Thursday 20th September

 Our last day on the Lancaster Canal which was rather sad as we have enjoyed it.  The weather forecast for today was dire with rain all day but in fact there were only a few light showers and one very heavy one.

We moved down the canal a little way to Bridge 22 and then walked up Lea Lane to see the house that my parents converted in 1960 and where I lived for 4 years.  I was 8 at the time and we lived right next door to a farm and it’s there where I learned to milk a cow, feed a calf, collect eggs, bottle milk for their milk round, drive a tractor and have a thoroughly wonderful childhood J  There were also the downsides like watching the pigs being slaughtered because of swine fever and the chickens being gassed because of foul pest – but I’m sure that all made me the person I am today!!  I certainly don’t smoke and never have since my babysitter – one of the sons from the farm – gave me a cigarette and I nearly choked and have never wanted to smoke since!  There is so much I would like to write about my time here but this is a blog about our canal meanderings and not about my childhood!

The towpath was extremely muddy so my Knight in Shining Armour offered to go and get the boat and meet me at the bridge J  While he was doing his chivalrous deed I walked to the railway bridge where we used to stand as children on one side and wave to the train driver and then run to the other side to get the full effect of the smoke as the train went under the bridge!  Yes it was still in the good old days of steam trains!  Happy memories J

We motored down to the end of the canal which is almost into Preston but not quite.  I don’t think many people go down there as the algae reached right across the canal.  We turned at the bottom and went back to the Ribble Link where we moored up ready for our crossing tomorrow.

As I said we have enjoyed the Lancaster Canal though with us having a house in Hampshire and being summer cruisers we probably won’t be up here again.  We are fortunate enough to have friends who live between Kendal and Windermere so can come up in the car at any time and now we have more places that we would like to visit – including Glasson in the sunshine!  Upsides - the canal is very pretty and scenic, especially north of Lancaster.  There are no nasty industrial parts on the canal even going into Preston.  I loved seeing the sea from the canal – as both canal boaters and sailors it was great to have the two so close.  Downsides – the fact that it isn’t always easy to moor but to be honest it hasn’t troubled us that much.  The towpaths seem to be much muddier than most.  Lack of diesel.  Richard and I have both agreed to give it 8/10 and wish it was closer to home!