Part of Rolls Royce Barnoldswick
As we left Barnoldswick we passed Lower Park Marina where in the 1980s our family hired a day boat, called Mr Punch, and went down Greenberfield Locks to East Marton. It was in similar good weather back then.
Lower Park Marina, Barnoldswick
Just after Barnoldswick we passed a sign welcoming us to Lancashire. I presume that this was the former boundary before this part of Yorkshire was moved in Lancashire in boundary changes - I don't suppose the locals were too pleased about it.
Welcome to Lancashire - old boundary
The section passing through Salterforth was pretty and less rugged . We reached Foulridge at 10:20. The time is important because Foulridge Tunnel is operated on a one-way system and it is open for traffic going west for fifteen minutes past the hour. We moored up and waited visiting the Cafe Cargo. It is a pleasant spot.
Foulridge Tunnel, Northern Portal
BW estimate that transit through the tunnel should take 15 minutes and it did. The other side of the tunnel are Barrowford Locks. They are in a superb setting - on the "top of the world". There are great views of Pendle Hill and there is the Barrowford Reservoir that feeds the canal; thankfully it was reasonably full.
Barrowford Locks & Reservoir
This was the first time we descended a Leeds & Liverpool Lock. The first lock, we were told by the lock keeper, is quite short. We found it necessary to lift stern fenders to get out of the lock and the stern deck got soaked with water leaking between the gates. The rest of the flight was more generous in terms of dimensions but the paddle mechanisms were very poorly maintained and most gates leaked badly. One lock close to the M65 was a real struggle since only one bottom paddle was working and the top gates leaked so badly that there was almost as much water coming into the lock as leaving. In all it took two hours to go down the seven locks with most set in our favour.
A typical terraced street in Nelson
Steve's grandmother lived in a similar street in the town
The journal through Nelson was more pleasant than expected. Pearson reported a lot of rubbish in the canal when they passed this way. We found little, that is until we got beyond Burnley. The canal twists along the valley towards Burnley and the surroundings are really far better than one would expect entering a northern industrial area. At Reedley there is a large modern marina complete with a large clubhouse.
The Burnley Embankment, one of Robert Aickman's Seven Wonders of the Inland Waterways, was indeed impressive. Viewed from the end of the embankment it is a "straight mile", but as you progress along it you realise how it towers over Burnley. What a feat it must have been constructing it. You look down on terraced houses and Turf Moor (Burnley FC) Football Stadium on one side and the bus station, mills and civic buildings on the other.
View from the Burnley Embankment
The famous Weavers Triangle comes just after a sharp bend at the end of the embankment. The Queen visited Burnley recently and went for a canal trip. She obviously visited a restoration project close to the Weavers Triangle because the displays were still in place.
Weavers Triangle, Burnley
Signs on a restoration project, Burnley
It was shortly after this that we realised that the stretch of canal to the east of Burnley might have been cleaned up for the Royal Visit since loads of rubbish began to appear in the water. Lots of plastic bags, plastic drink bottles, planks of wood, car tyres and beer cans.
Picking our way through the rubbish, Burnley
We moored up for the night at Hapton which is a small village on the outskirts of Burnley. The moorings had great views across to Pendle Hill. Our friends Norman and Pat on NB Ellie May arrived later in the evening having started their day at East Marton.
