After a day or two at Hest bank we pulled pins at 08.10 and headed South towards Lancaster and before long we were passing over the impressive Lune aqueduct.
Arriving in Lancaster we were surprised to see that the visitor moorings were nearly empty which is strange as they were full when we last passed this way 4 or 5 days ago.. So with it being fairly early in the morning and with the boat not very hot we left Hamish for an hour while we had a quick look around the city.
We soon came upon Lancaster Castle which is a medieval castle . Its early history is unclear, but may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune.
The castle formally opened as HM Prison Lancaster in 1955, becoming a Category C prison for male inmates, and a crown court. In July 2010 the Ministry of Justice announced it was intending to close it, stating it was outdated and costly. The prison closure was confirmed for March 2011.
The crown court continues to be located at the castle. Closure of the prison eventually allowed the castle to be opened to visitors and tourists as a permanent attraction. In the meantime, while access to the keep, towers, battlements and dungeons is currently denied to visitors, the castle operates limited guided tours seven days a week. The Castle Courtyard opened to the public 7 days a week . Needless to say at £8 each for a limited guided tour we didn’t bother
Leaving Lancaster and after a couple of hours cruising we arrived at the junction of the Glasson arm which will drop us down the 6 locks to Glasson and then into the basin . We have been told by local boaters that it’s hard work and not worth bothering with . But that comment just made us more determined to make the trip down to the basin.
We have come across these gate paddles on the Leeds and Liverpool canal , but these were so heavy that I had to take over from Carolyn as she struggled to operate them. Still no doubt it will be worth the effort.
Arriving at the basin after only 2 and a half hours we were well impressed with what we saw .
Oops! Another sunken boat.
We picked up this mooring at the end of the basin and will spend the night here before heading back up the arm and then back towards Preston and our booked trip back across the Ribble Link.
After mooring we just had to walk around to the Smokehouse . Every boater that comes here gives this place a visit .
We certainly weren’t disappointed and the choice of smoked produce was amazing ,not just Fish but anything you could think of . We bought loads and it was absolutely delicious. If ever you are in the area it’s worth a visit…… Now back to Inca and the difficult decision of what wine to have with my smoked Duck.
Happy Days
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