- 17 hours ago
Canal Boat Diaries - Season 7 Episode 5 -
Runcorn to Middlewich
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Runcorn to Middlewich
tele: https://t.me/TopFilmUSA1
#film#shows#usa#usashows#hot#filmhot
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FunTranscript
00:09My name's Robbie Cumming. That's me dragging my boat backwards after a major mishap. I didn't
00:16even hear it go in. Not only have I dropped my most important piece of equipment in the canal,
00:22I've also got to pull my boat back so it can turn around somewhere. For over a decade I've been
00:29exploring Britain's rivers and canals. Camera in hand, filming every bump, scrape and tricky
00:36situation and there's been a few. So much is going on I just slipped and fell in. I'm quite
00:45stuck. It's all very soft mud that I'm just sat in. This time I'm on the Bridgewater Canal.
01:00I begin my journey in Runcorn. I'll head towards Preston Brook where I join the Trent and Mersey
01:06Canal. I'll pass through the winding Saltersford Tunnel before I reach the Cheshire town of
01:13Middlewich. After that my journey takes an unexpected turn but more on that later. There'll be plenty to
01:22see. So jump on board for my canal boat diaries.
01:48Right, I'm just about to start a new journey. This one begins at the end or one end of the
01:55Bridgewater Canal in a place that's actually quite special to me. It's where I first began making my
02:01canal videos many many years ago. I'm in Runcorn in Cheshire and it's where I first realised how
02:09connected the system is or used to be. For example where I'm moored is at the top of what was
02:16a flight
02:17of locks that led down to link up with the Manchester Ship Canal, the River Mersey and even the Weaver
02:23navigation which is where I ended my last trip. But yeah I'm just about setting up ready to go and
02:30apart from my usual engine checks I've also got things like cameras to worry about. So I've got
02:36a couple of action cameras here and I've got the camera in my hand which is always tightly gripped at
02:42all times. But yeah these two I'm going to clamp on at various points of the boat. I'll start with
02:48the front.
02:53Right, all that's done and I'm ready to get cranking.
03:03Now as usual I've got a rough plan of where I want to go. I'm heading on down this Runcorn
03:10arm of the Bridgewater Canal through a few canal tunnels. Let's try and make it to Middlewich
03:17where I believe the canal is currently closed. So I don't actually know if I can get beyond that
03:24when I get there. It's been a funny old year. Plenty of closures due to low water levels and also
03:30there's
03:30lots of stuff broken like the Anderton boat lift. So I'm just going to try and get as far as
03:36I can.
03:36And also yesterday something happened that really really set me back. But I will I'll tell you about that in
03:43a bit.
03:46Yep, it was a real mishap that threw me off course.
03:52Anyway, I'm traveling along the Bridgewater Canal, which is over 250 years old.
04:00It was built by the Duke of Bridgewater to move coal from his mines in Greater Manchester.
04:07Often called the first great triumph of the canal building era.
04:11It was designed to follow contours in the land, avoiding the need for locks.
04:22It's a good moorings here in Roncorn, some of which are right outside this theatre called the Brindley,
04:29named after James Brindley, the canal engineer that first designed this canal.
04:35But I've actually been on stage here. What I've been doing aside from moving my boat around of late is
04:41I've gone on a little bit of a tour around the country, just giving talks about my journeys and
04:46even playing a bit of music. Yeah, it went quite well, performed to 400 people.
04:51And I don't think many of them complained, so it was all right. It was a good night.
05:05After 10 years of traveling on this boat, I've no plans to stop, but I do have a few ambitions.
05:12One of them is to get a little patch of land. Nothing fancy, but it's still early days.
05:21It's quite a few quirky little mooring sites, boatyards, marinas. As I'm passing them,
05:27I'm thinking about my own dream of having my own boatyard and moorings, and it's something
05:33I've been thinking about a lot recently. I just need a bit of land, obviously next to the canal or
05:40river.
05:47I'd like to head back across the country to Yorkshire. That's because I have got some plans
05:54afoot to try to create my own moorings for other boaters and for myself. So I'd like to get there
06:03first with the boat. This is how it's working in my mind. I'd like to clear the land, put some
06:09buildings up. It's probably going to take years and cost me all my money, but it's an area of the
06:17country where I think, hopefully, it could be possible.
06:29But things are just getting started with that.
06:35And next, I pass Norton Priory, a 12th century site ruined during Henry VIII's dissolution of the
06:42Monasteries. It's now Europe's most extensively excavated monastic site.
06:50Thousands of artefacts have been uncovered here, revealing its past.
07:06Right, I'm coming up to Preston Brook Tunnel now,
07:10and it is quite a narrow one. In fact, there is a system in place which ensures that boats don't
07:16crash into each other or have to reverse all the way back. And there's a little sign here that says
07:23I have to wait till half past the hour. So there's a 10 minute period at which I can get
07:28my boat in.
07:29I think I'm just going to pull in here, take my chimneys down, get my lights ready,
07:33get my cameras ready. And also, yeah, there's a little story I've got to tell you about what happened yesterday.
07:45Now, you might not have seen this part of the canal before, but for me, it is eerily familiar,
07:49because just 24 hours ago, I was right here with the boat, tunnel light on, all ready to go through,
07:57then disaster struck.
08:02Now, you're watching this show, it's very calm,
08:05and it just seems like everything just works. Well, there can be some things that trip you up.
08:11In the case of Preston Brook Tunnel, it was the wire that was attached to me with the microphone on
08:20it.
08:21It's usually foolproof, and it never fails, unless it snags on the tiller, which it did in this case.
08:28Yanking my phone out of my pocket into the canal.
08:35There was nothing I could have done.
08:39Another phone in the canal. Don't start writing in saying,
08:43Robbie, you need a floating gadget tied on to your arm somehow. None of that would actually work.
08:49Otherwise, I'd be doing it.
08:52Just unlucky. I didn't even hear it go in.
08:55And I'm sure it is on my producer's phone. Here, you can have it back now.
09:00So, this is a metal phone. I spent the next two hours
09:04fishing around with my magnet, and also a fishing net as well, but neither did the job.
09:09And I was left with that horrible, sinking feeling of calling it a day and going back to the start
09:16and filming it all over again.
09:22I've had to give up on that one. The whole day's work gone.
09:26Not best pleased.
09:29So, after wasting a day and losing some of my footage,
09:33I ended up pulling my boat back, turning it around and starting the whole trip again.
09:40Filming on another phone.
09:54Right, second attempt at Preston Brook Tunnel.
09:58My old phone is somewhere in this vicinity. I'm keeping my current one very much gripped in my hand.
10:14It's quite tricky anyway to film in canal tunnels. For me, I've got this light on here.
10:20I want to get this shot of this vent going up there. There's so much going on. I love it.
10:26I really do enjoy the challenge, but you've also got to be quite wary of bumping your head,
10:33for example, and look where you're going, especially on this one,
10:36because it isn't quite as straight as you might think.
10:44Preston Brook Tunnel opened in February 1775.
10:49Inside, the Bridgewater and Trent and Mersey canals meet.
10:56While outside, a stop-lock lifts the naughty lass by only a few inches.
11:03Built to ensure neither canal company took more than its fair share of the other's valuable water supply.
11:25I'm going to moor up in a little bit, I think. It's been a long day, or two, in my
11:31case.
11:40Well, this looks like an all right spot next to these other boats.
11:45Yep, this'll do.
11:46So, a nice place to spend the night.
12:02I'm exploring the Trent and Mersey Canal in Cheshire, and it's the start of a new day.
12:17Well, that was a nice moor in there, away from the buzz of a town or road noise and all
12:24that sort of stuff.
12:26My goal today is to get through two canal tunnels, make my way past the Anderton boat lift and on
12:35towards a place on a system where I can stop right outside a museum that's to do with the canal
12:41that I need to check out.
12:42So, yeah, it's plenty to see today, and I'm just hoping that the weather holds.
12:51The first tunnel I need to navigate was built by the famous 18th-century canal engineer, James Brindley.
13:06The same man the theatre in Roncorn was named after.
13:12He became one of the era's most influential engineers,
13:18designing more than 350 miles of canal.
13:23Still, not everything he built was perfect.
13:29This tunnel is only about 400 yards long, but I can't see out the other side.
13:36It's so wonky, so many twists and turns to it, that there is no light at the end of this
13:43tunnel at the moment.
13:50Sort of a tunnel is definitely the wonkiest tunnel I've ever been through.
13:54Well, the shortest and wonkiest, because the length of it, you'd think, going in one end, you'd immediately see the
14:03other side, but, no, it's so bent out of shape that you just feel like you've gone into a much
14:09longer tunnel.
14:15It's about to go into the next tunnel, but at this point, we are the closest to possibly get to
14:21the river Weaver, where I was a couple of weeks ago, on Narrowboat Tench.
14:25In fact, I can see the Weaver from where I am, and it is just a short walk down the
14:30hill, from this point where the tunnel appears, just around the corner.
14:36Right, I better concentrate.
14:47My second tunnel of the day is longer, yet noticeably straighter.
14:56It appears James Brinley got it spot on this time, and it's around here, where I left the naughty lass
15:04for a week, when I borrowed an old boat to explore the river Weaver, now cut off because of the
15:12broken boat lift.
15:27Just passing by the Anderton boat lift, or the Anderton broke lift, as some boaters are calling it at the
15:34moment, because they still don't know when it's going to be fixed, and friends like Heidi, she's trapped down there
15:41on the Weaver.
15:42So, although I'm thinking, oh yeah, I'm going to be stuck when I get to Middlewich, well, at least I'm
15:47not stuck on the River Weaver.
16:00Right, I'm going to look for my mooring now, but tonight I'm going to be tying up next to a
16:05museum, and I'm hopefully going to tie it right so I get there early enough to have a little look
16:10around as well.
16:17I'm mooring outside the old Lyon Salt Works, which has now been restored, and is a museum and local visitor
16:25attraction.
16:28Brine, which is salty water, was pumped from underground, boiled in open pans, and the salt was raked out to
16:36be transported along the canal.
16:39I bumped into Hannah, who works here.
16:43Hello Hannah, thank you so much for letting me look around.
16:46It's fine.
16:47You're still open, aren't you?
16:48You've got people wandering around.
16:49Yeah, we've got a tour group in today.
16:51I'm most interested, of course, in how the salt was transported.
16:57So, is it out of one of these buildings, do they just shovel it out onto the boats?
17:00Pretty much, yeah.
17:01Yeah, so once it had been produced in the pans, it'd then go out onto the boats.
17:05It was actually crushed down, so it was made into blocks initially.
17:08I've got a picture here.
17:10So this is someone putting it into the tubs and making it into a block, and then it was crushed
17:15in a big crushing mill,
17:17back down to being sort of like the powdery salt that we know, because it was a lot easier to
17:21transport it like that.
17:22It was then put on the boats, shipped to Anderton Boatlift, and then onto the Mersey, and out to the
17:28rest of the world from there.
17:30Right.
17:32Apparently, much of the salt that once left here by Narrowboat was transported to Nigeria and used in the booming
17:39soap industry
17:40to help thicken the soap, make it set faster, and maintain its shape.
17:48Now, I arrived at the museum just as it was closing, so it's time for me to get going.
17:55All right, well, thank you so much for letting me have a look around, and, yeah, I'll be a new
17:59exhibit outside.
18:02Thank you, though.
18:03Thank you very much.
18:03Cheers. Bye, Anna.
18:07It's certainly a handy mooring.
18:11And after my dinner, I'm calling it a night.
18:26This is one of my favourite things about living on the canal.
18:29Waking up in the morning and seeing the mist on the water.
18:36Anyway, I need to get going in a bit.
18:38So I've got quite a journey that I want to get through to reach Middlewich to see
18:43what the locks are looking like when I get there, see if they're open or not.
18:47And how that's going to affect my plans.
19:03It's been a year of stoppages, of low water levels, been very dry all over the country.
19:10So it's been nice weather for people to sunbathe in, but there's been a lot of water evaporating out of
19:17the system
19:17and being lost with leaky locks and things.
19:25Yeah, it does make me think, well, I'm just going to be stuck for I don't know how long.
19:36My journey today is about seven or eight miles, no locks or anything, just weaving my way for this industrial
19:43part of the canal.
19:44And I have actually rung ahead to see if the locks are open and they're not, they don't know when
19:53they're going to re-open.
19:55So, yeah, I'm going to start thinking about what I can do, how long I might be stuck for, I
20:03just don't know at this point in time.
20:12Going through Wincham Wharf, which is always really popular with all the boats here, some of them waiting for their
20:19turn to be repaired or be maintained or...
20:24Well, there's all sorts of jobs that could be done here, but, yeah, it is so popular that it can
20:30be a little bit difficult to see what's coming round the bend.
20:45For generations, this site spanning the canal produced soda ash, a white alkaline powder,
20:54used in everything from glass and detergents, to cosmetics and food preparation.
21:00In fact, it's a key ingredient in everyday items we take for granted.
21:09Now, the Trent and Mersey really opens up here, but I've got to be careful that I don't go too
21:13far over to that left-hand side.
21:15It might look quite inviting, but it is shallow and there's some sunken boats here.
21:23Apparently, they were abandoned along the Trent and Mersey, after the 1950s, when British waterways considered the canal age had
21:32come to an end and the working boat era was over.
21:37Got to get rid of some boats.
21:39Can't haul them all out, so the easiest way is just to put a hole in them, let them sink
21:44to the bottom.
21:45Luckily, it's a different story now.
22:03I'm making my way along the Trent and Mersey Canal in Cheshire, and I'm approaching Middlewich.
22:19But there's a problem ahead.
22:23Right, here I am, Middlewich, big lock.
22:26It's got a big red sign on it saying, canal closed.
22:28But luckily for me, there is plenty of room here for me to moor up.
22:34This is where I'll be making my home for the next few days, weeks, months, I have no idea.
22:40Just glad there's enough room.
22:58Oh, I've just seen someone standing by the locks, wearing a blue top, Canal and River Trust uniform.
23:05Hopefully, I'll be able to tell me when I can get my boat through these locks, and potentially how long
23:10I'm going to be mooring up here for.
23:13Hello, mate.
23:15Could you tell me when the locks are going to reopen again?
23:19This one and the next one will be tomorrow morning.
23:21Oh, really?
23:22But it's only those two locks.
23:23There's a repair further down, and also the water levels, as you know, will not only rain a breeze, so
23:30we need quite a lot more.
23:33Not enough, I suppose, to...
23:33Yeah, we need some real prolonged and heavy rainfall.
23:38We've had a little bit, so we're just continuing to monitor that.
23:41So what do you suggest I do as a continuous cruiser, just sort of moor up and keep watching out
23:47for the notices?
23:49Yeah, absolutely.
23:49Keep monitoring the notices.
23:50If you see any of my colleagues, just grab them like you have done to me.
23:54Okay, will do then.
23:55Just be mindful of where the facilities are with your water and everything else.
24:00Yeah, I'm opposite the water tap, so that's good.
24:02That's always good.
24:02And also this pub.
24:04That's a good tap.
24:04Yeah.
24:06Thanks very much.
24:07Cheers, mate.
24:07All right.
24:08All right, see you.
24:12Well, it looks like I won't be moving my boat for a while.
24:16Now, I had a feeling this might happen.
24:19So, I've got a plan.
24:22I've come to the realisation that I am just going to be stuck in Middlewich on the naughty lass for
24:29quite a few weeks.
24:32And I can either just sit here twiddling my thumbs or I could go and do something else.
24:37And what I'm going to do is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and that's to visit
24:42the Lancaster Canal.
24:45I've used my connections to find someone who's got a boat who will lend it to me for a couple
24:51of days, and I'll get to explore some of the canal.
24:55So, all I've got to do now is pack a few things and make my way over.
24:59I'm quite excited about this because it's a canal I've tried to get to before and not been able to
25:05on this boat.
25:06So, yeah, this is going to be an opportunity.
25:12The Lancaster was built to carry coal and limestone and is still known as the Black and White Canal.
25:21It connects to England's canal network via the Ribble Link, a tidal and slightly intimidating stretch that I won't be
25:30attempting.
25:33Instead, I'm heading up the motorway and borrowing a boat, one that's a world away from the naughty lass.
25:43Right, the naughty lass in Middlewich is about 80 miles that way.
25:48I am in Chewitfield, because it's here where I'll meet my mate Mick, and he's going to let me have
25:55a go on his pride and joy.
25:57I have tried to get naughty lass up here before, but my engine wasn't powerful enough to make the crossing
26:04along the Ribble Link.
26:05So, this is my only opportunity at the moment.
26:09Morning, Mick.
26:10How are you doing, mate?
26:11All right, welcome to the Black and White.
26:12Hey, brilliant.
26:13Great day for it, isn't it?
26:14Yeah, you might have to show me a few things before I get going.
26:17Yeah, we'll be good at bits and bats for you, yeah.
26:19Brilliant.
26:19Dead easy.
26:19Right, here's my stuff.
26:21Yeah, get your kick.
26:24Before I set off, what do I need to know?
26:27Show us the ropes.
26:28Yeah, so, dead simple, Rob.
26:30Steering wheel, not like your telescope, you've got a steering wheel, just like your car.
26:33You've got a mark on there for centre, so you know where you're at centre.
26:37Accelerator throttle, it's dead straightforward, but other than that, there needs to see.
26:40So, the system's cool.
26:41The old engine, inboard engine's cooled by water from the canal.
26:45It pulls it up from the canal, but in the middle of that, you've got a filter.
26:48So, you'll notice duckweed around and stuff like that, and that'll get blocked.
26:52That is key.
26:53That has to be kept clean inside it, otherwise.
26:55If that does get blocked.
26:57That's serious.
26:57That's like terminal engine blowing up all the lot.
27:00Right, I don't want that.
27:01Absolutely, no, absolutely, no, do I.
27:03Of course, no, do I.
27:04All right.
27:05Yeah, that is key.
27:05So, that's got to be cleaned.
27:07Right, well, I've got your number, if I need it.
27:08Yeah, well, there you go, she's all yours.
27:10Right.
27:10Look after her, homie.
27:11Good morning.
27:15Well, it's a bit smaller than I'm used to, this boat, but for a 1970s cruiser, yeah, dead
27:22cosy.
27:23Oh, this is going to be great.
27:25Famous last words.
27:36Well, there isn't as much space as on my boat, but the engine is a lot quieter, for
27:41sure.
27:44I've never driven anything like this before in my life, so, yeah, here goes.
27:57And we're off.
28:00Already crashed in someone else's boat.
28:04They won't mind.
28:12Mick has lent me his beloved boat, Pisces, to explore a 12-mile stretch of the Lancaster
28:19Canal.
28:21I'm starting in Teutfield.
28:24I'm hoping to moor in Hest Bank, near the coast.
28:29I'll cross the impressive Loon Aqueduct, before reaching the city of Lancaster.
28:38But I've got a feeling it's not going to be plain sailing.
28:46Oh, disaster already.
28:47The engine's just cut out.
28:49I'm not sure why.
28:50Let's see if I can start here again.
29:07I'm hoping it's because the engine was a little bit cold, and that we haven't got weed already
29:13stuck in the little filter.
29:16This isn't as easy as I thought it would be, actually.
29:20This is a completely different way of steering the boat, anyway.
29:23I'm not used to all these different controls.
29:27But I will get used to it.
29:32Well, after a bumpy start, I'm on my way.
29:37And it's the second time this year I've had to leave the naughty lass behind and borrow a
29:42boat due to low water levels.
29:45Things seem to be changing, and hot, dry weather is certainly having an impact on us boaters.
30:02As I said earlier, I have attempted to reach the Lancaster Canal on naughty lass.
30:09And to make the trip, it takes a little bit of careful planning in terms of the tides.
30:15So, at one point, you're moored up on a sandbag, waiting for the tide to rise again.
30:22And for me on the naughty lass, it was a case of my engine wasn't fast enough, really.
30:32But, hey, I finally got here, and it was worth the wait, as this waterway is stunning.
30:38And Mick's cruiser is a whole new experience.
30:45This boat is so well-kept.
30:48The owner, Mick, he's really preserved so much of it.
30:53Yeah, definitely like a vintage boat.
30:57And it's gathering quite a few glances from people as I cruised by.
31:03It just highlights how little I know about these sorts of boats and how grateful I am to give it
31:09a go
31:09and discover what it's like to actually live aboard one as well.
31:21Making quite a good time in this.
31:23It's pretty nippy.
31:24So, I'm just going to moor up in a bit and have a sandwich.
31:27This place I'm coming through now, it's called Carnforth.
31:31It looks really nice, so I'm just going to try and find something to tie on to.
31:36Maybe here will do.
31:56With the naughty lass stranded on the Trent and Mersey, thanks to low water levels,
32:03I've packed a bag and borrowed a boat
32:07to go exploring on the Lancaster Canal instead.
32:13Right, I'm just going through a place called Bolton-les-Sands.
32:16I want to tell you about this place
32:18because it relates to a packet boat passenger service
32:21that was operating on this canal back in the 1830s.
32:26So, these were horse-drawn boats
32:29and they actually travelled quite quickly.
32:33They covered a distance of 30 miles from Lancaster to Preston.
32:37They did it in about three hours,
32:40which is a lot faster than I'm permitted to do on any of the canals
32:43or even rivers in this country.
32:48In fact, a journey like that on the Naughty Lass
32:50usually takes me about a week.
32:53And wherever you are on the canal,
32:55there are always things that slow you down.
32:59I'm not far from my mooring,
33:00but I do have a little bit of a challenge here.
33:02No locks, but there is this swing bridge
33:04that I've got to tackle today.
33:13Right, I've unhooked this end of the bridge
33:17where your crew member would normally stand
33:20and then they can open it from that way.
33:22But, as it's just me,
33:24I'm going to have to go across,
33:25back to where the boat is
33:27and push it open.
33:37All right, there we go.
33:39It's got to let go
33:40and hopefully
33:44it will use its own momentum
33:47to fully open.
33:48Otherwise, I don't know what I'm going to do.
33:50I've no barge pole or anything.
33:54That's done it.
33:56Well, that did the trick.
33:58But it just goes to show
34:00bridges like this
34:01were never designed for solo boaters.
34:06As there's no mooring on the side
34:08you need to open it.
34:10However, there's a handy chain
34:12I can use to pull it closed.
34:14And it's always polite to do just that.
34:24Right, this is it.
34:25This is the closest I can get
34:26to mooring
34:27by the sea.
34:29Fantastic.
34:35Hest Bank has to be
34:37one of the best locations
34:38where a canal runs
34:39next to the seaside.
34:42As here,
34:43the Lancaster is close to the coast
34:45and near Morecambe Bay.
34:53Well, what a first day
34:55that was on the boat.
34:57I've got to tell you
34:58it was a bit challenging.
35:00Driving this boat
35:01is different.
35:03And the headroom
35:04I have banged my head
35:05a few times
35:06that's why I've still got
35:06my cap on
35:07to protect myself.
35:10But I'm getting nice and cosy
35:12now in the front part
35:13of the boat
35:13where I've got my
35:15sleeping bag
35:15laid out here.
35:18And guess what?
35:19This is something
35:19I don't have on my boat.
35:21I've got a TV.
35:23It's a 12-volt TV.
35:25I've got enough battery
35:26I've checked
35:27and, yeah,
35:30just got to see what's on.
35:45I'm not travelling far today
35:47on Pisces
35:47so I've got time
35:49to stretch my legs
35:51along the coast
35:52to Morecambe,
35:53a Lancashire seaside town.
36:00In the past
36:01when I've been visiting
36:02places
36:03along my journey
36:04I've tried to track down
36:06the former homes
36:07of musicians
36:09and comedians
36:10and, yeah,
36:11just a few weeks ago
36:12I was
36:13at Ken Dodd's
36:15old house.
36:16Well,
36:17here in Morecambe
36:19I've managed to get in touch
36:21with the son
36:22of a legendary
36:23local comedian
36:24and I'm going to meet him
36:25right next to his dad's statue.
36:33Right,
36:34this is the statue
36:35of Eric Morecambe
36:36and I'm hoping
36:37standing next to it
36:38is his son,
36:39Gary.
36:40Oi there, Gary.
36:41Oi, Robbie.
36:42You all right?
36:44I was hoping it was you.
36:46It's me.
36:47It was good to see you.
36:47Thanks so much for coming out.
36:48Ah, it's a pleasure.
36:49A real pleasure.
36:50I mostly want to know first
36:53what was it like
36:54having a famous dad?
36:55I mean,
36:55the shows went out
36:57to about
36:57almost 30 million people
36:59at the height of it.
37:00I don't know about
37:01the famous dad bit.
37:02I think that
37:03having such a brilliant comedian
37:05as a dad
37:06was very noticeable.
37:09Was he a funny dad?
37:10He had funny bones.
37:12He couldn't stop.
37:13Yeah.
37:13Maybe it was slightly
37:14his downfall at the end.
37:15I think that too much
37:16of not being able to stop.
37:18Yeah.
37:18He always said
37:19if he once stopped
37:20he'd never get started
37:21which I thought
37:21was a very telling thing
37:22to say.
37:23You know,
37:23very honest.
37:25But yeah,
37:25it was brilliant.
37:26I mean,
37:26God,
37:27I'm nearly 70
37:27so I can look back now
37:29and it's always
37:30with the smile really.
37:30That's good to hear.
37:31Yeah.
37:33What would your dad
37:34have thought
37:34about this statue?
37:36Would he have been
37:36happy about it?
37:37He'd have been
37:37extremely happy about it.
37:39He'd have been doubly happy
37:40that the Queen unveiled it
37:42and I think he'd have been
37:43trebly happy
37:44that they built
37:44this stone arena
37:46around it.
37:46As a young lad
37:47he would fish with his dad
37:49just behind the statue here.
37:50Right.
37:51And imagine being told
37:52one day
37:53oh by the way
37:53the Queen will unveil
37:54the statue to you.
37:55Oh right,
37:56okay.
37:56Yeah.
37:57Eight year old.
37:58So it's all a bit magical
38:00and a bit unbelievable.
38:01Well Gary,
38:02I've got to move my boat now.
38:04No,
38:04I would give you a hand
38:05but that's my leg.
38:08Well I'll leave you
38:09to enjoy Morecambe
38:10and your memories of it.
38:11Brilliant to see you.
38:12Always look out for you.
38:13Thanks so much.
38:14All right.
38:15Take care.
38:15Bye.
38:16Bye.
38:18Gary's dad,
38:19John Eric Bartholomew
38:21took his stage name
38:22from Morecambe,
38:23his family's hometown.
38:26And together with Ernie Wise
38:28they formed a double act
38:29that lasted decades.
38:33Making them both
38:34much loved
38:35national treasures.
38:42Right.
38:43Back on the boat
38:44ready to set off again
38:45but there's one
38:46important check
38:47I need to make
38:48that Mick told me
38:49about yesterday
38:51involving the cooling system.
38:54I've just got to check
38:54to see if this filter
38:55below here
38:56see if that's not
38:57clogged up.
39:00Oh yeah
39:00look at that
39:01absolutely stuffed
39:03full of pondweed.
39:04That could have been
39:05a serious problem
39:05for the cooling system
39:07because that stops
39:08the water getting in
39:09and cooling it.
39:11So yeah
39:12the engine
39:12could have overheated
39:14with all that in there
39:15look at that.
39:16Urgh!
39:18With the filter
39:19cleaned out
39:20I can continue
39:22towards Lancaster
39:23along this waterway.
39:28and it shouldn't
39:29take long
39:31because this boat's
39:32got plenty of pace.
39:37The Lancaster Canal
39:39is a bit like
39:40the Rippon Canal
39:42but because they're
39:44both dead ends
39:44and both at the
39:45right at the edge
39:46of the network
39:48Lancaster certainly
39:49is quiet
39:50peaceful
39:51but unlike
39:52the Rippon Canal
39:55Lancaster is even
39:56harder to get to
39:57because during
39:58the colder months
39:59they shut off
40:00the crossing
40:00and you can't
40:01actually make it
40:02there from the
40:03rest of the system
40:03anyway.
40:04So it's a real
40:05special place
40:06for me to visit.
40:17There's one thing
40:19that I think
40:20is probably
40:21my favourite
40:22thing about this
40:22boat
40:23and it's just
40:24the uniqueness
40:25of it.
40:26Lots of people
40:27have been commenting
40:28to me saying
40:29oh yes I remember
40:30these from back
40:31in the 70s
40:32and all this sort of
40:33stuff.
40:34So it's obviously
40:35quite a well-loved
40:36model and make
40:38of both.
40:40So it's been a real
40:41pleasure to take
40:41round.
40:43It's clearly
40:44very well-loved.
40:54this is it.
40:56The Loon
40:57Aqueduct.
40:58It's not only the
40:59most impressive
41:00structure on this
41:01canal but arguably
41:04the entire English
41:05canal network and
41:07I've wanted to cross
41:08this for such a long
41:09time.
41:15breathtaking.
41:16It was built in the
41:181790s by John Rennie
41:20the canal engineer.
41:22It's got five
41:23stone arches
41:2560 feet above
41:26the river below.
41:29That's a bucket list
41:31one ticked off for
41:32sure.
41:42I'm nearing
41:43journey's end
41:44and as I enter
41:45Lancaster
41:46the canal runs
41:47alongside old
41:48textile mills
41:49that once depended
41:50on it for transport.
41:53Coal to power its
41:54steam engines
41:54arrived by boat
41:56while finished goods
41:57were carried away.
42:05Well it's been a
42:06strange journey this
42:06one.
42:07Started headed south
42:09out of Roncorn
42:10now I find myself up
42:12north on the
42:13Lancaster Canal.
42:14Lost my phone in
42:16the mouth of a
42:17canal tunnel let's
42:17not say any more
42:18about that but I've
42:20had a lovely
42:20distraction a
42:21boatman's holiday
42:22and saw a little bit
42:23of the seaside.
42:25So all in all it's
42:27been a journey to
42:28remember and now
42:30as I pray for rain
42:31so I can continue
42:32my own journey I
42:34must hand the boat
42:34back to its owner
42:36Mick.
42:37It's been a wonderful
42:38experience I'll never
42:40forget.
42:44MUSIC PLAYS
42:58MUSIC PLAYS
43:11Transcription by CastingWords
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