Page published 17 May 2023
Day 4 Part 1 - Tuesday 15 July 2003
To learn a little more about this cruise read the Background page, or you could just go to the Day One report and start at the beginning.
The Staircase Locks and Basin
As I recall it, there was a booking system for passage through the Ribble Link and we had one of the first slots probably at 08:45. We left our mooring by the sanitary station on what, perhaps inaccurately, I shall call the Preston Arm at around 07:45 and made our way to the Ribble Link Basin. We arrived there within 15 minutes or so. I can't remember if the four boats we'd seen the previous evening were still there, but I don't think many, if any, were to follow us down the staircase locks.
A large sculpture by the top lock.
The sculpture from the bottom lock.
We moored in the basin to wait for the British Waterways staff who were to dispatch us on our way down to the Ribble. So with almost an hour to spare I took my camera and took a stroll around the area. I recall that there was some discussion about the sculpture beside the top lock. Apparently not all the locals were keen on it and I read that it became known as the "Ribble Piddler" while it's official name was Gauging the Ripple". I gather it was replaced in a ceremony held in June 2014 with a 10ft high metal sculpture in the form of a wave topped with a narrow boat. I haven't seen a photograph of the replacement sculpture, but a second description of its replacement says the narrowboat is stainless steel and refers to it as being "with the tools used to construct canals in the 19th century, on top of a corten steel column" rather than a "wave".
I didn't have time to find any more of the interpretation boards that I assume were in the area.
Having got to the bottom of the staircase locks I walked around the basin at the bottom. The whole area had a very newly constructed country park feel to it. I only had time to photograph what was marked as "Brass Rubbing No.1" that included information about the area and material that was obviously designed to be a children's quiz and material that could be used during school trips.
The basin at the foot of the Ribble Link staircase flight showing the exit to Savick Brook, the route to the Ribble.
It's 09:05 and we're already half way down in the second of the staircase locks.
As can be seen it's an exceptionally tight turn that has to be made to exit the basin at the bottom of the staircase locks. I recall that others had to call me back to Earnest as the BW staff had arrived and we were to descend with another narrowboat that had just arrived.
"Meandrine" was a very handsome Stowe Hill Trad, painted in a black and gold colour scheme reminiscent of the Lotus Formula One John Player Special livery. It has chosen to reverse into the top staircase lock to avoid the hairpin turn in the basin below. Neil decided to follow suit and did a perfect wind and reverse we could all be proud of.
With all our crew aboard the descent was handled efficiently by the BW staff and we were at the bottom of the flight by 09:16. Meandrine backed out first and we followed immediately after them. All the locks on the Link route are wide and so we shared locks with them all the way down Savick Brook.
Having only been officially opened on 20 September the Link was little more than nine months old when we travelled its length, although some testing of the locks had been done in the July of 2002. It still all looked very new. Such landscaping as there was around the locks was very bare with little grass growing on the embankments around the locks, although some of that may have been down to the dry weather we were experiencing.
By 09:16 Meandrine was backing out of the bottom lock with us ready to follow.
Onwards to Lock Four
Earnest quickly followed Meandrine who was already passing under the first bridge.
As you leave the Savick Brook basin you pass under the B6241 through a modern square roofed tunnel-like bridge. That is immediately followed by a kink in the brook before you encounter an older brick railway bridge carrying the Blackpool South branch line. These days this only carries an up and down line, but the bridge is wide enough to take four tracks. The bridge is also notable for carrying a newly constructed high level footpath, which I suspect is unique on the canal network.
Perhaps unique on the system, a high level footpath running through the railway bridge.
Once through the bridge you can see its unusual tapered construction.
Once through that it is only about five boat lengths before you encounter the first of six locks along the length of the brook. These are numbered 4-9, the Link staircase comprising the first three on the route and number nine being the rotating sea lock.
We pass through all the locks along the brook with Meandrine.
A sculpture entitled 'Fire' is sited close to the lock.
A sculpture you find close to the lock is a large block of stone polished with graphite to make it look like coal and engraved with a fossilised fern on the top
With enough crew on board to manage the locks I took advantage of the situation to take photographs from the bank. Passing by the sculpture, I went ahead of the lock downstream. I can't recall what we knew about timing our journey and whether we'd need to wait at Lock 9 for the levels to become right but, as it turned out, we had a fair wait there, and undoubtedly, that's why I didn't need to have either the Brompton or a windlass with me.
This is still Lock 4! The timings of the photographs show that must be the case. At this point both boats are still in the lock.
The Approach to Lock Five
Between Locks 4 and 5 Meandrine is ahead of me. But Earnest had left Lock Four first so I was lagging behind.
I manage to get ahead of Meandrine around the distinct kink the in the canal between Locks 4 and 5.
At Lock Five Earnest awaits the arrival of Meandrine.
At first I found it a little difficult to confirm which of the locks my photographs show and was chiefly been relying on the timings shown in their EXIF data. There are new roads and buildings which don't appear on the maps in my 2003 Nicholson Guides but show in the current satellite images. They also considerable growth of trees and shrubbery on the canal banks that just weren't there in 2003.
Passing Through Lock Six
I'm also reluctant to say I was walking the towpath between Locks Four and Six. It's too far from the bank, and these days the space between path and canal is filled with a line of trees, so it's probably best described as a canal-side footpath. Whatever you call it, it seems I abandoned it and got back on board Earnest at Lock Six, as the next sequence of photos show that I was aboard as we passed through that lock.
Lock Six as I photographed it at at 09:50 before I got back on board Earnest.
I stand on the cabin roof as we emerge from Lock Six.
Spinning round I show nb Earnest leaving the lock.
Turning again I show our approach to the bridge below Lock Six.
It's 09:59 and we're running beside the playing fields off Dodney Drive.
We emerged from the Lock Six within seven minutes of the time of my photo showing us already in the lock and waiting for Meandrine. It seems we were a well oiled crew, even if I was only acting to record our progress and not actually helping with the work.
I didn't hear the chatter that took place between the helms of the two narrowboats at locks four and five but it seems that a conversation with the Day's was had in which it was discovered that they too had a parrot on board. (I photograph that much later!) "Jasmine" was an Amazon, hand reared by the owners from an orphan chick they were given while out in South America.
Much amused was had from a tale the Day's told about their parrot. One of it's favourite phrases, when it knew it's owners were leaving was "Help! help!, let me out". While moored up at the end of the canal, you can guess what happened on their return from a walk. A local do gooder came up to them an said that they had been reported to the NSPCC for leaving a young child, locked up and unattended for a couple of hours!
After the bridge below Lock Six the navigation gets much narrower and, for a while, takes a straighter line. These days it is lined with trees on both side. To left left (South) are playing fields. When passing along the navigation these days I doubt that you could see the chain link fence that we could that separates the footpath from the playing field.
As you approach the sports centre buildings beyond the playing fields the navigation kinks.
Through Lock Seven
Six minutes later we are approaching Lock Seven. It's the first one since Lock Four that has the moorings on the approach on the off-side. It's also the first one in a while where Meandrine leaves first and you see closed bottom gates behind us after we leave. Three minutes later I take a photograph, and 20 years on I have no idea why! It shows a white pipe draining into the navigation.
Lock Seven and again we await Meandrine to join us.
We follow Meandrine out of Lock Seven leaving the gates closed behind us.
Do you ever take photographs and later wonder why you took it? This is one of those!
In a further five minutes we've reached the second of a number of pontoons between Locks Seven and Eight. These are all attached to pillars designed to allow for a rise and fall in water levels, perhaps an indication that flooding, or at least some tidal ingress is to be expected at this point on the Link.
Ahead, on the next pontoon is a moored boat facing upstream, the only one I photographed and probably the only one we saw. It is a bit of a mystery. The arrangements for using the Ribble Link at this time, and probably still today, was that travel would be in one direction only on any particular day. It is a matter of tidal conditions making it dangerous, if not impossible, for most craft designed for canals to make the connection between the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool and Lancaster Canals.
The first group moorings we seen designed to rise and fall with changing water levels.
Through Lock Eight
Just beyond the moored boat is the approach to Lock Eight. The crew of Meandrine have the gates open ready for us. We are through the lock in eight minutes and after a tight turn to the left encounter another of the mooring pontoons. This one, not being adjacent to a lock has no bridge to allow access to the bank. It's wavy appearance seems to indicate that it is partially aground. It's the first clear indication that we are approaching the tidal Ribble.
Our Approch Lock Eight. The crew of Meandrine have the lock ready for us
It's now 10:38. and we are through Lock Eight.
We encounter a partially aground mooring pontoon.
After passing the pontoon that appeared to be aground, the navigation again becomes quite narrow for a time and enclosed in increasingly high banks. We pass by or under various structures whose purpose is not always entirely clear to those who don't know the area exceptionally well.
Various mystery structures abound at this point in our journey.
After passing another of the overhead pipe we find still higher mud banks under the vegetation at the side of the navigation.
We finally draw close to the A583, Blackpool Road, out of Preston and make a series of dog-leg turns before passing under the road.
The final leg before the turn to go under the A583.
It's 10:53 and the A583 is behind us.
Waiting for the Sea Lock
Immediately passing under the A583, which we do at 10:53, we moor on the last and only pontoon before Lock Nine, the rotating sea lock. It's not until 12:20 that I take a photo of our departure from there. I wish I could remember more about those ninty minutes but, currently, all I have to remind me is a quote from Neil's report of the whole journey down the Savick Brook and that just says:
With plenty of crew we were soon down the link and waited on the final pontoon above the rotating sea lock. Eventually, following a slight inrush of water, we were given the green light, by the BW crew on the sea lock and we were all off (12:15). Owing to late arrivals mooring up to us we were, as was getting the norm, the last out.
As usual Neil's timing is a little different to mine, but his are taken from his reports posted on u.r.w several hours if not a day or more later when we managed to obtain a 2G mobile data connection to the Internet.
It's 12:20 as I stand in Earnest's semi-trad stern to photograph the pontoon where we'd been for the last 90 minutes.
Turning round I see the BW staff as we pass through the sea lock.
As soon as we are through the lock the BW staff leave the site.
The story continues with Part Two of my report for Tuesday 15 July 2003. It covers our progress down the River Ribble and up the Douglas to reach Tarleton Lock at the end of the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.