Hest Bank

Here I am Rune

Distance  12.2 miles

Total 3628 Locks  229 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5385 miles

A very enjoyable day’s cruise today, although funnily enough, everywhere looks better in sunshine. We got off to a leisurely start heading up from Carnforth towards Tewitfield arriving there at about 12.15pm. Since we wanted to view the abandoned locks above the canal end we did this before having lunch. The locks were in surprisingly good condition, bearing in mind that the canal fell into disused in 1942, new gates and a bit of TLC and they could be put back into use. I thought that it was the actual M6 motorway that blocked off the canal when in fact the A6070 is the guilty party. Looking at the set up it wouldn’t be that difficult to take the canal under that road and bring the locks back into use, let’s hope it happens in my lifetime.

After lunch it was again a fairly relaxed cruise back to Carnforth, although the mooring we got was a bit duff as we were about 2 feet away from the bank. I decided to check out the possible moorings at Hest Bank so put the bike together and took a trip along the towpath. Sure enough there were plenty of moorings there so after dinner we took an evening cruise bringing us to Hest Bank. What a brilliant mooring this is, country views on one side, sea views on the other side and the Lake District in the distance. I think we may be staying here a day or two since it is only a short trip into Morecambe.

Rune at the end of the Navigation

The canal above the blockage

The condition of the locks (not too bad really)