JohnEW2912

It can be done at Scarisbrick Marina easily but they don't have their own crane. So, unless you can co-ordinate with them hiring in a crane for other boats on the same day it will be expensive. Somewhat further afield but fairly quick to get to (if there are no stoppages) Lymm Marina on the Bridgewater have their own crane so it's a lot cheaper.

We bought our first boat in 2003 and it was one of the first boats to move into Fettlers Wharf when it opened - coincidentally I was born in Rufford. Alan Mawdsley developed it with his son Daniel. After a few years they built Scarisbrick as well and we moved there - the flight of locks from Rufford to Burscough drove us mad after a while. 2.5 hours each way which made short breaks maddeningly frustrating. Although further away from Wigan and the main network Scarisbrick is about 1.5 hours quicker and it’s well placed for short trips into Liverpool. Alan subsequently sold Fettlers and he died a couple of years ago. Scarisbrick is now well managed by Daniel and his sister Sarah. On location Rufford has the advantage of a station right next to it but it is a single track branch line with limited service and nothing on Sundays. The Hesketh Arms is about half a mile away in the village. Scarisbrick used to have the Red Lion pub next door but it’s been a curry house for a good while now. The Morris Dancers pub is about half a mile away but it’s not great (although to be honest I haven’t been in for years). The marina is half way between Southport and Ormskirk and on the bus route.

Our boat has been in and out of the water at Lymm Marina. As decent a price as you will find in the NW. All you need now is somewhere similar in the south east and that would be your most sensible plan.

Top and bottom locks both open on a lock? That’s an achievement. I looked at booking passage through Poolstock in the next few weeks to get our boat back to Scarisbrick. There is only one passage free up to the end of September and it’s on a day we can’t make.

Have a look if Baked on Board, the pizza boat is on that stretch at the right time. You should be able to see it’s movements on Facebook

In the same vein I know exactly where two pairs of my glasses are - one just south of Northwich on the T&M and one outside the former Jack Mytton pub on the Llangollen. My wife also has a pair just north of the old Sollom lock on the L&L’s Rufford branch - lost when she had an impromptu dip while I was turning the boat.

So, my wife is staying with our nephew in Portishead. They have a view right over the Severn estuary to Wales. This morning around high tide she saw what appears to be a narrowboat going up stream below the marina. Anyone what it could have been and where it could have come from?

Rob - you’re not confusing the pound I mean with the pound where Red Bull services are - that one is often full and is time limited.

Really? I’ve moored in the pound below the top lock many times and I don’t remember more than one other boat in what is a longish pound.

I wasn’t looking at your original plan, but yes the Red Bull is by the services and quite close to the Blue Bell. I did once eat at the Red Bull before walking up to the Blue Bell in the days when the latter didn’t do food. Now it does I can’t see any point in the Red Bull. It’s OK but the Blue Bell is (or at least was) one of the best.

I would press on to the Blue Bell at Kidsgrove. It was always an excellent real ale pub but I haven’t been in since the pandemic. It appears to do food as well now from their website. You should moor in the pound below the last lock before the tunnel. The pub is right by the junction with the Macc. 30 minutes tops to the tunnel Bear in mind that the pub is shut on Mondays.

You can do a ring, but Shire Cruisers offer one-way trips as well, between Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldswick, either via Leeds or more adventurously via the Huddersfield or Rochdale and Manchester to Barnoldswick.

Clearly you could hire from one the hire companies on the L&L and go one way to the end and then back the other way, but you're going to need to hire for three weeks to do the full length. Another alternative would be a one way hire from Shire Cruisers in Sowerby Bridge on the Rochdale/Aire & Calder to Barnoldswick on the L&L, either via Leeds or Manchester.

Isn't the Caldon closed between bridges 1 and 13? The CRT website says it is, until 23/6.

He was very much there when we passed him at Bettisfield on Sunday. I was surprised to see him on a permanent mooring there - now I know why.