Mixed Bag.

We were off after a really peaceful night at about 0930. The day was sunny, but not so warm. Still you can't have everything can you?

It wasn't too long before in the far northern distance there was a hint of the shadow of the Lakeland Fells that we are heading towards.

These aerial seem to be in view at all times and seem to swap sides too. They are actually at an old Royal Naval Air Station of the Fleeet Air Arm, that was called HMS Nightjar. The run way was demolished in the 1970's but it is still run by the Royal Navy as a tri-service communications centre. How ever the majority of the communications are very low frequency that are used to communicate with submarines. The tall aerials are 600' and plenty of smaller ones.

As we travelled north I saw several of these cast iron markers that are on the off side. They must be boundary markers for the Lancaster Canal Company

I can't think of another canal that actually marks the miles posts to places that are not at either end, or a major junction I suppose. Here Garstang is about a third of the way up the canal. The mile posts are also sometimes on the towpath and sometimes on the off side. I don;'t know whether this was done originally or for safety in later life. Many of the stone posts have their mileage plates missing.

At Bilsborrow there is a twee establishment of restaurants and a pub with conference centre, but we didn't stop!

As the canal runs largely north/south it crosses many rivers that are making their way to the coast. This one is the River Brock that soon joins with the Wyre that runs into the sea at Fleetwood.

Here we have the M6 and the West Coast main rail line running alongside the canal. It doesn't look like the railway is as busy as the East Coast main line but has new electricity lines.

Another river that rises in the Forest of Bowland and runs under the canal to the sea is the River Calder. No not that one, this is Lancashire!

Just before Garstang there are the ruins of Greenhalgh Castle. It was built by the Earl of Derby in 1490. The land was gifted to the family for services rendered to Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth when Richard III was defeated. During the Civil War the 7th Earl held out against the Parliamentarians for a couple of year and was the second last place to surrender in Lancashire. The victors demolished the castle so it couldn't be used again. This is just the remains of one of the four towers. Many of the local houses have used the stone from the ruins.

The sun is nice but the breeze is cool as we head ever northwards.

We pull in to some moorings just by Garstang and close to the Wyre Aqueduct. It is a market town with plenty of up market shops and several supermarkets and pubs etc. Market Day is Thursday when the High Street is closed to traffic.