[B]THE RED ROSE COUNTY[/B]

I've taken a little information regarding The Duchy of Lancaster from Wikipedia.



It is indeed a beautiful place. This photograph is taken as we approached Lancaster via The Valley.





You can rightly feel a sense of proudness in the county.






This is:- 'The Jubilee Tower'

I climbed thge few steps up a couple of weeks ago, pity it was not the best of clear days, but the view out over Lancaster and Morecambe Bay was still nice.



The Tower is situated on the edge of the Bowland Fells, it is at an altitude of over 900ft and has commanding views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District and the Isle of Man providing it's a clear day.

As I mentioned above it was not a clear day, when me and Flobo were up there.


The cattle seemed happy enough though.

Thanks very much for your valued and much appreciated comments Dutchy.


I am extremely proud of Lancashire.

I'm proud of the whole of Britain to be honest.
{Even Yorkshire} It's a spectacular place to live.




We are indeed fortunate to have so much beauty on such small islands.



Most of the photographs I am displaying are within a few miles of my home, none of them are more than thirty miles away.

Lancaster is perhaps the furthest point I have shown as yet and that is about 27 miles from home.




I was in this little village in Yorkshire though earlier this week.

I have several photographs to place on this thread.

In fact this year, especially summer, I will be out with two of my Grandson's when they come to end of term. We will be taking a great deal of cycle riding in. Should be a lot more to come regarding photographs.

This is a photograph from Skipton in Yorkshire, again less than forty miles from my home.




One more for now, it's a beautiful little spot.

I had a photograph or two more of Dunsop Bridge taken on Tuesday {24.06.2008}

St Georges. Now that has to be a fitting name.





The little Church in the village is quite unique in it's appearance


There are some outstanding places of superb beauty in this part of Lancashire.



Strange though, in winter it can look extremely bleak.
It's a different form of beauty if the
snow is covering the land and bending the boughs
of the trees or the evergreens are sagging
under the weight of the heavy snow.




The countryside is superb in this area.




I might well be in The UK for most of next winter,
if I am and someone reminds me,
I'll have a drive out here when it snows
with Flobo and take a few winter photographs.




It will be nice showing you some of the seasonal changes and the affects on the appearances.

I'm expecting to be in Russia, later in the year, then I have some very strong commitments during December and January, which will mean I have to curtail my trip to the Orient to a few weeks, hopefully for February, but time will tell.

Anyhow, I should be able to get some good winter photographs.


The trees in the area, especially the old oak trees are splendid.

I was curious regarding this particular young beauty, it looked superb but I couldn't be certain what it was.

Any assistance in naming it would be appreciated.





Flobo is pretty confident it's a Maple but I am not so sure.

We stopped for lunch at a grand little pub in The Trough of Bowland. It was built in 1756 or thereabouts.


The Red Pump Inn Clitheroe Road, Bashall Eaves, near to Clitheroe.
Lancashire, I can well recommend it. Absolutely superb.




It served as a small hotel and if the appearance of the building in general, the inside of the pub,the bar areas and the small restaurant section were anything to go by we rather thought the accommodation would be special..

We both considered it would be a grand place to stay in the area.




Superb in every little detail.

We kind of imagined a winters day with logs blazing away on the fire, a nice pint
of local ale and a brandy and port to keep it company.

Bliss...




Gorgeous bars




Absolutely brilliant bars in fact.





I have taken the information below from the INTERNET, the pages will lead you to more information on this gorgeous pub and there are more of their own photographs available to view.


It makes for extremely interstingf reading;-

The Red Pump Inn is one of the oldest inns in the Ribble Valley, (rumoured to have been built before 1756) and nestles happily in the quaint hamlet of Bashall Eaves just on the skirts of the Forest Of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; www.forestofbowland.com).

Enjoying truly panoramic views of spectacular countryside, the inn can be enjoyed right through the year.

What are we about…….

Really Great Food - using all local meat, game, cheeses and vegetables in dishes on the lovely rustic varied menu, the small team here are boringly passionate about good food. The Red Pump Inn is wholly approved and commended by the Taste Lancashire scheme with the Highest Quality Assured Award by Taste Lancashire (www.tastelancashire.co.uk) and is an enthusiastic supporter and participator in the Taste Lancashire Year of Food and Drink as part of the Liverpool '08 celebrations. The Red Pump Inn is also an approved food provider and proud members of the Ribble Valley Food Trail (www.ribblevalleyfoodtrail.co.uk) and is hand selected by the AA Good Pub Guide 2008 and Alastair Sawday's Special Places, The Best Pubs and Inns of Britain, to name but a few!

The menu at the Red Pump Inn changes to reflect the seasons and the whims of the owners and chefs, but is always true to good gutsy flavour. The full menu is supported by the daily specials' board which usually houses a swiftly changing choice of just that; "specials".

Children are catered for with their own menu, with some child-friendly specific (but always fresh and healthy) dishes that adults will want to pinch! We don't subscribe to a fast food ethic and our menu choices are freshly prepared to order.

We are more than happy to cater to vegans and those with dietary restrictions. Since we prepare everything fresh on the premises and know exactly what goes into each and every dish, this isn't a hardship, but some warning that you are coming is a help!

Visit www.sugarvine.com. Type in "The Red Pump Inn" in the search box and read our customer reviews!

Really Great Beers - local, regional and national cask conditioned ales cared for quite lovingly by owner Jonathan's obsession with great beers served well are always on offer. Think roaring fire and pint of cask ale; Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Black Sheep, Grindleton Brewhouse and Moorhouses to name but a few of the regular hand pulls on offer!

Really Great Wines - as a freehouse we can pick and choose what beers and wines we wish and they vary from well known excellent names to very special prestige limited availability wines, there is something for every taste; many served by the glass.

Really Great Accommodation - three sumptuous guest bedrooms, for when the roaring fire, good food and ales make the trip home just too tough

Great Café and Delicatessen - our lovely bright and sunny Coach-House houses the café and deli where we sell our home made breads and cakes and biscuits and pates…… come and try our famous Chocolate and Beetroot cake! Sorry but the café is not open in the winter.

Outside Dining - With a choice between bar, snug with a real open fire, large dining room, a Coach-house café and deli and the Old Dining Room to eat and drink in, there should be something to suit everyone, however with our gorgeous back and front gardens with different views of Pendle Hill or Longridge Fell, you may not want to stay indoors.

The whole ethic at the Red Pump Inn is a relaxed, informal, and friendly gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

The density of the forest areas at times is quite spectacular.







Many a time when driving in this part of Lancashire we have seen several deer, this time we were not so lucky.


Wouldn't mind betting there were an odd one or two watching us though as we walked through the fields.

There was a nice garden area as well, leading from the house into the Woodlands, it looked terrific.




We had been walking through the fields for about an hour, then we came to the road and as we approached a small bridge, this garden and home came into view on our right.

It was really nice as you can see,.




Couldn't resist taking another photograph,


That's a setting to be proud of and to appreciate

This was an additional church which was also worth a photograph,

The Parish Church of St Michael. the small hamlet of Whitewell.





It was superbly located the scenic land surrounding the same added to the spectacular peace and beauty it portrayed.





Panoramic views whichever way you look.

The age of the 'Old Church Graveyard' is amply illustrated too.





Another pub, there are some real beauties in Lancashire.




The Shireburn Arms Hotel, Whalley Road, Hurst Green, Clitheroe, Lancashire, England

We didn't actually go in this pub on this particular trip.

We have been in the same in the past and have no hesitation in recommending the same.

It is a privately owned pub and restaurant run by the Alcock family.

The same is well located in the hamlet of Hurst Green. It dates back to the 17th century.




I had to show the spectacular garden again from an alternative viewpoint.

Fabulous.

It's quite amazing when you look at different photographs of the same building from a different angle.

The Dunsop Church on this one,
looks better, the 'Old Bell' atop
the building and confined within
the boundaries of it's own tower
is amazing in it's own concept.

The close proximity of the entrance which
as you can see from the last photograph I
entered a couple of posts or so back is
opposite the door to the garage workshop.





This neat looking home, a small barn conversion is also brilliant to look at.

There are some amazingly outstanding barn conversions in Lancashire, throughout the land for that matter.

I just think Lancashire has the edge. :wink:




I'm just finishing this off tonight with another pub photograph.

This was another beauty.

The Stork





There were once cannons stood out on the front of this pub. The Landlord actually sold them for about £40,000..00.

Prior to that, one night some 'wag' with a Landrover
dragged one through the town of Lancaster.

He was soon locked up.


A bonny place indeed.

It's approximately three miles south of Lancaster has a great selection of beers and wines.
Offers accommodation and had a superb menu. We were between meals when we arrived here and simply had a couple of nice coffees.

We had a nice chat with a couple of staff members.

We were impressed and will certainly return to sample the food, at some future date.



Very nice indeed.

The little cottage next door to the pub was also quite an impressive home.




These buildings have tremendously thick walls.

They are rather special to be in during thew winter months
as much as any other time of the year.

Thick snow fall outside and temperature down to about minus 4.

A roaring coal or log fire, big comfy armchair and settee pulled up close, a couple of nice glasses of 'Oban Malt Whisky' and the right music on the stereo..

What more could one ask for.

A quick one regarding The Stork

It was a really nice pub/hotel/restaurant, it's situated on the estuary of The River Lune.

The old coaching inn dates back to at least 1660. Inside the bar, there is a plaque on the wall naming various Landlords, their time spent as Landlords and years applicable. The plaque was dated back to about the mid 1660's. {I should have taken a photograph of that} Isn't hindsight a grand thing.

There are pleasant gardens with a very deep well which is grated over.


The photograph below shows the well.

That Fern is amazing, growing out of the stone sides.




All in all a really nice place and the people we spoke to working there were 'gradely folk'

This shows the garden area behind the 'Stork'
The dining tables are nicely set out.
The staff were telling me that summer trade,
especially nice days, ensured a full house.


It certainly looked inviting.



The next photograph is from Glasson dock, actually the area known as 'Glasson Basin' if my memory serves me right.



There are some nice boats at Glasson.

Are you not aware Mathos that you are driving up Lancashire property prices.

It is bad enough that Her Majesty the Queen when asked where She would retire to if she could retire said "Lancashire".

It's the "cash" bit I think.

Who in their right mind would think of retiring to a place without a "cash" in its name?

Go and get some photography lessons and really show them. You're a bourgeois twit photographer. I hate to see enthusiasm wasted for lack of discipline.

Property prices in The Ribble Valley have no need of my assistance to drive them up Spendi.


Whilst the remainder of the country is trembling in the thoughts of a recession and house prices tumbling, The Valley has reported a 17.5% increase of late.

Her Majesty The Queen is indeed a sensible lady:- "She knows what's what, She does."

It's a noted fact, she remarked some years ago, that she would like to retire in The Ribble Valley.

We made our way to the small but nice coastal town of Knott End On Sea.

The idea being to cross via The ferry to Fleetwood if there was a car Ferry available.


As it was, the tide was far too low for the ferry to operate.



Not much of a swim really, Flobo wasn't having that though.

This particular photograph looking north is the best I could do due to the cloud and mist in the locality.

It's pointing towards Scotland eventually, but the land mass you can just about make out in the photograph is Barrow In Furness.






Another view across the Wyre Estuary towards Fleetwood.





Pleasant little place is Knot End there are some really nice small bungalows and senior citizens apartments overlooking the bay.

It appears to be catering for the more senior generation.

I should have taken some photographs of the actual town,
but didn't! Sorry, next time though.






There's a decent looking pub on the wharf, I rather think the last few remaining trawlermen in the vicinity probably keep it busy.

It' a few years I had a drink in there, it was a 'real man's pub'

You'd to bite the head off a conger eel before they'd serve you.




And eat it raw.

Identification:
There are eight distinct species of Conger found in the Atlantic, but Conger oceanicus is the largest and most common. Specimens up to 250lbs have been taken by commercial fisherman although any fish caught on rod and line over 70lbs would be considered a specimen. The Conger has a scaleless skin and its upper jaw extends beyond its lower. Colouring very much depends on the type of seabed it inhabits. On rocks, the back is charcoal grey and the underparts are pale, but over sand the back is a light-grey brown. The margins of the dorsal and anal fins are black. The conger can normally be differentiated from another eel merely by its size. However, small fish can be identified by the dorsal fin beginning at the pectoral fins and running the length of its body. The dorsal fin on a silver eel begins well back from its pectoral fins.

Breeding:
The breeding cycle of the Conger is still something of a mystery due to the enormous distances that they will travel to spawn. It is thought that the Conger migrate to the Sargasso Sea in the sub-tropical Atlantic to breed, spawning at depths of 10,000 to 12,000 ft. The larvae are transparent and flattened, and drift at the surface for up to 2 years before reaching the shoreline where they become cylindrical. At this stage they are still transparent and about 3 inches long. The full colouring appears by the time the eel is 12 inches long.
Habitat:
Conger Eels favour very rough ground and inhabit deepwater wrecks, reefs and broken ground. In shallow waters Conger are mostly nocturnal feeders, but in depths of 60ft or more they feed at any time.
Food:
Conger are bottom feeders more than capable of catching live food. They will hole up in a wreck or rough ground and ambush lesser species. They will take fish baits, crab, cuttlefish and squid. The most popular bait is a mackerel 'flapper' produced by taking the whole fish and removing the backbone and tail, allowing the flanks and innards to flutter in the tide. If it is available, a whole live pout can prove deadly.
Range:
English Channel, North Sea, Irish Sea Additional Notes:
Conger eels have extremely sharp teeth and strong jaws. Hook lengths should be constructed of wire or heavy duty monofilament to avoid being bitten through. Conger stay alive for long periods out of water and great caution should be exercised when unhooking. Conger flesh is relatively tough but eating quality is fair if cooked properly, often as Conger steaks.


I thought the above information was quite interesting off The Internet.

Thinking today, this is one of those threads which could go on for a long time, if the interest is there from the readers of course.

Seasons alone change the photographic scenes tremendously, and there is so much to write on the county, it's unreal when you think about it realistically.

I had to travel to Whalley, Flobo suggested we carry on to Skipton. Now that is really in Yorkshire.

Beautiful place and well worth some photographs and a write up.

So there will be additional county alternatives from time to time.


I still have Shard Bridge and more to enter from this section which is very local to me and Flobo.

The coming months will enable me to pick out particular towns and do some write ups on them.

I'm apparently turning this into a hobby and it's very interesting for me, I hope you folk are enjoying the same too.

OK I've finished talking;.

Or whatever.

Shard Bridge and more to come.




They get carried away around here on those Jet Skis at times. It can be quite a hive of activity at this point on a nice hot Saturday or Sunday or both.




You can see how high the water reaches by the marks on the bridge supports.

I had to go into Chorley so I took the camera it was really nice and sunny.

Nice photograph here of Botany bay. A little area on the canal, or it was a little area on the canal, it appears that everything doing business or building at times has associated itself with the name.

There's a Botany bay Shopping Mill, it's colossal. People have stalls inside on several floors. Somewhat akin to a giant indoor market. You have to pay a fee just to go in. Fancy that, paying an entrance fee to see if you will spend your money.

Actually people do, it's like a day out for them.

Then there's Puddletown Pirates at Botany Bay. A large entertainment and play centre for kids. They have birthday party venues and all sorts there.

Botany Bay Garden Centre..

There was a Botany Bay TV repair and second hand sales once upon a time.

Botany Bay Pubs, Wine Bars and Clubs.

Then there is the original canal attraction. They used to do cruises down the canal, many years back. Perhaps they still do, there are plenty of houseboats and other types on this particular stretch of water.

I think it was in the 60's they were going to do Canal Weddings, it didn't take off.





The Temple you can see in the next photograph is The Mormon Temple.

It is the second largest Mormon Temple in the world.

It has an accommodation centre, training facilities for missionaries, there are genealogy features (information regarding family history), and a Temple clothing distribution Centre.



I only learned a few years ago that this particular area of Lancashire had a very strong connection to the Mormon fraternity (Church of Latter Day Saints)

It appears that in excess of one hundred thousand converts emigrated to America from the locality during the period 1837 to the turn of the century.

At one time nearly half the population of Utah was British.

It also seems that The UK has the largest concentration of Mormons anywhere, outside of the United States.

This growth therefore provides compelling reasons for the large investment in the area by The Mormons.



Rumour has it, that one of the Osmond family is going to move into the area, they are big into the Mormon faith it seems.

Must be how they get the big smiles.

I thought it was because they could have several wives.{Yeah}

I took the following from the Reachout trust on The Internet, it amused me somewhat.



MORMONS ARE CHRISTIAN THOUGH.

Given the world's definition of 'Christian', people might be forgiven for thinking so. Certainly, the Mormon Church wants people to think so, but they are not. When he began the church, Joseph Smith said that Jesus had told him that all the churches were wrong and "that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight" (Joseph Smith - History 1:19). Christendom was perceived as "a perfect pack of nonsense" and Joseph was God's instrument in restoring the pure gospel corrupted by the churches. Today, the Mormon Church is trying to become accepted as another Christian denomination.
An article in The Times, 26 May 1995 was headlined "Mormons cry foul at ban by Christian soccer league." The Mormon football team from Gillingham, Kent was appealing to local soccer authorities against being refused entry to a church league. The organisers of the league claimed that Mormon beliefs were incompatible with Christianity, but the Mormon team claimed to be Christian. Which is interesting in the light of the comment by the team manager, "We were willing to take the chance that they might convert us." How could they be converted if they were already Christian?
Mormonism is counterfeit Christianity. They use Christian terminology, but this disguises the fact that their beliefs are really "another gospel", which Paul warned the Galatians about (Gal.1: 6-9).

There's a nice few pubs in the area as well. This one is by the canal, a popular pub, especially in the summer.





This is the absolutely gorgeous little town of Clitheroe in Lancashire.

We climbed the castle to have a look around and took this photograph and several others.

They really are attractive.






Some of the country roads were special, they really looked magnificent and represented what England is all about, especially in summer-time.




A nice photograph here, you can see what a beautiful day it was



The old girl didn't seem up to taking her coat off though.

You can see the Castle in the background. It's not very big at all. Served it's purpose though.




I don't think it's possible to equal the general history of Britain anywhere on the planet.

Absolutely amazing.

Whilst there today, I was looking out to the fields around, it has a very commanding view over the land. I could just imagine Knights in armour carrying all that weaponry.

They must have rode Shire horses.?

They are presently re-furbishing the museum section of the castle, it will not re-open until 2009.

They appear to be spending a fortune on the same.




You can get an idea from the photographs taken from the Castle how superb the view is.

The streets themselves are really quaint as well. All in all it's a gorgeous town.




There were several really nice pubs and small cafés or bistro's.

This was great as well.

Skipton. It's an absolutely beautiful town.

The Canal is really well managed and has quite a large community of;-

'Boat Residents'

I don't think living on a house boat would suit me, but there are many who find it a great way of life.





I have a photograph I took today of a new boat for sale. It amazed me. £58,000..00 and the chap I spoke to about the same when I was being nosy, said it was cheap.


{Don't tell Spendi, but Skipton is in Yorkshire}

Another beautiful and interesting little spot.

Hebden Bridge.




It's known as the centre of The Pennines or The Pennine Centre.

It takes the name from the packhorse type bridge which crosses Hebden Water.

The town itself is steeped in history from the late medieval times especially.

It was a popular crossing and meeting point for the packhorse's and coaches which used the various routes from Halifax to Heponstall, Rochdale and Burnley.

The Calder Valley (Upper) has flourished with the textile trade for centuries. However, it was when steam power and advanced machinery came into being that Hebden Bridge grew, and it grew significantly.

Canals and Railways enhanced the business trade for the town (all the towns concerned of course).

The construction of buildings in these valleys is amazing, the have stood the tests of time on the valley sides for so many years, it is remarkable.

Manpower was needed, and need is the mother of all we need to prosper.
The Rochdale Canal has been restored, the town along with many others has been superbly cleaned and revitalised.

Hebden Bridge is a desirable place to live.
It also attracts many tourists.

It was indeed an extremely beautiful day.




This is the House-boat which is for sale at Skipton. £58,000..00.

I didn't look inside it. The guy offered to let me, but I told him I wasn't a prospective purchaser, I was simply being nosy.

He laughed.

He was telling me that a great number of middle aged people are selling their homes for round the £150,000..00 plus mark or more and buying either a decent second hand boat, they start off around £23,000..00 or so he mentioned for a 'decent' second hand one and some folk pay up to £100,000.00 for a new top quality one.

Assuming they are left with a boat paid for and about £75,000..00 earning a bit of interest and a bit of a pension coming in, they are probably quite well off.

There is a lot of 'freedom' I suppose to living on the water and taking a trip here, there and wherever the mood takes you.

What sort of expenses do they incur though?

Obviously, mooring charges, insurance, is there a certificate of safety or good order required, you know, like an MOT or similar?

What about rates?

I notice fuel on sale by the canal was red diesel which doesn't attract the same levels of taxation.

Do they use a lot of fuel?




These sort of questions I put to a friend of mine who is familiar with the same.

I'm assuming electricty is from a generator, or do they hook up to a supply?

Bottled gas for cooking ?

They all appear to have chimney's on as well, am I right in assuming they have a small log burner or coal burning fire inside?

I bet they are right cosy especially in winter, snow on the ground, ice on the water, and a nice log burning fire roaring away. I would assume they don't take a great deal to heat up as well.

OK Mathos he replied with a brief note:-


OK Here we go !

Gotta bear in mind that I have been "off the cut" for a while !
My daughter has sort of updated me but a bit vague as phone connection was crap !!!d

Boat MOT !
All boats on inland waterways have to be licensed
To get a license you must have an inspection approval cert MOT This covers safety ,gas, diesel, petrol stored on the boat . Electrical wiring must be correctly installed and earthed - dual systems especially ( 12 or 240 volt ) etc etc

Then you have to get the license from British waterways - cost is calculated in sq ft at the waterline - my 45 ft X 11 ft boat cost about 600 GBP a year then.

That done the next thing is moorings

Can be private ( at the end of someones garden) commercial ( in a marina ) towpath ( permanent BW mooring) or roving !

Private costs whatever the owner of the house wants

Commercial can be as much as 25 GBP a week

Towpath mine was 550 a year

Roving - free!- but you can only stay for 14 days - then you must move at least 2 lock pounds - so you can do that and come back in a fortnight !!
Rates are included in your BWB license fee.


Cooking is indeed bottled gas - (bottle stored outside the cabin)
Red diesel was 50% of garage price Mine burnt 40 Gal a month- 1 Gal a day for the stove and some to run the engine heating - wood ,coal or diesel stoves are the norm most with a back boiler for the hot water tank !!


Electricity - on a private or commercial mooring you can usually hook up to a 240 volt supply.

Otherwise you are on your own.

Have a couple of heavy duty batteries in the engine room and fully charged they will do the lights , TV etc for a few days.

Then you either take the boat for a run and recharge the batteries ( have to fit a high out put alternator as you have the domestic and the engine starter battery to charge up.Or have a generator- those 1Kw Honda things that you get at HomePro !!

Toilet can be an Elsan thing or a septic tank that you can get pumped out at most diesel stations .

Water ? usually have a 100 gallon tank in the bows that is ok for showers etc but otherwise bottled.


I bet one like this would cost a bob or two then.






I think I'll stick to dry land. :wink:

A little on Fleetwood here.

The North euston hotel opened in 1841

There was no direct route by train from London to Scotland along the west coast, consequently travellers would leave the train at Fleetwood and take the Ferry to Adrossan and then further rail to Glasgow.

When the railway line over Shap Fell in The Lake District was completed the sea link/rail and use of Fleetwood came to an end. This was in 1847.


The hotel was bought by the war department in 1859 and used as School of Musketry for Officers. It closed down as a school in 1867 and became Officers quarters as part of the large garrison in Fleetwood Town.

It has a very chequered history.

In 1991 it re-opened after being purchased and re-furbished by a consortium of local families.




A little I meant to put on in addition to Shard Bridge too:-

The Shard Riverside Inn by the bridge on The Hambleton side of the estuary is also a really nice place.




We have eaten here a couple of times over the years, the food is superb. All local produce and an outstandingly good varied menu. A little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for.

I think they have about twenty rooms for guests, the Inn/Hotel has a decent reputation and there were a couple of vehicles on the car park with foreign registration plates when we called into the same for a coffee.

This is a view from the car park road entrance, the view above looks out onto the river. The setting itself is exceptionally attractive.

In the mid to late 18th century, the River Lune was having many problems with silt which was causing navigation problems to the shipping fraternity and Glasson Dock was founded as an outport of Lancaster.

Merchants in general were happy enough to move their operations five miles downriver to Glasson which was constructed between 1783 and 1791.
Packing materials from the West Indies used to protect cargo's of Rum, Cotton and Tobacco from there was used by the famous cabinet-makers Waring and Gillow.

Glasson Dock was also a central point for the horrendous Slave Trade. It was a departure point for thousands of convicts transported to Australia as part of the mass deportation system which was used at that time.

Glasson is still a working dock.

There are also a large number of private craft in Glasson which is always a busy area.




I'd just arrived at this particular lock when it was being closed.




It's a very busy place though.

I had a quick scan earlier on at some of these living boats for sale on The Internet.

There was some cheap stuff about, requiring engines or full refurbishments or they looked to have been cocked up for sale and roughly painted etc.

The real genuine sort appear to start at around the £20,000..00 mark for the older type and climbing up to a converted lighter barge at £250,000...00 .

The original steel barge was extremely old, about 1932.

That's a big chunk of money for a boat.




One certain issue though, this particular stretch of canal in Skipton, along with the boats and built in character homes looked exceptionally beautiful.


This surprised me as well. Whenever I have noticed the name on any boat it is usually that of a woman.





The exceptions being Navy Warships etc. You wouldn't exactly name an Air Craft
Carrier Susan, would you?

Or Spendi, for that matter...

Some of course are named after towns, which is fine, but I cannot think of any other houseboat or small sailing or motor boat I've seen named after a bloke, or given a blokes name.




Daft thing now is, I am looking for names on these boats, just my luck to find, Tom, Dick and Harry in the photographs I have taken.





They are nice though.