Summer Cruise 2017❶❶

Summer Cruise 2017 (11)

Subtitled: "The Magnificent Five go to Liverpool" As Nb Kalkara, Nb Alchemy, Nb My little Nightmare, Nb SWJKSDL and Nb Rose of Arden team up to enjoy a summer cruise along the inland waterways.

 
Crabtree Swing Bridge to Holmes Swing Bridge

Date:  31/07/2017

Overnight the weather was cold and quite windy. One very heavy and prolonged shower!

Morning:  An uneventful morning and underway by 9:00. The wind had an hard edge to it and was causing occasional steering problems. Late morning and we come across a CaRT butty that had been moored up using the usual frayed blue string. one boater had to donate rope to moor it back up. Another boater donated a mooring pin to secure it to the bank. The butty must have been there for some time as it was full of bags of boaters rubbish.

Afternoon:  The afternoon warmed up a bit and the highlight was to come across a couple who were doing a charity walk along the canal from Leeds to Liverpool. All 127 miles of it! They posed for a couple of pictures. 

They are raising funds for Ronald McDonald House in Liverpool, which provides accommodation for the families of children who are in-patient's at Alder Hey Hospital. 

We are both doing this in memory of Kaden Lee Hadfield, who passed away on November 28th, 2016 in Alder Hey Hospital, after complications with his arthritis treatment.  

Michael Isherwood and I will be walking 127 miles along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal in 5 days - all sponsorship or donations will be greatly appreciated. 

 


Evening:  Moored up for the night at Holmes Swing Bridge and then came the joy of removing plastic bags wrapped round plastic bin liners encased in fishing line and camouflaged with weeds.

Wildlife: Water Vole and a few rabbits.

Birds:House Sparrow, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Rook, Blackbird, Mallard, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Coot, Moorhen, Cormorant, Grey Lag Goose, Canada Geese, Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Common Tern, Sedge Warbler, Swallow, House Martin, Egyptian Goose and Swift.

Butterflies: Meadow Brown, Common White, Small White, Sulphur Yellow Tortoiseshell and Peacock.

Bats: Pipistrelle and Daubentons.

Damselfly: Banded Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly.

Dragonflies: Ruddy Darter.

Today's Total:

Miles: 12.8
Locks: 0
Swing / Lift Bridges: 8
Tunnels: 0
Pump Outs: 0
Engine Hours: 7.1

Accumulated Total:  

Miles: 2883.3
Locks: 1813
Swing / Lift Bridges: 379
Tunnels: 71
Pump Outs: 27
Engine Hours: 3880.0