Hot, hot, hot - is this really the North?

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 19:36

Galgate reflections last evening

There are too many "Gs" on this canal - Glasson, Galgate, Garstang. It all gets rather confusing! This morning we woke to full sun and the boat was 22 degrees inside at 8am! A cool shower and all the portholes, doors and Houdini hatch wide open we both settled to some jobs!

John to put a coat of gloss on the touching up he started a while ago. I sat down to finish our second viole blind/fly screen for the swan doors. Only problem is that with all the doors open the flies still come in! So now I shall have to put something up at the bow doors!

After lunch we set off - it was the only way to get a little cooler as it was 32 degrees in the sun and 28 in the shade! There was a little breeze on the move as we admired the canal and surrounding countryside in the sunshine. It felt more like July with all the rampant grasses, plants and some harvesting going on in the fields.

Ellel Grange Bridge (84) in the shade and for a while we were cool

Later we found we were following what looked like a caravan from a distance. Was it on the towpath or maybe on "floats"? When we caught up with it we saw that it was called a Caraboat. I wouldn't like to tackle more than a benign calm canal in this one!

Caraboat

Looking back we could see gathering clouds over the Bowland Fells

Would it rain on our parade or not, could we moor up before it did?

We entered Garstang just as the heavy clouds caught up with us. Do you know what a Fair Trade Town is? Garstang was apparently the first - see this link

Garstang Private Marina entrance

We wanted to get through Garstang to moor and then walk back to Booths supermarket via bridge 62 for some provisions. Suddenly the big drops started and by the time we reached the moorings at the Wyre Aqueduct it was rather heavy! We were lucky: there was one space just before the aqueduct, so we took it!

I was soaked - but cool at last, by the time we finally settled down. It was very humid in the boat but we were reluctant to open the swan doors until the rain stopped. It did, finally, at about 7.30pm! Phew - the weather station is reading 19 degrees and 20% humidity out and 24 degrees and 47% inside, so there is still a way to go before we will feel comfortable!

Tomorrow it is supposed to be full sun all day. Maybe we get up at 6am and move! But we still need to visit Booths!

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