What a load of rubbish!

Well we left Rishton for Blackburn and a laundry this morning, but as is becoming the norm, things didn’t quite go to plan …

The day turning to mush!!

What do you think of it so far? RUBBISH!

Granada Studios converted from the old Daisyfield Corn Mill in Blackburn
http://www.blackburnnowandthen.co.uk/daisyfield-corn-mill/

An interesting block wall

Blackburn Wharf, very similar to Burnley's

The city skyline with the railway station in the foreground

Cathedral and Town Hall towering above it

We’d heard from Derek and Dot (fellow kiwi’s on narrowboat Gypsy Rover) a little while ago, that they were on the same canal as us and we’d bump into each other at some stage. Low and behold they were moored up by Asda in Blackburn, so we peeped the horn and tied up alongside. A coffee and a couple of hours later and we’d talked one another senseless! They'd already done their shop for the day and wanted to get out of Blackburn and to the next mooring, and we wanted to get to Asda and were planning on visiting the launderette, so we said goodbye around 1.30pm.

Derek, Dot and Sandra strike a pose on Gypsy Rover

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After lunch I headed to the supermarket leaving Barry on the boat – it’s supposedly recommended not to leave your boat unattended whilst in Blackburn! Now don’t get me wrong, the people we've met along the way have appeared harmless and very friendly, but there's certainly a negative aura on the canal around here, as well as a general appearance, of what can only be described as squalour. I've never seen as much filth in and around the canals. A miriad of plastic drink bottles, whole bags of rubbish, the usual footballs, even a sofa and table at one point, a chair, a blow up paddling pool; etcetera, etcetera! Barry took a bike ride into Blackburn and he said the town centre was fine; maybe the people here just have absolutely no pride in their canal at all? Most perplexing ...

William Ewart Gladstone, Liberal Prime Minister 1868-74, 1880-85, 1886 and 1892-94
Interestingly the main street in our home town of Gisborne is called Gladstone Road, named after him

Blackburn College in the centre of the city

Not sure if this is Gladstone as well? He was giving me the evil eye though

Part of some strange looking stainless steel monument called Sudell Cross

Richmond Terrace, full of profesionals such as lawyers, doctors, opticians, etc

The oddly out of place looking spire on the cathedral

Blackburn Cathedral, the older section

By the time we’d got sorted to go through the six locks, it was already after six so too late to visit the launderette, even if it was open till eight o’ clock. I’d just had enough and wanted to get as far away from Blackburn and the detritus in its canal as possible. It’s definitely a canal of two halves!!!

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I went ahead to open the first lock leaving Barry to drive the boat along, only to find when he turned the corner that he had taken some passengers on board and had a pushchair on the roof! Hilarious, I can't leave him alone for a minute and he's chatting up the locals! I suspect it helped that they were young and pretty and they'd played on his heart strings as it was one the girls' birthdays

It was the girl in the middle's birthday, didn't ask her age (or even get her name!)

They were dropped off before the locks, which were hard work and in a terrible state of disrepair despite the fact that they all had dates in the 2000's on them so can't have been due to age. Rubbish continued in abundance, some had obviously been fished out occasionally and was left piling up on the side of the lock. No wonder there's green slime around this section of the canal, it's a health hazzard!

We assume this is the lock keeper's offices

Flotsam and jetson in the locks, disgusting!!

We passed what must've been the BW Offices and were also shocked at the state of them, with a noticeboard showing a flyer for a painting workshop in November/December 2005!! OMG, does the lock keeper do anything at all around here or is he just fighting a losing battle and has given up?

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On reading the supposed 'canal bible', Nicholson's Waterways Guide Number 5 (yes, the absolute latest edition of 2009!), you would picture a completely different place, and I quote:

"The lock keeper maintains a tidy flight - indeed most of the passage through the town is now pleasant - there is little rubbish or graffiti, and the views are excellent."

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Unbelievable! Utter rubbish!!

Early evening and a number of blokes arrived to fish in the middle of the lock flight

A bit of a leaky lock!

Exiting from one of the locks through a tunnel

The Moorings pub - supposedly with 'moorings' but none apparant

It really was revolting ...

Leaving Blackburn

An old gas tank still standing, maybe it's a listed building?

The usual terraced houses of this area ...

And dereliction ...

Sofa something completely different ...

Anyone for tea?

Found a boat for my sister Kath

Strange place for a phone and post box, obviously neither in general use anymore!

Not sure what this is all about as the barbed wire is sloping inwards to keep people 'in' rather than 'out'?!

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We continued for about an hour out of Blackburn and the canal improved immensley. We found a suitable mooring, and showered to remove the feeling of scum from the day. It's very sad that the people of Blackburn are tarred with this impression ...

The canal's clean again, yaay!

Underneath the arches of a railway bridge

Our mooring for the night at Riley Green - what a relief!

Definitely going downhill ...

Firstly thanks to Steph who emailed to say that the pink flowers we keep seeing at the canalside are probably called rosebay willowherb (also known as fireweed).

What an unbelievable change there’s been in the surroundings since we left the Foulridge Tunnel, just outside of Burnley. We took things at a slower pace today and attempted to find a launderette as we have so much washing accumulated now if I did it by hand it’d take me a fortnight to get through it! The weather has completely changed and was so flipping cold I had my Merino polo neck, my pashmina, my Rohan fleece AND my Berghaus wind/waterproof on! Oh yes, and of course my gloves. What a difference a day makes!

Barry still managed to find some superb scenery ...

A view into the valley from the canal

It's still striking, photos don't do the landscape any justice

The canal got very green for a while, an alleged algae bloom problem that British Waterscape notified us of in an email:

"Wednesday 12 August 2009 until further notice
A suspected bloom of potentially toxic blue-green algae has been reported in the Leeds & Liverpool Canal throughout Burnley.
Although blue-green algae occurs naturally in freshwater, there is a risk of serious hazard to health when they occur in high concentrations. The highest concentrations of blue green algae toxins are found in scums which can form on the water surface, and which can look like turquoise paint, grass clippings or floating mats.
The toxins can affect humans, pets and livestock. You should avoid all contact with water which has a blue-green paint-like scum on its surface and also avoid contact with very green water. Immersion sports (such as paddling, swimming, and canoeing) carry a higher risk to human health and should not be practiced where there is a scum or green water present. Such conditions can come and go quickly, which means that British Waterways cannot guarantee the suitability of the water for these activities. Therefore, it is your responsibility to check for scums or green water prior to any immersion activity.
Do not allow pets or livestock to swim in or drink the water. We recommend that you keep dogs on leads.If you do come into contact with the algal scum, remove contaminated clothing and wash all exposed skin in clean water as soon as possible, particularly before eating or drinking.
If you are in any doubt about your welfare after contact with the algae, please seek medical advice. This advice remains in force for the forseeable future until the bloom has subsided."

It sounded very serious, so we decided not to swim in it!

When combined with all the other rubbish in the canal we were terrified

But maybe it wasn't too bad really!

A view across the valley

Exactly half way between Leeds & Liverpool 63 3/8 miles each way

Another picturesque crumbling wall

We cruised past a place called Accrington, and having put this onto my facebook status I was contacted by Steph with a You-Tube link about their football team, Accrington Stanley. Watch it, it’s hilarious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgYP1d5nN2o I remember the advert well ...

Accrington on a good day

We would've stopped, but grounded the boat on something while trying to moor

Not game to find out what, so we moved on!!!

Obviously a cannonball hole through the wall from the 17th century
Very slow to do repairs around here!

This poor horse in someone's back garden either had a muzzle on or had just eaten one of m'lady's pot plants

The navigation passes through some very sad and grey looking towns now. We stopped at a place called Rishton - Barry did a google earth search on the town and found hardly any green areas at all. It seems as though the whole place is made up of terraced houses with back yards, with the local kids playing together on the streets. Still at least we saw children playing outside, which appears to be a novelty. In the midlands and the south it wasn’t something we saw much of. Maybe their parents up in this part can’t afford a computer so they’re not stuck indoors playing games inside which the majority of youths do nowadays.

The Nicolson's Guide said that there was a launderette in Rishton, but it was nowhere to be seen and on asking I found out that it had closed down … Damn!!

Coming back to the boat after my stint in town, I challenged Barry to go for a walk or bike ride and find something worth taking a photo of, and of course he amazed me as per usual!

Rishton Park on the edge of town

Yachting on the reservoir

There was a cricket game going on at the time, but this was more exciting!

One of the adjoining alleys between the terraced houses

Can't say they aren't trying to brighten the place up

Not necessarily a one horse town; though I didn't happen to see any others!

It isn't just the prices that need trimming around here

Good to see kids out playing, even if it is in the middle of the street

When you don't have a playground or back garden what are your choices?

The kids were very friendly and showed me some of their basketball skills whilst asking lots of questions

The buzzing High Street of Rishton

In fairness it was a Sunday afternoon

Looking out towards Great Harwood to the north

I love these terraced houses!

The kids were still out playing till dad came out and called them for tea

It was great to hear them laughing and squealling

The search for a decent mooring near a launderette continues (now with several days/weeks of smelly clothes around). We think there may be a couple in Blackburn, so we’ll try there tomorrow, but we didn't want to venture there today as the Nicholson Waterways guide book says to ask the lock-keeper where the secure moorings, are which is a tad concerning!

I got a bit excited this afternoon when I read on msn that there’s a mini heatwave predicted for this week; but sadly it’ll be in London and the south east before a chill heads their way from the west – guess where we are? Of course, in the blooming west where it’s very cool.

Go to :
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/article.aspx?cp-documentid=149198176&ocid=today
"Fleeting return to summer predicted
Britain's elusive "barbecue summer" will make a brief appearance this week, with parts of the country expected to bask in sultry temperatures.
By midweek, southern and eastern parts of the country will be enjoying sunshine and blue skies, with the mercury predicted to hit 29C on Wednesday.
But the fine weather will be fleeting as a cool front moves in from the West."