#CountryKids on the Lancaster Canal

 

We were very lucky to be taken for 5 nights on a narrowboat on the Lancaster Canal by my parents. A very much needed break away from it all. We boarded Bluebell at Tewitfield Marina which is currently the most northerly part of the Lancaster Canal that is fully navigable:

After being shown the ropes and having our steering observed we headed south along the canal under one of the many beautiful bridges:

They are all numbered (the numbers start in Preston) so you know where you are: 

The canal is a haven for wildlife and this was just one of the many herons we saw:

This canal was built along the contours of the land (makes it intriguingly wiggly) so it has no locks but does have a swing bridge that the children helped to shift:

The weather wasn't always perfect on the first day but we took games and the boat also had quite a few on board:

When there were some straighter stretches of canal both children had a chance to help Gramps steer:

We moored in a variety of spots most of which were conveniently near pubs:

We didn't go as far as Preston as it would have been busy. Instead we took a walk to find where the Ribble Link connects the Lancaster Canal to the main waterway network:

The children loved being able to sit on the roof of the boat as we cruised along the wonderfully calm waters:

They also loved feeding oats to the ducks and swans:

There was also plenty of opportunity to walk ahead of the boat and then hitch a lift back on board:

One day my son was determined to walk to Lancaster so he and I walked non-stop over 5 miles from Glasson Branch to Lancaster:

That night we moored up near the Water Witch pub which is in the converted stables once used for the canal horses that pulled passenger boats along the canal. It is convenient for one of the fabulous sanitary stations which provide toilets, showers and a place to pump out the boat's chemical loo! 

Being based in the city centre meant that we could spend a few hours exploring the museum and the castle:

The children enjoyed a lot of time at the free circus workshop in the courtyard:

Then we headed back north and recrossed the Lune Aqueduct:

My son made the most of the wonderful weather to sit back and do his suduko whilst keeping Gramps company:

Then he and his sister swung into action again for the swing bridge:

At Carnforth we got very close to a family of swans with seven gorgeous cygnets:

Our last couple of hours heading back to Tewitfield were in more wonderful sunshine:

Then we reached the end of the canal (the M6 chopped it off in the 1960s):

Definitely a holiday I would recommend and hopefully when ours are a bit older we will go further afield and tackle a canal with locks!