Late trains and floods

Having left Burnley, a decided to spend a week in Clayton-le-moors.  I had front row tickets for steeleye span in Oswaldtwiste on the Thursday night.  Heading off from work, everything was going fine until the train broke down.

 I phoned Rob but he couldn't go to see them by himself, because I had the tickets!  I finally got into Leeds just in time to miss the last train to Accrington.  The staff at Virgin East Coast put me in a taxi, and half an hour later, we discovered that the M62 was closed for overnight roadworks.  six o'clock I was supposed to get back, a quarter to one in the morning I got back.  Why did some idiot give Virgin trains the East Coast mainline, a really well run service, now another Virgin Rail fiasco.

Friday I sailed on to Blackburn to the Calypso for goat curry and Red stripe!

On the Saturday I went up to Langdale, which was quite flooded.  Still, a superb night of food, beer and company.

Turn around !

Foulridge is only a 48 hour mooring, so I moved on to Salterford, and moored next to the Anchor, another nice peaceful spot, no traffic noise and a handy pub serving good food and beer.  What more could you want.

It was time to go back to Nottingham judging beer of the midlands, with Dancing Duck winning several awards again.  I keep saying that  I must get down here on the boat, maybe next year!




The winter canal closures were announced, and many of the locks on the Leeds Liverpool were having work done, so I decided to turn around and head back.  Back through the Foulridge tunnel

Just after the tunnel I passed the Coco-Nutters boat.

Quite how you manage morris dancing on a narrowboat beats me.  Soon I was moored up back at Burnley.

The Siba awards were in Bolton, and I was glad to pick up two Bronze awards.

 The SIBA meeting was in Stockport.  I was there early so I took a wander around the town.  This looks like it used to be a thriving market town, before the supermarkets came and destroyed the small shop economy.

It is a shame to see such buildings empty and wasted.

That evening I took Yorks Rob to see Lau at the Met.  They were in great form as usual, and unusually  they were selling Lau branded chilli sauce!