MoonlightHolly

July 1
What started out as a grey, cloudy day soon cleared up and the sun broke through. In front of us were the open moors and hills of the Pennines whilst behind, and below, the Chorley skyline. Our guide book indicated that there was a launderette in Wheelton so Angela went off loaded with a full rucksack and large plastic bag full of items to be washed. She returned a couple of hours later with everything done and with the news that the local Animal Shelter had a couple of dogs that needed new homes. The only problem was that the Shelter was way up the hill ‘at least an hour’s walk’ away. As you can guess we have now been joined by Jason, a black Labrador cross (with what, who knows!!) who at two years old (estimated) has already had two previous owners. He seems to have settled in on Moonlight Holly, but then that is after only four hours, a bath and a good meal! Nothing much else was done for the rest of the day.

July 2
Departed early as we needed to buy dog food!! The first seven miles was ‘plain sailing’ with the last three through the smart residential area of Cherry Tree with gardens, full of summer flowers, meeting the canal. Slowly the landscape became more derelict as we approached Blackburn. Few of the Pennine towns that sprang up during the Industrial Revolution can be described as beautiful. In the last few years Blackburn has taken drastic steps to rectify this by constructing a new town center. Nevertheless the most dominant features in the city are still the old cotton mills. Graffiti can be seen under many of the bridges though we understand this is far less than in previous years. A quick stop ensured that Jason now has his own food supply.
In Blackburn we were ‘attacked’ by a little boy, probably no more than eight years old, who threw a couple of stones at us as we passed. The sorry thing about this was that he was with a group of other boys, and several adults, and they did nothing to stop this action. It seemed to take a long time to get through Blackburn as there was a flight of six locks that raised the level of the canal to over 400 ft above sea level.
Having cleared the city the countryside opened out into the moors and hills of the Pennines. Old mine workings, grassed over, could be seen on the valley sides. We moored a couple of miles outside of town with nothing in front but views of the moors. Amazingly, we could not hear any sounds of human activity from this spot, not even the hum of the vehicles on the M65 a close mile away.

July 3
The rain during the night had disappeared and another sunny day awaited us. The next village, just two miles along the canal, is Rishton and it is here that we were expecting a mail drop. Our mail is forwarded from Canada to Angela’s nephew in York. Dogen then kindly forwards this mail to a Post Office ‘For Collection’ (we advise him which PO to send the mail to – so far this system has worked well, thank you Dogen). With Jason running ahead ‘full of the joys of Spring’, we hiked the tow path to explore this small town, and locate the Post Office. Since today is Sunday, the PO, as most other businesses, is closed. The main street is no more than a quarter mile long, or as one resident warned us, ‘Don’t blink or you will miss it!’. Our guidebook states ‘Rishton is a small grey town that grew up around the cotton mills in the 19th Century’. It may be a ‘grey town’ to some but it has a large agency for Lotus cars and another for Bentley’s!!
Since joining the Leeds and Liverpool Canal we have noticed a dearth of other boat users. Today, for example only five boats have passed our mooring. Maybe it is the thought of so many locks that keeps boats away from this interesting canal.

July 4
We cruised the short distance to Rishton and moored at a “48 Hour Mooring” (see below) close to the main street of this small Pennine village. The Post Office is only a couple of hundred yards away and our mail was awaiting us. Opposite the Post Office is the Public Library so we took advantage of their computer service to update the web site and read emails. We both had haircuts as well (and there was I (Peter) hoping that I could have got away without one, for the year). We telephoned the local veterinary practice, that happened to be in Clayton-Le-Moors a couple of miles to the south of Rishton, and made an appointment for the next day for them to remove Jason’s dew claws from his back legs (they were very badly damaged and should have been removed a long time ago). We also arranged for him to receive all injections and have a quick medical. The dry weather of yesterday had disappeared and it rained, on and off all day.

British Waterways provide areas in certain locations for boaters to moor for a predetermined time. The most common one is the “48 Hour Mooring” where users are not expected to remain for longer then the stipulated time. Other moorings that we have encountered are for 24 and 72 hours. The canal banks at these moorings are usually very good (steel shuttering), the water deep enough not to risk going aground and mooring rings installed. There is no charge for mooring at these locations.

July 5
Took Jason for his 11:00 am appointment. He was to have a general anesthetic, and we took advantage of this by completing work at the Library. We left the mooring mid-afternoon after finding that the canal, four miles in front, actually passed within a quarter of a mile of the vet’s surgery. We stopped just before 5:00 pm under a bridge close by. It was pouring with rain and the bridge gave a welcome respite. We finally collected a groggy Jason at 7:00 pm and left almost immediately. On the way to our overnight mooring spot we came across a narrowboat, with no one onboard, that had lost its bow mooring rope and had swung round, completely blocking the canal. We clambered aboard, in pouring rain, and re-secured the boat before continuing our journey. After a couple more miles we stopped for the night in wide open countryside, on the side of a hill overlooking several small towns and miles of open farm land and moors.
We only saw two other boats all day.

July 6
The rains persisted for most of the day but this did not spoil the day’s cruise along this very pretty and twisty section of the canal, along the hillside overlooking a large valley. At one stage the canal passed beneath a hill, through the 559 yard long Gannow Tunnel. It was wide and straight, easy sailing!!
We topped up the water tank and had a very welcome shower (to warm up) at the British Waterways yard in Rose Grove.
Burnley was the next town we passed through, a town made famous as the centre of the weaving trade during the 18th and 19th centuries. The canal at that time was the main artery for this area and all along the banks are warehouses, factories, tall chimneys and loading bays. Most of these are now in a very poor state of repair but the history is there for you to see. The towpath along the side of the canal has been cleaned up and resurfaced with asphalt and is used by many people. At one point we passed along a three quarter mile long embankment, 60 ft above the city centre. All in all Burnley was a very interesting town historically, even for us, who prefer the wide-open spaces of the countryside.
The night was spent moored against a grassy bank, still in Burnley but in a location that appeared to be ‘miles from anywhere’.
We saw no more than ten boats all day.

July 7
We left the mooring at 09:45 with Angela and Jason walking the towpath for the first couple of miles. Had to stop on the outskirts of Burnley to clear a large plastic sheet from the propeller. Soon afterwards we were cruising through open, hilly country again.
The seven Barrowford Locks were negotiated. These took us up to the highest point of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and we could see the large reservoirs from which the canal system is fed. Between Locks 4 and 5 the engine accelerator cable snapped!! A phone call to the next marina along the canal confirmed that they had replacement cables in stock. We could proceed, but at tick-over speed only. So what, there is not much of a difference between 2 mph and 4 mph.
Between us and the marina, which was only 4 miles ahead, was the Foulridge Tunnel, 1640 yards long. This tunnel, due to its length, is controlled by traffic lights. These permitted northbound boats to enter the tunnel for a ten minute period starting at half past the hour. We had to wait twenty minutes until the traffic light showed green. On entering we could see the far end, which meant it was straight, well more or less as it did contain a few small twists and turns. The boat headlight lit the view in front of us. When we looked back to the tunnel mouth it was completely dark, except for circular hole of light that looked like a rising moon, the top semi circle of the tunnel entrance with a second semi circle below that being the reflection of the entrance on the water. It was raining when we entered the tunnel and 25 minutes later, when we emerged on the other side of the hill, the sun was shining. What a difference it made, even the canal was different and we now felt as though we were floating along a small country stream, trees on either side with streams flowing in. The number of hikers and cyclists on the towpath had greatly increased, and so too had the boat traffic. This part of the Pennines, for the next twenty miles or so, is particularly beautiful and very popular with both tourists and local inhabitants.
We arrived at the Lower Park Marina, just outside of the town of Barnoldswick, pronounced Barlick, a few minutes before they closed for the day. However, not a lot could be done to replace the cable at that time as the engine was far too hot so it was decided to wait until the next day. Later that evening, when the engine had cooled down, Peter was able to remove the broken part.
We spent the night moored against the marina’s jetty.

July 8
We purchased a new accelerator cable and Peter installed it during the morning. Back on full power, and a sky full of hot sun, we were off on a cruise through superb scenery – open hills, distant farms and sheep on the hillsides. The Greenberfield Locks, a series of three, is the start of the descent down the eastern side of the Pennines. These locks were heavy to operate and most of the gates were not very watertight. Peter, being onboard Moonlight Holly as it went through the locks (operated by Angela) was often showered with water spraying from the gates.
We arrived at the popular village of Gargrave in the evening and rather than cruise into the official 48 hour mooring area (to possibly find that all spaces had been taken) moored just on the outskirts of the village. Around midnight we realized that the boat had a definite list to port, and was not rocking as it usually does. The water level in the canal had dropped approximately one foot and we were aground on the starboard quarter of the stern! An hour later we had managed to get the boat fully afloat and moored further along the bank in deeper water.

July 9
Another hot sunny day so we decided to stay in Gargrave and see the sites. As the lock keeper said, Gargrave is a really pretty village but it’s a pity about the traffic. He was quite right. Even the railway station was different and the villagers brag that it has the only working telephone in the village! The sun seemed to have brought out many hundreds of tourists and the village and canal banks were busy all day. We wandered round the village, did a little shopping and stopped for the obligatory ice cream. We visited the local church which was full of beautiful flowers in preparation for a large wedding that afternoon. Outside in the village there seemed to be flowers everywhere and they all smelt so wonderful.
We took advantage of the good weather to give a boat a good washing down and then took Jason for a long walk along the tow path. He was well and truly tired by the evening.

July 10
We left Gargrave mid-morning and negotiated three locks and three swing bridges. We were lucky that we left when we did because we heard later that one of the locks ran out of water and boaters were left stranded for a couple of hours. Our next port of call was Skipton where we discovered all the boats that we had not seen for days. We managed to find a good mooring just outside of the town but close to some excellent shops. The boat in front of us belonged to Doug and Ann who, we later learnt, have sold up their home and decided to live on a narrowboat until they no longer enjoy it or find themselves too old to work the locks. This is true of so many boaters we have met.
In the afternoon we explored a tiny canal, 770 yards long, called the Springs Branch. This leaves the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the centre of Skipton and ends up in a ravine, overlooked by Skipton Castle, 100 ft above. It was built by the Earl of Thanet, the owner of Skipton Castle, to carry limestone away from his nearby quarry. The rock was dropped into boats by means of 120 ft chutes from the horse tramway that was laid from the quarry to the castle. The canal is now only used by small pleasure craft and provides a pleasant walk alongside the Eller Beck river up to the Skipton Woods.
Skipton itself is a typical northern mill town which has been drastically cleaned up and is now very much a modern tourist attraction. Many of the old warehouses have been turned into attractive canalside apartments and outdoor cafes and the town is full of excellent shops.

July 11
We decided to stay another day in Skipton, mainly because we were slightly worried that the stitches on Jason’s leg were not looking too good and we felt he should see another vet. He was not too pleased about this and took strong objection to the vet even looking at his leg. (The infection has now disappeared after the vet prescribed a course of antibiotics.) We explored a large park that was very near to our mooring and also a wild flower meadow. We were impressed by the idea of this meadow. A path had been cleared all round the field and in the middle were wild grasses and flowers that eventually would be mown. Jason of course was in his element as he loves running through long grass.

July 12
Remained in Skipton and carried out minor maintenance chores on the boat like insulating the hot water pipes.

July 13
At last it was time to leave Skipton and after loading up with water we were on our way. The canal wound through extremely pretty countryside, at times through woods and cuttings. Because there were so many swing bridges, which need to be opened and closed manually, Angela decided to walk along the towpath with Jason for a couple of miles rather than getting on and off the boat. At one point the views were so enticing that we decided to moor the boat and take a long walk up into the hills. There were too many sheep around to be able to let Jason off the leash but we put him on an extension and he had plenty more exercise. Having walked up the hills as we could, we came down into the village of Low Bradley, another pretty Yorkshire village with cottages covered in flowers.
The canal continued along the Valley of the River Aire through what seemed like endless swing bridges, some of which were extremely heavy to move and at one point Peter even had to get off the boat and add some extra weight.
We arrived at Silsden in the early afternoon but rather than moor in town, we continued on and moored with Doug and Ann – the promise of drinks on the foredeck was an invitation not to be taken lightly. The spot they had found was excellent, beside an old stone wall with a valley in front and hills in the distance on one side and on the other a hayfield and barns with more hills behind.

July 14
Spent part of the day exploring the town of Silsden and four hours hiking in the hills above the canal. In spite of there being innumerable Public Footpaths we managed, at one point, to find ourselves walking through thick bog which did nothing to improve the appearance of Peter’s new white trainers!

July 15
This was just too pretty a spot to leave so we stayed another day. Since it was ten days since Jason’s operation we had to visit another vet to have the stitches removed. Just as well we had a muzzle otherwise there might have been one less vet in Yorkshire!! Having failed to find a pub serving food in a garden we ended up eating fish and chips, out of a newspaper, on a bench in the high street.
One interesting thing we saw during the day started when a group of swans swam through the fishing line of an angler seated on the canal bank close to our moored boats. The line became entangled around one of the cygnets. The angler phoned the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals advising of what had happened. A couple of hours later an RSPCA inspector arrived and, by means of a long crook and a lot of guts, caught hold of the cygnet. Finding that it was not a simple case of removing the line (the cygnet had swallowed quite a lot of the line) took it back to the RSPCA laboratory where the line could be removed under clinical conditions. The Inspector confirmed that he could remove the cygnet from the group and, providing it was returned within 24 hours, it would not be rejected by the parents. The story ended happily and the injured cygnet was last seen swimming along with the rest.

July 16
Angela’s nephew Dogen and fiancée Beccy joined us after lunch and stayed with us until the following day. We departed Silsden around 3 pm and arrived at Riddlesden two hours later. It was great to have them on board as they provided extra assistance with the many swing bridges along the route.

July 17
Peter’s brother and wife were holidaying in the area and we had arranged to meet them at the top of the Bingley Five Rise locks. This is a well known group of five staircase locks which dropped the canal by 60 feet. We were helped by a British Waterways lock keeper as well as various casual bystanders since this is a popular tourist attraction and it was a sunny Sunday afternoon. A mile further on is a similar set up but only a three rise this time. One of the gates leaked badly causing serious flooding on the second boat in the lock. Dogen and Beccy left us at Saltaire and returned by train to their home in York. Our evening mooring was in the centre of Shipley as we were unable to find a suitable mooring in Saltaire. This was on the offside of the canal at an unused waterbus station, the side where we are not usually allowed to moor. However, this was sanctioned by the BW lock keeper whom we had met earlier.

July 18
Took Jason to another vet for his booster injection but as he had a temperature, the cause of which we were not certain, the vet suggested the injection be left for another fourteen days.
Departed mooring for Rodley six and a half miles, seven swing bridges and five locks away. Rodley is unofficially the last overnight stopping place for narrow boats motoring across Leeds. The latter city has unfortunately gained a reputation for vandalism against passing watercraft and we had been advised to try and go straight through Leeds without stopping. There were about ten boats waiting to cross Leeds from west to east and an equal number having already crossed in the opposite direction.

July19
Departed Rodley early as we expected it would take around eight hours to get from one side of the city to the other. We joined up with two other narrowboats “Medina” and “Excalibur”. Proceeded through five swing bridges and seventeen locks taking turns to operate them. The Newlay 3 locks and Forge 3 locks were operated by BW lock keepers. As it turned out, the passage through Leeds was uneventful except for the continual checking of the propeller for weeds or bits of plastic. There was one minor scare when we saw three lads peering out of a derelict building just after they had thrown something in our direction. However, nothing further happened and we went on our way.
In the middle of Leeds the canal joined up with the River Aire and suddenly became 50 metres wide. We felt rather insignificant as we motored down this broad waterway with high rise buildings on either side.
The locks now became big enough for 1,000 tonne vessels, huge compared with those we had become used to. Luckily the lock gates were now fully automatic requiring only the pushing of several buttons to operate.
We moored below Fishpond Lock alongside Shirley and Graham Neale in Nb Medina. The weather all day had been showery with occasional bursts of sunshine and a strong following (most of the time) wind. One strong gust led to Peter losing his favourite baseball hat. It had been hanging on a hook just inside the boat and was last seen sailing into the air.

July 20
In company with Shirley and Graham we left Fishpond Lock and traveled down the Aire and Calder Navigation towards Castleford. We went through two other automated locks dropping us a further 21 feet. The canal continued to be over 50 metres wide and deep enough for large vessels. The deep water allowed us to double our usual speed and boy does 8 mph seem fast!! Even the many swans on this part of the canal got out of our way quickly. We were fortunate not to meet any large vessels until we arrived at Castleford where there is a waterways “crossroads”. Straight ahead there was a dangerous weir, to the left the canal to Goole, Hull, York and the River Trent and to the right the canal to Wakefield. Believe it or not, this crossroads is controlled by traffic lights. They were on red as we approached so we had to stop to avoid crashing into a passing oil tanker! We visited the British Waterways office in Castleford to obtain advance information and make a booking to navigate on the tidal section of the River Trent in two days’ time. We moored a short distance from the junction with tugs and much larger craft all around us.

July 21
We left Castleford at 9 o’clock, stopping a short time later to replenish our water tank. This stretch of the navigation is frequented by large commercial barges and priority has to be given to them. This was brought home a little later when, shortly after leaving the Bulholme Lock, on checking behind us, we saw that a very large barge was approaching at some speed. We slowed down and pulled into the side to allow him to pass. The vessel seemed to go past us at sports car speed.
The cooling towers of the Ferrybridge Power Station appeared in the distance and within an hour we were cruising past the old wharves where coal used to be unloaded. Today most coal is transported by rail. Bearing in mind our earlier encounter with the barge, we took great care when approaching the next sharp left turn into the Ferrybridge Flood Lock. The approach to the flood lock was controlled by traffic lights, which luckily were in our favour.

On canals combined with rivers, such as the Aire and Calder Navigation, flood locks are used to stop flood water from the river entering the canal and affecting its level. The lock gates are closed when the water in the river rises above the normal level.
A British Waterways Lock Keeper advised us as we passed through the lock that the oil tanker “Kestrel” was approaching from downstream. And sure enough, round the next bend, we were confronted by this fully laden vessel, decks almost awash, which in no way was going to take evading action, so we got out of his way – quickly!

At Knottingley a signpost directed us to the right towards Keadby and Goole (the left branch continued along the River Aire towards Selby and the River Ouse). The countryside in front was now very flat, punctuated only by the occasional swing bridge. We passed Eggborough Power Station mid-morning. Sixteen miles from Castleford we turned off the main Aire and Calder Navigation onto New Junction Canal which connects to the South Yorkshire Navigations and was one of the last canals to be constructed in this country. The waterway is 5 ½ miles long and completely straight all the way, the monotony being broken only by a series of lift bridges and swing bridges all of which are boater operated. The Thorpe Marsh Generating Station marked the end of the New Junction Canal where a sharp left turn was made onto the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. Evening was approaching so we moored at the top of Bramwith Lock.

July 22
We made an early start from Bramwith Lock as we needed to ensure passage through the special sliding railway bridge at Keadby which we believed was only operated until 5 p.m. A quick call at Stanislands Marina for diesel and a short shopping expedition in Thorne were the only stops all day. The scenery on this part of the canal was rather monotonous due to very flat open farmland. However there were several swing bridges to keep us occupied and trains passing every few minutes on the track alongside the canal, the drivers tooting and waving cheerily. Herons abound in this area and grebe can also be seen along the more overgrown sections of the waterway. Only a hundred years ago the grebe had been all but exterminated due to fashionable Victorian ladies wishing to display not just the odd feather, but also occasionally the entire plumage, in their hats.
The sliding railway bridge was reached with time to spare. This is a remarkable railway bridge, skewed across the canal only a couple of feet above the water. Built in 1915 the bridge is supposedly one of only three of its kind in Europe. In order to allow the passage of boats, winches slide the bridge deck sideways, so clearing the navigation and, by a further series of wire cables and pulleys, winch the deck back into place. The entire operation is controlled from the nearby railway signal box. Ahead was the Keadby Swing Bridge and Lock which will allow our entry into the tidal River Trent tomorrow.
We moored at the top of the lock and in the evening watched large ocean going vessels proceed down river.

July 23
British Waterways had advised us that we should be ready to pass through the locks at 06:20 hours in order to catch the first flood tide. There were several other boats making the same passage and it was not until 07:00 hours before it was our turn to enter the lock. Graham and Shirley Neal in Nb Medina accompanied us.
The River Trent at this point is approximately 200 yards wide so when the lock gates were opened the sight of this vast, swirling, muddy river was awesome, to say the least. The tide had risen 30 feet from the low water mark and was flooding in at around 6 knots. This meant that with our 4 knots we would actually be moving at more than 10 mph!
Unable to retreat back into the canals, we took the bull by the horns and motored into the river and joined the main stream. The boat’s speed was adjusted so that we were going slightly faster than the current but when we looked at the banks we noticed our real speed was much greater.
Navigation on the River Trent requires a copy of the publication The Tidal Waters of the River Trent “Sissons Charts”. These charts show the recommended passage through the river bends avoiding sand and mud banks and other shallow areas. The route passed under several bridges where specific arches had to be negotiated. Though it sounds simple, due to turbulence in the river it is not always possible to line a relatively small boat up with the centre of a specific arch causing those on board to panic momentarily! On bends, the recommended route was around the outside, where the water was deeper and the current much greater than elsewhere. We were often no more than 20 feet from the bank and felt that the boat was about to be swept ashore. We did see leaves and twigs on other boats upon our arrival at Torksey Lock three hours later. The distance from Keadby to Torksey is approximately 28 miles which we covered in three hours. I must say it was with some relief that we moored against the pontoons of Torksey Lock awaiting passage through the locks to the calm waters of the Fossdyke Canal. We moored a kilometer above the locks just after mid-day accompanied by the crew of Nb Medina.
Saturday is Market Day in Torksey and we passed a couple of relaxing hours walking around the many stalls and viewing the multiple items that were offered in the adjacent Car Boot Sale.

July 24
The weather forecast for today had not been good, cold, windy, heavy clouds and a possible thunderstorm, so we remained moored up in Torksey rather than continue the journey to Lincoln.
The Fossdyke Canal was built by the Romans around AD 120 and is the oldest man made waterway in the country which is still navigable. It was built to connect the navigable River Witham to the rivers Trent and Humber. It has a long history which includes being used by the Danes when they invaded England and the Normans to carry stone to build Lincoln Cathedral. By the beginning of the 17th Century the canal had deteriorated and become almost impassable, however, at this time the ownership was passed to the Corporation of Lincoln and conditions improved. Today the Fossdyke & Witham Navigations are established cruising waterways, as pleasure boaters replaced the last surviving commercial operators. The canal takes boaters to Lincoln and Boston, the latter being one of the vital links between the inland waterways system and the open sea.
There seemed to be many more beautiful cruisers, up to 40 feet in length, on the Fossdyke Canal than narrowboats.

July 25
Departed the mooring at Torksey by 09:30 hrs along with Graham and Shirley and cruised along long straight stretches of this old Roman Canal. The water being deep the engine revolutions could be increased and our speed was averaging 5 mph. A narrowboat heading in the opposite direction warned us of a deer in the water a half mile ahead. We saw the animal from some distance away, trying to climb out of the canal, an almost impossible task due to the embankments having sides of steel shuttering. We, along with Medina and the first boat that had now reversed back down the canal, tried for half an hour to coral the deer. Being a strong swimmer the deer always managed to keep away from us. Eventually we gave up and ‘phoned British Waterways who promised to send someone to assist.
We passed very attractive moorings in the village of Saxilby but didn’t stop as our destination was Lincoln which we reached just after midday. The guide book offered good moorings in Brayford Pool but on examination we found that these moorings better suited much shorter vessels and the services were not up to normal British Waterways standards. We therefore returned to moor in the Visitor Moorings opposite the university. We had heard that there was a slight risk of vandalism in this area but we found the entire stretch was controlled by security guards who kept an eye on the moorings.
Our first task ashore was to make a quick trip to the Post Office to collect several First Mate Guides which had been sent by Carole Sampson of www.canalmate.co.uk. These guides are very useful and a necessary part of our library. As it happened the Millenium Sculpture, as shown on the front cover of Nicholson’s Guide to the Waterways for Nottingham, York and the North East, and the famous Glory Hole are in the same general area as the Post Office, so we spent a pleasant time exploring these sites.
The Glory Hole is an old bridge over the canal with ancient half timbered buildings, dating from c. 1540, and a concealed High Street above it. The arch dates from c.1160 and was once called the Murder Hole. The Millenium Sculpture is a striking steel structure spanning the canal.

July 26
Peter visited the Public Library to update the website and then together we made the steep climb up to the Cathedral. It is befitting to know that the name of the actual street is Steep Hill and it certainly is! The original Norman cathedral on this site dated from 1074 but a fire and earth tremor in the next century made extensive restorations necessary. Since that time the building has been greatly expanded and today’s magnificent cathedral with its fine stone monuments and wood carvings is certainly not to be missed. Our return walk to the boat took us through picturesque lanes full of intriguing shops and old houses.

July 27
Our departure from Lincoln took us through Brayford Pool and the Glory Hole, beneath the Millenium Sculpture and through a very large flock of swans. This commercial area now changes to an industrial one. Further on was the Stamp End lock and sluices leading to the River Witham. This lock was a new kind to us as the top gate operated as a guillotine which raised up into a steel framework to let the water in and boats pass underneath. As we left Lincoln we had excellent views of the cathedral towering over the city. The river continued in a series of wide, straight reaches through very flat wheatlands whilst overhead AWACs and jet fighters were taking off and landing from nearby military airfields, one of which was the base for the Dam Busters during the last world war.
Even though the river was fairly straight our course zigzagged between large clumps of floating weed, on many of which we saw the remains of nests made by ducks, coots, moorhens and, to our delight, the once rare Great Crested Grebes. However, these colourful and attractive birds were extremely difficult to photograph as they would disappear under water as soon as they saw our cameras. We also saw many cormorants and herons and one kingfisher.
Moorings were few and far between and took the form of floating pontoons. We stopped for the night at Tattershall Bridge and in the evening walked to Tattershall Castle.

July 28
We set off in heavy drizzle which continued until early afternoon when we arrived in Boston. The water was clear but very weedy. The BW Moorings in Boston are extensive and we found space in the visitors’ section. With thunderclouds overhead we explored this attractive town. Boston has been an important seaport for over eight hundred years, indeed in 1205 it was second only to London. There are many splendid buildings in the town but the most conspicuous among them is the Boston Stump, the 272 foot tower of St. Botolph’s Church. This enormous building, the largest parish church in England, reflects the posterity of Boston following the rise of its wool trade in the 13th Century.
It is said that from the top of the tower on a clear day Lincoln 32 miles away is visible. We cannot confirm that as we did not have enough time to climb the 365 steps up the claustrophobic turret to the top!! All hell broke loose later that afternoon when the heavens opened and we experienced one of the heaviest rain storms this trip. The same storm lifted the roof off a church in a nearby village.

July 29
The weather had improved to a light rain which disappeared mid morning and the sun came out. We left Boston and motored to the pontoons at Kirkstead Bridge where we moored for the night. We took Jason for a long walk in the afternoon along a dismantled railway track (we needed the exercise as well). Many of the old signal boxes and stations had been converted to architecturally pleasing dwellings.

July 30
We returned to Lincoln taking extra care this time as the previous days’ wind and rain had dislodged many more floating weed islands. We moored in the same place as last time. Today was Graham and Shirley’s Golden Wedding Anniversary and we helped celebrate the event by joining them for a meal in The Slug and Lettuce restaurant.

July 31
We stayed in Lincoln for an extra day to catch up on shopping and more sight seeing, which included a second visit to the cathedral. This weekend was the Flower Festival which only happens once every six years where local clubs assemble beautiful flower arrangements which are displayed inside the cathedral. Between the cathedral and the nearby castle many stalls had been erected displaying local handicrafts. In front of the cathedral the group Boheme sang many popular classical pieces and an Irish group played jigs a short distance away.

Piczo