Saturday, June 02, 2018

Toddling on northwards

We’ve had a steady few days since we came up onto the Lancaster Canal. On Thursday we cruised on to Bilsborrow, stayed there on Friday and moved on to Garstang today. Steady, as I said.
We met up with Peter and Marie on Jammin’ at Bilsborrow and swapped pictures, so here’s a couple Peter took as they passed us on Tuesday…IMGP8157

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Thanks, Peter.

A beautiful day on Thursday as we traveled to Bilsborrow.DSCF3779

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Just across from where we’d moored for a couple of nights there’s a large industrial complex…DSCF3781

… and a little further along on the towpath - DSCF3785
It appears we’re in the Westinghouse Springfield Emergency Planning Zone. What’s that then? I hear you ask. I had to Google it to find out…

From www.onr.org.uk/sites/springfields-fuels-limited.htm -
“Springfields licensed site near Preston has provided nuclear fuel fabrication services since the mid-1940s. In 2005, responsibility for the assets and liabilities of the site transferred to the NDA. A new company, Springfields Fuels Ltd (SFL), was created to run the site, managed and operated by Westinghouse Electric UK Ltd on the NDAs behalf. Subsequently, Westinghouse acquired a long term lease for the Springfields site, which transferred responsibility for the commercial fuel manufacturing business and Springfields Fuels Ltd to Westinghouse. The sites activities include manufacture of oxide fuels for advanced gas cooled reactors (AGR) and light water reactors (LWR), manufacture of uranium hexafluoride and its conversion, processing of residues, decommissioning and demolition of redundant plants and buildings.”
Aah, I see. Well, they can’t have any problems while we’ve been here, no sign of us glowing in the dark…

CRT have been busy up here, replacing the old signs with the new half-sucked polo logo.
thKFG1J6ZYDSCF3786I preferred the old one.  It’d only been around for 6 years as well.

Does this mean I’ve got to do something with my index number signwriting?


At least I’ll not have to get a professional in…DSCF3826

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, but Canada geese do make very good parents.DSCF3791
I guess that’s why there’s so many of them!

We arrived in Bilsborrow after a gentle and very pleasant 3 hours cruise. Quiet too, not many boats on the move.

Yesterday afternoon the weather broke. It turned very humid and by mid-afternoon the first of several heavy showers had arrived, to the accompaniment of rolls of thunder and flashes of lightening. These turned into lighter but more persistent rain, and this morning was a different picture entirely to what we’ve experienced of late. Drizzle falling from grey, overcast skies, with poor visibility.

Leaving Bilsborrow this morning after filling up with water and dropping off rubbish and recycling.DSCF3805

Across the Brock Aqueduct.
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There are lots of these small aqueducts, crossing streams and rivers that run east to west from the watershed of the Forest of Bowland down to the sea.

Barton Grange Marina…
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…with the largely completed farm shop and garden centre alongsideDSCF3813

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A tern hunting for lunch along the canal
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Just south of Garstang the remains of Greenhalgh Castle lie in a loop of the canal.DSCF3823
The castle was built by Thomas Stanley, the 1st Earl of Derby, in 1490 on land given to him by Henry VII for his help in defeating Richard III at Bosworth 5 years earlier. The Tudor equivalent of 30 pieces of silver…

Coming in to Garstang
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We pulled in on the southern edge of the town, just before another aqueduct, this one crossing the the River Wyre. It’s an easy walk from here to Sainsbury’s to top up the cupboards.

Locks 0, miles 13, two days

1 comment:

Alf said...

I remember in the early 60ies that many "Danger zones" on the OS maps were replaced with "Safety zones" the birth of Effin Safety no doubt !! (In other words in a Danger zone you would likely to be blown up with the plant that it protected whereas a Safety zone did not scare the locals as much !!)