Tarleton

Here I am Rune

Distance  3.5 miles

Total 3617 Locks  229 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5322.0miles

An easy trip today up to Tarleton so we are now ready to go in the morning. The other boats we are travelling with are all here, along with another boat due to go on Sunday.

The only incident of any note was assistance given to another boater who had got his boat caught in the reeds just beyond Fearns Swing Bridge. It didn’t take too much to pull him out.

Rufford

Here I am Rune

Distance  4.6 miles

Total 3617 Locks  229 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5318.5miles

A bit more work to be done today to get up here to Rufford since we had 7 locks to get through, and no two of the locks was of the same design. Fortunately we have been able to team up with Simon and Deborah on Bequia Valentine, a couple that are also going up the Ribble Link on Saturday with us. Since these are all broad locks it helps to reduce the workload and save water to have two boats travelling together as we can get both boats into the locks at the same time.

We have now stocked up for the weekend at Burscough so all we now need to do is get safely across the Ribble Link on Saturday morning, we are just short of 4 miles from Tarleton Lock to take us down onto the Douglas River, should take just over an hour to get there.

Burscough

Here I am Rune

Distance  1.9 miles

Total 3610 Locks  229 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5313.9miles

Another very short hop back to a mooring we took on the way up to Liverpool. I was close enough for me to have a walk into Burscough to see what is there, apparently not a lot. The Tesco ‘Superstore’ there isn’t as good as the one in Southport, but it will have to do for the weekend shopping because there isn’t much else around here.

A longer run tomorrow to encompass getting the weekend shop and mooring some way up the Rufford Arm to have an easy run on Friday to Tarleton, ready to go up to the Lancaster on Saturday.

Heaton's Bridge

Here I am  Rune

Distance  4.7 miles

Total 3610 Locks  229 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5312 miles

Once again a fairly short hop, slightly further than yesterday at just under 5 miles, but still not that far. It did however entail a stop-off at Scarisbrick Marina to top up the fuel tank before we head up the Lancaster Canal. It’s been over a month since we last filled up at Hawne Basin so it took 109 litres but that should now be plenty to see us up and back the Lancaster. 

Not sure how far we’ll go tomorrow, the forecast is for some rain so it is possible we might remain where we are.