This evening we are back on the main canal system and are moored on the Rufford Arm just before Spark Bridge.  Today has been a long day, we left the mooring at 9:30am and didn't moor up until 5:15pm.  Now taking it easy after a most welcome shower!  Drinking a gin and tonic and anticipating the delicious chicken curry that I cooked yesterday for this evening's meal.

In the top staircase lock that you have to reverse into

You have to reverse into the staircase because there is no room to turn a boat at the bottom.

Negotiating the Savick Brook

Turning onto the Ribble

Narrowboat Take Five on the Ribble

Looks idyllic

Jeanie Deans making good progress on the Ribble

Asland Lamp! Turn left here or next stop Ireland

Back into Tarleton Lock!

Tonight is our last night on the Lancaster Canal.  Although we have had a wonderful time here and are a little sad to be going, we are now looking forward to the next part of the trip.  We are moored up about 2 miles from the top of the staircase lock, where we meet tomorrow at 11:15am to begin the trip back across the River Ribble to the main system.  Tonight's mooring is quiet, apart from the bleating of sheep and a couple of other boats moored nearby.  The Canal is a bit on the shallow side though and we are moored about 4 foot from the bank.

Tonight's mooring is a bit shallow!

Last evening's visitors

We enjoyed our stay in Garstang although it was so hot that we did not make it to Blackpool.  A good place to stay though and pass the time of day with other boaters.  Garstang, it turns out has a long history.  For anyone who is currently watching The White Queen, the ruined castle here was built by Lord Thomas Stanley, and was gifted to him by Henry VII for his part in the Battle of Bosworth Field.

Moorings at Garstang

Following our sojourn in Garstang we moved a few miles to Bilsborrow, where we had planned to have a meal at Owd Nell's, a lively pub that we visited for a drink on the way down.  We also decided to visit Blackpool from here as we did not get round to it before.  Couldn't get there directly so caught a bus to Preston and then another bus to Blackpool.  This was a rather circuitous route and we eventually arrived an hour and a half later.  Managed to get back by a more direct route.

Blackpool is looking pretty good and was busy and lively.  Due to the amount of time travelling took we didn't have that much time there. n Did all the essentials though: fish and chips on the seafront, ice cream on the pier and a paddle in the sea.  I got splashed by the waves and got soaked trousers.  Soon dried in the heat though.  Had a pleasant evening with good food at Owd Nell's when we got back.

Blackpool Tower

North Pier, Blackpool

Looking forward to tomorrow's crossing and then carrying on to Liverpool.  We are due to go into Salthouse Dock on Wednesday morning, which gives us three days to travel up to Liverpool where we have to wait to be escorted through the last two swing bridges and into the Docks.

Since the last blog instalment we have been busy.  On Wednesday we moved a few miles along the canal and moored up near a place called Galgate.  Found a good mooring where we could actually get right into the side and good wide towpath for the dogs to run around on.  As it was still lovely and warm we sat outside in the evening and met an interesting bloke called Chris.  He wandered along the towpath with a big pack on a trolley and wearing a kilt.  He is apparently an ex social worker with some mental health issues and is walking the coast of Britain to raise money and awareness for MH charities, Mind and Penumbra.  He is doing this without money and relying on others to feed and shelter him.  After he left us he spent the night a few yards further down the canal as a guest on a narrow boat.  He told us that he used to live in Corby, which is very close to where we lived before moving onto the boat.  For anyone who is interested in his journey he has a facebook page 'walk a mile in my shoes'.

On Thursday after walking the dogs we caught the bus into Lancaster and spent the day there.  Had an interesting tour around the castle, including the part that was HMP Lancaster until its closure in 2011.  Very instructive, I think the inside of the prison may have dispelled some peoples ideas about prison being a holiday camp.  It was pretty grim!  I forgot my camera so no photo's sadly.  The castle remains a working Court and we were also able to look around as no Courts were sitting.

Friday morning after calling into the facilities at Galgate we cruised down the six locks to Glasson Basin, intending to stop for the weekend.  However it was so lovely there that we stayed an extra day and only left this morning.  Had a good trip down the locks with another boat also heading for the basin.  Big locks with some strange and heavy paddle gear so sharing locks made the work load a little lighter.

Coming round the junction to the top lock

An example of the paddle gear, very hard to open!

Jeanie Deans and 'Avent Got One' waiting to enter the lock

Coming into Glasson Basin

Glasson Basin is a surprising place!  Full of yachts and bigger boats.  There is a lock out of the Basin into Glasson Dock and from there into the Lune estuary.  The lock is opened at high tide to allow boats in and out.

Locking a boat up into the basin

Two to go down

Glasson is only a small place but it is busy.  For some reason it is a place to come for motorcycles, and on Saturday morning at least 29 Honda Gold Wing's turned up presumably on a club run.  Brilliant sight with several trikes and a sidecar among them.


Also a smoke house in Glasson where we bought excellent kippers, smoked cheese and Morecombe Bay potted shrimps.  A real feast!  We had a very relaxing few days in Glasson Basin and found some good walks for the dogs.  They got to swim in the estuary and get muddy.  Spent most of the time outside as the weather is behaving itself for once.  A bit too hot really, but I refuse to complain after the rubbish summer we had last year.

Mooring in Glasson Basin

Who needs the Med!

 Moored up near Galgate this evening where Truly managed to roll in something disgusting and stink the boat out.  Managed to clean her up, but think she will have to have a swim tomorrow.

So pretty but so smelly!!

The naughty boy!

Tomorrow we are heading to Garstang where we will stay for a few days to restock the food cupboards and hopefully to have a day out at Blackpool.  Graham is getting quite into bus travel!

Tonight we are moored up at nowhere in particular a few miles outside of Lancaster.  We are in a nice shady cutting, which with the hot weather we have had is a welcome change.

Tonight's mooring

The view from the back

We have had a lazy few days since leaving Tewitfield.  We moored up on Friday night at Carnforth where we did some shopping and went looking for a pie shop that had been given a good write up in the Nicholson Guide.  But no sign of it so think it must have closed.  Very disappointing as had been looking forward to pie for tea.

Carnforth

On Saturday morning we moved on to Hest Bank, where we moored up for the day on the way down.  This is a lovely place to moor with views over Morecombe Bay.  Had a good couple of days walking the dogs on the beach, which they love and on Monday we went into Morecombe on the bus.  This was a bit hair raising!!  The bus was running about 15 minutes late and the driver was driving like a bat out of hell.  He also took a wrong turn to a chorus of all the passengers that he was going the wrong way.  Apparently he had also gone wrong before we got on, which might explain why the bus was so late.  Morecombe looks as though it might be struggling a bit, but it was fairly busy and the views across the bay to the hills of the Lake District were stunning.

Hest Bank

Views across Morecombe Bay at Hest Bank

The dogs enjoying the beach at Hest Bank

Called in at the facilities at Lancaster and met a bloke who was telling me that two years ago he had a heart attack, right outside a funeral parlour.  It has made him think about his life and he has now bought a boat.  Lancaster was very busy so we passed through and found a shady, cool mooring.

Today we crossed the River Lune on the impressive Lune Aquaduct, and at the weekend we will be going down to Glasson Basin to the Lune Estuary.

The River Lune from the aquaduct

The Lune Aquaduct

Lancaster Canal

We are now moored at the top of the Lancaster Canal at a place called Tewitfield.  We arrived yesterday and stayed for today so that we could have a look round and explore the Northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal, which used to go to Kendal but is now sadly not navigable.  There are plans to re-open the canal as far as Kendal but this will take some engineering feats as the M6 motorway runs across the path of the canal.     It is beautiful here and if not for the noise from the motorway would be a peaceful and idyllic mooring.

The end of the Navigable section of the Lancaster Canal

This morning we went for a walk along the northern reaches of the canal towards Kendal.  Apparently you can walk to Kendal and then catch a bus back, but not sure whether they would let dogs on the bus.  Even if they did I think Jake might manage to get us thrown off.  Apart from the obvious problems of getting the canal underneath the motorway and over or around a few other obstacles, the prospect of it re-opening seems good.  The locks all look in good order, apart from the obvious difficulty of them not having gates and the canal has water in it, always a good start.

The eight locks at Tewitfield are in good repair 

They need new gates though

Sadly the M6 runs across the course of the canal now

It's been a peaceful interlude moored up here but tomorrow we move on to Carnforth, where there is a Tesco close to the canal.  Then we will take a slow trip back to Preston stopping at all the places of interest on the way back.  We have another three weeks before we are booked in to go back to Tarleton so plenty of time to take it easy and have a good look round.  Main places to see at the moment are Lancaster and Morecombe Bay, and possibly to see if we can get to Blackpool by bus.  We are also planning to go down to Glasson Basin, through the only six locks in use on the canal.