Crossing the Ribble............Day two.

A quiet night in Preston Dock - hardly a a romantic film or song title, but we were more than happy just to relax after the excitement of the previous day. 

On the Preston Docks visitor moorings

Something to eat, a glass or two of wine and we were as relaxed as could be and awoke refreshed and ready for another day on the Ribble.  My mobile rang about 11am........

"Hi, it's Riversway control here.......Canal and River Trust guys have just rang and asked to let you out of the dock.......so if you are O.K to go, I have another boat ready and you can share the lock "    Suggested the unseen guy in the glass tower above the dock.

" Will be with you in two minutes......many thanks "  I replied.

Engine started, ropes off and I reversed into the blustery open dock where a 'real' sea-going boat was keeping station so that he could see the green 'ready' light that informed you the road bridge had been swung and the sea-lock was ready.

I managed to reverse into position- as if I knew what I was doing - waiting for the green light.   Bridge turned open, red light turned green and I shot into the lock........

"Which side are you going for ?? "  shouted Cap'n Denise
" Port Side to miss the silt"      I replied
'Listen to me......Port? Port? what happened to 'left' I am taking this boaty thing far too seriously' I thought.

Waiting in the lock at Preston Dock.

Putting a bow and stern line around the lock-wall chains really was not necessary 
as the levels between lock and river were almost the same..........but still good practice as it is difficult to judge the different levels from your point of view and turbulence in the lock
could be the cause of a few embarrassing pirouettes, especially with a 'proper'  boat captain looking on.

Off we went into the river not sparing the horses at about 2300 + revs.  I rang the Canal and River Trust guys at the Savick brook rotating lock and informed them we were out of the dock and that we would be with them ASAP...........

Leaving Preston dock for Savick Brook and the Lancaster canal

I had channel 14 on the VHF and could hear the captain in the 'proper' boat behind informing Riversway control that his destination was the Isle of Man.............

Perhaps I should inform them that my destination was Savick Brook and the |Lancaster Canal........I thought.

Perhaps not...........I thought again.

A run of about a mile or two and we could the see the welcoming steady green light at the entrance to Savick Brook.   I remembered that the west (left if going in ) side of the entrance had a sandbank, so I did a ninety degree and allowed a little room for drift and obviously stuck to the east side.

A green light ( yes I know it looks white on the picture) shows the entrance to Savick Brook

No problem as there was plenty of water in the brook and Andrew the friendly Canal and River Trust guy was waiting with the lock open........phew, made it this time.

Rotating sea lock at Savick Brook.

We moored on the holding pontoons beyond the lock and Andrew explained that he was waiting for boats from Tarleton and we had about an hour to wait.   Right on time after an hour or so a single boat arrived with the crew shaking their heads at our enquiry if they had a good crossing.

"Engine temperature was going into the red and we had to drain the hot water from the
and calorifier to keep it going worse" they said looking a little jaded.

"How far behind are the other boats?"  we asked.

" A long way.......one has broken down with a split hose and the other is towing it to Preston Dock " was the reply......

" I am getting too old for this - I think I will get the bus back" joked the lady crew member with another shake of the head.

So we were not the only people to have an adventurous Ribble crossing.   No point in waiting now so we both went up the flight of locks, culminating in the three 'staircase'
locks.

Entering the staircase lock is little tricky because most larger boats have to reverse into the lock as there is not enough room before the lock to turn around. Our companions managed to turn their smaller boat and it was the first time I had been in a lock with one boat pointing forward and the other backward !!!!

Staircase lock leading to the Lancaster canal.

A new steel sculpture has been erected above the staircase lock. It is self-explanatory
with a narrowboat full of tools that would have been used to construct canals. Apparently
it replaced a wooded sculpture of a nude man holding his vital parts - perhaps there was a contact somehow with canals - but like many others perhaps it was lost on me.   Never mind we are here to visit the Lancaster canal and despite our struggle to cross the River Ribble I am sure will be all worth it.

More to follow on the Lancaster canal............

Crossing the Ribble........day one

Turning onto the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool canal we started to work through the wide locks that would take us to the terminus of the canal at Tarleton and the sea lock that would take us onto the tidal River Douglas and River Ribble to access the Ribble Link at Savick Brook to join the Lancaster Canal.

All the locks along the Rufford branch seem have their differences and are slow going for a single boat crew.  Old fashioned 'handcuff' screw anti-vandal locks are fitted to most of the paddles and are not the usual 'spring-open' type, being time consuming to open and close. There are even some very old fashioned wooden lever paddles that are pulled up with a large handle to open.


Nearing Tarleton the tow-path disappears and the banks are taken over with weed and some of this promptly wound itself around the propeller slowing it down as efficiently as any plastic bag or rope............ it took ten minutes down the weed-hatch to clear that little lot.

Last stretch towards Tarleton has no tow path.

Plenty of weed around the propeller

Three swing bridges need to be operated before Tarleton and then some good 48-hour visitor mooring are to be found, principally used for those crossing the River Ribble.



Harry, the Tarleton lock keeper visited us in the afternoon and gave us a detailed briefing for our crossing complete with a book of photographs of what landmarks to note. Very thorough of him..............and very helpful.


Our date with the morning tide at the lock was 9.30am the following morning.  Two steel narrowboats went first and some ten minutes later we entered the lock in company with a fibre-glass cruiser.

Waiting for Tarleton Lock to enter the River Douglas

Following instructions to keep to the left and 'go for it' as we entered the strong incoming tide. This is sound advice as if you just nudge the bow into the stream it is possible that you would be turned inland by the current rushing into the River Douglas.


Our companion fibre-glass cruiser soon outstripped us against the oncoming tide and started to pull ahead.  Most cruisers will show a clean pair of heels to a narrowboat because of their light weight and he soon disappeared from view.  After a couple miles struggling against the tide with 2300 revs on the dial I really did not want to push our 38hp Beta Marine engine much further as it becomes a little  uncomfortable after that.

Boat yard on the River Douglas

A large sea-going vessel came from behind and slowly overtook us.   I cast a worried eye on the engine temperature gauge that was way, way over to the 'right' of it's normal position and was touching some 100 degrees. On the return trip we tried the trick of opening the galley hot water tap occasionally to reduce the engine temperature - it really does work!!   I could see the British Aerospace airfield of Wharton on the horizon and spotted the large hangars that Harry the lock-keeper had advised we steer to locate the all important 'Astland Lamp' navigational perch.

Looking to the Ribble Estuary as we turn into the River Ribble

Rounding the Astland lamp into the River Ribble

Astland lamp slightly on our starboard bow we started to curve around it and into the River Ribble.   As the Ribble turns east inland I hoped that slack water on the turning tide would help our progress - it did and the banks seemed to be going past at a respectable rate. It is a difficult 'call' to balance between thrashing the engine into temperature ranges that could cause problems and making progress before the lack of water on the 'Seagate' at Savick would mean a divert to Preston Lock.

Looking back towards the Ribble estuary.........BaE Wharton on skyline (right)

We could see a steady clear 'green' light at Savick  ( meaning it was O.K to enter) and started to be relieved that all would be O.K.    A few minutes later and our hopes were dashed as Canal and River Trust's 'Andrew' rang us on the mobile and gave us the bad news that the lock was now inoperable because of the dropping water level.


We were instructed to divert to Preston dock a couple of miles further on and that they had been informed.  Tide had really turned against us now and we progressed slowly towards the dock which is unseen from Savick.  We eventually sighted the entrance and came into the dock hugging the south wall as the north wall is silted as the 'Skipper's Guide' had mentioned.

Entering Preston dock

Entering the massive entrance lock a road bridge parted for us and we roped onto the lock wall chains to ascend gently to marina level and then turn left moor at the visitor moorings............phew !!!     We will have another 'go' tomorrow !!!!!

Safe and sound - in Preston Dock

Towards the Ribble........joining the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

Manchester left behind we moved along the Bridgewater canal towards sunny Wigan....it really was sunny.  Strange how the first spell of warm weather In the U.K seems draining - very different from genuinely hot countries it must be something to do with the humidity.

Crossing the Manchester Ship canal to Worsley - Barton swing bridge.

Crossing the Manchester ship canal we had moved through the birthplace of U.K canals in  Worsley which even boasts a lighthouse ........in the back of a garden !!

'Light-house'  Worsley

We moored for 24 hours near Plank Lane swing bridge which boasts a water point so we could use our small washing machine and then re-fill the water tank. Finding the water point was a challenge - it is new type being only about 18 inches tall and unsigned a looking for all the world like some sort of electrical cable access point.

A close inspection on hands and knees with a magnifying glass found an etched maker's plate on brushed aluminum in small type with the word 'standpipes'  - 'elementary my dear Dr Watson.'

My 'watermate' key fitting the padlock underneath had the puzzle solved completely....


Our speedy dash to Wigan a day later was delayed when the dreaded 'serious things around the prop' vibration started a few miles into the day.  Weed hatch opened, pond gloves on and I found a very large heavy plastic 'Baker's Dog Food' bag wrapped around the propeller together with other assorted plastic bags and a bit of old rope just to make things difficult.

Clearing plastic bags from around the propeller.

Oh well, I have seen worse. Hands washed, cup of tea and we were on our way.

Large double locks going into Wigan and beyond are a bit of a challenge with anti-vandal locks to open and lock afterwards. A chain arrangement to open and close the gates on one lock and a large metal rod on the gates beam of another that dug into the ground after opening or closing the gates........strange , but it seems to work.


As we were passing the Canal and River Trust office in Wigan I decided to purchase a CRT 'pump-out' card for use in their far and few pump out machines.

"How many would you like ?" was the fair question
"How much are they ?" my normal question on purchasing anything.....
"£16.75p"  was the reply
.........a meaningful silence from myself followed by...........
" Oh, wow.....just the one then.....at that price, I will try my luck with marinas, etc"
I replied in my best Victor Meldrew style.

Even the most expensive marina/fuel point I have visited has never charged that much.............and THEY do the job for you ( mostly).


Passing through the Wigan locks we received a 'phone call from our son Andrew that he was coming to Wigan for the afternoon together with our grand-daughter to see us for a couple of hours.   Andrew is a wheelchair user and canal towpaths are not ideal for a rendezvous so we suggested meeting at 'The Orwell' bar - part of the famous 'Wigan Pier'.

I think if I ran a business on Wigan 'pier' as I would ensure moorings for passing boat customers........surely all 'piers' have moorings if only to catch passing trade.

Mooring or not Wigan Pier's 'Orwell' bar looked liked the 'Mary Celeste' with no lights and no sign of any customers or staff.  Closed doors and an empty car park seemed to suggest that they were closed for lunch.............perhaps Tuesday is a slow day in Wigan.

With no option but to look for another 'watering hole' we worked through the next two locks and a further couple of miles to meet Andrew at the pleasantly situated canal-side 'Crooke Hall Inn' .

Moorings at the 'Crooke Hall Inn' are private moorings, but local boaters on nearby boats suggested we moor as the regular moorers were 'out' for the summer.  This proved to be perfect as Andrew could bring his wheelchair across the beer-garden and right next to the boat where we had a round of excellent pub-meals and several rounds of drinks.  So all was well that ended well...........

Family visit at the excellent 'Crooke Hall Inn'

Leaving Crooke the following day we moved on towards Parbold in glorious sunshine.
It was three years previous we had come this way when we completed our 'coast to coast' cruise
(see previous post of that name) going from Salthouse dock in Liverpool to Boston in Lincolnshire.

I distinctly remember having great difficulty finding a refuse disposal point in this locality.In fact the last Canal River Trust bins had been a long way back in Anderton
 ( none in Manchester) and we were having the same problem this time.

We had noticed a 'refuse point' marked in Nicholson's Guide at Bridge 35 just past Parbold on that occasion but were unable to find it.  Asking a local boater he smiled knowingly in reply..........

" Oh yes, it IS there.......they hide it so it is not used too often !!!!!

Well I am here to tell you he was perfectly correct.......if you are looking for the Canal and River Trust refuse point near bridge 35 on the Leeds and Liverpool - the secret is OUT.... it is laying empty behind the trees.

This is not the only example of 'hidden' refuse points we have discovered and can only come to the conclusion that it is Canal and River Trust policy to reduce the occasions when they pay to have the bins emptied.......if nobody knows they are there nobody can use them.

Come on Canal and River Trust give us a sign......and save boaters cruising the system loaded to the gunnels with rotting refuse.

'Secret' Canal and River Trust refuse disposal point hidden behind the trees.

Moving through a succession on swing bridges we passed the Rufford arm and continued on towards Scarisbrick marina where we topped up with fuel and are presently moored surrounded by pleasant farm land in glorious weather waiting a few days before our date with a morning tide to cross the River Ribble and join the Lancaster canal.


Moor to follow in the next post..............

Towards the River Ribble........Trent and Mersey and Bridgewater.

Our cruise project for 2014 is the crossing of the 'Ribble Link' across the tidal River Ribble and onto the Lancaster Canal.  We had arranged this crossing a few months ago with Canal and River Trust and our appointed rendezvous with other boats doing the crossing on a suitable tide at 8.30am on the 24th June............

So far so good for the arrangements, all we have to do now is progress via the Macclesfield, Trent and Mersey, Bridgewater and Leeds and Liverpool canals  and keep our finger crossed for good weather.



Reaching Bosley locks on the Macclesfield canal we were pleasantly surprised to descend the flight without actually being well and truly soaked in a downpour which is usually par for the course as we pass through this set of locks which is a precursor for most of our travels.

Descending Bosley Locks. Macclesfield Canal

Capitan Denise is normally chief lock grappler whilst I do the technically demanding job of steering - turning the tiller arm slightly to the left or right as necessary. Damaging her foot recently had required a visit to Macclesfield General Hospital, fortunately nothing was broken but in some considerable pain she volunteered to steer the boat and I became an apprentice lock-operative paying sharp attention to her shouted advice and trying not to sink the boat. I never realised how much your muscles hurt after an afternoon of lock-wheeling. …............. I hope the foot mends soon :)



Joining the Trent and Mersey I had the delight of descending the heavily locked 'Heartbreak Hill' . Most of these locks are in pairs and we had the good fortune to descend most of the locks with another boat for company which made the task pleasant as operating locks is a very social exercise when other boats are with you. Capitan Denise said she preferred doing the locks as being at the bottom of a lock was a lonely occupation.

Negotiating 'Heartbreak Hill' on the Trent and Mersey canal

Stopping for the evening about a mile from the M56 we were far enough away for the traffic noise to be reduced to a low level hum.  Reflecting on the world of difference between the two modes of travel  that are nearly two centuries apart comparing the unhurried peace of the canals with the constant headlong rush of the motorways..... I am still confident that these horseless carriages and lorry thingybobs are just a passing fad and will never catch on.

Sailing into the sunset - Trent and Mersey canal near Wheelock.

The following morning brought s short stop for water at Wheelock services and then we pressed on towards the many delights of Middlewich for an evening stop within a short distance of pubs; supermarkets; Chinese take-aways and all the essential requirements boat-crews would need.

Larder full of goodies we looked at the weather forcast for the following day - it was awful. Rain, followed by rain with a 99% chance of rain in-between. Looking out of the window at a decision time of about 8,30am the following morning we noticed it had actually stopped raining. So against all sound sense we decided to push on - BIG mistake !!

Ready for the weather - ship's dog 'Suzy'

Our journey to Anderton was undertaken in unrelenting torrential rain. This was the stuff of the Amazon rain forests, weapons grade rain that poured off my waterproofs and into my boots. A hot cup of tea on the roof was constantly 'topped-up' with cold rain water. This was not for the faint-hearted type of rain and I reflected that I really should patent windscreen-wipers for spectacles - I am sure there is a big market - certainly in the U.K !!!!!!


Anderton with it's famous boat-lift down onto the River Weaver was our next stop taking advantage of the 48 hour moorings to chill-out for a couple of days. Continuing along the Trent and Mersey to the tunnels of Barnton, Saltersford and Preston Brook remembered from the days when as we used to moor a previous boat at Anderton marina.

Barnton tunnel is not a 'timed' passage like the other three as you can see the opposite exit. All that is required is to nose into the tunnel, have a look and go for it if all is clear with perhaps a warning blast of the horn.  Saltersford and Preston Brook require a wait for the allotted time as illustrated by the green zone on a clock face at the entrances.   Saltersford used to be left to the discretion of the boat crew some years ago and had no time restriction. This naturally caused some alarm and despondency as on occasions boats met each other head-on in the dark tunnel and is now very sensibly a 'timed' passage.

Barnton tunnel.

Are we having fun yet?.......braving the rain as I hold the boat to the tunnel mooring at Saltersford waiting for a timed passage through.

Leaving Preston Brook we were now on the wide Bridgewater and heading towards Lymm - one of our favourite 'watering holes' .  We were very fortunate to find a mooring spot on the 'town side' near to the all the shops, pubs in this delightful village.

Lymm Village

Lymm Village weir

Bridgewater Canal - Lymm

Lymm actually seems to welcome boaters - and there are certainly lots of shops, pubs and restaurants to spend your money which is taken with a smile............

It never ceases to amaze me that with over 2000 miles of canal system that you see the same friendly people time and time again in widely spread locations...... for example we met a couple called Eric and Debbie on their boat 'Georgina' in central London and then a couple of years later on the Llangollen canal and last year the Grand Union. On this occasion they were moored in Middlewich and we spent a boozy afternoon with them in the 'Golden Fleece' in Lymm. It certainly is a great community where the nice people seem to appear more times than the not so nice.......

Eric owner of 'Georgina' keeps a tidy ship.

leaving Lymm after a couple of days we headed towards Castlefield in Central Manchester.  I am going to give an unashamed 'plug' for Stretford Marine services where we stopped for fuel and a toilet tank 'pump out'...... a friendly guy who insisted on doing a thorough job of the 'pump out' which in not always the case.  A water point was also provided in the shape of the traditional standard cast iron 'British Waterways' pipe which is confusing as this is the Bridgewater Canal controlled by Peel Holdings....I am sure somebody will explain.

Clean toilet, fuel and water tanks full and we were on our way towards Castlefield in central Manchester passing MUFC football ground on the way.

'Sir Alex Ferguson' stand viewed from the Bridgewater canal approaching Castlefield.

Approaching Castlefield, Manchester.

ching castlefield

Castlefield's fortunes seems to ebb and flow with the opening and closing of the various pubs and clubs around the perimeter. Last time we visited a couple of years ago some of the bars had closed and things were looking neglected and weary worn with empty buildings.   One major pub/restaurant chain has opened 'The Wharf' pub - a major location near the entrance to the basin and things look better and more 'alive' . We gave this a thorough market research and I can report a full range of guest beers and lagers with friendly staff who seemed pleased to serve - how about that for a novelty.

Castlefield Wharf

A great location for the maximum mooring allowed (72 hours) with the best advice I can give is to moor further up the arm if possible to avoid the late night sound of people enjoying themselves coming from one of the clubs. If you are not old, decrepit and grumpy like us perhaps the best advice is go and join them !!!!

'San Serriffe' moored ( in a quiet spot) for the night. Castlefield, Manchester

On a practical note there is a water-point on the left before reaching Castlefield but no rubbish disposal facilities so make sure you have plenty of black bin bags to store it.


WE are now on the Leeds and Liverpool canal heading towards Wigan and our date with the Ribble crossing....................... more to follow.