- 4 weeks ago
Canal Boat Diaries - S7 Ep05 - Runcorn to Middlewich
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Short filmTranscript
00:10My 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
00:29been exploring Britain's rivers and canals. Camera in hand, filming every bump, scrape and
00:36tricky situation and there's been a few. So much is going on I just slipped and fell in.
00:45I'm quite stuck. It's all very soft mud that I'm just sat in. This time I'm on the Bridgewater
00:55Canal. I begin my journey in Runcorn. I'll head towards Prestonbrook where I join the Trenton-Mersey
01:07Canal. 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
01:22to see. So jump on board 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
02:00making my canal videos many many years ago. I'm in Runcorn in Cheshire and it's where I first realised
02:08how connected the system is or used to be. For example where I'm moored is at the top of what
02:16was
02:17a flight of locks that led down to link up with the Manchester Ship Canal, the River Mersey and even
02:22the Weaver navigation which is where I ended my last trip. But yeah, I'm just about setting up,
02:29ready to go. Apart from my usual engine checks, I've also got things like cameras to worry about. So,
02:35I've got a couple of action cameras here and I've got the camera in my hand which is always tightly
02:42gripped at all times. But yeah, these two I'm gonna clamp on at various points of the boat. I'll start
02:48with the front. Right, all that's done. I'm ready to get cranking.
03:04Now, 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
03:11Bridgewater Canal through a few canal tunnels. Let's try and make it to Middlewich where I believe the
03:18canal is currently closed. So, I don't actually know if I can get beyond that when I get there.
03:26It's been a funny old year. Plenty of closures due to low water levels and also there's lots of stuff
03:31broken like the Anderton boat lift. So, I'm just gonna try and get as far as I can. And also,
03:37yesterday
03:38something happened that really, really set me back. But I will... I'll tell you about that in a bit.
03:46Yep, it was a real mishap that threw me off course.
03:52Anyway, I'm travelling 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.
04:12It 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,
04:41is going on a little bit of a tour around the country, just giving talks about my journeys,
04:46and even 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 ten years of travelling 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.
05:22It'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 I've been
05:33thinking about a lot recently. I just need a bit of land, obviously, next to the canal or river.
05:48I'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.
06:35Next, 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. Thousands of artifacts
06:52have been uncovered here, revealing its past.
07:06Right, I'm coming up to Preston Brook Tunnel now, and it is quite a narrow one. In fact,
07:13there is a system in place which ensures that boats don't crash into each other or have to reverse all
07:19the way back. And there's a little sign here that says I have to wait until half past the hour.
07:25So
07:26there's a 10 minute period at which I can get my boat in. I think I'm just going to pull
07:30in here,
07:31take my chimneys down, get my lights ready, get my cameras ready. And also, yeah, there's a little
07:37story 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, and it just seems like everything just works. Well,
08:08there can be some things that trip you up. In the case of Preston Brook Tunnel,
08:14it was the wire that was attached to me with the microphone on it. It's usually foolproof,
08:23and it never fails, unless it snags on the tiller, which it did in this case,
08:29yanking 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 onto your arm somehow.
08:47None of that would actually work. Otherwise, I'd be doing it.
08:52Just unlucky. I didn't even hear it go in.
08:55And I'm shooing this on my producer's phone.
08:56Here we are. We 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
09:08neither did the job. And I was left with that horrible, sinking feeling of calling it a day,
09:15and going back to the start, and filming it all over again.
09:22I've had to give up on that one. The whole day's work gone. Not best pleased.
09:29So, after wasting a day and losing some of my footage, I ended up pulling my boat back,
09:36turning it around, and starting the whole trip again, filming on another phone.
09:54Right, second attempt at Preston Brook Tunnel. My old phone is somewhere in this vicinity.
10:02I'm keeping my current one very much gripped in my hand.
10:14It's quite tricky anyway to film in canal tunnels.
10:18For me, I've got this light on here. I want to get this shot of this vent going up there.
10:24There's so much going on. I love it. I really do enjoy the challenge.
10:29But you've also got to be quite wary of bumping your head, for example.
10:34And look where you're going, especially on this one,
10:37because it isn't quite as straight as you might think.
10:57While outside, a stop block lifts the Naughty Lass by only a few inches,
11:03built to ensure neither canal company
11:06took more than its fair share of the others' valuable water supply.
11:25Well, I'm going to moor up in a little bit, I think.
11:27It's been a long day, or two, in my case.
11:40Well, this looks like an alright spot next to these other boats.
11:45Yep, this'll do.
11:47A nice place to spend the night.
12:02I'm exploring the Trent and Mersey Canal in Cheshire,
12:06and it's the start of a new day.
12:17Well, that was a nice moor in there,
12:19away from the buzz of a town,
12:22or road noise and all that sort of stuff.
12:26My goal today is to get through two canal tunnels,
12:31make my way past the Anderton boatlift,
12:34and on towards a place on a system
12:37where I can stop right outside a museum
12:39that's to do with the canal that I need to check out.
12:43So, yeah, there's plenty to see today,
12:44and I'm just hoping that the weather holds.
12:51The Burrs Tunnel I need to navigate
12:53was built by the famous 18th-century canal engineer
12:57James 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,
13:33but I can't see out of the other side.
13:36It's so wonky,
13:39so many twists and turns to it,
13:41that there is no light at the end of this tunnel at the moment.
13:50Sawtusford Tunnel is definitely
13:52the wonkiest tunnel I've ever been through.
13:54Well, the shortest and wonkiest,
13:57because the length of it,
13:59you'd think going in one end,
14:02you'd immediately see the other side,
14:03but, no, it's so bent out of shape
14:06that you just feel like you've gone into a much longer tunnel.
14:15It's about to go into the next tunnel,
14:17but at this point,
14:19we are the closest to possibly get to the River Weaver,
14:22where I was a couple of weeks ago,
14:24on Narrowboat Tench.
14:26In fact, I could see the Weaver from where I am,
14:28and it is just a short walk down the hill
14:30from this point where the tunnel appears,
14:34just around the corner.
14:36Right, I better concentrate.
14:47My second tunnel of the day is longer,
14:50yet noticeably straighter.
14:56It appears James Brinley got it spot on this time.
15:01And it's around here
15:03where I left the naughty lass for a week,
15:06when I borrowed an old boat to explore the River Weaver,
15:11now cut off because of the broken boat lift.
15:27Just passing by the Anderton Boat Lift,
15:31or the Anderton Broke Lift,
15:33as some boaters are calling it at the moment,
15:35because they still don't know when it's going to be fixed,
15:37and friends like Heidi.
15:41She's trapped down there on the Weaver.
15:42So, although I'm thinking,
15:44oh, yeah, I'm going to be stuck when I get to Middlewich,
15:47well, at least I'm not stuck on the River Weaver.
16:00Right, I'm going to look for my mooring now,
16:02but tonight I'm going to be tying up next to a museum.
16:06And I'm hopefully going to time it right
16:08so I get there early enough
16:09to have a little look around as well.
16:17I'm mooring outside the old Lion Salt Works,
16:22which has now been restored
16:23and is a museum and local visitor attraction.
16:28Brine, which is salty water,
16:30was pumped from underground,
16:32boiled in open pans
16:34and the salt was raked out
16:36to be transported along the canal.
16:39I bumped into Hannah, who works here.
16:43Hello, Hannah.
16:44Thank 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,
16:53in how the salt was transported.
16:57So is it out of one of these buildings
16:59and they just shovel it out onto the boats?
17:00Pretty much, yeah.
17:01So once it had been produced in the pans
17:03and it'd then go out onto the boats,
17:05it was actually crushed down.
17:06So it was made into blocks initially.
17:08I've got a picture here.
17:10So this is someone putting it into the tubs
17:12and making it into a block
17:14and then it was crushed in a big crushing mill
17:16back down to being sort of like
17:18the powdery salt that we know
17:20because it was a lot easier to transport it like that.
17:22It was then put on the boats, shipped to Anderton Boatlift
17:27and then onto the Mersey
17:28and out to the rest of the world from there.
17:30Right.
17:32Apparently much of the salt that once left here by narrowboat
17:35was transported to Nigeria
17:38and used in the booming soap industry
17:41to help thicken the soap,
17:43make it set faster and maintain its shape.
17:47Now I arrived at the museum just as it was closing
17:51so it's time for me to get going.
17:55All right, well thank you so much for letting me
17:57have a look around
17:58and yeah, I'll be a new exhibit outside if you...
18:02Thank you though.
18:03Thank you very much.
18:03Cheers, bye Ella.
18:07It's certainly a handy mooring
18:11and after my dinner,
18:13I'm calling it a night.
18:25This 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
18:40to reach Middlewich to see
18:43what the locks are looking like when I get there.
18:45See if they're open or not
18:47and how that's going to affect my plans.
19:03It's been a year of stoppages,
19:05of low water levels,
19:08been very dry all over the country
19:11so it's been nice weather for people to sunbathe in
19:14but there's been a lot of water evaporating
19:16out of the system
19:17and being lost with leaky locks and things.
19:25Yeah, it does make me think
19:28well, I'm just going to be stuck
19:29for I don't know how long.
19:36My journey today is about 7 or 8 miles.
19:39No locks or anything.
19:41Just weaving my way
19:42for this industrial part of the canal
19:45and I have actually rung ahead to Middlewich
19:48to see if the locks are open
19:49and they're not.
19:52They don't know when they're going to reopen.
19:55So, yeah, I'm going to start
19:58thinking about what I can do
20:01how long I might be stuck for
20:03I just don't know at this point in time.
20:12Go through Winchem Wharf
20:14which is always really popular
20:16with all the boats here
20:17some of them waiting for their turn
20:20to be repaired or maintained
20:23or...
20:24Well, there's all sorts of jobs that could be done here.
20:27So, yeah, it is so popular that
20:29it can be a little bit difficult to see
20:32what's coming round the bend.
20:45For generations this site
20:47spanning the canal
20:48produced soda ash
20:51a white alkaline powder
20:54used in everything from glass and detergents
20:57to cosmetics
20:58and food preparation.
21:00In fact, it's a key ingredient
21:02in everyday items
21:04we take for granted.
21:09The Trent and Mersey really opens up here
21:11but I've got to be careful
21:12that I don't go too far
21:13over to that left-hand side
21:15it might look quite inviting
21:16but it is shallow
21:18and there's some sunken boats here
21:23apparently they were abandoned
21:25along the Trent and Mersey
21:26after the 1950s
21:28when British waterways
21:30considered the canal age
21:32had come to an end
21:33and the working boat era
21:35was over.
21:37Got to get rid of some boats
21:39can't haul them all out
21:40so the easiest way
21:41is just to put a hole in them
21:43let them sink to the bottom
21:45luckily it's a different story now
22:03I'm making my way
22:04along the Trent and Mersey Canal
22:07in Cheshire
22:07and I'm approaching Middlewich
22:19but there's a problem ahead.
22:23Right, here I am
22:24Middlewich, big lock
22:25it's got a big red sign on it
22:27saying Canal closed
22:29but luckily for me
22:31there is plenty of room here
22:32for me to moor up
22:33this
22:34so I'll be making my home
22:35for the next few days
22:37weeks
22:37months
22:38I have no idea
22:40just glad there's enough room
22:58Oh, I've just seen someone
22:59standing by the locks
23:00wearing a blue top
23:02Canal and River Trust uniform
23:05hopefully I'll be able to tell me
23:06when I can get my boat
23:07through these locks
23:09and potentially how long
23:10I'm going to be mooring
23:11up here for
23:13Hi mate
23:15could you tell me
23:16when the locks
23:17are going to reopen again
23:18so this one
23:19and the next one
23:20will be tomorrow morning
23:21Oh really?
23:22but it's only those two locks
23:23there's a repair further down
23:25there's a repair further down
23:26and also
23:26the water levels
23:27as you know
23:28will not only rain have we
23:30so we need
23:32quite a lot more
23:33Not enough I suppose to
23:33Yeah, we need
23:34some real
23:35prolonged
23:36and heavy rainfall
23:38we've had a little bit
23:39so we're just continuing
23:41to monitor that
23:41So what do you
23:42suggest I do
23:44as a continuous cruiser
23:45just sort of moor up
23:46and keep watching out
23:47for the notices?
23:48Yeah, absolutely
23:49keep monitoring the notices
23:51if you see any of
23:52my colleagues
23:52just grab them
23:53like you have done to me
23:54Ok, will do then
23:55Just be mindful of
23:57where the facilities are
23:58with your water
23:58and everything else
23:59Yeah, I'm opposite the water tap
24:01so 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
24:07Alright
24:08Right, see you
24:12Well, it looks like
24:13I won't be moving
24:14my boat for a while
24:16Now, I had a feeling
24:18this might happen
24:19so, I've got a plan
24:22I've come to the realisation
24:24that I am just going to be
24:26stuck in Middlewich
24:27on the Naughty Lass
24:28for quite a few weeks
24:32and I can either just
24:34sit here twiddling my thumbs
24:35or I could go and do
24:36something else
24:37and what I am going to do
24:39is something I've wanted
24:40to do for a long time
24:41and that's to visit
24:42the Lancaster Canal
24:45I've used my connections
24:47to find someone
24:48who's got a boat
24:49who will lend it to me
24:51for a couple of days
24:53and I'll get to explore
24:54some of the canal
24:55so all I've got to do now
24:56is pack a few things
24:57and make my way over
24:59I'm quite excited about this
25:00because it's a canal
25:02I've tried to get to
25:03before
25:04and not been able to
25:05on this boat
25:06so
25:07yeah
25:07this is
25:08going to be an opportunity
25:13the Lancaster was built
25:14to carry coal
25:15and limestone
25:16and is still known
25:18as the black and white canal
25:21it connects to England's canal network
25:23via the ribble link
25:26a tidal and slightly intimidating stretch
25:28that I won't be attempting
25:33instead
25:34instead
25:34I'm heading up the motorway
25:36and borrowing a boat
25:38one that's a world away
25:40from the Naughty Lass
25:43right
25:44the Naughty Lass
25:45and Middlewich
25:46is about 80 miles that way
25:48I am in
25:49Chewitfield
25:50because it's here
25:52where I'll meet my mate Mick
25:53and er
25:54he's going to let me have a go
25:55on his pride and joy
25:56I have tried to get Naughty Lass up here
25:59before
26:01but my engine
26:02wasn't powerful enough
26:03to make the crossing
26:04along the ribble link
26:05so this
26:06is my only opportunity
26:07at the moment
26:09morning Mick
26:10how are you doing Mick
26:11alright
26:11welcome to the black and white
26:12hey brilliant
26:13great day for it isn't it
26:14yeah erm
26:14you might have to show me a few things
26:16before er
26:17before I get going
26:18yeah we'll get some bits and bats for you
26:18yeah
26:19brilliant
26:19alright here's my stuff
26:21get your kick
26:24before I set off
26:25what do I need to know
26:27show us the ropes
26:28yeah sure
26:28dead simple Rob
26:29steering wheel
26:30not like your telescope
26:31you've got a steering wheel
26:32just like your car
26:33you've got a mark on there for centre
26:34so you know where you are centrally
26:37accelerator throttle
26:37it's dead straight forward
26:39but other than that then
26:39it's the C cup
26:40so the system's cool
26:41the all engine
26:42inboard engine's cooled by
26:44water from the canal
26:45it pulls it up from the canal
26:46but in the middle of that
26:47you've got a filter
26:48so you'll notice duck weed around
26:50and stuff like that
26:51and that'll get blocked
26:52that is key
26:52that has to be kept clean inside it
26:55otherwise
26:55if that does get blocked
26:56that's serious
26:57that's like terminal engine
26:59blowing up all the lot
27:00right
27:00I don't want that
27:01no absolutely
27:02nor do I
27:03of course
27:03nor do I
27:04yeah that is key
27:05so that's got to be cleaned
27:06right well I've got your number
27:08if I need it
27:08yeah there you go
27:09she's all yours
27:10thank you
27:15well it's a bit smaller than I'm used to this boat
27:18but for a 1970s cruiser
27:21yeah dead cosy
27:23oh this is going to be great
27:24famous last words
27:36well there isn't as much space as on my boat
27:39but the engine is a lot quieter for sure
27:44I've never driven anything like this before in my life
27:48so yeah here goes
27:57and we're off
28:00already crashed in someone else's boat
28:04hopefully we'll find
28:12Mick
28:13Mick has lent me his beloved boat Pisces
28:15Mick has lent me his beloved boat Pisces
28:16to explore a 12 mile stretch of the Lancaster Canal
28:21I'm starting in Tewartfield
28:25I'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.
28:45Oh, disaster already. The engine's just cut out, I'm not sure why.
28:50Let's see if I can start here again.
29:08I'm hoping it's because the engine was a little bit cold and that we haven't got weed already stuck in
29:14the little filter.
29:16This isn't as easy as I thought it would be actually.
29:21This is a completely different way of steering the boat anyway, I'm not used to all these different controls.
29:26But 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 boat due
29:43to low water levels.
29:46Things 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 sandbank 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. The owner Mick, he's really preserved so much of it.
30:53Yeah, definitely 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. It's pretty nippy.
31:24So I'm just going to moor up in a bit and have a sandwich.
31:28This place I'm coming through now is 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 because it relates to a packet boat passenger service
32:22that was operating on this canal back in the 1830s.
32:27So these were horse-drawn boats and 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 committed to do on any of the canals or even rivers in this
32:45country.
32:47In fact, a journey like that on the Naughty Lass usually takes me about a week.
32:53And wherever you are on the canal, there are always things that slow you down.
32:59I'm not far from my mooring but I do have a little bit of a challenge here.
33:02There's no locks but there is this swing bridge that I've got to tackle today.
33:13Right, I've unhooked this end of the bridge where your crew member would normally stand.
33:20Then they can open it from that way.
33:22But as it's just me, I'm going to have to go across back to where the boat is and push
33:28it open.
33:37All right, there we go.
33:39Just going to let go and hopefully it will use its own momentum to fully open.
33:49Otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do. I have no barge pole or anything.
33:54Now that's done it.
33:57Well, that did the trick.
33:58But it just goes to show bridges like this were never designed for solo boaters.
34:06As there's no mooring on the side you need to open it.
34:10However, there's a handy chain I can use to pull it closed.
34:15And it's always polite to do just that.
34:24Right, this is it. This is the closest I can get to mooring by the sea. Fantastic.
34:36Hest Bank has to be one of the best locations where a canal runs next to the seaside.
34:42As here, the Lancaster is close to the coast and near Morecambe Bay.
34:53Well, what a first day that was on the boat.
34:57I've got to tell you, it was a bit challenging.
35:00Driving this boat is different.
35:03And the headroom, I have banged my head a few times.
35:06That's why I've still got my cap on to protect myself.
35:10But I'm getting nice and cosy now in the front part of the boat where I've got my sleeping bag
35:16laid out here.
35:17And guess what? This is something I don't have on my boat.
35:21I've got a TV.
35:23It's a 12 volt TV. I've got enough battery. I've checked.
35:27And yeah, just got to see what's on.
35:45I'm not travelling far today on Pisces, so I've got time to stretch my legs.
35:51Along the coast to Morecambe, a Lancashire seaside town.
36:00In the past, when I've been visiting places along my journey, I've tried to track down the former homes of
36:08musicians and comedians.
36:10And yeah, just a few weeks ago, I was at Ken Dodd's old house.
36:16Well, here in Morecambe, I've managed to get in touch with the son of a legendary local Canadian.
36:24And I'm going to meet him right next to his dad's statue.
36:33Right, this is the statue of Eric Morecambe.
36:36I'm hoping standing next to it is his son, Gary.
36:40Hi there, Gary.
36:42Hi, Robbie.
36:43I was hoping it was you.
36:46It's me. It's good to see you.
36:48Thanks so much for coming out.
36:48It's a pleasure. A real pleasure.
36:50I mostly want to know first, what was it like having a famous dad?
36:55I mean, the shows went out to about almost 30 million people at the height of it.
37:00Yeah. I don't know about the famous dad bit.
37:02I think that having such a brilliant comedian as a dad was very noticeable.
37:09Was he a funny dad?
37:10He had funny bones. He couldn't stop.
37:13Yeah.
37:13Maybe it was slightly his downfall at the end.
37:15I think that too much of not being able to stop.
37:18Yeah.
37:19He always said if he once stopped, he'd never get started,
37:21which I thought was a very telling thing to say, you know, very honest.
37:25But yeah, no, it was brilliant.
37:26I mean, God, you know, I'm nearly 70, so I can look back now, and it's always with a smile,
37:30really.
37:31That's good to hear.
37:33What would your dad have thought about this statue?
37:36Would he have been happy about it?
37:37He'd have been extremely happy about it.
37:39He'd have been doubly happy that the Queen unveiled it.
37:42And I think he'd have been trebly happy that they built this stone arena around it.
37:47As a young lad, he would fish with his dad just behind the statue here.
37:50Right.
37:51And imagine being told one day, oh, by the way, the Queen will unveil a statue to you.
37:55He'd be, all right, OK.
37:56Yeah.
37:57Eight-year-old.
37:59So it's all a bit magical and a bit unbelievable.
38:01Well, Gary, I've got to move my boat now, so...
38:04No, I would give you a hand, but that's my leg.
38:08Well, I'll leave you to enjoy Morecam and your memories of it.
38:11Brilliant to see you.
38:12I beg it, thank you.
38:12Always look out for you.
38:13Thanks so much.
38:14All right.
38:15Bye.
38:18Gary's dad, John Eric Bartholomew, took his stage name from Morecambe, his family's hometown.
38:26And together with Ernie Wise, they formed a double act that lasted decades.
38:33Making them both much-loved national treasures.
38:42Right.
38:43Back on the boat, ready to set off again, but there's one important check I need to make
38:48that Mick told me about yesterday involving the cooling system.
38:54I've just got to check to see if this filter below here, see if that's not clogged up.
39:00Oh, yeah.
39:01Look at that.
39:02Absolutely stuffed full of pond weed.
39:04That could have been a serious problem for the cooling system because that stops the water
39:09getting in and cooling it.
39:11So, yeah, the engine could have overheated with all that in there.
39:15Look at that.
39:15Ugh!
39:18With the filter cleaned out, I can continue towards Lancaster along this waterway.
39:28And it shouldn't take long, because this boat's got plenty of pace.
39:37The Lancaster Canal is a bit like the Rippon Canal, but because they're both dead ends
39:45both at the edge of the network.
39:48Lancaster certainly is quiet, peaceful, but unlike the Rippon Canal,
39:55Lancaster's even harder to get to because during the colder months they shut off the crossing
40:00and you can't actually make it there from the rest of the system anyway.
40:04So it's a real special place for me to visit.
40:17There's one thing that I think is probably my favourite thing about this boat,
40:24and it's just the uniqueness of it.
40:27Lots of people have been commenting to me saying,
40:29oh, yes, I remember these from back in the 70s and all this sort of stuff.
40:34So it's obviously quite a well-loved model and make of both.
40:40So it's been a real pleasure to take round.
40:43It's clearly very well-loved.
40:54This is it. The Loon Aqueduct. It's not only the most impressive structure on this canal,
41:02but arguably the entire English Canal network, and I've wanted to cross this for such a long time.
41:15Breathtaking.
41:17It was built in the 1790s by John Rennie, the canal engineer.
41:22It's got five stone arches 60 feet above the river below.
41:29That's a bucket list one, ticked off for sure.
41:42I'm nearing journey's end, and as I enter Lancaster, the canal runs alongside old textile mills
41:49that once depended on it for transport.
41:53Coal to power its steam engines arrived by boat, while finished goods were carried away.
42:05Well, it's been a strange journey, this one.
42:07I started headed south out of Roncorn.
42:11Now I find myself up north on the Lancaster Canal.
42:14Lost my phone in the mouth of a canal tunnel, let's not say any more about that.
42:19But I've had a lovely distraction, a boatman's holiday, and saw a little bit at the seaside.
42:25So, all in all, it's been a journey to remember.
42:29And now, as I pray for rain so I can continue my own journey, I must hand the boat back
42:35to its owner, Mick.
42:37It's been a wonderful experience. I'll never forget.
42:53The End