Skipton

What a weekend we had everything Drama, Comedy, Good weather, Atrocious Weather, Lots of fish , no fish, and everything else in between. Mat, Lorraine and Thomas arrived Friday night, the trouble is in Skipton there is no overnight parking lots of car parks but they are all pay and display anyway having unloaded the car as close to the boat as possible we found a nice quiet side street to abandon it. Saturday dawned with Mat doing a bit of early morning fishing 06.30 type early, however we were soon awoken by those wondrous words "grandal, Nunu. Thomas's early morning call. we just ambled about until the Walkdens arrived about 10.30, we had already decided that as it was market we would hit the town and set off on mass. the afternoon was taken up with painting, going to the park, fishing and generally just lolling about. tea time meant Busy Lizzie's Fish and chips the best in Yorkshire. by 9.30 we were on our own again but not for long as Sunday 10.30 Keith and Carol arrived, prior to them arriving we went to mass we were soaked getting there and soaked getting back . I had already decided to take Keith and Carol for a sail, so as soon as they arrived we pushed off then the heavens opened and we were soaked again, but as usual we just sat back and enjoyed the serenity and scenery through the rain clouds.

I forgot to mention that Skipton is full of drunks and idiots Friday night 11.30pm we had a youth about 12 run along 10 moored boats and hit everyone with a baseball bat Mat gave chase but I pleased he couldn't catch the little B------. He would have been up for murder. Sat night we had a gang of drunken girls pull our mooring spikes out and put us adrift, however I was very quick and we were soon back moored up I just found it pathetic and was more concerned than annoyed. We have moored in Wigan, Ashton, Manchester and Leigh without any trouble even the wino's were happy. you just would not credit that in Skipton you would experience trouble like that. Maybe in Yorkshire there is so little to do that they have to make there own entertainment

So as you can see we have had a great weekend with lots going on. we are off tomorrow heading towards Leeds 29 miles 29 locks 12 swing bridges "grueling"

Riley Green to Skipton

HMMS BUGGERLUGS Set sail on the 21 July with 5 passengers and two overworked, underpaid, pensionable, crew. the weather looked very ominous the barometer was dropping and the sky was turning very dark. however this did not deter the intrepid seasoned crew they set to work manning the boat and taking care of the passengers. We sailed quite effortless through the hamlets of Fenniscoles and Cherrytree, the captain was giving a short history of the canal and imparting his exceptional knowledge on anyone who would listen. As we neared the first lock system in Blackburn the weather closed in and it became apparent that more crew would be required to operate the system, The Purser exerted her authority and press gagged two young passengers into lock swingers. This task they took to with fervent endeavour even through the torrential rain and howling wind they soldiered on. The weather cleared and allowed us to stop at ASDA this I believe was the high light of some peoples day, then having passed some of the oldest architecture on the canal we called into Range another superstore this time the captain was intent on spending money.

Having left Range we then set off on a leisurely run through Church, Ossy, Accrington, and finally Hapton were our passengers were collected. 8 hours ,7 locks, 2 shops, a history on canals and a Buffet lunch what else do you want for nothing. The crew of Buggerlugs hope all passengers had a great day and some ambitions were fulfilled.

Having got rid of the rabble were pressed on and moored up just beyond Hapton Wednesday looked at being as grim as Tuesday having passed through Burnley and its out lying districts

we found ourselves with a fouled prop which meant an enforced stop while I managed to unfoul the prop. this fortuitous as Matthew Lorraine and Thomas decided to catch us up for the Foulridge Tunnel Matthew went ahead with the car parked at the far end of the tunnel and walked back over the old horse route he even managed to find us just as Noreen started working the Barrowford flight of 7 locks, Thanks Mat, I Lorraine stayed indoors whilst going through the lock as Thomas might have been frightened as it turned out I am not sure who was the more scared. That motley crew left about 5 and again we were left to our own devices Thursday dawned just as wet but this time with a howling wind we pressed on doing 17 locks and three swing bridges, it was a harrowing day but here we are Friday and in Skipton on time

The only disappointment is that Mick who we intended to meet here we passed two days ago going in the opposite direction.

We are now in Skipton moored opposite Morrisons and awaiting our visitors.

By from the hotel Buggerlugs

Rach and Elliot working a lock, Just look at the rain

Purser and Passengers

One Rebelious Passenger

Up Date

This one is for Our Keith he knows the size of that net. Size 17 2lb bottom Punched Bread


Early start from Botany Bay Chorley



Kattie with her boat Dove sharing the 21 Locks through the Wigan flight



Hi All

Well here we are on our old stomping ground of Blackburn, we are moored here at Riley Green
Just on the outskirts of Blackburn and enjoying being in familiar surroundings. It has been interesting so far the weather could have been better but its the same for everyone so we just grin and bear it. its good to be back with wide locks and even wider locks, I am always amazed at just how pretty the canals are even though you are traveling through some of what was once the densest industry in the country
Its been a weekend of visitors and fishing. Check out the big bream I caught this morning, John joined us today and we think we have converted him into an angler as he managed to catch four all on his own Thomas caught his first fish "a nice perch" though in the afternoon Thomas forgot to look after his rod and we found it being towed around the marina by a fish we managed to retrieve it and the fish. its been great we have seen Thomas everyday he is growing so fast.

As mentioned the weather as been bad, the first day we had a thunder storm we were in the boat when we heard an almighty rushing of water I honestly thought we had sprung a leak I was frantically trying to find the source of the water flow when I realised that we had moored next to the run off from the car park and it was flowing out of a pipe onto the side of the boat, well it made us laugh. Tuesday we are starting out for Skipton should take about 4 days that is doing 5 hours a day after all we are retired and can't rush things, we have passengers for the first day Julie, Bethany and Rach, they haven't been in a lock before so that should be exciting for them ???

OK folks enough rubbish for one day

Buggerlugs

Manchester city Centre Castlefield Basin

Romiley Viaduct

Furnace Vale Station House

Furnace Vale Marina

Under Manchester centre. its like an underground car park for boats




This is the Lock keepers cottage were my great grandmother was born






Hi

Today is my birthday and I have at last got on the net I have so much to catch up on.
We left Marple on our way to Manchester in a thunder storm poor Noreen was so wet, she looked as if she had fell in we could not have been wetter if we had jumped in. that said we broke a record and did all 16 locks in 2 hours, we were so wet and down that we decided to continue on to Ashton the canal passes over many of my old haunts as a kid especially Romily which brought back many nostalgic memories. Reaching Ashton we needed Diesel, I had phoned ahead to make sure the yard could take 60ft on getting to the yard we found to get into the yard we had to negotiate a passage only just wide enough for the boat with a chicane in it. the diesel point was already occupied by a boat being refitted, it was a bloody night mare, it took us nearly two hours to get fuel on board then extradite the boat from the yard in reverse.
The two nights we spent in the Ashton Basin were quite uneventful although we shared our moorings with the local wineoes, they are a lot quieter in Ashton you even get a nicer type of wineo, Danny joined us in ashton for the 27 locks into Manchester, We left at 07.30 in the morning to avoid the gangs of marauding kids we were told existed on this part of the canal.
We met none for me it was a ride down memory lane as a lad I walked that canal to school and shot rats in the bone yard, fished in Prices Basin, and kissed girls under the bridge. It was a very nice journey the first 16 locks were relatively easy, we the joined the Rochdale canal we left the narrow locks behind and joined the wide locks, the last nine into Castlefield were a nightmare all the locks were flooded that means they were receiving too much water and the locks were almost impossible to open because of the weight of water. traveling under the city centre was an experience a very weird one, we shared our journey with a couple called Brian and Chis who were great. A big thank you goes out to Danny for his help what a great guy. The weekend end in the centre of Manchester was great, it was very cosmopolitan a different world from were we are use to mooring it was more like Venice, if you have not seen the new basin at Castlefeild you must its well worth a visit. We had Lal visit and and Tom and Shirley for Sunday lunch, we even managed to get to St Josephs for Sunday mass. Monday we had two of Noreen's old school friends they joined us for the first part of the journey to Wigan they terminated there passage at Worsley. Next stop was Aldi in Leigh, this is great we can get the boat almost up to the front door Noreen's idea of heaven.
I have not said but we have been having a little trouble with the batteries they are not holding the charge anyway I called out Andy the engineer he met us at Plank lane Leigh he confirmed my theory that at least two of the batteries were poorly. I phoned our boat yard and they agreed to bring them out to us.
Wednesday was the big infamous Wigan flight, 26 wide locks in one go, we were Lucky to join up with another couple Kattie and Bob they have a lovely 30ft so going in and out of the locks together was easy, again we flew up the locks in 4 hours breaking another record and PB.
As you can see in the last week we have done about 67 locks and covered about 30 miles not bad for two old farts.
We are now on old stomping ground we are in Blackburn taking lots of visitors we hope to be here for a few days or at least until the sun comes out again.
Noreen has had tele for the last three days so she is happy I am now back on the net so I am happy.
I will try and now send some pics


Stay cool


Buggerlugs

Furnace Vale

Furnace Vale
Hi All
Well having left Bugsworth basin we made our way down to Furnace Vale were I stayed in the marina while Noreen went on her school camp and left me all on my own (sob sob) however our Keith managed to come and stay for a few days so we had a good laugh caught a few fish and generally made a nuisance of ourselves as usual. We are now on the way to Manchester tomorrow its 16 locks from Marple to Ashton the Thurs we are doing 22 locks from Ashton to Manchester though we have go extra crew for that Danny will be joining us for that run. I also hope to pick up our Colin on part of the run we can then visit my great granddads house which is the lock keepers cottage on mill street.Nothing drastic has happened except for a mooring ring breaking and the boat finishing up over the other side of the canal that was in Furnace Vale. We also got so wet today that my underpants shrank.

Speak soon

Buggerlugs