Calypso to Collapso

That's not a real unicorn





I had sailed as far as Burnley wharf, and got a cold reception at the Inn on the wharf.  When a couple of us walked out of the back door onto the canal, the staff shut the door and bolted it behind them.

If you don't want anything to do with the canal, and you are running a canal side pub, then you need to find a different job.

I turned around and headed back to Blackburn for the Canal festival. I moored up next to Blue Moon, right outside the Caribbean.

As usual, Kennet was star of the show.

 I missed most of the Saturday due to work, but it was a lively evening

 Then in the morning, the locals were up and about

 Now that's what I call a Unicorn, great for a relaxing Sunday afternoon

Small boats and knitted boats

 After 2 weeks at Simsons Fold, it was time to move on.  I headed out towards Blackburn, and passed what is the smallest narrowboat I have ever seen





The bottom lock at Blackburn was leaking badly, it took ages to empty but then filled up quickly.















Once I was moored up at Rishton it was time to load the van again for the medieval fayre at Tatton Park.  We seem to be getting quicker at setting the beer tent up every year.  Soon the Marshmallow Unicorn was flowing!



Tatton over, and back to work.  At Leeds basin there was a boat that had a knitted cover.  That has got to take so much longer than a repaint!

Peace and quiet at Simsons Fold

After a few weeks at Botany Bay, the noise from the motorway gets a bit much.  Kier said he wasn't using his mooring, as his boat is out of the water, so I decided to move on for a couple of days.

I was just passing the mill at Botany Bay when I had a passer by shouting questions at me.  I pulled in, and found it was my old friend, and superb chef, Arif, who I hadn't seen for about five years.  After chatting for a while, I carried on up the Johnson Flight.  Whoever had been up before me had left the ground paddles open, so there was no water in the middle of the flight. I had to go up to the top to let water down before I could move further.

Once I got to the top, Kier joined me for the mile or so onto his mooring.

 This was such a peaceful spot in the middle of nowhere, a complete contrast to Botany Bay next to the M61.

 We went up to the Golden Lion, 3/4 mile up the lane for a pint, and got a welcome from some of the locals outside the pub

 A great view from this peaceful mooring.

To Chorley for the Mixed Grill

Having spent a week recovering from my climb in Langdale, I find out I have a "type 2 adductor injury".  Never heard of it, but it is a tear in one of the muscles in my leg, so "Complete Rest", and "TAKE IT EASY", and other phrases doctors are good at.
I had met up with Yorks Rob in Wigan, when he fixed my front doors, so we paired up to go up the Wigan flight.

 Some of the lock walls were leaking a bit...

 and some were leaking a lot!








I'm glad I have decent sized drain holes in the front deck!

 When we got to the top, I noticed that all the water points are 1/2" tap fittings, not the standard 3/4" for hoses.  Luckily I have an adapter.






Back to Chorley, and the Lock & Quay has a new couple running it.  The mixed grill is a perfect end to a long day boating.





I spent a few days wiring up a new widebeam for Steve Mayor.  I can only take credit for the wiring, Steve has done some superb joinery on this boat

The leaving of Liverpool

My time in Liverpool was soon at an end, but I decided, as it is the 200th year of the Leeds Liverpool canal, and 9 years since Luke and I walked the full length of the canal to raise money for RNLI, that I would now travel the full length of the canal to Leeds.

Back up the flight of locks and along the canal out of Liverpool.  I have no photos of this great journey through the locks, as will be explained below.





Once through Maghull, I stopped at the Ship Inn at Haskayne, where the Dragon boats had also stopped for a break

The next leg of the journey was back through Burscough

and past the Rufford branch again

There are some quite remote stretches of the canal running past Parbold

Unfortunately due to spending too much of the morning car shuffling, I was too late to get into Wigan.  The locks were closed at 8:00, so I stopped at Crooke Hall, which seemed a decent spot, opposite the Crooke Hall Inn, an Allgates Brewery Pub.

That time of Year again, I went back up to the Old, for the SARDA/Mountain Rescue Folk Festival.
It is now eight months since I fell off Tarn Crag, and my legs seemed to be working again, so I thought I would have a stroll up Mickleden

The weather was great, not too warm as I continued up the valley

I got as far as Angle Tarn, and was surprised to still see some snow on Hanging Knotts.  This was my first climbing since last year, so it would be daft to go for the snow...

But I couldn't resist building snowmen in May!

My leg was still fine, so I continued on over hanging Knotts, and on to the top of Bowfell

I felt great, no problems with the tendons in my knee, no problems with my Quads!

Then I came down the Bands.  Downhill was a completely different matter.  By the time I had got down to the valley floor, I was having to stop every few hundred yards.  Ow!  It took me three hours to get back to the Old for some anaesthetic.




Monday morning came and I was completely seized up!  I hobbled back to the car and headed back to the boat.  However when I got there, I found that the doors had been forced open, and the interior of the boat had been trashed.

They had taken a rucksack, some power tools and my crappy little digital camera, which had most of my Liverpool photos on.  Bastards!

The police turned up, and it seems it was a professional job, they were wearing gloves, and even polished a few surfaces on the boat as they left. I was not going to leave the boat here, so sailed straight up to Wigan, where Yorks Rob met me and fitted some high security bolts to the front doors.


I then headed back to the aptly named Crooke, to collect the car.  when I got there I found that the car window had been smashed.  My phone charger was gone, but nothing else.  It seems that people sit in the pub beer garden watching boats arrive, and people leave, so they know when a boat or car is unattended.  There is a clue in the name.

I got back to Wigan, as I was supposed to be going down to Ludlow judging beer, instead I waited all day for Autoglass to show up and replace the window.

The Liverpool Link

The day I had booked to go into Liverpool had finally arrived.  I left Melling, which was noisier now a young family had moved in next door

Once around the loop in the canal at Aintree, it was now only a couple of miles into Liverpool

 The last stretch to the top of Stanley dock





down the last flight of locks next to the huge tobacco warehouse all the way down to sea level

and then I was out of the canal, and into the huge sea port

 Turning left, the Liver buildings came into sight

and I passed right underneath it

and past the historic boats in Canning Dock

and finished at my reserved mooring in Salthouse dock

 As soon as I moored up I had the nosy neighbours peeking through the window.

I was really impressed by the moorings at the docks

The following day I had a wander around Liverpool.  I had not been here for about 25 years, and the city has undergone a transformation.  Some places I still remember, like Lime Street station.  Nobody makes buildings like this any more.

with St Georges Hall opposite.

I went around to the Museum as I wanted to see the Egyptology exhibition, but it was closed for the week I was here!

I called in at the Baltic Fleet, which is now a brew-pub.

Once the sun had gone down, the lights were turned on transforming Salthouse dock.

Another great discovery during my week in Liverpool was the Grapes, now renamed the dispensary.

Titanic Plum porter was their regular beer, which just hit the spot nicely!