The Millenium Ribble Link.


Heading out to sea - next stop Blackpool.

When you leave the lock at Tarleton, you are heading out along a tidal waterway, with the tide coming in towards you. As a consequence, progress is slow to begin with, but after a while, the tidal estuary opens out, and the prospect of heading out to sea offers itself to you. Shortly, you are faced with a choice: turn left, or to port, and you will soon see Blackpool opening out before you, but this would be a poor choice for a narrowboat. Instead, a starboard turn towards Preston is the correct action, which enables you to run with the tide on the Ribble estuary. The aim is to arrive at the entrance to the Link itself at slack water, or just after the tide has turned.
Arrival at the link itself.

If you intend to make this trip by boat yourself, I strongly suggest that you ensure that you have the skipper's notes to hand. When I did it, British Waterways had failed to supply me with all of the necessary information, so I arrived a little blind as it were. This could have been disastrous, as the boat following me got caught on a mud bank and was stranded there until the next high tide - at 3:00 the following morning! 3 elderly adults stuck on a tiny cruiser for 12 hours. Not a lot of laughs, I would have thought.
Is this the Orinoco?

The way the Lancaster canal has been connected with the River Ribble is fascinating. There is a complicated flight of locks, all operated for you by BW staff, which then connects to what is effectively a tidal "brook" which runs down to the Ribble itself. The problem is that it is narrow and very shallow in places, which makes it look as though you've come the wrong way.
Is this actually navigable?

Parts of the link look as though they can't possibly be navigable. But it is, just about. Due to the shortage of water the BW staff actually told me to phone them if there was not enough water to navigate, and they would "send me some more down if you need it"! There are tight bends, muddy water, and it's a real challenge to navigational skills. It's a fascinating and fantastic trip, and one I thoroughly recommend to all boaters.

Back to Home Page