Wigan, Work and Woohooooooo - Yorkshire!!

Picking up from the last entry, I didn't pick Mike up in Appley Bridge.  I'd just entered Appley Lock and having closed the gate took a last look back to see another boat approaching, so I opened the gate so we could go up together.  The boat turned out to be Icarus, who we met in Windsor last Sept, with Ben and Petra on board.  We had a great chinwag as we went up the lock together, and I carried on up Dean's lock with them, mooring at Gathurst.  Mike got off the train at 4pm and we were setting off to go to Crooke for the night (the last safe place before the dreaded Wigan!!), but the couple in front were pulling out to head to Wigan, so we decided to go along with them to lockshare.
Well, we got to Wigan and it was full to bursting with people waiting for the Leigh branch to reopen the next day, so we couldn't get on the 'only secure moorings' outside the CRT office.  But neither could anyone else, so the towpath was full and we ended up below the lock with another couple of boats.  The only noise we encountered was the lady from the cottage on the towpath coming out to mow her lawn, apologising profusely to me for disturbing my peace.  There were no drunks, no druggies, no litter, no kids casting all the boats off and throwing stones - nothing.  We had one of the quietest nights ever!  I do wonder if all the badness of Wigan is a bit old, before the days of Xboxes when kids came out for mischief, and maybe before some of the canalside buildings were renovated.  We were there on a Friday night and there was no bother or noise at all.  Another couple we spoke with had been there three nights and reported the same.  So maybe we should give Wigan a break, and treat it as we would any other city or big town - be sensible, take the usual precautions, but I don't see the need to 'get through Wigan in a day, you don't want to stop there.'
Anyway, enough chat - where's the pictures!!!

We set off up the Wigan flight the next morning, aiming to wait at the first lock for a boat to share with, but as Mike went to inspect the lock, he found NB Dulwich inside having a cup of tea while she waited for someone to lockshare with - wooohoooo!!  We breasted up, tying the boats together which meant we only needed one person to drive the boats, leaving three of us to do the locks.  We got 10 locks in before the rain started :(
 

Breasted up with NB Dulwich taking turns to drive 5 locks each - and I did the top one!!

When the rain came on, it came on :(

At the top of the flight the sun appeared - briefly - and we felt very rural again :)

Having stopped for a cuppa and both falling asleep for an hour, we decided to leave the swampy boat running the loudest generator you have ever heard that we were next too and went to Addlington, where we decided to go for a curry.  We bumped into Dave and Sean from NB Dulwich and arranged to travel with them the next day to get up through Blackburn.  We breasted up again for the Johnson's Hillock flight, then through Blackburn stopping for the night on the other side.

Breasted up again  - tho' not entirely sure which flight this was, as after a few days, one starts looking like another!!

 NB Dulwich headed off early next morning and we had a bit of a lie in and then caught up on chores etc and Mike did some work from the boat.  He's been working on a very large report and it's been a real pain in the @rse frankly - but needs must I suppose...........  I feel I've been a bit of a Work-Widow this last week or so, but if we want another holiday over the winter....... :(
We then headed for the small northern town of Hapton, where we were to meet another of Mike's ex-colleagues for a beer in the evening.  We stopped off at Rishton where there is an excellent butchers, baker, grocery store, pharmacy and post office.  We then just chugged on through the urban sprawl of Burnley and up to the Barrowford Flight.  It's a strange canal though.  You go through all these towns which are not the prettiest, and are not recommended to stop over, but there are always beautiful hills and countryside in the distance.  So really, we were pleasantly surprised by this stretch of the Leeds Liverpool and how attractive it actually is.

Looking back towards Blackburn - yes, really, it's just a mile or so round that corner!

Large and small chimneys take in the views surrounding Burnley, as we appear to 'fly' over it.

Surely one of the prettiest phone boxes you've ever seen ;)

Coming up the Barrowford Flight - getting increasingly close to Yorkshire

 

Cows on the top lock - not helping!!

Since the Wigan flight, there had been an increasing sense of excitement on the boat.  We were heading to Yorkshire.  Mike's home county, and God's own (apparently!).  We spent the night at the top of the Barrowford flight with stunning views of the surrounding countryside - and Yorkshire in the near distance!  Next morning we were like a pair of kids - it felt as if we were taking our girl home - even though she's from Weedon, not Yorkshire!!  We came through the Foulridge tunnel and soon passed the pre-1974 border of Yorkshire and Lancashire.  The countryside on this section is just glorious.  We have done it before in 2011 on a holiday boat and it feels really, really special to be here on our own girl now.

Heading into the Fouridge Tunnel on the green lights

Exiting the Foulridge Tunnel on the Yorkshire side - almost there!!

A lot drier than when we were here in 2011

On Thursday we reached East Marton and crossed into Yorkshire post-1974 - wooooohoooooo!! Mike was beside himself, but was still working on that damn report, so we moored up and I went for a run.  I ran 10k in 58 mins.  Last week I ran 11K in 1hr exactly, so I feel I have well and truly beaten Mike's record from 2008 of 10K in 59 mins :P
On my run towards Gargrave, my breath was taken away with the beautiful landscape (not to mention the running..) and when I got back to the boat, decided we were moving on.  The sun had come out, the sky was blue - it was too nice to stay in the shady dell we were in.  Mind you, maybe if we'd stayed put, Mike wouldn't have put his big fist in my beautifully risen loaf of bread I'd been proving all afternoon - thankfully it survived a second knocking back and third proving and we enjoyed it for breakfast this morning with his mate Fran's home made black currant jam.  (Fran visited on Thursday night bringing veg from his garden and his home-made jam - lovely!)

A Perfect Evening in Yorkshire

Today we came down through the Bank Newton locks with NB Caraway in glorious sunshine - the first for weeks!!!  When we did this flight in 2011 it was chucking it down, so we didn't really recognise it today.  Mike had the camera as I did the locks, so there're no pictures as he was too busy gassing and listening to the cricket.  And then through Gargrave.  If we'd just been a few days sooner, we could have caught up with Neil, Karen and Buddy from NB Chalkhill Blue, as they were camping in the Dales last weekend!!

Coming through Gargrave

An emotional moment as we take Quaintrelle through the very, very first lock we ever did - ever!!  I think we did it slightly better this time ;)

Tonight we are moored in the middle of nowhere, somewhere between Gargrave and Skipton, with just the sheep for company.  And each other, of course...... Mike's finished that report by the way ;)