From Liverpool our intention was to go up the Lancaster Canal, the lancaster runs from Preston to Tewitsfield near Kendal, lock free and with great views over Morecombe Bay.
However, the Lancaster is easily affected by drought, because it leaks!
We went as far as Fettlers Wharf Marina on the Rufford Branch, which runs to the Ribble Link and then joins with the lancaster Canal, where we’d prebooked to leave Chrissie and go home.
Our booked passage up the tidal Ribble link wasn’t for another 5 weeks, so we trained it home until the 11th July.
Fettlers Wharf was great, a friendly marina, and a very convienient 10 minute walk to the railway station for us to go home.
During this time the lancaster Canal was getting low on water, and although we could have got there we didn’t want to be stuck waiting for rain, and Chrissie is quite deep draughtier needing at least 2’ 6” of water, so very sadly we aborted the Lancaster trip and headed back to the Leeds Liverpool Canal with the idea of doing the Trans Pennine journey from Wigan to Leeds and back down the East side of the country.
However, plans changed again. Lack of water up the Wigan flight and on the Leeds Liverpool Canal put the Trans-Pennine crossing in doubt. Chrissie would need to use the double locks alone, and be diagonally across them as she’s 60 foot, and these locks are 58’ long, so wasting quite a bit more water. But no point in getting halfway over the Pennines and being stranded for days or weeks with low water.
Not to worry, may try again one day.
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