A few days on the Lancaster Canal

14th August to 17th August 2001

with

Suzie & Michael

Tuesday 14th August 2001 
It was a lovely sunny day, much better than forecast.  We arrived at Clifton Hill at   precisely 1500 hours, we had hoped to be there at 1400 hours but it didn’t work out.  Sue was exhausted with all the organisation and preparations for looking after mum.  We met Wendy and John,  the boat owners, outside their house and introduced ourselves.
We loaded the boat, Tuesday’s Child, up, it was even more beautiful than we’d imagined.  Almost new but ever so welcoming, beautifully presented, ready to receive us.  Wendy showed us how to work the shower, cooker, TV and all the inner fittings and John explained how to start, stop and care for  the engine.
We went back to the house for a refreshing drink and then John took us down the canal, towards Garstang, to show us how to handle the boat.  We learnt how to take the boat into the side, how to approach and go under bridges and how to turn round in a ‘winding hole’.  I was surprised that everything seemed to be done the wrong way?  Sadly it all went in one ear and out the other!  
There were blue dragonflies everywhere, swallows were diving and soaring taking insects off the surface, beautiful.  John said there were three kingfishers on the stretch to Galgate but we didn’t see any.  We approached Water Babies jetty and, after reassuring us that we’d be alright, just take everything slowly, John leapt off wishing us a good holiday.  
We’re not sure of the time we were left on our own, possibly around 1700 hours.  We proceeded gingerly passing a few moored boats and being passed by a small GRP cruiser.  The canal side was beautiful, all green and  pastoral.  We passed the Glasson branch and approached the Galgate marina, it seemed very narrow passing between the moored boats on both sides.  We saw our first heron after we had left Galgate behind.
The countryside was lovely and peaceful.  John had told us to spend the night in a ‘water meadow’ area just through the cutting, he’d also said that it would be getting dark by the time we would get there.
Sue was dying to use the loo and I couldn’t wait so went over the side whilst she was struggling below, at the time wondering if I was blotting my copybook with Water Babies whose  house and base overlooked the canal?  The boat was easy to steer but you couldn’t let go of the tiller, it waltzed about all over the place in seconds, so you can picture the scene.
I attempted to eat shredded wheat whilst helming but it proved to be hopeless, shredded wheat all down my shirt and all over the deck.  Sue started to put the food away but I said leave that until we stop, come and enjoy the scenery.
We studied the map. provided by Water Babies, and couldn’t identify the ‘cutting’.  We appeared to go through a cutting after Galgate but it opened up into an area dominated by electricity pylons and wires. 

Surely he couldn’t have meant this?  We decided not to stop under the wires.  After a few anxious moments, we didn’t want to get into Lancaster, would we be motoring all night!  we came on to a stretch which was the cutting.  It was evening by now and there wasn’t much light in the cutting, trees rising up from the water on both sides, I had to put my new glasses on, but it was full of interesting things.  The cutting is between bridges  91 and 94, bridge numbers are the ‘reference’ points as to where you are.  It is easy to pick out the bridges on the Ordnance Survey map, the one we were on is the Preston & Blackpool, number 102, series 50 000.  
We came out of the cutting and identified a spot to stop, a short length of mowed grass alongside the water with reeds either side.  I attempted to drive the boat into the reeds but was only half hearted and we ended up a couple of feet from the bank, not alongside as John had done.  We got the gangplank out and drove in   the mooring spikes and secured the boat for the night.  By now it was about 2000 hours. We couldn’t exactly make out the water meadows but it was a very pleasant pastoral scene with a house on the hill on one side in the distance and a farm on the other hill.  It was lovely and peaceful as the sun went down.
I couldn’t get anything on the TV except channel 4 - we wanted to find a weather forecast.  By 2200 hours we were all settled in and listening to the dulcet tones of Jazz FM, sipping the wine, Chardonney, and eating the chocolates that Water Babies had provided, together with a period Tuesday’s Child card welcoming us aboard.

Wednesday 15th August 2001 
Sue woke at 0805 hours, I’d been awake some time.  A  boat had passed earlier.
At 0900 hours it started to rain.  The forecast wasn’t good but it looked bright in parts.
A large narrowboat passed, going towards Preston, with the helmsman and crew sheltering under an umbrella. 

The umbrella disappearing round the bend.

Another boat passed, heading towards Kendal, whilst Sue was in the shower.  The shower tray was full to the brim and Sue was agitated about this but we found a switch on the vanetry unit which activated a pump to remove the water.  We later read in the boat instructions that you switched this pump on when the shower tray became half full.  The water appeared to go direct into the canal.  The boat had a large holding tank for our effluent.  The engine cooling water heated a large tank of hot water for the showers etc.  This was all the cooling the engine had, but nothing wasted.  To keep the batteries charged we needed to run the engine at 1300 rpm for four hours, a normal days running.  There was a battery to start he engine and three large batteries to run the ‘facilities’.  We had no problems with electricity. 

Our first overnight mooring after a good night’s sleep.

Tuesday’s Child from the rear, same first overnight mooring.

Sue enjoyed feeding the ducks before we cast off at about 1030 hours and motored into Lancaster.  We moored alongside the White Cross Hotel, between bridges 99 and 100, at approximately 1130 hours.  No one about so not too embarrassing but we managed OK, may have looked OK too if there had been anyone around.  We checked what time the hotel/pub served lunches to and set off to do some shopping in Lancaster.

The White Cross Hotel where we had lunch.

 
A close up of Tuesday’s Child and the diners, our first audience to watch us cast off and pull away.

Sue at the White Cross on my return from Waterstones, just before we set off again.

John had given us a pot of flowers to put on the bow but it wouldn’t stay put so he suggested getting some blue tack.  I thought a mouse pad cut up would probably be better as Wendy had been concerned that the blue tack would take the paint off.  The mouse pad, blue tacked on to the pot worked well.  Ivan pipped us as he was driving past the Ashton Hall and we bumped into Seb’s dad in the shopping malls.  Sue was feeling a bit sickly so we got some mineral water.  Got back to the boat and there was a rat running along the quay, wild life.
We had a nice meal in the pub and went back to the boat.  I nipped back into Lancaster to Waterstones to get an Ordnance Survey map of the northern part of the canal, Kendal & Morecambe, number 97.  I also got a little book The Complete Guide to the Lancaster Canal and the novel Alison had recommended, The Map of Love.  The sun came out and there were large bits of blue sky around.   We cast off at 1430 hours, in front of all the alfresco diners in the sunshine, not too bad for beginners.
We pottered northwards at 1300 rpm.  Yesterday this had seem fast, I was happier ar 1100 but John said keep at 1300 because otherwise the batteries wouldn’t charge up very well, perhaps not at all.  The canal through Lancaster was much nicer than we’d expected and we didn’t get bothered by the ‘pesky’ kids round Skerton,  which David had warned us about.  It was lovely considering we were in the middle of the industrial area.  The passage over the famous aqueduct was uneventful and not as exciting as the guide books led us to believe but it was nice looking down on to the Lune and then the traffic queuing up on the road below. 

Going over the Lune aqueduct, looking up stream.

Making progress towards Hest Bank, so far so good.

We’d planned to stop for tea near Hest Bank and looked for a likely spot to stop  but Hest Bank was upon us before we’d had the courage to pull in.  It was about 1630 hours when we tied up to the visitors moorings, again two foot from the side, it was too shallow to get any closer. 

Safely moored up at Hest Bank late on Wednesday afternoon. We later found out this was the wrong place for narow boats to moor at Hest Bank!

By now I was quite intimidated by the steel railway lines holding the piles together and the large stones in the water at the edges of the canal.  The water was beautifully clear and one could see all the hazards and there didn’t seem to be any reed beds with short lengths of mown grass in between.
We had a cup of  tea and a few biscuits and wandered down to the shore, the tide was out.  Sue rang Trudie and Brenda  to see if everything was OK at home, fortunately it was.  We met a helpful couple off a GRP motor cruiser, Solo, and they told us that you could get a good meal at the only pub in the village, just over the bridge from the moorings.  It must have been obvious to them that we were beginners.  They were catching us up before the aqueduct but they'd stopped on the aqueduct and we didn’t see them again until they’d reached Hest Bank.  By the time we had got back to the boat, approximately 1800 hours, we were both tired and decided not to press on.  We felt secure on the Hest Bank moorings.  The original idea had been to get through Carnforth and under the motorway before we stopped.  I was ‘frightened’ of the swing bridge just up ahead, actually having decided to stop we should have walked on after tea to spy out the land. 

It was a distinct disadvantage not being familiar with the canal or it’s ‘customs’ and not having a list of places to moor - you just pull into the side when you feel like stopping, you can moor anywhere on the tow path side.  There were a group of narrow boats just below us having a barbecue.  Sue prepared a makeshift tea and at 2030 hours it started to rain quite hard so we were glad we hadn’t gone for a walk after tea or pressed on.  High Water was 2052 hours.  More Jazz FM and reading.  Sue was into her Pillars of the Earth but I couldn’t get into my novels, either the Margaret Attwood one or the Map of Love, I was reading the guide books and maps trying to understand the area, without much success.
Thursday 15th August 2001 
It had rained hard during the night.  We got out of bed at 0815 hours.  It was still raining slightly and damp and not very bright but the forecast promised bright periods later.  After breakfast we noticed a Heron in the garden opposite our mooring but didn’t manage to get a good photograph of it. 

The heron that Sue spotted just before we left Hest Bank for Tewitfield, this was the bottom of the garden of the house across from where we moored.

One of the many ducks at Hest Bank.

We set off in the gentle rain, after struggling to get off the canal bottom and then, not having noticed the boat coming from Kendal, managed to get off without ‘incident’ because fortunately the approaching boat stopped and pulled into the side to wait for us to pass.  I hadn't realised that there wasn’t much room with the other boats moored.  We edged our way gingerly through the bridge and  then past the other boats tied up on both sides and out of Hest  Bank.  There are some lovely houses and gardens on the side of the canal all along the stretch we navigated.  Under the second bridge, 118, the pub on the right, under the third bridge and round a Z bend to the swing bridge.  No children around.  John had said for a few coppers there are usually some children who will operate the bridge for you but we weren’t that lucky.  We tied up and Sue opened the bridge.  Again I couldn’t get away from the bank but Sue said afterwards that it looked OK.  Sue closed the bridge and we muddled our way back into mid-stream and proceeded towards Carnforth.  Now the ‘spectacular views’ of Morecambe Bay and the Lake District hills came into view.  We were delighted by these scenes, every bit as good as promised.  Bridges 121, 122, 123 & 124 disappeared over the top of us and then 125 loomed in the distance (my notes say 124 but it must have been 125).  The water was very clear and we were in the centre of the canal, it being very shallow and rocky on our starboard side, just about to blow the horn when the bow of a narrowboat appeared approaching the bridge on the other side.  Reverse gear and we stopped but the boat came on and appeared to be going on to pass on the wrong side where there was no room although it must have looked wide to the oncoming boat.  Back in reverse at high revs and still the boat came on at us.  After about three boat lengths going backwards, and I was losing control, the front was drifting into the other boat, I put it in forward and managed to manoeuvre round the boat on the right side.  It was Thursday’s Child, with two adults and two children aboard.
Pleased at avoiding a collision and any damage we proceeded with more confidence.  Carnforth moorings arrived and there was a large expanse of water but this soon narrowed down to the standard width. 

Again the canal here was much nicer than we’d expected.  Under a few more bridges and suddenly the canal was overgrown with trees and reeds, just enough room for one boat.  Thank goodness we didn’t meet anyone here, I’m sure that I’d have had a heart attack.  We motored on, me becoming more and more apprehensive but spurred on by the prospect of the best part of the canal to come yet.  We went under the motorway slip road,  here it had widened out again and there was room for two boats under the bridge.  On through the new bit to get under the motorway.  Sharp right-hander and then under the long ‘tunnel’ under the motorway.  It looked very narrow but probably two narrowboats could just pass.  Out into the ‘narrow’ weed encroaching canal again but not quite so intimidating as the bit after Carnforth.
Now we looked out for somewhere to spend the night.  We planned to get to Tewitfield for lunch at the Longlands Hotel and then set off back towards Preston.  We found a few likely spots ‘seven minutes’ before the winding hole before bridge 131.  On this stretch we only saw one other boat all the way to Tewitfield, and that was moored for lunch near a bridge - we’d been told not to stop near a bridge.  The canal started to ‘open up’ again now and we passed many pleasant scenes and a few moored boats, their owners being very friendly, Capernwray Old Hall Caravan Site.  We passed the the Capernwray Canal Arm, Lover’s Creek -according to the guide book, again being welcomed  by the boats moored at the entrance. 

Through Borwick, I remembered that name from a photo that Dave had circulated, and up to the sudden end at Tewitfield.  On the Water Babies ‘map’ there was no turning point at Tewitfield so that caused me some anxiety but on the other hand there must be, and there was, just. 

The end of the canal at Tewitfield, below is the turning place, not quite a normal winding hole.  The noisy M6 is behind the trees.  You can see the fishermen who watched our turn and behind the blue boat children were swimming in the canal.  They said it was cold.  The tent is sheltering a man working on his boat.  The hotel is over to the right.

We approached the moorings, there were boats right on the turning point, I was approaching to stop but Sue though I was going to turn so we ended up turning.  
My finest hour.  It was the opposite direction to the one we’d done with John but I did what I could remember and the boat went round beautifully.  To the watching fishermen it must have looked like I was an old hand at it.  It was now about 1315 hours.  We crept back down the canal and moored on the side near some reeds, well short of bridge 138.  
We went aground before I reached the weeds, so out came the gangplank again and we secured the boat and hurried round to the hotel for a meal.  Sue's best meal of the holiday, it was good and the service, without a smile, was good too.  I had Dover Sole, Sue had pockets of pork stuffed with etc. etc.  The vegetables were delightful, various peppers, carrots, mange tout and other things.

Sue at the moorings at Tewitfield, after lunch.

Would it rain?  It didn’t.  We had a look at the first lock beyond the end of the canal and made our way back to the boat.  Sue was tired so I didn’t drag her any further. 

Still at Tewitfield.  Sue again, drinking Lucozade.  You can see John’s flowerpot secured on the foredeck.

My turn to be photographed.

Still at Tewitfield.  Sue again, drinking Lucozade.  You can just see the Longlands Hotel, where we had lunch, in the middle of the picture behind the tree.

Getting ready to leave Tewitfield, the way back is under the bridge, number 138, 15 miles from Kendal and 42 miles south to Preston.

1545 hours.  This time I couldn’t get the stern off the side but eventually we did and set off back.  We’d discovered at Carnforth that we were only doing two miles per hour. 

The lovely flowers, water lilies, and reeds typical of the canal north of the motorway at Carnforth.

Looking back to where we had come from, more flowers, note how narrow it is in places.  The reeds at the top of the picture hide the concrete abutment.

Trees and reeds almost taking over the canal, just north of Carnforth.

Just north of the Carnforth winding hole and moorings, so lovely and peaceful.

We passed the mooring sites we marked out and so we plodded on back to Hest Bank. 

Should we carry out our previous plan or should we carry on back to Hest Bank?  I worked out that from the mooring sites that we’d picked earlier it would take us seven and a half hours to get back to Clifton Hill, Water Babies base. At least we would have got the swing bridge out of the way and  we knew that we were safe on the moorings at Hest Bank and that it would only take us five hours at the most to get back to base tomorrow.  There hadn’t seemed to be anywhere to stop round Carnforth and along to Bolton-Le-Sands.  There were no reeds, the water was shallow and there were steel rails lining the bank and huge stones in the water every now and then.  
Just before the motorway we came to a narrow part, a point where they can put boards in to drain the canal.  Luckily I realised in time what it was and kept close to the left hand side.  The right-hand side was hidden in the reeds, two huge concrete mounds sticking out into the canal!  I broke out into cold sweats thinking of the damage that I could have done if I’d ploughed through the reeds!  Safely under the motorway and through the narrow bit we met a longer narrowboat just leaving the Carnforth Winding Hole.  I thought there was plenty of room to pass but they, three young people, held back until we’d got into the wide bit.  Did we look like beginners?  Out again into the canal and we scraped the bottom twice!  Just to the right of centre of the canal. 

I think this is on the way to Bolton-Le-Sands, where we touched the bottom twice here in the middle of the canal.

The only view over Morecambe Bay that I managed to photograph, there were many more around this point.

More tranquil beauty, breathtaking.

On of the many delightful houses on the east bank.

Sue couldn’t open the swing bridge, but we got through unscathed, although we scraped the ‘black bit’ on the stone quay  while the bridge was being opened but I couldn’t find any scratches on the boat.  Touched the stern as well.
Back to the ‘congestion’ at Hest Bank.  Sue photographed one of the houses.  1705 hours, our old position was taken  but we moored a bit further on with the help of a passer by and the man from  the boat in front.  He told us that these were the moorings for narrowboats, the ones that we’d stayed on the  night before were only suitable for the small cruisers.  This time we were right up against the bank, no gangplank needed.  We had to pull the stern in and the man patiently explained that Sue should have held the front, at that point we were doing it to the text book, and then I should have pushed the tiller hard over and the stern would have moved to the bank.  Trouble is he didn’t know that Sue can’t hold the boat!  I was a little miffed that he was telling me the one thing that I’d remembered however I didn’t show it just expressed my, genuine, gratitude for his help.  Sue also thanked him profusely.
A makeshift tea again.  Then we both read and listened to the radio.  Tonight I got the TV properly tuned in but we only watched the weather forecast.

Looking towards Lancaster just before sunset at Hest Bank, the second time.  You can just make out the helpful narrowboat.

Sue relaxing with her book.

Still reading!

Friday 17th August 2001 
Steven’s birthday.  It had rained hard most of the night and was still raining.  The Water Babies brochure says “ ... Waking up in the morning to the sound of busy wildlife ... ”  - lots of ducks pecking the side of  the boat to get your attention!  What a noise.

We cast off at 0900 hours, the boat in front having gone a little earlier.  We noted the times as we passed under the bridges. 

A typical bridge over the canal, nearly all the same although you could see through this one that nothing was coming and proceed happy and relaxed.

Another one

It took us two and a half hours to get to Tewitfield from Carnforth but only two hours to get back?  If we came again it would perhaps help us to work out how far we could go in comfort.
The rain stopped and we started round Lancaster.  A lady’s dog caught a duck and I said you’ll have to eat that for dinner now.  She was a little embarrassed.  We waved to walkers and people sat on their terraces. 

Back over the Lune aqueduct, looking up stream and below looking downstream.  This time Sue climbed on the roof to get better pictures.   “I would have leapt up and down without struggling like this in my younger days”.

Over the aqueduct, Sue climbed on to the roof to photograph the Lune.  Round Lancaster, under bridge 99 and into the old canal headquarters.  A fisherman, lines all over the place, waved me towards him, there was a reed bank ahead so I thought that’s what he meant.  Sue said fisherman ahead, she was up front, the lookout.  He meant get away.  Sue said “Sorry, we’re only beginners”.  He replied “I know, you got me on the way up”.  Generally we’d got on very well with fishermen.  Slowing down as John had suggested we do - the alternative was a pellet of maggots on the back of your neck as you sail past, John’d said, but this one we’d upset.  He appeared to tolerate us though.  We met a wide canal company working boat, glad we met it in the wide part!
Going back through the cutting was magical.  The light and reflections were delightful.  We spotted a heron up ahead and Sue went forward to photograph it.  It took off  each time we got close to it and flew down a little further ahead. 

Starting back through the cut, pity about the TV aerial.  This part of our journey was magical, even though the sun wasn’t always shining.  Can you see the heron?

You can now.

For a while she was in a world of her own with the heron.  I saw a kingfisher twice, flying away, skimming  just over the top of the water to a new hiding place.  
Through the cutting we pulled over for lunch, tuna fish salad, 1135 hours.  Still not having the courage to charge into the weeds we were again two foot from the side,  but it didn’t matter, just a few sharp words from the boss.

Through the cut we stopped for lunch.  Not e the white bags to stop walkers tripping up over the mooring spikes.   One female passer by said, “Are those so that we won’t trip and claim off you?”  “No I replied, acidly, they are to stop you tripping up over them and hurting yourselves”

Lovely clouds.   Pylons are not only ugly, they have harmful electric/magnetic fields around them, otherwise it was a peaceful setting, apart from the hum.

We left the mooring at 1300 hours with roughly two hours to go back to bridge number 78. 

Starting back on the last leg.  What’s this monster thrashing around in the water?  Twice as wide as us!  However he too stopped for lunch.

Worrying about the working barge I didn’t notice the boats coming up behind as we set off.

Sadness descended as we were near the end of our holiday.  We had to get back before five because Sue hadn’t booked a nurse to give mum’s injection and Trudie was worried that we’d be late.  We motored through Galgate, this time it seemed wider, some of the boats were occupied, getting ready for the weekend?  Thursday’s Child was tied up too. 

The Glasson branch first lock.  We were advised that we hadn’t time to get down to Glasson, a day there and a day back!

Past the Glasson turn off, this part of the canal is beautiful and pastoral. 

We’d have time to go past Water Babies if we’d wanted to but I wanted to get it safely tied up back home, couldn’t face the stress any longer, or rather we’d had such good fortune that I didn’t want to spoil it by going a bridge too far.

Almost back to Water Babies, the gloomy picture reflects our sadness that it was nearly all over.

Gently round the corner and lo and behold there was Monday's Child tied up to the jetty!  Just what I’d dreaded!  “Is there room on the other side of you?”  “No we’re just leaving”.  We stopped without panicking, shunted about a bit and moored up on the other side of the canal and waited for their departure.  Then we motored gently across, not without frightening Sue that I was going to crash into the jetty, and tied up like experts. 

All safely moored up and back at base. Sue waving goodbye. Taken from the bridge in the photo below.

Another narrow boat which appeared under the bridge and surprised us as we were tying up.

Sue cleaned up the boat and then John and Wendy were nowhere around!  I don’t care what happens I’m leaving at four said Sue. 

A last look at Tuesday's Child before we left her.

It turns out that they had just gone shopping and returned as we were about to pull of the car park to set of home.  They’d left the car keys on top of the driver’s side front wheel but they were the wrong keys!
They were surprised when I said it was a bit stressful but I said that’s because you don’t know my history.

Monday 20th August 2001
I thought that I ought to explain ‘my history’ to Water Babies.
Dear John & Wendy
As I whinged about the price when I came to book the boat I thought that you would like to know that having had the experience I now think that it was worth every penny. 
Probably unlike many of your customers I am an outdoor type and used to walking in the lakes, being close to nature and also getting away from every day life on the sea so I was expecting the tranquillity of the canal.  I’ll admit that I was surprised how tranquil it is though.  Also as you were puzzled that I referred to our holiday on Tuesday’s Child as stressful I thought that perhaps I ought to explain so that perhaps you’ll lend us the boat again sometime.

Some of our instructions;

To leave the bank: forward gear turn towards the bank - rear swings out into canal - reverse gear until front comes off and when plenty of room in front of bow forward gear and away.

To turn: line up parallel with bank about ten feet off – arrive at centre of winding hole stationary, using reverse to halt – using reverse gear it can stop within a boat length.

To moor: select a stretch of Bank with short grass – slow down – steer bow on to reed bed  till bow lifts – tiller hard over and forward gear.

Two blasts on the horn when approaching a blind bridge.  If in doubt stop.