few days (when it is not covered in mist) and here you can see it in the distance as we cruised on into Burnley on Tuesday morning.

The Burnley Embankment is another wonder of the waterways. It stretches for three quarters of a mile across the valley and is up to 60 feet high, crossing a couple of streams and a main road with the roofs of houses below the embankment. What we didn't expect was that it was choked with weed. Rubbish we expected but not weed. You can see the duckweed on the surface of the water but it is the stringy pond weed underneath that ties itself round the prop and stops progress

In this view looking back at the straight embankment you can see the weed and a following boat that had stopped to clear its prop.

The M65 has been our companion for the last few days. Here we are crossing an aqueduct over the motorway as we began to leave Burnley behind us.

There are some lovely views on the Lancashire side of the Pennines too. This was the view from our mooring in the countryside beyond Burnley, again looking towards Pendle Hill.

From our mooring on Tuesday evening we walked into Hapton and found some murals in a back street.

In the evening the weather calmed down and the air was still.

Having come down the Barrowford Locks from the summit, there follows a level pound for over 23 miles until Blackburn. On Wednesday the day dawned misty and drizzly and we cruised on through Church passing this floating dry dock on the way. You can see a short narrowboat in the dry dock. We've seen a few of these in our travels - a boat within a boat.

Approaching Foster's Swing Bridge we passed under four huge water pipes crossing the canal. We're not sure where this water is going nor where it comes from. The light on this stormy day is amazing.

Coming through Church we passed this metalwork marking the half way point between Leeds and Liverpool, being 63 and five eighths miles from each.  We have had some problems with dissolute youths in Church in the past and we have heard of others who have had more problems. This time we had no trouble and new houses are being built so the place may be improving.

We moored on Wednesday out in the country before reaching the outskirts of Blackburn. We had no sooner moored up than the rain came down heavily and continued all afternoon. Ian did some internal woodwork on the boat and Helen made soda bread so we were not idle. On Thursday we carried on into Blackburn passing the huge Imperial Mill seen here. Ian's mother's middle name was Blackburn so he may have some ancestral links with the place, though we've not yet found any.

At Eanam Wharf in the centre of Blackburn there are some fairly secure moorings, but we carried on to bridge 101 which is very handy for Asda and then, with the fridge full again, on to the top of the six locks.

We came down the first four locks with a hire boat called Layla Boa with three brothers on board, but then stopped to fill with water. The tap here is fairly inaccessible and we had to moor across the corner for the hose to reach.

And here we are moored last night (Thursday 15th) near Riley Green. Is that sunshine I can see? Perhaps but we need more please. It would be nice to sit out on the towpath supping tea or beer. Not much chance of that at the moment.

So that brings us more or less up to date.  We are planning to go down the infamous Wigan flight of locks on Sunday.  21 locks drop the canal some 214 feet to a junction where boats can turn right for Liverpool or left towards Manchester. We are hoping to meet our friends William and Daphne on their boat Jabulani at or near the bottom of the locks.