Canal adventure #7 – Parbold to Burscough Bridge

14/04/201117/04/20113 Comments

After a couple of weekends with no towpaths, we got back on track with the canal miles and decided to resume our westward journey. We started from Bridge 34 (the starting point for Canal Adventure #4) and did an out and back to Bridge 28, four miles away. One of the things that I’ve looked forward to about this project is seeing the weather and seasons change as we go. It was a lovely day for Adventure 4, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, but comparing the photos (with a month between them), April brought a deeper blue and a brighter sun.

Bridge 34 - March

Bridge 34 - April

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In which I stumble around in the dark and review stuff

02/04/201117/04/20114 Comments

I’m an idiot. The mornings have been getting lighter since Janathon and yet I wait until after the clocks have changed before I decided choose to haul myself out of bed at 6 o’clock.

Having forgotten my Guiding motto (Be Prepared), I was desperate not to wake Ginge as I clattered around trying to locate suitable running kit. I emerged wearing appropriate clothes (all the necessary body parts were supported and covered) but looked like I’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. Styled, I was not. 15 minutes of faffing later and I was off. Continue reading →

Canal Adventure #6 – Oswaldtwistle to Cherry Tree

21/03/201117/04/20113 Comments

Or, “We’ll never get home if we keep standing here staring at a duck on a roof”.

Yesterday’s canal adventure was a bit of an expedition. Having run as far as Cherry Tree the previous week, we decided that the most efficient way to clock up some miles would be to catch the train from Cherry Tree and run back along the canal. Trains from Cherry Tree to Oswaldtwistle are at best infrequent on a Sunday and if we missed the 10.24, the plan was null and void. As such, I woke up at 7.15 with a mild sense of panic and had to resist the urge to force Ginge to get up, dressed and sit in the car so we would be ready.

Cherry Tree station - deserted on a Sunday morning

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I take no responsibility for this

14/03/201121/03/20118 Comments

While we were out doing yesterday’s canal adventure, we stopped and mooched around Bridge 90 for a few minutes. During this short break, we pondered on the yellow foliage of some daffodils and admired a well constructed facility for crossing between towpath and field, which also had a little gate for letting your four-legged friend gain access (on a lead, obviously – I know my Country Code. Ah, it’s the Countryside Code now, I’m showing my age) . Continue reading →

Canal adventure #5 – Riley Green to Cherry Tree

13/03/201121/03/20116 Comments

Last night it rained. This morning I lay in bed listening to the swish of cars on the wet road outside and wondering how muddy the canal towpaths would be. The answer? Very.

Today we ventured east towards Blackburn. My home point on the canal is Johnson’s Hillock, which the milestone told me is 79 (and a quarter) miles from Leeds and 48 miles to Liverpool and I am convinced that once I have run to Blackburn, it’s only a few miles to Leeds (I know, I know).