Liverpool

As one door closes another one opens - or should I say, 'when one adventure draws to a close, another is waiting right around the corner'. This is certainly true on board nb 'Winedown'

After leaving our friends at Castlefield in Manchester, we set our sights on Liverpool, but first we had to stop at the CRT office in Wigan to book our passage into Salthouse Docks and our berth. Previously, one was able to stay in Salthouse Docs for 14 days but the CRT authorities decided to curb this and we could only get 7 days. We were naturally a bit put out by this, but 'rules is rules'.

Before Wigan, we stopped at Pennington Flash near Plank Lane, on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. It was a beautiful, if somewhat isolated point to stop, but near enough to a housing estate for there to be a constant stream of people enjoying the late summer evening, dog walkers and cyclists. I was just settling down to read a book when we heard a crash followed by a plaintive, childish wail. A little boy, out with his father and brother had fallen off his bike and grazed his knees, right next to the boat. Ian grabbed a packet of plasters while I got some wet-wipes and a small packet of sweets. In no time at all the boy was patched up and the sweets put a broad smile on his face. With a mouth full of the sweets he waved goodbye and wobbled off down the path with a grateful father close behind.

The following lunchtime (Wednesday 2nd September), as we tied up outside the CRT office, nb 'Indigo Dream' was preparing to leave. After completing the necessary paperwork in the office and filling our fresh water tank, we followed Richard and Sue on nb 'Indigo Dream' who had kindly waited for us so that we could share the locks. This proved to be the start of a whole new adventure and we had no idea just how fortunate we were. Richard and Sue were going into Liverpool too, but their passage was booked for two days before us. As ever, we had time to slow down. We shared locks and swing bridges with Indigo Dream' for the rest of the afternoon before bidding them adieu in Appley Bridge.

Thursday morning and we were looking forward to a leisurely day. We stopped off in Burscough Bridge to pick up some provisions and treated ourselves to tea and cake at a local tearoom before setting off again towards Scarisbrick where we moored for the night. Our passage into Liverpool was booked for Sunday 5th September and we only had 20 miles to go so the next few days was really 'laid-back' boating.

At the appointed place and time (above Stanley Locks) we met a team of CRT personnel. They were there to assist us down the locks, through a series of old working docks and tunnels and into Salthouse Dock, adjacent to Albert Dock, the vibrant heart of Liverpool's historic waterfront.

The next couple of hours was full of chatter, laughter and a history lesson, and by mid-afternoon we were safely berthed - as it happened, just a few slots away from nb 'Indigo Dream'.

Albert Dock - Liverpool

Albert Dock is an amazing place to visit and even more special since we had arrived in this unusual way. With the country's largest group of historical grade II listed buildings, we knew we would find more museums, galleries and a wider variety of venues to eat that we could possible visit in a little over a week. Attractions to suit every taste and shop-till-you-drop opportunities in abundance - wait a minute, I sound like a walking advertisement and Liverpool certainly doesn't need me to tell people what they can do here! We eagerly anticipated an experience packed with sights, sounds and adventure. We were not disappointed.

We were fascinated by the history and the architectural splendour of lofty colonnades that made up the old warehouses surrounding the dock, and even by the jelly fish that seemed to collect in their thousands in some places. Introduced to discourage people swimming in the docks, the jelly fish thrived.

Doug, Sue and Richard with Ian and Cherryl

On Monday morning, we went off for a spot of retail therapy. We were returning to the docks just after lunch when we were surprised to bump into James and Doug from nb 'Chance'. They had their hands full with the greyhounds that live with Richard and Sue on 'Indigo Dream'. Talk about a small world!

Doug and James were in Liverpool to meet Richard and Sue ahead of an epic adventure across the Mersey, along the Manchester Ship canal and onto the River Weaver.

By the end of the afternoon, (and after a cheeky nudge from Doug) we were invited to join the four of them - and the greyhounds - on their adventure. Wow, how lucky we were!

We had to be up early to catch the high tide out of Liverpool's Brunswick Dock. Unfortunately there was a light fog as we left the berth in Salthouse dock and it continued to roll in as we made our way through Wapping Dock, Queens Dock, Coburg Dock. and into Brunswick Dock.

'Into the lock and tie up to the port side pontoon', was the instruction from the lock keeper, and skipper Richard duly obeyed.

Richard and Sue on nb 'Indigo Dream' had secured the services of a maritime pilot as even on a good day this is essential - the river Mersey is used by many commercial shipping lines so only qualified personnel may take a vessel on the river. Stuart was certainly going to 'earn his keep' as we made our way across the Mersey with visibility at only 50 yards.

After Stuart had delivered a safety talk and we had all donned our 'life preservers' we were ready to leave.
Over the radio we heard the warning that the fog was getting thicker. 'No other movement on the river...' warned the disconnected voice on the radio. 'That means there is nothing to bump into...' was Stuart's reply, and then we were off.

As we left the security of the lock and the land marks faded into the fog, Stuart asked the question of Richard, 'Do you know how to keep your vessel in a straight line? You look over your shoulder and check that the propeller trace is straight.' he answered his own question. Since that too was fading quickly into the fog this should be interesting, I thought.

Sadly, the fog stubbornly refused to lift and all we could see besides the marker buoys were ghostly sights emerging from the gloom as we continued on our way. We didn't get a chance to see where we were going let alone get some great pictures on the crossing that took a little over an hour.

Our route was to cross the Mersey to the west bank then run down the shipping lane, close to the west bank to Eastham.

Eastham Lock

All too soon, Stuart said that the Eastham Lock (connecting the river Mersey to the Manchester Ship Canal) was ahead of us. I couldn't even see it as we moved confidently forward but slowly it become visible. Ten minutes later we moved carefully into the lock. It was so big and the fog was still cutting down the visibility; we couldn't even see the end of it!

Lady Sandals

MSC authorities held us at Eastham Lock for over an hour waiting for the fog to lift and in that time the motor yacht 'Lady Sandals' (owned by Gordon Stewart, chairman and founder of Sandals Resorts International) made the crossing and entered the lock that we had come through. Allowed to continue at last, we let the 'big boys' go first. It took 'Lady Sandals' all of four minutes to pass us , leave us behind and her wake to disappear leaving a mirror-like canal once more! The power of her engines left us stunned. But the fog had lifted and the day just got better.

Half an hour later, we passed Ellesmere port. Ian and I had been to the living museum in Ellesmere Port last year but it was a little strange seeing it from a different perspective. The camera was working overtime as we sailed on past, but there was more to see as we passed commercial ships in docks along the way. They made us feel very very small in comparison!

A little over two hours after the motor launch 'Lady Sandals' had left us behind at Eastham Lock, we were at Marsh lock that connects the River Weaver to the Ship Canal at Runcorn. This was as far down the Manchester Ship Canal as we were going. CRT personnel had the lock ready for us and we sailed in effortlessly, tied up and waited as the lock goats were swung closed behind us and the lock began to fill.

Leaving Marsh Lock brought to an end the first part of our trip and that, oddly, left me with a sad feeling - the most exciting part of the adventure was now behind us, but we still had the River Weaver to navigate up to Anderton.
A little sad it may have been but it was truly exhilarating nonetheless.

We stopped for lunch along the river bank and the four well-behaved greyhounds were allow to stretch their legs for the first time that day.

Sue looking very serious as she confidently took the helm

Stuart the pilot said goodbye to us all after lunch and we continued on up the river. All too soon, the iconic Anderton Boat Lift came into view, bring our boat trip to an end. What a marvellous experience. We wouldn't have missed it for all the world Thank you so much Richard and Sue for taking us with you!

A little over twelve hours after nb 'Indigo Dream' slipped her mooring in Liverpool's Salthouse dock, (and only a ten minute taxi ride followed by a 30 minute train trip) Ian and I were back at Salthouse dock where we had left 'Winedown'. Methinks we will be dining out on that marvellous tale for a long time to come!

The following day (Wednesday)  was almost an anti-climax after the excitement of the day before but I can tell you that we enjoyed a lay-in as we re-lived our Mersey Crossing adventure.

Ferry 'cross the Mersey

A visit to the Maritime Museum, Tate gallery, Liverpool Museum, a ferry trip across the Mersey (would you believe it after our epic adventure earlier in the week) and a full day of hop-on hop-off open-top buss trips around the city were all part of the next few days.

While on the tourist trip across the Mersey I was able to take a photo of the sea lock that we used when we entered the Mersey two days before. Pity we couldn't have taken this picture on the day.

We found that a visit to the Anglican cathedral, built on a prominent site overlooking the city was awe inspiring. So many of the buildings in Liverpool are claimed to be the largest, oldest, longest, newest, highest 'in the world', so too the cathedral has its 'first' place. It is claimed to be the longest cathedral in the world, although it 'only' ranks as the fifth-largest in the world and contests with the incomplete Cathedral of Saint John the Devine in New York City for the title of the largest Anglican Church building.(Just a small point to note... there is a church building that is longer than Liverpool Cathedral and that is St Peter's Basilica in Rome, however St Peter's is not a cathedral).

It is also claimed to be one of the world's tallest non-spired buildings. At 67m above floor level, the bells of Liverpool Cathedral are the highest and heaviest (those words again) ringing peal in the world.

Having taken nearly 70 years, the completion of the building was marked by a service of thanksgiving and dedication in October 1978. For all this magnificence, the building is not just 'another cathedral', it is so vast with so much to see, that we missed the last bus back to the docks so our exhausting day of sight-seeing was finished with a long (but not the longest) walk home!

Tony & Jo with Ian

My cousin Tony and Jo joined us for a day. We had planned a trip around the docks on board 'Winedown' but strong winds made us change our minds. Instead we headed to the 'Liverpool Arms' where we heard that they served a good 'Scouse'. Since we were in the home of Scouse, we had to try it, and a few days later we returned to try the Peawack, another Liverpudlian dish.

If you came and visit us on 'Winedown', don't be surprised to find either dish on the menu - we enjoyed both that much.

Another first for Liverpool was the enclosed commercial wet dock designed by Thomas Steer. We took the amazing 'Old Dock Experience' tour from the maritime museum. The old dock is currently below the Liverpool One shopping centre and can only be accessed via the guided tour but I have to say that the archaeologists, Danny and Yass, who conduct the tour are great.

A small corner of the Old Dock

After being buried since 1826, the Old Dock was re-discovered during excavations in 2001 and now for the first time in centuries, the bed of the 'Pool' (the creek that gave Liverpool it's name) can be seen. The Old Dock, constructed in 1715 at the mouth of the Pool paved the way to many decades of dock expansion on both sides of the Mersey and was at the heart of the town's success. The immense impact of this radical structure resulted in a significant loss of trade in London, Bristol and Chester throughout the 18th century, and it contributed largely to Britain's successful trading history that built the Great British Empire.

Thomas Steers Way

When the current shopping complex - Liverpool One - was being built, a pedestrian walkway, 'Thomas Steers Way' was marked out over the centre of the original river inlet to the old doc.

I wonder how many of the hundreds of people who use the walkway each day actually know that they are walking over a part of history that put Liverpool on the world trading map.

Overshadowed little by Thomas Steers and the first enclosed wet dock, was William Hutchinson, an English mariner and privateer who was appointed dockmaster at Liverpool in 1759. William Hutchinson started keeping detailed tide and weather records and these formed a significant part of the data that was used in Holden's Tide Tables,  published in 1770. The fountains that you see here has been designed to represent a full month of high and low tide times, taken from William Hutchinson's diaries.

On a lighter note, a pirate festival came to Albert Dock. On the weekend before we left (12th & 13th September) we enjoyed fun, festivities and live music, not to mention gunfire, cannon fire and a battle re-enactment or two.

We shared our Sunday roast dinner with Keith and Pam from nb 'Primrose' after we had enjoyed a sundowner on the front deck, all the while listening to Blues and Jazz. What could be better than that?

Keith told us about Baltic Fleet, a mid 1800's pub less than a 10 minute walk from Salthouse Dock. The pub boasts four ghosts but more to the point is the only brewery pub in Liverpool. The cellar has been used since 2001 for brewing a host of exceptional ales.

Ian couldn't resist a visit. Unfortunately, they don't do 'take-away' or he would have stocked the beer locker before we left, but he did learn of two tunnels leading from the cellar. One found its way to the docklands while the other went to the red light district of Cornhill. It appears that the Baltic Fleet connected crews of the square rigged ships to two of their fundamental needs, grog and 'ladies of the night'. How romantic! No, just good business.

As the sun set over the Mersey behind the statue of Billy Fury, the 1960's rock-and-roll star, it seemed a fitting end to a fabulous 10 days in Liverpool.

We prepared the boat for an early morning start on our scheduled departure from Salthouse dock, and although my brain couldn't take in much more information from the museums and galleries for the time being,  we are certainly not short of new stories to add to our limited repertoire.

A return visit is definitely on the cards.