alafloat : Entering Liverpool

Right we are off on our summer cruise.

Cruising along the L&L west ward towards Liverpool at the beginning of April was a little ambitious for leaving our mooring at 08.30 it was extremely cold and windy with dark clouds looming.

Though the L&L is so pretty this time of years with everything coming into bloom, Birds Nesting, young Lambs bouncing, and farmers doing what ever they do, these days it would appear they make a lot of noise no matter what they do. As you pass through Burscough you are drawn to the staggering amount of agriculture that is all around you, acre after acre everywhere you look is cornucopia of fields with every type of vegetable, this area is of course renown for its Potatoes, Onions, Leeks, something maybe not known to you is the lawn grass that is grown in the area hundreds of acres of the best turf in Britain.

As you glide through the farming villages of Scarisbrick, Halsall, Haskane, and many more you understand why this area is called the vege basket of Britain. The canal is good well maintained and pretty, at this time of year very little traffic and moorings are plentiful. And as from Parbold to Liverpool there are no locks that’s about 30miles of lock free canal however there are plenty of swing bridgesto attend to. I would advise anyone to treat the swing bridges through Magul with care and after 9,00am and before 4 .30as a couple are quite busy roads. Noreen had one driver only just beat the barriers, and one that didn’t ! which meant Noreen restarting the whole procedure with him sat between two Barriers. Noreen as you know is far more Christian than I am. I would have swung the bridge with him on; it though on second thoughts that would have done the bridge more harm than the driver.

Form Hancocks that is just before Aintree race course all the swing Bridges to Albert Dock are controlled by CRT so that eliminates any road/canal rage.

Wednesday, the day we were entering Liverpool dawned dismal overcast and very wet the wind got up and made sailing difficult BUT as always we overcame the minor problems of weather and I insisted Noreen enjoy herself

The trip from Aintree right through to Albert dock is controlled by the CRT staff and volunteers this is so you get a straight through run through, what some people regard as difficult areas though I have never found it that way it just a run along a normal inercity canal the same as any other, The exciting part comes when you leave the last locks and go into the real docks starting with Stanley Dock, Collingwood Dock, Salisbury Dock, then Central Docks, taking our little craft through the Docks where once great cargo ships would load and unload tons of imports and exports it was quite I found it quite thrilling and Noreen steered Buggerlugs passed the iconic Liver Buildings which one has to admit is exciting ( well maybe not to you but to us old sea dogs IT WAS)

We are now on our mooring in Salthouse Dock where we will now stay for the next ten days exploring what this wonderful city has to offer.

Be Good

Buggerlugs

Sorry about the pictures it was a very overcast day and no time to re set camera settings