Boatdate: 19072020
Location: Burscough to Parbold
Weather: Sunny, light breeze

The weather has cleared up so it looks set fair for a short cruise to Parbold with Claire and Phil. They arrive on their classic Velocette motorbike and we secure it to the rear platform of Pan91 with some crocodile straps. It fits pretty snugly and doesn't interfere with the movement of the tiller arm though Pan has a pretty high tiller as narrowboats go. Several bike enthusiasts stop to drool over the motorbike so it is obviously one of those classics held in high regard by the biking fraternity and it is indeed a lovely machine. I really should have taken a picture of it on board but forgot so here is a stock photo of a Velocette Venom.

We cruise for about an hour and stop for lunch mooring up next to a huge field of spinach which someone tells us has been harvested already so we can go and pick some leftovers, if we want so we do. It turns out there is loads left and it is really lovely spinach, soft and buttery with a great flavour.

A short cruise after lunch brings us into Parbold and we moor up on the towpath side just short of the bridge. There is a handy little car park by the bridge so it's a perfect place to unload the bike so C and P can ride home.

All in all, a great day and it was really nice to have friends on board once again.

    (Clair at the tiller)

Boatdate: 18072020
Location: Burscough

It looks set to rain most of today. It's a persistent penetrating sort of rain that soaks you through in no time. Mid morning, Derek's massive fuel barge (0783742858) sails by heading south and 50 metres on stops, dead in the water.

 The crew angle the barge across the canal so that the stern is hard up against the bank. Turns out there is about 15 metres of steel wire cored brush wrapped tight round his prop. It's sort of like a drain or flu cleaning rod and very long and very tough. Even the barge's big Gardner engine can't chop that up. The crew drain the water ballast tank from the rear of the boat so the prop is more accessible. Then they are half in and half out the water leaning down trying to clear the mess up with a pair of bolt cutters. It takes over two hours to get it all off. It was so wet you might well as just climb in the canal to do it. 

While the crew is clearing the prop I buy some diesel off Derek so his morning isn't entirely wasted. He looks as if he's been on that boat for all of its 80yrs. In fact, he has two of them, but even so it's hard to make ends meet working them up and down the canal every three weeks supplying diesel, solid fuel and gas to all the boats. Their schedule has been sorely delayed by this mishap and later in the day they pass us by once more having turned round at Scarisbrick.

For the rest of the day we mooch about Burscough and will overnight here as friends from Lancaster will join us tomorrow.

Boatdate: 17072020
Location: Nr Heatons Bridge
Nerdilly Accurate Location:  53°36'11.5"N  2°53'28.7"W

It's hot and we can't be bothered to move so we don't and just potter about. Then late in the afternoon we suddenly decide to move. I don't know, it's a mystery. It's not long before we arrive at Crabtree Swing Bridge and discover Dreamcatcher moored outside the Slipway pub. We say hi (again), and decide to stop and have a pint and a chinwag with Olly and Theresa. They do a nice pint of Tetley's and it's dog knows how long since I had a real pint pulled in a real pub so it's like nectar, and there are benches on the canal bank to sit and watch the world go by.

O and T are heading for the Ribauld Link and onto the Lanky. We exchange e mail details and I send them all my notes on the Lancaster Canal which could come in handy. I warn them it's a tad on the weedy side atm and that the canal profile is more V shaped than U shaped so mooring right up against the bank is difficult in a lot of places because it's too shallow or you need to moor a little out and use a gang plank to access the bank.

Suitable refreshed we say goodbye, (again), and carry on into Burscough stopping here for fresh water, food and to moor up for the night.

    (Sunset in Burscough)

Boatdate: 16072020
Location: Melling

In the morning I unhitched the bike and cycled a mile up the towpath to visit Brendale Avenue where my auntie Muriel lived and where I spent some time, (no idea how much time), as a child. It's all a bit hazy now but it was 60+ years ago and I only have fleeting memories of the place. I did recognise it though.

(Brendale Ave, Maghull)

Later in the morning we sail by Dreamcatcher moored a little further the cut from us.

     (Dreamcatcher - Olly and Theresa's beautiful boat)

Olly materializes on deck and sais they are about to leave too. We agree to sail on together to bunny hop all the swing bridges.

We sail on together until we arrive at Scarisbrick Marina where we stop to get a new gas bottle and so bid Olly and Theresa farewell (again!)

The marina is pretty chokka and the shop is shut but they will sell us a gas bottle if we pay contactless. There's a tight turnaround in the marina and back out turning left to travel a short distance up to where we moor for the night between bridges 28 (Heatons Bridge) and 29 (Gregson's Bridge).

Boatdate: 15072020
Locaton: Salthouse Dock

It's the leaving of Liverpool day. It's been a lovely stay and we will definitely be back for another visit at some point. We are up by 7am and getting everything ready for departure. It's a mizzling sort of day so by 8am we are togged in wet weather gear and warming up the engine. We cast off just after 8 and proceed through Albert Dock to the Mann Island Lock. We are asked to wait in the lock to share it with the boat following us up the Link. 'Dreamcatcher' arrives five minutes later and, as it turns out, we will be bumping into Dreamcatcher (not literally), all the way up the canal as far as Parbold. The Link passage is uneventful if a little soggy. There are not as many CRT staff on duty this morning so Olly from Dreamcatcher and I work the Stanley Locks together with the CRT staff walking ahead to prepare the next one for our approach. Dreamcatcher have a GoPro mounted on their bow and later sent us this video of our passage which compresses and hour and a half into under a minute of video. So here it is.

Next stop is Litherland services to bunker water and some grub for the next few days from the supermarket. The swing bridge at Litherland required kicking into submission but we eventually got it open and Dreamcatcher (which had also stopped) and Pan91 proceeded on together bunny hopping all the swing bridges en route. taking it in turns to operate them. There was an hour to kill at Hancocks Swing Bridge (No9) which operates on a timer switch only allowing passage of canal traffic in off peak times. Shortly after 6pm we are through and on our way to Melling to more or less the same mooring spot we used on the way down. The weather had improved considerably by then and we spent a quiet evening watching lots of bees being disgruntled at the presence of our boat near their nest, a nest I looked for but never found.

Boatdate: 14072020
Location: Salthouse Dock

Our last full day in Liverpool. It's a shame that a lot of the galleries and museums remain closed due to the pandemic. I would have spent many an hour in the maritime museum had if been open. Alas, it was not to be. We have a lazy day and visit the CRT showers in Albert Dock which are very good. We spend the rest of the day noodling around the docks and getting ready to depart early in the morning. The departure window is only an hour and a half from 0800 to 0930 when the CRT staff are on hand so we have to be up and prepared early.

Boatdate: 13072020
Location: Salthouse Dock

It not being Sunday we walked to Liverpool Cathedral which is big. Actually it's the longest Cathedral in the world and they didn't let us into that either in case we got lost. So instead we walked under the tunnel lined with gravestones into the quiet of St James gardens with it's fountain of springwater. It was lovely though the gravestones made very sad reading.

William Huskisson was buried here in 1830. He was the MP for Liverpool elected in 1823. He was the first person in the world to be killed by a steam train having fallen into the path of an oncoming locomotive.

We sat for quite a while in the park drinking in the quiet and the coffee and then decided to walk back via Chinatown which looks very run down at the moment which is probably because we are not getting on at all well with China just now so they are all keeping a low profile or in hiding in case Dominic Raab decides to pay them a visit.

Even the dragon looked fed up so I gave it my gay umbrella to chew to cheer it up.

Boatdate: 12072020
Location: Salthouse Dock

We hopped on a bus to Speke Hall, a 16th C Tudor pile. It was so exciting Ben fell asleep and dreamt of kayaks while I made sure no one nicked the mobile phone sticking out his back pocket. Why do all young uns stick their phones in their back pocket waiting to be nicked or sat on? Beats me.

It's an oak framed, wattle and daub structure on a bed of red sandstone owned then by a chap called William Norris. There's a Peter Norris and a Sue Norris live next door to me but I don't know if William had anything to do with that. The NT look after it now, (not Windows NT), which is an ancient operating system. Norris was a catholic so the place has a priest hole and eavesdropping facilities run by Huawei Norris, which is probably a misspelling of Hugh Norris. We couldn't go in because they were afraid we might find the priest and have at him with my gay umbrella. Probably would have too!

In the end the excitement was too much for Ben so he had himself picked up later that afternoon and driven home to Bury to have another lie down.

Boatdate: 11072020
Location: Salthouse Dock, Liverpool

Ben seems to like the kayak. He eats there.....

...Drinks there..

 I might have to make him sleep there.

I took a trip to see if the house mum was born in in 1914 on Globe Street was still there.

The street is still there, half of it anyway, but mum's gaff long gone with only a short row of the original houses still standing.

The rest has been redeveloped and probably a lot were bombed to smithereens during WWII.

I don't know how long mum lived on Globe Street but it's not a particularly nice area, at least not now it isn't. I've no idea what it would have been like in 1914.

PANNIVERSARY! :-))

Boatdate: 10072020
Location: Melling to Salthouse Dock, Liverpool

A year ago today we bought Pan91 from the previous owner Fred Hall who very sadly passed away last December. He will be sorely missed by all his family and we grew very fond of Fred in the short time we knew him. RIP Fred. I still occasionally listen to his gorgeous brummy accent from the recording I took as Fred showed us around Pan91 explaining all her foibles to us.

For the purposes of celebration we have brought along a bottle of bubbly which we will crack open on arrival in Salthouse Dock. We sail on through Aintree and stop in Litherland at the services to bunker water and go to the nearby Tescos. We meet Tim on board the lovely old boat Cymbelstern who is also sailing into Liverpool today and we agree to meet up at the top of the Stanley Dock locks to go down them together and save a bit of water.

Arriving at the start of the Liverpool Link we are all excited to discover what it entails and we are not dissapointed. The immense size of the Mersey docklands area is overwhelming as are the gargantuan old warehouses lining the route. CRT volunteers are on hand to help us down the four locks leading into Stanley Dock and then into Collingwood Dock and then Salisbury Dock then a left hander into what has become affectionately known as Sid's Ditch, a cutting leading towards Princes Dock. Sid is, I understand, one of the CRT volunteers often on hand to guide boats into Liverpool. Here is a picture of Sid courtesy of Ian Jamieson from the narrowboat Free Spirit.

After Sid's Ditch we pass by some fancy waterside apartments, under Princes Parade and on into Princes Dock. Then there is a bendy tunnel which pops out directly in front of the Liver Building, a very impressive sight from this perspective. A couple of small tunnels then lead to the Mann Island lock permitting a very small drop in level down into Canning Dock then through the bridges into Albert Dock and finally to our mooring pontoon in Salthouse Dock. It's all eye poppingly impressive and highly recommended and, at the moment anyway, a seven day stay in Salthouse Dock is free as is an electric mains hook up on the pontoons.

  (Ben Piloting Pan91 through the Link)

Boating through the link is not difficult and the CRT volunteers will assist boaters with guidance if needed but the route is pretty straight forward.

Once safely through the link we moor up at our allocated berth on the pontoon and it's time to get the bubbly out, not only to celebrate the Panniversary, but also all of our birthdays which have occurred during lockdown and it is the first time we have seen Ben for months and months.

and......

Pop......

After a suitable quantity of bubbly I drag out the mains cable, rewire the batteries to take power from the charger, (I had previously disconnected these leads when cleaning the battery bank out and not bothered to reconnect as we never use mains power on Pan), and plug in. Amazingly enough it all works and it's FREE.

Ben, as usual, gets the kayak out and paddles off to explore the dock complex. We just chill out and take in our surroundings. All rather splendid really.

Even better, Ben cooks our tea. Yum.

A random batch of photos taken during our passage through the Link follows.

Boatdate: 09072020
Location: Burscough to Melling

There's a slew of swing bridges to negotiate on the way to Liverpool. Some are manual but ones that have any significant traffic crossing the canal are electric. Most were fine except for Bells Lane swing bridge which opened fine but on closing the wedges would not engage so the barriers stayed down stopping the passage of traffic. Cars backed up on either side and after trying to shift the bridge with muscle power (hopeless) we were left apologising to the cars having to make U turns to find a different route while ringing the CRT to get a crew out to sort the problem. Half an hour later they arrived and had to reset the electric panel controlling the bridge. Thankfully that sorted the problem although I expect it is going to happen again as the folk living nearby said there had been a few recurring issues with the bridge.

On our way again we soon pass Maghull where my aunty Muriel lived on Brendale Avenue and I consider taking the bike off here to have a quick look for old times sake but as it's getting late on decide to do that on the way back instead. Under the M58 and we are out in open country again and it's time to stop for the night. We pass Melling Stone bridge on Brewery Lane and find a mooring spot on the towpath side relatively clear of the abundant weed hereabouts.

Boatdate: 08072020
Location: Burscough
Water Status: Full
Beer Status: Inadequate
Whiskey Status: Improving
Bilge Status: Damp
Toilet Status: Damper
Voltage: 12 something

 (carved into marble nr Burscough bridge: artist not credited which seems odd for such fine work)

The weather holds good for arrival in Burscough. We moor up short of Burscough bridge but within easy reach of the services. Ben immediately gets the kayak out and goes for an explore. The spa shop near the bridge provides some goodies and we hunker down for a pleasant evening. I am not happy with my book. It starts well and draws you into the complex narrative so that you become hooked and want to know how it all pans out. But then, like a jaded conjurer, tired of extracting rabbits from a hat, it pulls together implausible connections and unlikely character shifts that just don't ring true. I finish it with a Grrr and wash the bad taste away with a dram or two. Yours, Disgusted of Burscough.

Boatdate: 08072020
Location: Tarleton

Pretty tired after the crossing yesterday so in no rush this morning and we have three days before we are due in Salthouse Docks, Liverpool. However, we do need a pump out and to bunker some water as I ran a fair bit off during the crossing. Mid morning then we head of to the services at Sparks bridge a short way down the Rufford branch. There's very little moving along this part of the canal and we only encounter one or two other boats so we spend an hour or so pumping out and filling the water tank and having showers while Ben makes us all breakfast.

Carrying on towards Burscough we bump into Stuart and Carol who were our neighbours on the Lancaster Canal for a lot of the lockdown. It's a timely meeting as we can continue up the canal sharing the locks and reducing the workload for everyone as some of those locks are hard going.  Fortunately some work has been done on the swing bridge at the top junction which is much easier to move than it was the last time we were through this way.

Boatdate: 07072020
Location: Ribble Link Day
Weather: A bit moist but at least the gales of last week have departed.

Finally, we get to cross onto the main system and thankfully the weather has calmed down a lot so the crossing shouldn't get too choppy. Pleased to see the nice folk off Elbereth again. This was a boat we hired from Chas Hardern about five years ago to sail to Llangollen and which is now privately owned. Fond memories of that trip and the spectacular views crossing the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, perhaps one of the most awe inspiring structures of the whole canal network.

At the end of Savick Brook the boats start to stack up on the pontoon as there will be about an hour wait for tide conditions on the Ribble to be optimal for the crossing. Time for a boiled egg and toast then.

An hour later we are off and Ben gets right cross with this eejit trying to jump the gun. He does seem to be in an awful hurry and guns his engine to high revs cutting the corner on the turn out onto the river, (not a good idea), overtaking as many boats as he can. Life's too short pal.

Everyone else makes steady progress togged up against the drizzle. Every so often I run off the hot water from the tap which helps keep the engine temperature down as they have to work pretty hard on this crossing.

It's pretty busy when we get to Tarleton so we moor alongside Elbereth and get a guided tour of his solar array which is hinged on gas struts and angles every which way to catch maximum rays. Not at all jealous. Not a bit.