Foulridge tunnel & Nelson, nr bridge 141

The weather forecasters had kept postponing when heavy rain and strong winds would hit but it was now due the following day and Will wanted to move on before it hit.

The 1500m (aprox) Foulridge Tunnel is only wide enough for one boat so it is controlled by traffic lights set on a timer. At our end they allowed entry from the hour until 10min past. We ate lunch, emptied our rubbish and pee pots at the services. As we approached the 3 lights, they turned from red to green so we crept forward, unsure of whether the canoe sitting atop Rainboat, would fit under the hanging height barrier. Thankfully there were a good few inches to spare.

We'd opened all the blinds and turned on the internal lights, as well as the navigation lights on the bow roof and sides. As the semicircular glow of daylight grew receded, the multicoloured fairy lights turned on too. We loved the tunnel, with its small stalactites and ridges of light coloured mineral glistening wet as they ran down the arched walls. The dogs weren't so keen and spent the entire journey huddled inside Vicky's waterproof. She'd hoped to drive some of the way but it fell to Will. He had to concentrate hard to stay on course and manged to navigate the entire length without a single scrape.

We'd entered in light rain, been dripped on inside (especially underneath the vertical ventilation shafts) and we emerged into heavier rain. Lovely! 😏

Ahead of us lay Barrowford, Vicky's parents' mooring and 7 locks. Vicky tried working the first one but found she as too weak and had to return to steer Rainboat. The stretch of canal we'd been on was the summit of the Leeds and Liverpool and these locks began its descent. Vicky needed to be extra careful to keep the boat away from the concrete cills protruding from the the base of the back gates. It is submerged when the lock is full but if any part of the boat is above it as the water level drops there is the risk it will get lodged, while the rest of the boat continues to drop with the water.

The gusty wind made steering difficult, but luckily the locks were close enough together for Will to walk between them without having to get on and off Rainboat and risk getting her blown and trapped against the banks.

Arriving in built up Nelson we stopped at Morrisons private moorings to get shopping, using our key to get through the locked gate into the car park. We looked for somewhere to stay as soon as we left the shop. The bank was silted up though and we kept getting grounded before we reached the side. Our fourth attempt proved successfull and after we'd hacked down the long wet grass with the sickle and let the dogs out, Will got to cooking and Vicky lit the fire. It was 18:30 and we were all wet and tired.

Exploring the town centre we found it to be quite run down. The multistorey indoor shopping centre only had one floor open and many businesses were borded up. It was the same on the highstreet. The shops still open were mostly ones that sold takeaway and ready made food; Dixie's Chicken, Asian sweets, cake stores and a few cafes. There were some Asian jewelery sellers and grocers there too.

We stocked up on trays of tinned tomatoes and chickpeas and feasted on samosas and fresh dates. Yum! 😋Læs mere