A hard day today. We set off very early (5:30). We had been warned by several people that we could encounter trouble in Blackburn. Also the town currently has a very high incidence of the “Indian” variant of Covid, so we were keen not to meet people. From those points of view everything was fine, hardly anyone around. But we did have problems with the locks. They are hard work. The bottom gates on number 52 wouldn’t close property. We were losing so much water out the bottom that it wouldn’t make a level and couldn’t open the top gates. We were in danger of draining tne pound above. Eventually we gott through.

Later one of the swing bridges was stuck and wouldn’t open. It has been incredibly windy and whilst I was trying to manoeuvre to help Heddi with the bridge tne boat became pinned against the side by tne wind.

We finally moored up by Altham bridge after trying several other places and getting stuck in the shallows.

We are definitely climbing higher up into the hills.