Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS II YEARS

A LONG SUMMER : May to October 1995

Part 4 : The main Summer cruise -
(c) Bingley to Dutton.

We resume the story with the boat at Granby Bridge, near Bingley.

Because we were behind schedule, and knew the coming section to be a slow one with shallows and swing bridges, we managed an earlier start, at 07:10. At Snaygill Boats we stopped for what we thought a rather expensive pump-out. We reached Skipton wharf at 11:52 for a major shopping stop. There was indeed a big Tesco, but only up to free-range chickens, sliced ham and bacon, no bacon joints or gammon steaks, so we went back again to the good butcher.

The afternoon brought us more slow running to Gargrave locks. Above Higherland lock we stopped to take on water. We were locking with a boat we had met a couple of days ago, but they stopped above Scarland lock to take their kids back to the playground at the Anchor. We had hoped to get to the Cross Keys at East Marton for the night's mooring, but were trapped by lock closing times and ended up mooring again at Priest Holme aqueduct at 18:17.

The cats were very successful hunting overnight, and reluctant to leave in the morning, so we weren't away until 09:05. We went up Banknewton and Greenberfield locks. Because of slow running, we missed the 14:00 slot for Foulridge Tunnel by a few minutes, which would seriously louse-up what was left of our schedule if it meant we couldn't clear Barrowford locks that night. We had lunch on board while waiting for the 15:00 slot.

At the top of Barrowford locks the lock-keeper said he'd let us through as the flight (seven fairly deep, broad locks) can be done in 70 minutes. Then he worked with us and got us through in 57 minutes!

We went on to Hapton, where I had a couple of pints in the Bridge Inn (still a very pleasant pub) en route to getting us a fish & chip supper.

It was a beautiful start at 06:05 with the sun just rising, then taking a long time to cut through the mist. At the top of Blackburn locks we waited for a partner, who turned out to be a hire boat from L&L Cruisers at Chorley. At Nova Scotia wharf, Blackburn, we stopped for another rendezvous with Barbara, who arrived spot on time, having got here earlier and looked round the Cathedral. Since we first knew it, Blackburn has done a lot to clean-up and signpost its towpath and find some good uses for old waterside buildings.

Blackburn

At Johnson's Hillock locks we found ourselves locking with the same boat as that morning. A bit later, at Adlington we put Barbara ashore en passant just in time for her train home. Our overnight stop was at the top of Wigan locks. Only a couple of boats' lengths seem to have decent depth on these visitor moorings (in present conditions) and we weren't in time to get in there so had to moor with our back end a long way out.

We had booked BW assistance for 08:30, and so were worried when Orinthia didn't look as if she'd be back aboard by then. She finally turned up at 08:29, very indignant that we had assumed she didn't know what time we were due to move off. By 08:48 there was still no signs of BW activity, except that the padlocks were off, so the boaters organised ourselves into pairs and set off. We were in the first pair with another steel boat, with a couple of cruisers in the next pair. The BW help was much less in evidence than on the way up : had the splendid turn-out that time been because they knew there was a big Club cruise coming through?

Wigan locks

We arrived at Wigan Junction in plenty of time for Grainne to catch her train home, then had something to eat on board. There was clearly no time left in our schedule to explore towards Liverpool, so we turned into the Branch heading for Butt's Bridge in Leigh. We had arranged to meet Barbara again here, as this is the nearest point to her house. She and we arrived at the same moment, so we didn't even need to tie up. At Brinks' Boats, Worsley we had a pump-out and Barbara left for home. The boatyard people advised us against mooring overnight by the aqueduct, as we had intended, and said it was better to go on to one of the Cruising Clubs on the Bridgewater, so we did that and were made very welcome at Watch House Cruising Club. I enjoyed a pleasant visit to the club-house bar. It proved a good mooring for the cats.

We had a bit of a lie-in (it had been a late session in the club-house) before setting off at 09:57, slowed by anglers and the fact that the level was at least a foot down. We stopped at Thorn Marine (London Bridge, Stockton Quay) for water. We had hoped to buy gas here, but they only had Shell. But they did stock the stern-tube grease in tubes that we like, so we stocked up with that.

On our way to Preston Brook junction we tried 'phoning our friends Ray & Hazel Dunford, who live there, with no response. We then stopped at Claymoor boatyard for gas & diesel, where Derek, the owner, told us that Ray & Hazel are away boating to the National.

We had about half an hour's wait for the entry time to Preston Brook Tunnel, which was followed by the usual congested queue for Dutton lock. A bit beyond that, at 18:15 we found a pleasant wooded mooring in good depth. The cats approved.