The Butcher Ring

I was supposed to be resting at home, and that is enough to make me stir-crazy.  Luckily I have a home that moves!
I left Eanam and moved the short stint to Rishton, arriving just as some CRT volunteers had finished a litter dredging afternoon.  I assumed that resting in the pub was as good as resting at home, so popped over to the Butcher for a pint or five.   The ideas that you come up with over a pint are amazing.  After a bit of liquid inspiration, me and Rob came up with the idea of the Butcher Ring.  We have a pint in the Butcher, then set off from Rishton, over to Leeds, down the Aire & Calder, the Calder & Hebble, the Rochdale, the Bridgewater, back up the L&L to Rishton for another pint or five in the Butcher.

 That seems a cunning plan, so we set off on our intrepid journey.

The first stage was around the Church loop to Clayton.  Rishton to Clayton is about a mil to walk, or drive, but about five miles around the canal.

It is worth stating, "Which idiot designed Church Swing Bridge"
The controls are on the opposite side of the canal from any moorings, so once you have opened the bridge, you can't get to the boat to bring it through.

 The half way marker for the Leeds & Liverpool canal is in church







And the huge Commercial Hotel, which has been empty for many years now






We passed Lady P's old farm...

 

And an old canal-side building in Clayton that I would love to get my hands on to make a canal centre.

We had a great night in Clayton, the Wellington and the Old England Forever are definitely worth a visit.

The following morning was perfect weather to continue on to Burnley.

 

The canal is very exposed as it crosses across Altham towards Huncoat

 There is a disused swing bridge, and canal side building with no road access

I presume these were for farm access.







We stopped at Hapton and went to see Mo at the Railway.  I then had to stop at Rosegrove, as there was some piano wire and sundry rubbish wrapped around the prop.  I filled up with water while here.

 Soon the canal went under the motorway, and associated slip roads.

Then it was Gannow tunnel

Once through the tunnel we cross the M65 again

 And we arrived at Burnley wharf in time to see Kennet arriving for Burnley Canal Festival, which was a farce, a few boats, but not much canal related stalls or events..  Blackburn was far better.

Once the festival was over, I managed to moor up reasonably close to the pub!

Complete with rowdy neighbours!

Ouch

Beautiful sunny weather, and no wind, warm as anything.  So I just have to go up to the Lakes for a wander.  Great night in the Old, music night, plus the usual great beer and food.

In the morning it was slightly cloudy, but still warm and still, so I thought I would have another go at the Langdale Ring.  I set off up Mill Ghyll, and though cloudy, it was really warm.

Half way up. it started getting a bit busy, so I decided to turn right and go up Tarn Crag, which I remember scrambling up in the dim & distant past.

Quite a scramble, but the views are well worth it.

Just nearing the top, I went too far to the right, and had to swing around an outcrop to get back on the route.  However, being a clumsy t***, I completely misjudged the gap, lost grip on the ledge, and threw myself, knee first into the crack in the grit stone.
At some point, in between the swearing, I realized that in a collision between flesh and gritstone, the grit-stone often wins.
I pulled myself to the top with a numb left leg, and sat cursing, yet enjoying the view!

Other than a few scratches on the arms, and a completely numb left leg, I seemed OK.  Annoyed that this was the first serious tumble in many years of free climbing, I decided that I wasn't going to give up smoking this week, had a ciggy and viciously attacked the packet of Jaffa cakes from my bag.



I could hardly put any weight on my still numb leg, so I hobbled over to Stickle Tarn thinking some ice cold water would help.

When I got there, I decided that it would be a bad idea to remove my boots, so I hobbled, fell, hobbled and stumbled my way back down across toward the Dungeon Ghyll and back to the pub.

After a while, the numbness started wearing off in my leg, and this was replaced by pain.  I decided that it was probably best if I went to the hospital to get it checked out.
Bad news.  It seems that I have a large tear in my quad-something-or-other, and have damaged the ligaments.
Ouch!

From the Cheshire plains to the Caribbean

If I was to get to the Timmy Tree do on Thursday, the I had to get up the Wigan flight, The Johnson Flight, and the Blackburn flight.
I rang CRT, and they said if I could be at the bottom of the Wigan flight 8:30 Tuesday, then I would have assisted passage, sharing the locks with nbCopperDragon.  This required a plan.

I drove the car to Wigan, and abandoned parked it at Wigan Pier.  Then I got the train to Warrington (20 mins), then the bus to Lymm (ages, and ages).  I finally got to Lymm and set off at 10:50.

I arrived at Stretford Marina by two, and filled with diesel.  I set off up towards Leigh, passing Worsley.

I arrived at Plank lane bridge at 17:40, but I couldn't open the bridge until 18:00, so time for a cuppa!

This has got to be the slowest lift bridge in existence! It took a full ten minutes to lift, then a further ten minutes to drop again after I had gone under.

I arrived at Poolstock bottom lock at 19:30, and passed nbCopperDragon.  Up two locks and I was at Wigan Junction at 20:00.  I turned right to go down Henhurst Lock.  This is a terrible lock when you are by yourself.  It is leaking so badly that you need to open all the paddles to fill it up.  This means opening one, then going up onto the main road, over the bridge and back down the towpath to the other side to open that paddle.  Once full and the boat was in, you had to repeat the running around to shut the top paddles, and open the bottom ones.  By the time I had got through the lock, I moored on the right at 21:20 in the dark.  An hour and a half to do one lock!

However I had managed 28 miles in one day, and I was ready for the Wigan flight, so it was time for a couple of pints in Wigan Central.

At 8 in the morning, I turned around and went up through Henhurst lock.  The volunteers ware already there, and I joined nb Copper Dragon.

Some of the pounds were very low, and some were overflowing with the backwash from two boats coming down.

At the top, I filled up with water, but snapped the chain on the water filler lid, and lost it in the cut. Bugger!

A steady cruise and I arrived at Botany Bay at half five.

Wednesday morning, I called into the bakers in Botany Bay for a fresh loaf of bread, a slice of still warm bread and butter, then set off for Blackburn.

When I got to the bottom lock of the Johnson flight, all of the paddles had been left slightly open.  I closed the top paddles, and went up the lock.  By the time I got to lock 62, the water level was so low that there was only 18" clearance on the cill.  I had to go up a flight and let water down so I could clear the cill.

It took me 2 1/2 hours to reach the top lock.  Pretty good going.

I had to stop at Feniscowles to untangle several bin bags from the prop, and reached the Blackburn bottom lock at six, where Rob was waiting to do the locks for me.  I arrived at Eanam by seven and then got the train back to Wigan to collect the car.

A lovely trout was waiting for me when I got back to the Calypso Restaurant!

Lots of Walking

I said my farewells and left Anderton Marina with all shiny new name :-)

I caught the port side at the front on Barnton Tunnel.  While waiting for the lights at Saltersford Tunnel, a woman on a moored boat told me not to look down the roof, but to stand at the side and look down the side of the boat, and judge it against the tunnel wall.
Saltersford tunnel, and Preston brook Tunnel - I sailed straight through!

I decided to stop at the far end of Preston Brook Tunnel, and walked up to Tunnel top for a couple of pints in the pub up there.  Very nice, but quiet on a Thursday evening.

I stopped at Midland Chandlers and got a new nav light, then turned left towards Runcorn.  This was a very pretty stretch of canal,

 then very suddenly, I was at the end of the canal at Runcorn.

I moored up, then got the train to Greenbank, then the bus to Anderton and collected the car.  I am amased at how well I am doing at remembering where I left the car!
I then drove to Moore, and dropped the car off.  A bus back to Runcorn and I could collect the boat again!
It was then an hour and a half to leave the Runcorn arm, and head for Moore, a very pretty village, and mooring.

After finishing at the brewery on Saturday, I went up to the Old for an evening.  I was a bit late for food, but they will always supply a few chips to go with the beer.

Sunday Morning I just had a quick climb up Mill Ghyll and Jakes Rake.

The weather wasn't good, so I decided to head back down to the boat, but called in at the Butcher on the way past.  Luke told me that there was going to be a memorial do for Timmy Tree on the Thursday, if I could make it.

I drove down to Lymm and left the car there.  I walked down part of something called NCN62.  This is a cross country Bridleway, which took me under the M6, and straight accross to the former docks at Thelwall.

I then walked out of Thelwall down to Moore.

Now in the boat,  I left Moore at 18:15, and got to Lymm at 20:00.

So far today, I have woken in a tent in Langdale, Climbed Jakes Rake, driven back to Lymm, Walked from Lymm to Moore, then sailed back to Lymm.  I think I have earned several beers!

No longer Anonymous

Sunday, and I could take the boat back to Anderton to get the sign-writing finished. I did the reverse of the previous week, I drove the car to Anderton, then walked back to Acton Bridge, cross country this time.
It was after dinner when I got back to Acton Bridge, so set off to get the last booking at the boat lift.

I reached the locks at Salterford, but had to wait while a boat was coming down.

I arrived at the lift and had just turned around to moor up, when I was told to go straight in.

The second time now that I had been in the lift, and it is still a formidable piece of engineering.

Once at the top, I went on to Wincham, as somebody had recommended the Salt Barge for food.



When I got there, I was disappointed to find there was nobody behind the bar.  After 20 minutes, I managed to get a drink and asked for a menu.  I asked for a menu again, and after a while, I had finished my drink.  30 minutes later, I managed to get another drink, and ask for a menu again. By the time I had finished the second drink, nobody had yet found a menu, so I decided to leave.  I could understand it if the pub was busy, but there were only 20 customers in. The problem was the staff were just absent, and probably absent minded.


The food may be good, should you manage to order any, but the service at the Salt Barge is crap.

I returned to the marina and parked up ready for the morning.
Monday morning I was woken by a bunch of thugs.

I bought a new set of leisure batteries from the marina, and fit them.  By then the artwork was coming along nicely.

Tuesday I went to Olympia for the GBBF trade day.

Loren was enjoying herself.




I returned late Tuesday night, and woke Wednesday morning to a great sight.  The completed sign-writing.