Blackburn L&L Canal Festival this weekend

[bigste]

Anybody passing that way may find it a bit busy or maybe it's worth a visit. The town has gone to great lengths to tidy the canal in recent years and much of the towpath looks very good as well as having lighting.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/13418303.Blackburn_Canal_Festival_to_be____biggest_yet____as_boats_travel_from_across_the_country/

[Pluto]

The L&LC Society will have Kennet open from 11am on both days, and are keen to get more volunteers to help move and open the boat. Next year is the 200th anniversary of the canal opening throughout, so we are expecting to be very busy, opening at places along the whole canal, and finishing the year with a 're-enactment' of the first trip - from Leeds to Liverpool - and passing under this bridge on the Wigan flight on the anniversary of the date on the bridge arch.

 

[TheBiscuits]

Assuming Wigan flight is open again by then!

[Pluto]

We had had over 600 visitors on Kennet by the time I left at 3pm, so a pretty successful day. Not too many boats, but the festival certainly got a good number of locals onto the canal banks.

[jonathanA]

Couldn't get there this year with the boat as it was being blacked at bank hall dry dock (great service and nice people to deal with)

But was fairly busy when we visited this afternoon and enjoyed another look round Kennet

 

Don't understand why more local boats don't visit this festival

[Pluto]

The number of Sunday visitors was a little down on Saturday, given the poor weather in the morning, but we still had over 1100 visitors over the weekend. Most were from East Lancashire, and the event should encourage a more positive attitude to the canal locally, which can only be of benefit to the canal as a whole. Kennet's next event will be the Burnley Canal Festival at August Bank Holiday.

[TheBiscuits]

We have loved the festival, and can only hope Jane's attempt to get a sani station on the wharf works.

 

Richard Parry was up yesterday, and seemed to enjoy himself, so hope he sees it our way, and helps us as promised.

 

Oh, and big love to Saint Bob and Calypso Dave

[TheBiscuits]

Meh phone

Edited July 20, 2015 by TheBiscuits

[cotswoldsman]

We have loved the festival, and can only hope Jane's attempt to get a sani station on the wharf works.

 

Richard Parry was up yesterday, and seemed to enjoy himself, so hope he sees it our way, and helps us as promised.

 

Oh, and big love to Saint Bob and Calypso Dave

A good starting point might be some decent visitor moorings. Maybe some of that money spent in the south on visitor moorings might find its way oooop North. Yes I am one of those boaters that stays overnight in Blackburn and am pleased the Festival went well, getting locals involved might persuade CRT to spend some money

[jonathanA]

I'd settle for a water point at Eanam wharf.

 

Well actually there is one but its for the convenience of the council youth boat (Bill Hunt) and locked up

 

technically there is a good sani station at nova scotia wharf, problem is its halfway up (or down) the lock flight.

[tillergirl]

We were there at the Festival as the only Trade Boat there.........amazing that not many people knew that sort of thing happened. We had a splendid weekend and were made to feel very welcome by everyone and we made lots of new friends. Full marks to all who arranged the Festival. Richard Parry came to have a chat with us and he assured us that canal tidying and cleaning is working its way down from Burnley. We too shall be at the Burnley Festival wlong with Kennet on August Bank Holiday weekend.

[cotswoldsman]

We were there at the Festival as the only Trade Boat there.........amazing that not many people knew that sort of thing happened. We had a splendid weekend and were made to feel very welcome by everyone and we made lots of new friends. Full marks to all who arranged the Festival. Richard Parry came to have a chat with us and he assured us that canal tidying and cleaning is working its way down from Burnley. We too shall be at the Burnley Festival wlong with Kennet on August Bank Holiday weekend.

Glad you had a good weekend

[jonathanA]

its only the third year its been running hopefully more boaters will attend in future years.

[cotswoldsman]

its only the third year its been running hopefully more boaters will attend in future years.

I agree it is places like Blackburn that need promoting

[Pluto]

Blackburn does have an important part in recent canal history. The IWA National Rally was there in 1965 and visited by the local MP, Barbara Castle. Three years later, as Minister for Transport, she was behind the 1968 Transport Act which provided government recognition of the leisure use of waterways, saving many canals from closure. Could it have been the potential she saw for her constituents and others at the 1965 rally which influenced her decisions in the Act?