Worsley to Dunham Woodhouse Underbridge

A warm start today, very different from yesterday. Crossing over the Barton swing aqueduct.

We moored at the canal access to the Trafford Centre and went to have a look around.

It is quite an amazing place, and we now know why so many friends have said we should visit it. We had a Pizza Hut buffet lunch whilst there before continuing our journey to Dunham Woodhouse underbridge, where there is an offside mooring, and just as we were about to moor up, John and Judith on Serena arrived and also moored there, so we had a quick catch-up with them.

Keith.

Wigan to Worsley

A damp start to the day with very light fine rain, which had stopped by the time we got to Worsley, where we are now moored.

The entrance to Worsley mines seems to have become more overgrown since our last visit here!

Not much has changed at Worsley, it is still as pretty as ever.

Keith.

“Ring O’Bells” to Wigan Pier.

A dull start to the morning. Approaching Appeley locks, with the abandoned locks to the left, which have been replaced by a single deep lock.

Having arrived at Appeley lock Jo discovered that neither ground paddle was working so she had to fill the lock slowly with the gate paddles, which as the lock is 12ft deep it took a while. Whilst the lock was filling another boat arrived behind us. Having moved Hadar out of the lock, Jo could not shut the gate, there was something stopping it, so I reversed back to the open gate and flushed whatever it was out with the propeller. We decided to wait and help the other boat up through the lock and we paired up for the following 3 locks to Wigan Pier. The rain started to spit and spot, but by the time we moored up it was more drizzle. We will be sharing tomorrows locks with George & Linda on Wandering Star.

We are now moored by Wigan Pier again, and went to Asda for a food shop.

Keith.

Lydiate to “Ring O’Bells”, Lathom

A warm sunny start this morning. New Lane swing bridge No.31 The most northerly place that Hadar can get to.

Entrance to the Rufford Branch.

Moored at “The Ring O’Bells”, Lathom.

Keith.

Lydiate

This morning we took a look around part of Lydiate. ”The Scotch Piper Inn” the oldest inn in Lancashire.

Lydiate Abbey.

St. Thomas’s C of E church.

Two of the many peacocks at Lydiate Hall farm.

Remains of Lydiate Hall.

Keith.

Liverpool to Lydiate

This morning we said our goodbyes to Liverpool. We have had an amazing week enjoying the City. Yesterday I bought a new compact camera, so back to taking photos again. Now moored at Lydiate Hill Bridge No.18.

Keith.

Museums

This morning we visited the Museum of Liverpool which is on the waterfront close to where we are moored. Whist waiting for the doors to open at 10.00am we came across the Mann Island lock we came through, and will do again tomorrow morning.

The front of the Museum of Liverpool as seen from alongside the Liverpool canal link.

This model of the Empire State Building has been made from Bayko, I think I will need quite a bit more to build this!

We went for another Chinese Buffet at City Buffet, and found they had some new items on offer by way of a change. After lunch we then visited the Maritime Museum, which has some superb models of ships of different types and sizes. The tug Brocklebank has now been joined by the steam tug Daniel Adamson for a special “Steam on the Dock” weekend here at the docks.

Keith.

Crosby Beach

This morning we caught the Mersey Rail train to Brundellsands and Crosby to see the Anthony Gormley statues. They are well worth visiting. It was about 15 minutes after high tide when we got to the beach so we gradually saw the further statues emerge from the sea.

Someone has obviously thought this statue needed a T-shirt to keep it warm!

This statue was further out to sea. there are 100 statues in total along the beach.

Jo taking a close-up.

It has been a while since we last saw waves on a seashore. Unfortunately all my subsequent photos were spoilt by a hair inside my camera. I took my marine VHF portable radio with me so we could hear the various ships calling as they left the Port of Liverpool on the falling tide. We had a cup of tea in the Crosby Leisure Centre, watching a small child refusing most adamantly to go into the water. We had a picnic lunch on the sand dunes, and the obligatory ice cream on the beach

Keith.

Mersey Ferry

A busy day today started with a trip on the Mersey Ferry “Snowdrop”.

Jo on the ferry having set off from the Pier Head, with the Liver Building behind her.

At Woodside ferry terminal on the Birkenhead side of the river is an exhibition of U534, which was quite fascinating.

On the regular view of a seagull!

Liverpool waterfront from the ferry.

The Beatles statues outside the Mersey Ferries terminal.

We had lunch at the City Buffet, yes yet another Chinese buffet, and very nice it was too. After lunch we then went to have a look at the Metropolitan RC Cathedral.

Architecturally a very interesting structure, but the best was yet to come, inside.

We also found the St. John’s indoor market, and the cheapest cup of tea in the city, at 60p a mug!

Keith.

Cavern Club, Cathedral and Museum

We set off early this morning to find the Cavern Club before there were too many people around.

Then we had a cooked breakfast at The Welkin, another Weatherspoon's. We then headed for Liverpool Cathedral.

It was built between 1904 and 1978, 74 years. It is rather magnificent inside. When we come out it from the Cathedral it was raining so we headed for the World Museum via the Chinatown, where the magnificent Chinese arch is.

The World Museum was fascinating but very much orientated around children with a lot of interactive stuff. Very close to the museum is the Queensway road tunnel under the Mersey which I used to travel through when I had to work in the telephone exchange in Birkenhead.

Keith.

Caribbean Princess

We had a visit this afternoon from Chris and Steve, it was great to see them and we had a good long chat over coffee and cake. After tea Jo and I took Paddy out for a stroll along the river front to see the Caribbean Princess, which had birthed here yesterday. We were treated to excellent views of her as she left her birth and turned in the river to head off to her next port of call.

She can carry in excess of 3600 passengers, phew! A tad bigger than Hadar.

Of course the Mersey Ferry had to get in on the scene.

Keith.