It seemed to have been raining from quite early this morning and as we didn't need to be any where very quickly we waited it out. We nearly set off a couple of times, but they were just pauses. We had to make a move by 1100 and luckily it stopped raining soon after we left our nice mooring.
So after casting off we passed this hire boat that we had seen going the other way the day before. They looked a bit wet so I hope the sun came out for them later in the day too.
Parts of the canal made me think of the back woods of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, particularly the Wyrley and Essington Canal
Pendle View Mill was a big mill with a shopping mall inside. On the chimney stack it says 'Shopping'. It would be a good re-purposing for a mill and several have done the same over in the West Riding. I understand that another mill has moved their shops over to the bigger building and it is now called Pendle Village Mill. I bet it would be a good place for a shopping trip on a wet weekend, for some anyway.
There were several of these dotted along the towpath side in the Brierfield area and I thought they were just man hole 'things', but they seems to have mosaics on of canal scenes. Not very clear from our angle I'm afraid.
Brierfield Mill was built in 1832 but was bought by the Pendle Council to save it. They have gone in with Barnfield Construction to develop a mixed use site. There will be shops, leisure offices and housing in the massive mill and work is slowly moving ahead on this part of the building.
You can see the canal was utilised for the transport of cotton and finished products and in the background is a nice old gasometer with lovely finials on the top of every upright. I wonder if it will be used like those at Kings Cross?
Further along the canal, just the other side of the canal bridge, is another part of the project. It looks one part of the building has been saved and redeveloped as apartments that look very nice for the canal, and behind this the land has been cleared and looks like more housing is being built. I suppose the sale of these then fund the development of the more testing main part of the mill. I hope it all succeeds as it is good to find another use for these old buildings.
It didn't look good for staying dry much longer as on the other side of the valley the Pendle Hills were shrouded in moisture.
Our destination was Reedley Marina and we were soon arriving there. The entrance is shaped like and hour glass and is quite narrow at the waist, however it has plenty of room in the middle to swing round and reverse in to the pontoon we had been allocated ahead of time. We are reverse lay out and so almost always use the stern of the boat for getting on and off the boat. I had thought that the Marina was on the site of the Reedley Coal Mine, but having looked it up it seems that it was a little further south and probably on the other side of the canal. However barges may have been loaded. We were very well looked after and we were met on the pontoon for introductions and information.
We had a bite to eat and then I got a cab to Burnley Manchester Road station and was home in Hull in 2 and a half hours, via Leeds. It took me about 45 mins longer to get back again in the car as the A63 near Hull was closed due to an accident and I had to go almost to York to get round it. By the time we had packed up the car and put the boat largely to bed it was getting on for 2200. Never mind it will only take a little over two hours to get back at this time of night thought I. Not a bit of it. They closed the M62 east bound and we had to leave and go through Halifax before getting back on to the motorway. It was 0130 when we got back!!
I'm sorry to say we are back in Hull for a couple of weeks again for several reasons, not the least being the marriage of our son. Of course there is plenty of culture to be had and we are volunteering throughout I time back home. If you come to Hull say hi to the folk in the blue and pink kit, as it may be Helen and I. Back soon
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