Blackburn to Burnley

Mon 25th July  Blackburn to Oswaldtwistle

John and Maggie on Andante turned round and departed fairly early, heading back to their mooring at Wheelton.

Farewell to John and Maggie

We went for breakfast at Morrison’s, remembering to take our own mustard this time.  It was much better than ASDA in Wigan.

We then took the opportunity to visit the Cathedral, which we found was very Catholic, with images of Jesus still on the cross everywhere. They did have a very nice carved angel on the pulpit.

Blackburn Cathedral

Carved angel

We returned to Morrison’s for some shopping before going back to the boat.

We moved up to the water point, just as another boat decided to moor there, so we had to tie alongside a widebeam, and passed the hose across their roof. We made our farewells to the people we had met during the festival, and set off through more of Blackburn’s industrial areas.

Farewell to Ray and Leslie on Morgana

Eynam Wharf

Historic wall

 Horse escape

We passed under a main road, followed by a railway bridge, and were suddenly in more rural surroundings. We found the wool boat moored at Side Beet Bridge, and gave them a wave as we passed.

Starting to see dry stone walls and hilly scenery

Then through Rishton and past Dunkenhalgh Park, where we spotted the old stately home, now converted to a Mercure Hotel and Spa.

We crossed over the motorway M65 on an aqueduct, and moored up at Oswaldtwistle near a railway bridge. There were occasional two-carriage trains, which didn’t make a lot of noise.

Morgana, the boat with four cats, went past a little later.

Moored at Oswaldtwistle

0 locks, 6 miles

Tue 26th July  Oswaldtwistle to Clayton le Moors

Before we set off today James did some boat maintenance – tightening belts, checking oil, clearing gutters, and removing the weed hatch to retrieve a heavy duty plastic sack from the propeller. Meanwhile eight boats went past going east. Perhaps they were trying to maximise the use of the swing bridges up ahead. Or maybe the front one was a slowcoach.

We noticed some old canal buildings as we cruised through Oswaldtwistle and Church, and at one point we passed the centre mark of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

The midpoint of the canal

Old wharf buildings

There were three swing bridges, each needing a handcuff key and a windlass, just for the mechanism which frees the bridge. Then it was push and shove. At the final one, Foster’s Swing Bridge, we needed another weed hatch visit, this time for a piece of cloth, various plastic bags, and an audio cable.

Church Swing Bridge

There was a boat being bow hauled backwards through the pipe bridge, so we held the swing bridge open for them.

Huge pipe bridge

We moored up just beyond the pipe bridge on some handy bollards, and we had a pleasant Pennine view.  Emma Mae, the wool boat came along later and moored in front. Several other boats arrived eventually from the other direction.  This is probably the first easy mooring this side of Burnley.

There were lapwings and Canada geese in the field, and a ruined farmhouse among some dilapidated walls and beautiful thistles.

Abandoned building

Old walls

 Thistles

0 locks, 4 miles, 3 swing bridges

Wed 27th July  Clayton le Moors to Reedley Marina

We had rain in the night, and this morning it was cloudy and windy, and most of the other boats had gone as we set off past an abandoned building and a disused swing bridge.  The M65 was running parallel to the canal and was never very far away.

Water art

Disused Smith’s Swing Bridge

 Glorious Pennine scenery

We went slowly past Hapton Boatyard, hoping for some diesel, but they no longer sold it. Knott’s Bridge moorings were the same.  We came to Rose Grove facilities, between bridges 126 and 126A. This is just marked as a tap and a mooring in the Nicholson’s, and is incorrectly shown between 126A and 127. However, our guide is dated 2006, and later issues may be accurate.  Apart from the tap there is rubbish and an elsan point, plus toilets. Kennet was moored here.

Rose Grove CRT yard

We saw Life Church by bridge 127A, where we want to be on Sunday. Just after this comes Gannow Tunnel, not very long, but with a sharp turn into the entrance.

Gannow Tunnel

Then we crossed over the M65 on an aqueduct. Soon after this, industrial Burnley appears, with old mills and factories. Some are empty, and some are being used for other purposes. Others are still lingering on as industrial businesses. There are also rows of terraced cottages. The “Weavers Triangle” museum is in an old warehouse with a covered loading bay, and we saw the wool boat moored there, just where we had moored last time.

Crossing the M65

The wool boat at the Weaver Triangle

Terraced cottages

At the southern corner of the triangle, just before the long Burnley Embankment, there was a strange modern sculpture.

Alien craft?

 Or is it about to hatch?

We had arranged to meet Phillip Ingram at the Queen Victoria, which Nicolson says has good moorings.  When we arrived outside there were no moorings at all. The pub was impossible to reach from the canal.

At this point, we decided to move on to Reedley Marina. We were very low on fuel, and there were various appointments we wanted to keep, including a folk club on Friday, Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, and Life Church on Sunday. We decided that instead of using lots of taxis, we would moor in the marina for a few nights and hire a car.  This would enable us to make the visits we wanted plus explore the area.

Just over a mile further on we arrived at the marina, and were offered a mooring on the far side, which was the quietest part. We filled up our fuel tank – 170 litres, a record for us.

Entering Reedley Marina

Everyone was very welcoming, and it was a pleasant location. Hugo soon found his way off the pontoons onto the grass and into the bushes. A light grey tabby chased him back onto the boat later.

0 locks, 9 miles

Next : Museums, folk clubs and sightseeing across the moors by hire car plus Life Church on Sunday