You
may well have noticed the increase in the number
of narrow boats passing to and fro on the Rufford
Branch of the Leeds Liverpool canal, can have hardly
missed the ground works of the Fettlers
Wharf marina or not heard about the proposed
St Mary's Marina.
It's not a co-incidence that these proposed developments
are now deemed financially viable all at once -
it is all due to the opening and popularity of the
Millennium Ribble Link.
Previously
inaccessible from other canals, the opening of the
Ribble Link has finally connected the Lancaster
Canal to the Inland Waterway network via the Rufford
Branch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. The Lancaster
Canal provides for some 41 miles of lock-free sailing,
winding through rural countryside.
From
the banks of the Douglas at Hesketh Bank and Tarleton
it is becoming a familiar sight to see narrow boats
'in procession' on the River Douglas, setting out
for the Lancaster canal or Riversway at Preston
or returning to the Rufford Branch of the Leeds
Liverpool canal via Tarleton Lock.
Activity
at Tarleton Lock can now be regularly witnessed
as the boats are efficiently moved between the river
Douglas and the canal at times dictated by the high
tide. Due to the popularity of the Ribble Link and
the critical tidal requirements, bookings must be
made well in advance, and the waiting list has been
up to 2 months long.
