Phase one completed.

0 Locks, 7½ Miles, 2 Swing Bridges. Now moored at Eldonian Basin.

We've got us a convoy. The BW assisted passage to Liverpool Docks.

Overnight we had had several heavy downpours of rain so we hoping that the worst of the predicted storm had blown itself out and by and large that seemed to be the case. The BW staff were on the ball and just before 8am they opened Hancocks Bridge to allow all 6 of us through together. By the time we reached Netherton Bridge we had made good time and we had to wait for 15 minutes for all the school children to pass by on their way to school. The BW guys told us that they dare not open the bridge before 9am otherwise they get the wroth of all the hormonal mothers taking their little darlings to school. Wouldn’t want them to be late for school now would we? This worked out well for us as I had to pay a visit down the weed hatch where I recovered numerous plastic bags and about a metre and a half of fender rope.

These 2 monsters were identical and probably circa 1940. Left hand drive so obviously American.

Underway again and our next stop was the BW facilities at Litherland. This was a logistical nightmare as there is only one tap which is right alongside the pump out machine so with 2 carefully moored boats you can have one on pump out and one on the water and then swap over. These are the last facilities before the Docks so we were told to make sure all tanks were empty or full respectively.This of course broke up the convoy and it was nearly 2 hours before we were all safely moored up at Eldonian Basin.

Boundary bridge erected 1835 and widened 1861.

We had 2 scares along the way, the first was as we came into moor at Netherton bridge where we rode up and over something and the second was under bridge ‘O’ where without any warning the boat suddenly heeled over at an alarming angle. We had hit something which sent up an orangey muddy cloud around the boat but with out the usual metal scraping on metal sound. I suppose it only lasted a few seconds but it felt like an hour, possibly a submerged sofa or something similar. These have both been reported to BW to be checked out and hopefully rectified. Tomorrow its down 4 locks through the new Liverpool Canal Link into Salthouse Dock.

Leigh bridge, Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Re-erected 1861.

1722 locks, 3604 miles, 66 Tunnels, 65 swing bridges and 53 lift bridges since Nov 2006