Capt Col

Ants and Gennys??? We had moored for a couple of days south of Cowley tunnel on the shroppie the other week. Put the genny box on the grass covered tow path and ran the genny for a few hours for a couple of days. When loading it back on the boat found a very active ant's nest under it. Same thing happened at Radford bank on the S and W last week, don't thing it was the same ants:-). anyone else noticed this?

Hi Did a search through the topics, to see if there was a dedicated one to report boats adrift? didn't seem to be one? Just we dealt with this one this morning and just thought some one may know the owner? Any one know the owner of Blue narrow boat "Eliza Penelope" from Macclesfield reg no 516367, moored near Autherley jct at the bottom of the shroppie? It was adrift this morning so chained it up as best we could, but needs sorting, Capt Col on The Wool Boat.

Whilst Viktoria and Ambush are still owned by Derek, who we agree is a top guy, the society has been formed to help restore Viktoria and Ambush. Ambush is as you say still on a regular coal and diesel run on the west end of the L and L. Viktoria is currently moored in Burscough, outside the old stables where Derek and the society have opened a fledgling chandlery to provide a service to local and passing boaters and raise money for the restoration work.

Go on then give us a clue?

Barging about on a Bank holiday Over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend, the 23rd to 25th August everyone is invited to visit The Old Stables in Mill Lane on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in Burscough to discover pieces of Burscough’s unique history that has recently retuned to the village. The H and R Ainscoughs Barge society are holding open days to allow the public to view the two unique old working barges that where used to carry imported grain to Burscough and Parbold Mills. The society has recently established a base in the old stables and over the weekend will be offering people the chance to find out about the work needed to restore “Ambush” and “Victoria” to there former glory, along with displays of local heritage and historical photo’s from Michael Dawson, and the Burscough Heritage group, along with a display of canal art by Trish Moran. “Ambush” and “Viktoria” are the last locally owned boats from a fleet that are the largest craft that can be seen today on the inland non tidal waterways of the country being 72ft long and 14ft wide. All welcome to drop into this free event which runs from 10.30 to 4.30 each day. Colin, H and R Ainscough's Barge Society press person

Not many boats on the mooring at the top of the Rufford Branch at the moment, quite a few seemed to have moved off, but are they being relet? May be ring CaRT at Wigan and ask to speak to Lenna Pendlebury, the local mooring manager?

If you havent seen the other thread just a heads up for channel 4 at 8 in the evening on sat 8th feb. Last October Sir Tony Robinson filmed a episope of Walking Through History when he walked form Liverpool to Wigan. Quite a bit of filming around Burscough including a chat with Carole from The Wool Boat about kniting boatmens Ganseys.

It was filmed last October and should include quite a bit about the Leeds and Liverpool long boat "Ambush" and short boat "Ribble" as well as my other half talking to Sir Tony about boatmans Ganseys.

Hi all, If anyone is about the Burscough area on Monday evening, 13th January we have the Ist history meeting of the Burscough Heritage Group of the new year. We are welcoming the speaker, Bill Huyton from the Ormskirk and district Family History society who have done a lot of work on recording family history of Burscough boatmen. All welcome to the Ring o Bells pub from 8pm, and we'll be asking for a donation of £2 from none members. (We've put the start time back a bit so we can use a bigger down stairs room).

Quick response by CaRT I sent this by e-mail to CaRT in Wigan on Thursday 28th Nov We've just moored on the 24hr visitor mooring outside The Slipway near bridge no 32 on the L and L and there is a deep hole in the grass bank behind the concrete wash wall that my leg went down it up to the knee! I think it could do with filling in before some one falls down it good style.. By Friday 29th Nov the holed had been filled in, no need for orange plastic fencing and “BW are aware” tape as it used to be, Well done Mark and his team. Capt Col nb Emma Maye

Hi all sorry for mix up, Philips meeting is on thw 11th Nov, and the Ainscoughs barge meeting is on the 22nd Nov, both at the Ring o bells 7 for the 11th and 7.30 for the 22nd Capt Col

Following the twice sucsefull September meeting of The Burscough Heritage groups talks on the life of a working boatman, the Novemeber meeting is a pictoral talk about the L and L and The Douglas Navigation by our local historian Philip Watkinson. All welcome at The Ring o bells near bridge 34 of the L and L, for 7pm start. Capt Col

Hi There is a society that has just been set up with the aim of restoring "Viktoria" and "Ambush", still in it's early stages, but there is a facebook page here with pictures of both of the boats. "Viki" and "Ambush" are currently in the ownership of Derek Bent who uses Ambush to provide a coal and diesel service to boaters on the west end on the L and L. They are both moored at Crooke. The aim is to bring both of the boats back to a mooring in Burscough, where the mill they where built to serve is currently being turned into flats. The next meeting of the society is at The Ring'o'bells pub on Friday 22nd Nov from 7.30. Col who has got the job of publicity for the society....

look forward to some handy recycling places... Capt Col nb Emma Maye

Hi Mike, we can do that, we did a "Ragdoll" a couple of years ago for some one in Dudley......whether it floated....:- ) www.thewoolboat.co.uk

No we're not the Narrowboat knitters on Rav, our's is a group for people interested in where we go and what we get up to on The Wool Boat Capt Col and Carole, the knitter and talking of adventures Will he get lucky? As we moored The Wool Boat up just north of Middlewich this afternoon I fell into the usual conversation with a chap walking a dog along the towpath. Where do you get your wool from? What sorts do you have? How much is it? How much stock do you have? Then he says “My wife loves knitting, do you think if I take her some wool I may get lucky tonight?”, but not quite in them words… Well you can only try! “Ok I’ll be back in a while, just walking the dog, put me £10 worth together and make it purple” 20 minutes later he comes back and we’ve got six balls of purple acrylic loveliness in a bag. So off he goes, and we shout to him, “if it works txt us a smiley” We await the txt! This is an absolutely true tale from the canal towpath. Carole and Capt Col The Wool Boat 26.9.13

Count us in, and we have a Wool Boat group there http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-wool-boat Capt Col and the knitter Carole, a continuous knitter, but with a home mooring

The Llangollen in August, The Postscript Wednesday 23.9.13. Moored near at Church Minshull on the Middlewich Branch of The Shropshire Union. Just a few more bits of observation from our trip up the Llangollen. We actually had to wait for more locks in September than we did in August, and whilst waiting for one of the Swanley locks we witnessed a calf being born in the field next to the canal. There appears to be a programme of cutting down what are considered to be unsafe trees along the canal at the moment, and we came across a couple of piles of wood that had been left along the towpath for boaters to pick up as fire wood, very good idea on behalf of CaRT and their contractors. And finally when we came back through Grindley Brook the lady from the Lockside stores explained to us that when we had gone into the shop on the 14th August the meat we had seen was in the freezer, NOT the fridge, thus extending it’s shelf life. So off back to Burscough until the next time… Capt Col, nb Emma Maye moored near Church Minshull 23.9.13

Tiller girl, Did you moor there as well then? :-)

The darkest quietest mooring. A night as black as pitch The air full of rain and mist Not a light to be seen Not a sound from a farm, factory or wind turbine, Road, train or plane. The darkest quietest place we’ve ever moored Will we tell you where? A bit of a clue Between Bridges 53 and 52 But tell you more? We don’t think so If we did next time someone will be there Probably you Capt Col The Wool Boat September 2013 any guesses? or where is your's?

Recall watching the boats at the north end of the tunnel late one sat afternoon a few years ago. As the last northbound boat came out of the tunnel a fibreglass/plastic crusier appeared just under the railway bridge, and just by passed all the waiting southbound boats and went straight into the tunnel...think the crew on board had been having a good afternoon with the beer. All the tunnel keeper and waiting boaters could do was stand in amazment as the cruiser dissapered and all that could be heard was the thuds from the collisions with the tunnel wall. So job stopped until they got out the other side and who knows how long that took?

Just turn up, Last week the pub asked for the start to be delayed by 30 min as people were still finishing their tea, but by the time they had finished the room was full!

The Life of a working boatman, again On Monday the 9th of September the Burscough Heritage Group where proud to sponsor an illustrated talk by Derek Bent. The talk was so successful, that every one who wanted to hear Derek couldn’t be fitted into the room at The Ring O Bells pub. There where 60 odd people in the room with at least a further 20 that couldn’t be accommodated. So the talk is being repeated next Monday the 16th of September at 7.pm.

The Llangollen in August, where we mad? Part 7 Tuesday 10.9.13. Moored near Val Hill between Frankton Jct and Ellesmere. On us way home now, but now we are back in the open, having come back out of the mountains and hills of Wales, with us being from the flat plains of West Lancashire we appreciate the light, big skys and the chance to get a telly picture. We did a survey the other nearly a month a go when 70 boats passed us during the day 45 of them being hire boats the remaining 25 appearing to be private owners boats. Yesterday we where moored near St Martins Moor and repeated the survey, this time coming up with 43 hire boats passing us, and 13 private boats, plus the hotel pair, Duke and Duchess. oh yes and about 8 cars/vans along the "towpath" So the job seems to be slowing down a bit. So where we mad to come up the Llangollen in August? We don’t think we where, it wasn’t as bad/busy as we thought it was going to be. We didn’t have to queue for any length of time for locks, we didn’t have any problems mooring anywhere we wanted to. There are plenty of 48 hour moorings, with rings, that have been provided by the Shropshire Union Canal society, and beyond that a lot of the length of the canal is steel piled and so with the use of a set of mooring chains there was no issues, in fact a lot of the 48hr moorings where not being used by any one, as we are the only ones on this one tonight. The only real problem is the lack of a good pub along the length from Whitchurch to Ellesmere, And we had only one time when we had to have a word with a, couple of private boaters, who came back to their boat at Trevor and started the engine at 20.45. As normal if they had come and said we have flat batteries we’re going to give it ¾ hour and we’ll knock it off at 21.30 that would have been ok. But they where not that considerate, so how did we know what time it was going on until? After a couple of words they eventually turned it off in a bit of a huff at 21.20, having tried to convince us that is 9 to 9 around Burton where they normally moor???? No we didn’t go all the way to the end, but we have still enjoyed ourselves, and we would say if you are not in a rush to do the whole lot in a week, then don’t be put off it, you’ll probably find some nice people, hirers and private boaters, and that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? So off back to Burscough until the next time… Capt Col, nb Emma Maye moored near Val Hill 10.9.13