Friday 21st / Saturday 22nd July 2017

We were moored last night when an enormous hotel boat came towards us. The canal channel was quite narrow and the boat filled it.

Graham checked the weed hatch again and yet more plastic bags were round the prop.

Chris and Alan were looking relaxed despite the very windy weather.

They had lots of practice with the many swing bridges and Alan could be seen doing battle with the anti vandal device.

The solar panels on the side of the house were a first for us.

After popping back into Scarisbrick Marina for a pump out ( and tea and cake in the cafe ) we moored just as the rain started in earnest and we had very heavy rain all evening.

Saturday - we woke to finer weather and a frog hopped in to visit!

The good weather meant that we were able to take a photo on the back of the boat and we appear to be wearing the regulation navy colour.

Chris and Alan left us at Burscough but they were now bridge experts.

Now that Graham and I were on our own we were keen to see the bridges which are now left open.

We moored at Crooke for the night and will be travelling through Wigan tomorrow.

Thursday 20th July 2017

An early start as we had to be away by 8am. There had been some rain overnight but, although cool, the day was dry. The CRT guys had us to the top of the locks by 10am. The first photo shows us leaving Canning Dock and passing one of a few sailing ships moored here with a very modern building in the background.

These wires hanging down over Lock 2 did not inspire confidence!

The turn at the Victoria Tower gave an opportunity for another picture of the old with the new. In this case wind turbines.

Up past the Tobacco Warehouse. Thousands of bricks used in its construction but care was taken with the name plate. It was built in 1900. The distance between the floors is very short as it only had to store bales. The company renovating it has had to remove every other floor to give head height. There is an inner courtyard and the building has been used in many films as sets could be built in the middle space.

As we headed through the suburbs of Liverpool there were very contrasting scenes.

Old cars hoisted on ramps.

Buses being stored so that the back seats were hanging over the canal.

Definitely stars lived here!

Monday 17th - Wednesday 19th July

An easy journey down the locks and into Liverpool with the excellent help from CRT ( Canal and River Trust). We had a convoy for the first part of the journey and were pleased to see the 1 mile to go milepost. Then it was down 4 locks and past a very large former tobacco warehouse.

Turn left at the clock tower, cruise alongside the Liver building, under the Museum of Liverpool and into  our mooring at Salthouse Dock.

During our visit we took bus tours, learnt a lot about the Beatles, visited 2 Cathedrals, were impressed by old and new libraries, had a look in some of the museums and even saw the workings of the Mersey tunnel as we took a tour underground.

Jill and Jon left us to be replaced by Chris and Alan who will experience the 'Leaving of Liverpool' when we set off at 8am tomorrow morning.

Liverpool is certainly a great city and we have had a fabulous time and enjoyed a 'Ferry cross the Mersey'

Saturday 15th /Sunday 16th July 2017

After a few days at home we returned to the Marina yesterday with Jill and Jon. Today we set off at lunchtime having waited for the rain to clear. It continued to drizzle for a while but eventually the rain abated although it was quite cloudy as we headed off towards Liverpool.

Jill and Jon were instructed in the various swing bridge techniques which were different at every bridge.

As we can see Jon is very relaxed whilst Jill is seriously concentrating on pressing the correct buttons to control the traffic flow and the bridge opening.

The hard work in building the Leeds and Liverpool canal is recognised at Halsall where a sculpture of a navvy can be seen.

On Sunday we recommenced our journey ( again in the drizzle) when we found ourselves in a convoy of 4 boats as we were allowed through 2 more road bridges worked by CRT.

We passed Aintree and made the famous Canal Turn but we were on the water, not on a horse. Tall walls surround the race course so photos were impossible to take as we only saw glimpses of it through the trees.

After mooring at Litherland we took a train to Crosby beach to see the 100 Antony Gormley statues 

'Another Place' They are set at different distance from the shore and at different depths. Very impressive.

Jellyfishes were all around.

A line of Gulls across a Lake was a strange sight.

Off to Liverpool tomorrow.

 

Saturday 8th July 2017

A warmer day as we walked into Parbold for shopping and then set off at 10.30am.The Women's Institute Hall had a fun scarecrow in front. There were a few others around the village and today was advertised as the village fun day.

 Some paddle boarders passed by. One was trying it for the first time and had a great deal of difficulty going in a straight line.

It was an easy cruise as we headed through very flat countryside towards Liverpool. The Rufford branch left for the Ribble estuary and the passage to the Lake District.

We are now safely moored in Scarisbrick Marina which seems a very clean and neat place. We have changed the oil and will spend tomorrow sorting out the boat before heading home by train and car on Monday.  First part of the journey is by Northern trains and they are on strike on Monday so it could be a long journey.

The blog is therefore having a rest until next weekend when we prepare the epic journey into Liverpool.

Friday 7th July 2017

A day at the seaside. 44 years ago, whilst waiting for A Level results, a friend and I took jobs as waitresses at a hotel in Southport. It was the original Fawlty Towers and we only stayed for 3 weeks and then moved to a much better hotel in the Lake District after claiming that we had Silver Service experience ( I think we had done one wedding with Silver Service ). I had never been back to Southport until today and couldn't even remember the name of the hotel but could remember some details about the interior.

Graham and I caught the train from Parbold and headed for the sea front. The sea was a long way out.

We walked along the pier and decided to try the penny arcade machines. They took old pennies when there were 240 to the pound. We changed a pound coin and received 10. That's an inflation rate of 2400%!

Unfortunately with 10 coins we didn't make our fortune.

From the end of the pier it was possible to see Blackpool in the distance.

Back on the hotel hunt we returned to the start of the pier and the 1896 carousel ride.

At the end of Lord Street we found a building undergoing renovations and I thought that this might be it. The workman told me that it was a care home undergoing renovations and had been called the Brunswick Hotel with a basement nightclub called Maxims. This was it! As soon as I heard the name I remembered it and we were able to look at what had been the dining room and see the corridor which led to the kitchen. 

Back into town for Friday fish and chips.

Rossi has homemade ice cream in many flavours and at only £1 for a cornet it must be the best price in Southport.

There was just time to buy the traditional stick of rock ( thought that I would try Pineapple flavour) before we caught the train back to the boat. 

A fun day but we wish the weather had been a touch warmer and the wind off the sea was definitely bracing!