After leaving Carnforth we headed back south towards Preston and our date for our recrossing of the Ribble Estuary.
We stopped off at Hest Bank on a beautiful day and went for a walk to the edge of Morecambe Bay, or where the edge would have been if the tide had been in! In the distance are the Lakeland Fells, Old Man of Coniston, the tallest in view on the picture, and also in the foreground the remains of Hest Bank Wharf that allowed schooners to moor up to over the tides to load and discharge. That is until the railway arrived in 1850. There was even a warehouse on the beach, under where the Hest Bank Hotel is today.
As we recrossed the Lune Aqueduct there were good views of the Priory and Lancaster Castle in the distance. I wish I'd photo shopped out the power lines. Next time we will visit the Old Quay, the old port of Lancaster.
It certainly is an impressive structure and view on a day like this was.
The dappled shade of the woodland areas we passed through were lovely and photogenic and added to the variety of the view from the boat all along the length of this canal.
I think there were 5 or 6 boats penned down with us into the Ribble and we were the last but one to leave the pontoon. The timings were just about right as we just managed to pass through the lock on to the Rufford Arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal on the level. They closed the gates behind us.
I had a long weekend away from the boat on the Continent with my brothers visiting some of the WWI sites, leaving helen in the Fettler's Wharf Marina, before setting off once again, and again turning right on the main canal and back down into Liverpool. This is us just getting ready to pass through the first bridge on the route. Macy had been enjoying the sunshine, but likes to be inside when we are moving. We like her yto be too, as we wouldn't want her jumping off when we are on the move.
There was a festival on in Liverpool to do with the Tall Ships Race, but unfortunately by the time we arrived they had all sailed and most things were just packing up. There were still plenty of folk about though. This is the last lock down into the tidal lock basin.
We had a few days back in Liverpool and our daughter staying so we did the touristy things again. Up near the Georgian Quarter and the two cathedrals is the Belvedere Arms pub. It is a little back street boozer, but full of character, and worth searching out. This lovely Grade II Listed pub was nearly lost for housing development but was luckily rescued in 2006 and is now a community pub. There are two small rooms, loads of paneling and other original features.
There were 5 beers on hand pull and around 60 different gins if that is your tipple. There were no TV's or 'one armed bandits' though. I selected a Locale brewed not far away in Knowsley. The Melwood Beer Co. was set up in 2013 by a husband and wife team and moved into the old dog kennels on the Knowsley estate of Lord Derby in 2016, where he used to keep his gun dogs. It is obviously not a normal kennel as they have plenty of room. What a lovely spot to work. A bit different from the more usual modern industrial estate!
I settled on a pint of Stanley Gold 4.3%. It was a hot day, and with plenty of walking it was just what I needed a beautiful IPA style that was full of cascade, Amarillo and centennial hops. The citrus taste was spot on and hit the spot. At £3-35 it seems to be about average in Liverpool, outside of a Weatherspoons. The locals and bar tenders were very friendly and I will seek this pub out rather than the Philharmonic in future as much more my taste. One not to be missed next time we are this way.
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