A More Relaxing Day.

 Friday 13th May 2022 by Johnson's Hillock Bottom Lock.

After the exertions of yesterday, we decided we deserved a later start this morning! When we did set off, we passed a small marina with an interesting café in a converted double decker bus.The sign on its side reads "Just the ticket to good fayre" - or should that have been "fare"?!

We didn't stop there, as all our guide books waxed lyrical about an ice cream parlour next to the canal which has been in business here since 1896 so we decided to visit that instead. We hoped that it had survived Covid and moored up next to bridge 73 just past Adlington, as instructed in the guide books.

Next to the bridge was an encouraging sign pointing up the lane. 

At the top of the lane on the A6 was Frederick's Ice Cream shop and it was open! Hooray!

The guide books said that Frederick's has over one hundred ice cream flavours and the counter didn't disappoint.

They also do coffee, tea, food and drink as well as all the flavours of ice cream. We both opted for a crepe with sugar and lemon and vanilla ice cream on the side. R had a coffee and M also bought a Butter Pie to have for her lunch one day.

While R was enjoying his coffee, the Manageress came over and apologised, saying that they didn't seem to have any lemon. R had noticed on the menu a suggestion to spice up your ice cream sundae with a little whisky, vodka or Cointreau, so suggested adding a little Cointreau instead of lemon. The Manageress thought that was a splendid idea and, soon after, our crepes arrived one at a time.

Not quite as alcoholic as those that R used to enjoy at Le Mans but nice nonetheless.

Feeling quite full, we thanked the Manageress, promised to come again on our return and walked back to MM.

Soon after, we passed "Botany Bay" a huge former mill which had been converted to a massive shopping centre. Unfortunately it closed at the start of Lockdown and shows no sign of ever re-opening. It is rumoured that it will be converted into flats. For now, its extensive car parks are being used to store hundreds of trucks.

In some of the woods next to the canal, there were still quite a few bluebells in evidence under the trees but this lovely bank of bluebells was on the embankment next to the canal.

We arrived at the bottom of the seven Johnson's Hillock Locks but decided to moor up so that M could peg out the washing.

At the foot of the locks an old canal arm goes off; originally it was intended to go to Lancaster but never got further that Walton, where goods were transhipped from barges on to tramway wagons and taken across the steep sided Ribble Valley before being floated once again to Preston Basin. Much of the course of this "Lancaster Canal" is now under the M61 motorway but the start is very picturesque, if sadly now unnavigable.

As the sun moved behind the trees, R moved MM across to the north side of the canal in order to keep the washing in the sunshine - and the sunshine in the boat! The house on the right of the photo is of a very interesting design, maximising the sunshine and very imaginatively laid out.

In the meantime, we had a nice relaxing and restful afternoon. M went for a short walk down the old Lancaster Arm and through the neighbouring bluebell woods - all very agreeable on a sunny afternoon!

Since we arrived, another three boats have turned up and we have agreed with one of them that we will go up the seven locks together at 10:00am in the morning. The locks are against us so, if the other two boats go up earlier, it will make no difference.

Today: 10 miles, 0 locks and 3.3 hours.

Trip: 103 miles, 78 locks and 50.7 hours.