How it all began 2

It's been a week since the last blog, it's amazing how difficult it is to do this often enough, however we continue with the tale.

Last summer (2008) during one of our holidays to Lancashire we went for a cycle on the Leeds and Liverpool canal. We try to do this everytime we go up there and its great fun, nice and flat with no hills (you can walk up the slopes at the lock) my sort of cycling. On our way home we saw the beginnings of a new marina and thought wouldn’t it be great to have a narrow boat to stay in, instead of the house, when we come up here to visit. On our return home investigations into narrowboat prices had us believing that we couldn’t afford it. Having only paid 5,000 for the house we thought it would only be worth about 15,000 and you can’t get much of a boat for that. However looking in the local papers (we should have tried that first) we realised that even houses in the cheapest part of Lancashire had gone up over 15 years. Cue my turn for an instant decision (it must be catching), in September on another visit to Mum (on my own) I went to the opening of the new Marina and got over excited. I put down a deposit on a berth.
The next two months were less hectic than I imagined, after our last experience we thought it would possibly be up to a year to sell the house but we found a great estate agent (is that possible?) and we had an offer within 4 days. Yes I know it’s not fair so many people are having trouble at the moment, I couldn’t believe it. I think our estate agent had someone in mind all along and suggested a price she knew they would pay, but we were happy with it. We now had enough to buy a (second hand –or pre-loved) boat so off we went scouring the Apollo Duck site for weeks.
We settled on one we could afford at Hebden Bridge (on the Calder and Hebble canal) and arranged to go up north to see it. The day before this Jon found another one on Apollo Duck- new to the site, an ex hire boat, much newer than the one we were supposed to see and much better fitted out. I had had doubts about the Hebden Bridge boat since it was variously described as 60 or 62 foot long. We needed to get it onto and around the Leeds and Liverpool canal and those locks are only just 60 foot long so I was a bit worried.
Sooo- we cancelled the first viewing and arranged to see the second boat at Sowerby Bridge luckily just along from Hebden. We took her out for a ride and fell in love. Next day we put in an offer and finally become the proud owners in November 2008. Below is a picture of her during survey not looking too pretty.

Hurrah boat tales at last you say.

We had hoped to have her moved before Christmas to our new mooring on the L&L but delays in re-painting and the over-winter lock closures meant this was delayed.
So now the locks are supposed to be open and we thankfully now have the time to move her ourselves. We have re named her Tormentil after the lovely yellow flower that grows on the Lancashire and Yorkshire moors.
She now looks beautiful and new and shiny (see header picture) but not for long I fear when we get started on those bridges and locks).
Our plan was to start Friday 20th March and blog our travels as we go along, however the best laid plans and all that…
We now hear there has been a collapse just east of Sowerby Bridge on the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the canal that way is shut. This was our preferred route through some of the loveliest countryside and finally getting to do the Bingley five rise (we chickened out last time and only had a look at it). We may have to go via Manchester on a more rigourous (124 locks) route and I fear not so pretty. We should find out at the last minute tomorrow which route we can take.